Mask Exemptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic—A New Frontier for Clinicians

Dorfman, Doron; Raz, Mical

doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2020.0810

Cited by 17 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Aligned with the WHO risk-based guidance on masks (first issued on 5 June 2020) [ 55 ], a smart masking approach seems more appropriate than universal masking in community settings. The term “universal” entails all persons, places, and times, but some exemptions for masking are legitimate and reasonable because of particular benefit-risk assessments [ 54 , 587 ]. Mask exceptions should not be seen as symbolic rejections of the pandemic [ 54 ].…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 false dichotomies and a comprehensive review of the evidence regarding public health, COVID-19 symptomatology, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, mask wearing, and reinfection

et al. 2021

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Scientists across disciplines, policymakers, and journalists have voiced frustration at the unprecedented polarization and misinformation around coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Several false dichotomies have been used to polarize debates while oversimplifying complex issues. In this comprehensive narrative review, we deconstruct six common COVID-19 false dichotomies, address the evidence on these topics, identify insights relevant to effective pandemic responses, and highlight knowledge gaps and uncertainties. The topics of this review are: 1) Health and lives vs. economy and livelihoods, 2) Indefinite lockdown vs. unlimited reopening, 3) Symptomatic vs. asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, 4) Droplet vs. aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2, 5) Masks for all vs. no masking, and 6) SARS-CoV-2 reinfection vs. no reinfection. We discuss the importance of multidisciplinary integration (health, social, and physical sciences), multilayered approaches to reducing risk (“Emmentaler cheese model”), harm reduction, smart masking, relaxation of interventions, and context-sensitive policymaking for COVID-19 response plans. We also address the challenges in understanding the broad clinical presentation of COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. These key issues of science and public health policy have been presented as false dichotomies during the pandemic. However, they are hardly binary, simple, or uniform, and therefore should not be framed as polar extremes. We urge a nuanced understanding of the science and caution against black-or-white messaging, all-or-nothing guidance, and one-size-fits-all approaches. There is a need for meaningful public health communication and science-informed policies that recognize shades of gray, uncertainties, local context, and social determinants of health.

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Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 false dichotomies and a comprehensive review of the evidence regarding public health, COVID-19 symptomatology, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, mask wearing, and reinfection

et al. 2021

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“…Early in the pandemic, we argued that few conditions merit a mask exemption as a disability accommodation. 7 Here, we argue the opposite. Requiring a full return to in-person work for all individuals, while banning mask requirements, is discriminatory against individuals with certain disabilities.…”

mentioning

confidence: 74%

Bans on COVID-19 Mask Requirements vs Disability Accommodations

Raz

Dorfman

2021

JAMA Health Forum

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“…CDC recommendations, promulgated in April 2020, 18 advised that every person over the age of two should wear face coverings in public unless that person "has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the cover without assistance." 19 Similar to what happened with the definition of disability under the original 1990 ADA, 20 this openended exemption category combined with the fluid nature of disability (which could take on an invisible form or a periodic nature), yielded suspicion of disability con alongside some instances of abuse. Mask mandates quickly became (and continue to be) a highly contentious and polarizing matter, which crossed partisan divides.…”

Section: Pandemic "Disability Cons"mentioning

confidence: 87%

Pandemic “Disability Cons”

Dorfman¹

2021

J. Law. Med. Ethics

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Disability rights law has made issues of access and accommodations much more visible in American life. Yet a byproduct of the increased awareness of disability rights has been “fear of the disability con,” that is, the common apprehension that people are abusing the law to gain an unfair advantage. Many times, this moral panic creates an invisible, oft-overlooked barrier for people with disabilities who desire to utilize their rights. They either are refused the right altogether or give up asking for it in the first place because they are afraid of being accused of being fakers. This Article shows how fear of the disability con surfaced along the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. It describes the schism between the ways in which people with disabilities generally fared under the pandemic and some popular perceptions regarding the “privileges” they allegedly received because of their protected legal status. Those so-called privileges include mask exemptions, vaccination priority, and permission to continue remote work. The Article concludes with lessons the COVID-19 pandemic experience can teach us about the nature and scope of the fear of the disability con.

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Mask Exemptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic—A New Frontier for Clinicians

Abstract: Masking or face covering amid the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as a highly polarizing practice, with surprising partisan divisions. While masking remains

Cited by 17 publications

References 5 publications

COVID-19 false dichotomies and a comprehensive review of the evidence regarding public health, COVID-19 symptomatology, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, mask wearing, and reinfection

COVID-19 false dichotomies and a comprehensive review of the evidence regarding public health, COVID-19 symptomatology, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, mask wearing, and reinfection

Bans on COVID-19 Mask Requirements vs Disability Accommodations

Pandemic “Disability Cons”

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