Article Text
Abstract
This paper combines considerations from ethics, medicine and public health policy to articulate and defend a systematic case for mask wearing mandates (MWM). The paper argues for two main claims of general interest in favour of MWM. First, MWM provide a more effective, just and fair way to tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic than policy alternatives such as laissez-faire approaches, mask wearing recommendations and physical distancing measures. And second, the proffered objections against MWM may justify some exemptions for specific categories of individuals, but do not cast doubt on the justifiability of these mandates. Hence, unless some novel decisive objections are put forward against MWM, governments should adopt MWM.
- COVID-19
- Ethics- Medical
- Public Policy
- Risk Assessment
- Philosophy- Medical
Data availability statement
Data sharing is not applicable as no data sets were generated and/or analysed for this study.
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Data availability statement
Data sharing is not applicable as no data sets were generated and/or analysed for this study.
Footnotes
Contributors RF is the only author of the submitted paper. RF is the guarantor of the content.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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