The issue of whether to wear face masks has become a contentious topic worldwide. Some countries or regions still require face masks in public, while others do not see them as necessary or even discourage their use. At Nexvera, we wanted to understand how this is being handled globally but could not find an up-to-date source of aggregated information. However, we did come across masks4all.co, which provided a list of countries that require or recommend face masks in public.  That list (at “What Countries Require Masks in Public or Recommend Masks?”) was updated daily until December 2020.  The website's color-coded map offered a clear view of the situation worldwide.  It is noteworthy that the United States, and Russia, had no mask mandates when much of the remainder of the world did.

On a related note, should there be face mask mandates?  That’s an elephant in the room - the prior and continued debate around face mask mandates is a thorny and divisive issue that has caused intense emotions and frustration worldwide. We cannot shy away from the fact that it has led to heated arguments, political polarization, and even violence in some instances, but that issue is beyond the scope of this blog post. 

Despite the rancor, which the world becomes seemingly more and more full of, we believe that individuals should have the freedom to choose whether or not to wear a face mask even as the pandemic downgrades (for the moment and hopefully completely) to the status of being endemic. 

We support the use of face masks by those who feel comfortable wearing them, particularly in areas with a high incidence of COVID-19 or the flu. At Nexvera, we hope that those who wear our VeraShield XP face mask feel safe and comfortable, but we respect the choices of those who opt not to use face masks.  Mostly, we simply wish everyone well.