That's where social sciences come in. Because people associate wearing a mask with disease, restrictions, illness and so on. A mask taps into beliefs and deep-

That's where social sciences come in. Because people associate wearing a mask with disease, restrictions, illness and so on. A mask taps into beliefs and deep-seated fears about society, the wider world, uncertainty, personal freedom, body autonomy and public health. As such, in Western culture, wearing masks carries widespread stigma: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/america-asia-face-mask-coronavirus/609283/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/america... https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/wearing-a-mask-while-asian/Content?oid=78894606 https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/wearing-a-mask-while-a... Wearing a mask is a stark wake up call whereas many people simply want to go to business-as-usual as before. During the 1918 pandemic, SF ordered people to wear masks several times. At one point, some people were fed up and started an "anti-mask league". Today, washing your hands is not questioned, and social norms dictate that one washes their hands at various times. It's something you get taught to do from a young age. That wasn't always the case, as washing hands was heavily opposed in the 19th century when it was first suggested by Ignaz Semmelweiss and Florence Nightingale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis It took time, campaigning and a lot of education across several generations to get to this point.