> Why is it that people think refusing to wear a mask transforms them into Braveheart, fighting for freedom against oppression? 1) In my country, some of the s

> Why is it that people think refusing to wear a mask transforms them into Braveheart, fighting for freedom against oppression? 1) In my country, some of the same scientific advisors to the government on the COVID response, are also criticizing the government for requiring masks to be worn outdoors in deserted streets, even though the science says that the risk of transmission there is negligible. They say that this kind of "hygiene theatre" can ultimately diminish the state's authority to mount efforts that truly matter to stopping the spread. A problem is that the outdoor mask law also appears to discourage outdoor exercise (even if people could exercise in a mask, the psychological barrier is real), and exercise is something public-health experts naturally want to encourage, even during the pandemic. 2) In some countries, the authorities have eased up on restrictions, or kept them on the books but ceased enforcing them, after the broad population flaunted them. Ruling parties are sensitive to what the population is willing to accept, lest unpopular restrictions cost them the next election. Now put those two facts together, and people refusing en masse to wear a mask outdoors (while continuing to responsibly wear masks in crowded open areas and in indoor spaces like shops and other people’s homes) might be effective in ending a measure that even actual public-health experts say is pointless and oppressive.