France passed some anti-mask laws about a decade ago as a reaction to Muslim immigration. [0] (Amusingly, the statute also prescribes a €30,000 fine to anyone f

France passed some anti-mask laws about a decade ago as a reaction to Muslim immigration. [0] (Amusingly, the statute also prescribes a €30,000 fine to anyone forcing someone to wear a mask). Other countries also have a history of anti-mask laws. [1] Pre-covid, it was quite unusual in Western nations to see anyone wearing a mask. Most would probably assume anyone wearing one was carrying some highly communicable disease and would give them a wide berth. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ban_on_face_covering https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ban_on_face_covering [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-mask_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-mask_law