Brooks: Opening Up Is Understandable Due to Economic Cost, But ‘No Cost to Wearing a Mask’

On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks reacted to states relaxing coronavirus restrictions by stating that he understands why states are opening up, since there is an economic cost to keeping things closed, but “I do not understand getting rid of masks. There’s no cost to wearing a mask.”

Brooks stated, “I understand opening up. Because there’s an economic trade-off of how closed — I do not understand getting rid of masks. There’s no cost to wearing a mask. And I think what bothers me is, the mask issue has become, not a scientific issue, not a public policy issue, just a symbolic issue. And we seem to take every practical issue and turn it into a culture war issue. And so people make hay out of pro-mask and anti-mask, and the anti-maskers are not doing anything in public policy terms. They’re just trying to send a signal to people who feel we’re in the big middle of a culture war, and they’re on their side. And that seems to me, sad and irresponsible.”

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