'It's a hoax' say California's anti-mask proponents
For Davey, a resident of the city of Huntington Beach in southern California, the requirement to wear a mask to curb the spread of coronavirus isn't something he takes seriously.
"It's a hoax," the 51-year-old told AFP as he exited a clothing store maskless, discussing circumstances rule that people generally in most public places wear face coverings.
"The more you test people, the more you develop new cases," he said, echoing words from President Donald Trump as he attemptedto describe the record number of infections recently recorded in California and many other states.
Davey isn't the only resident of this city in Orange County, which includes a sizable Republican presence, to revolt against lockdowns and mask rules.
"It's my constitutional, God-given right never to wear a mask," said Davey, who declined to provide his last name.
As the number of Covid-19 cases in Orange County has not exploded like in some particularly hard-hit cities across the country's south and west, the disease's incidence continues to be worrisome.
A worker at a nearby shop said many business owners had abandoned trying to ensure mask compliance, given how sensitive the issue has become.
"We had a lot of protests against beach closures and masks here," said the employee, who didn't desire to be named. "Basically, a lot of shops around listed below are doing what they are able to not to lose customers."
Few persons encountered along city streets on a recently available afternoon wore masks.
Among them was Tracy, a 25-year-old walking back from the beach carrying her surfboard.
She said she primarily tried to convince friends to wear masks but eventually gave up.
"It sometimes finished up quickly in a fight," she said. "I don't know why, however the issue is very sensitive. I decided to ignore it."
Controversy over the problem prompted the county's chief health officer, Nichole Quick, to resign last month after weeks of defending her countywide face mask order.
Her successor scrapped the mandate, saying that masks will be "strongly recommended," not necessary.
Meanwhile, County Sheriff Don Barnes has said he won't enforce the statewide mask order, opting instead for "education first."
Wendy Wood, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California, compared the pushback against masks to the opposition that emerged when laws first required the application of seat belts.
"This is a new behaviour for some Americans," she told AFP. "And you could think about it like seat belts."
Complicating the facial skin mask issue, Wood acknowledged, may be the mixed messaging which has come from local, state and specially the federal government.
"It's become politicised and also has come to represent your political orientation," she said, with Democrats more inclined to follow the mask-wearing exhortations from health authorities like top US infectious disease consultant Anthony Fauci, and Republicans more likely to be influenced by Trump's skepticism and mixed signals on masks.
Alison Dundes Renteln, a political science professor at USC, said the controversy goes beyond political identity.
"I'm not denying that there surely is a sort of a tribalism, hyper-politicisation," she told AFP. "But I believe it is a lot more complex... Americans do not like the government to tell them what to do.
"You know, 'give me liberty or give me death.'" - AFP
