On this episode of “Life, Community, and COVID-19,” hosts Mina Kim of KQED in San Francisco and Marty Moss-Coane of WHYY in Philadelphia peel back the complicated layers to the act of wearing a face mask.

Though the CDC now recommends everyone wear a cloth mask in public, it has changed its stance in the past. 

For others, it’s a matter of personal safety that has nothing to do with health. Will black men be stereotyped for wearing a mask? Muslim women have faced discrimination for wearing niqab, a face covering.

It’s also become a divisive political issue, leading to protests and complaints from residents who don’t want to wear them.

Now that more businesses are reopening, what’s on people’s minds about face masks? And how do we navigate tense situations?

In addition to our callers, you’ll hear from:

Seema Yasmin,  public health doctor and epidemiologist, director of Health Communication Initiative at Stanford University, and an Emmy-award winning journalist.  She talks about the lack of uniform guidance from our government, the difficult place some are in with not being able to wear face masks, and the precautions we still need to take.

Will Joyce, mayor of Stillwater, Oklahoma, who had to change his city’s reopening plan, which originally required customers to wear face masks. After store employees were threatened with violence, he amended his plan to include a strong recommendation for masks.

Chris Norris, journalist and professional drummer, currently serving as WHYY’s Community Contributor and Engagement Editor. He has spent 10 years covering the black male experience in America and talks about the social disparities people should consider.

You can also read the Twitter thread below to see what we covered.

This show was produced by Susan Britton of KQED and Debbie Bilder of WHYY.