
(Miami Herald) Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said mask-wearing could be a seasonal habit to combat common illnesses, even after the coronavirus pandemic.
Fauci, the White House’s chief medical advisor, said during a Sunday interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” it was “quite possible” that people will decide to wear masks seasonally to prevent catching colds or the flu.
“We’ve had practically a non-existent flu season this year merely because people were doing the kinds of public health things that were directed predominately against COVID-19,” he said. “So it is conceivable that as we go on a year or two or more from now that during certain seasonal periods when you have respiratory borne viruses like the flu, people might actually elect to wear masks to diminish the likelihood that you’ll spread these respiratory borne diseases.”