6) Political pressure

Several political factors contributed to the implementation of mask mandates.

First, some politicians simply wanted to “do something” against the pandemic;

second, some politicians thought face masks might have a “psychological effect” and might “remind” citizens to stay cautious (if anything, it had the opposite effect: creating a ‘false sense of security’);

third, some politicians used mask mandates to enforce compliance and pressure the population into accepting mass vaccination.

In addition, there was a vicious circle involving science and politics: politicians claimed to “follow the science”, but scientists followed politics.

For instance, the WHO famously admitted that their updated mask guidelines were in response to “political lobbying”, not new evidence.

The most influential lobby group was “masks4all”, founded by a “Young Leader” of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

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