How did face masks become so political- especially in the United States? More and more governments are asking, or sometimes obliging their people to wear one in public. They say they're following the overwhelming scientific advice which states that masks do help to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus significantly. Some people don’t trust this advice, they say the guidance on masks for example, from the WHO, has been contradictory and erratic. And anyway, the mask may carry its own risks and is uncomfortable. Some say it contravenes their rights as citizens to make a choice. Others suspect the mask, like the earlier lockdowns, is part of an attempt to make people afraid and unhappy with the Trump administration.