In public health, we need to be careful about how we communicate the importance of wearing masks. Masks, in certain contexts, have become a class signifier that only reinforce discrimination and reinscribe us-versus-them distinctions.

Let's talk about it for a moment.

1/10

I've been working in Cúcuta, Colombia for the past several weeks, just a mile away from Venezuelan border. Cúcuta is the main border crossing between the two countries & Venezuelans seeking refuge in Colombia is high w/ the ongoing crisis. 5M Venezuelans (of 30M) have left.

2/10

Discrimination is a daily reality for Venezuelans here. Many, though not all, complain about Venezuelans taking their jobs, partaking in crime, making their cities "dirty," etc. I see it every day here—though they should be able to speak to their own oppressions.

3/10

Yet since the pandemic, mask wearing has become a class signifier only serving to criticize & marginalize further. In one social media posts, @ultimominutocuc, a local newspaper, shared photos of maskless ppl mentioning "foreigners that don't follow biosecurity rules."

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For context, Cúcuta is not a tourist city. Essentially all foreigners are Venezuelans, so "foreigners" was a mere euphemism. Everyone knew who the post was about. And of course, the comments exploded with only more accusations & xenophobic comments directed at Venezuelans.

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Here are two comments selected among other, much worse ones:

"Send back the Venezuelans and militarize the damn border crossings."

"Never have 'the foreigners' respected the rules of Colombia because they know the government supports their mischief."

Sound familiar?

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The xenophobic attacks against Venezuelans have only been amplified, w/ mask wearing becoming a litmus test of your "worthiness" & "acceptability" in the country. If you're not wearing a mask, it is just assumed you're Venezuelan and, as per usual, not following the rules.

7/10

This is of course not true anyway. Where your passport is from does not dictate your mask wearing tendencies, but it DOES dictate the discourses around your mask use.

And though I only speak for Cúcuta here, it's something I also saw in Florida to target Black communities.

8/10

This is all to say that when we promote mask use and communicate the science, we must be careful. @SaskiaPopescu, @Zeynep, @Angie_Rasmussen, and many others have done great and pushed for improved science/public health communication. Let's keep it up.

9/10

We need to make sure no one demonizes or speaks about those without masks as "delinquents," because this language will indeed trickle down.

Instead, when people don't wear masks, we need to try to understand *why* they don't and go from there. Not criticize until they do.

10/10