Mask Mandates Are Easing, but the Way We Look at Faces Has Changed Forever

Last Tuesday, shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued relaxed guidelines for wearing masks in public during the COVID-19 pandemic, President Joe Biden gave a speech on the North Lawn of the White House. The setting was so verdant--bright sunlight, tall trees framing a lectern, shrubbery in full bloom--that it might have been a virtual Zoom background. Biden wore a black mask to the lectern, then took it off to speak. "If you're in a crowd, like in a stadium or at a concert, you still need to wear a mask, even if you're outside," he said. "But, beginning today, gathering with a group of friends in the park, going for a picnic, as long as you are vaccinated and outdoors, you can do it without a mask."