A mandatory Mass program in the United States would have a positive effect on saving human lives while doing great things for the economy. This idea to be true because the less human life  lost the more the faster the economy would be able to open back up since businesses would be able to run since the wide spread of covid-19 wouldn’t occur so fast. It would  prevent another massive shutdown locally and federally.  Americans’ health should be the primary goal in this war against the virus.

In an article published  from Ohio, having a mask mandate would help the economy,because there would be less uncertainty. The hardest hit by this pandemic would be the working class and the lower class.  They need to work  and dont have the luxury to take off and care for themselves if they get sick, which could prevent them going to the doctors all together. Masks  are relatively  cheap and very attainable for every american to get. “The value of a statistical life is around $10 million.’’ Saving only a few lives with this would have a massive economical impact.  At the same time it is almost as important it is to keep the economy going since some families can’t afford another shutdown. “In a survey published by Scioto Analysis this morning, 38 out of 40 Ohio economists said that the economic benefits of mask mandates outweighed the economic costs.”  They agreed on how important it is for the middle class and lower-income class to not be out of work again since it is them whom the virus can have the biggest impact on. These next couple months need to be done strategically so we don’t get led into a major recession. 

As Americans, we can all look at the Coronavirus as almost as our world war and we need everyone’s help to win it. In world war 2 , some of the women needed to go to work since men were sent off to fight. Everyone contributed to the fight and american won. While we aren’t fighting a war like that, we are fighting a microbe war in which America needs everyone again.  A Goldman Sachs study estimated that a nationwide mask mandate would save America $1 trillion, or 5% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. With 1 trillion dollars at stake, it isn’t just about the lives   that could be saved. When you break it down person by person it would approximately save the average american  $3,000 per person if the mask mandate was followed.  Considering the amount of money the government already handed out another stimulus check would be extremely costly.

If a mask policy was put into place it could potentially save more than 100,000 lives by this February alone. While these numbers may seem really high this is the main reason scientists are preaching mask wearing. One hundred thousand people is more than any terrorist attack that ever happened in America, and this time we can prevent these deaths by Americans  doing such a simple task and wearing a mask along with socially distancing. At the current moment we don’t have a cure or a vaccine against this virus so we don’t know different people would react if they become infected. In states where a mask mandate was the strictest the numbers have started to go down and proved that masked mandates  have been working and will continue to work.  Since these numbers could get a lot  Higher than what they , we need to take this seriously and almost as a terroristic threat because the life loss could be worse than anything that came before this

Preventing sucide is a major concern with the direct link by the virus but the economic side as well. An oxford researchers “compared suicide data from before  2007 with the years of the crisis and found more than 10,000 “economic suicides” associated with the recession across the U.S., Canada and Europe”Melanie Haiken . If the country  shuts down again, a 2.0 of this event could be an unfortunate side effect of the lock down. Another lockdown would mean job loss, and the stock market would fall to mid march numbers again. “The soaring unemployment rate and stock market losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with millions of people quarantining at home alone creates the “perfect storm” for an increased risk of suicide for many people, according to the JAMA article.”As the cases continue to rise across our country again during this fall season and into the dreaded flu season, there is a significant fear the suicide rate will definitely up if the shutdown occurs again. Mental health is a big issue in this country and people are currently struggling, “I wish we could take social distancing out of our dictionary. Because we are social beings. We can’t socially distance. We are social beings. We can physically distance. Which I like better,” said Steen. These lives are not directly affected by covid-19, but will be saved if wearing a mask  where the common people could get back to their social connections and finances. Cases look to still be on the rise in the US , we need to find a solution before it’s too late.

The  lives lost by this pandemic will never be able to be brought back. We need to consider this as our best option.This seems like it when you weigh everything out. When you look at the economic benefits of wearing a mask versus not wearing a mask compounded with the countless Lives that won’t become infected it seems like its at least worth a shot.

This is why a  Mask program in the United States would be extremely beneficial for not only the health of the citizens but for the economy. Having massive human life lost would have a direct correlation with the economy. Not only would it prevent a massive shut down again it would prevent another stock market crash. Covid is a major uncertainty which  is ideal for the market. If we wanna prevent another massive shutdown in our  local and national government we need to seriously consider a mask mandate.  Having such a mandate looks to be the only solution that keeps everyone healthy and business open.