While South Korea’s busy streets are filled with people covering their faces with masks, the United States (U.S.) has witnessed rather different scenes during the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With initial conflicting advice from the federal government, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United Nations (UN), the topic of wearing masks during a pandemic has become controversial and political in the U.S. Yet as political leaders and members of the public ceaselessly argue about the effectiveness of masks, COVID-19 has continued to ravage American states, with new cases and deaths steadily climbing.

Contrary to the UN’s initial statements that face masks only needed to be worn by those confirmed to have been infected by COVID-19, new research has shown that a substantial number of those infected are asymptomatic yet still contagious. This research was widely and rapidly accepted by many countries. The U.S., however, has been stubborn, with President Donald Trump finally announcing in late July that the federal government strongly advised all people to wear masks in public spaces. At this stage of the pandemic, however, the U.S. needs a policy stricter than official recommendations.

The American public’s reaction during the pandemic can largely be accredited to the prioritization of individual freedom. According to the *Washington Post*, the protection of these rights through the Constitution has been associated with American patriotism. This idea of preventing the infringement of personal freedom also presented itself in the U.S. during the flu pandemic of 1919, during which people attempted to sue the government for closing businesses and schools.

The current divide on masks, however, has more practical causes as well, particularly influenced by the issue of who has the authority to issue a mask mandate. As a federal republic, the U.S. allocates significant autonomy to individual states regarding lawmaking decisions. Yet during this pandemic, states have been expected to handle the crisis rather independently, with President Trump’s federal government late and passive in issuing nation-wide orders—such as mask mandates—to overcome the pandemic.

As a result, conflict between state governors and the federal government has arisen, turning the pandemic into a partisan issue. The ruling Republican party has attempted to support President Trump’s passive response, while the Democrats have criticized the U.S. situation. The politicization of the pandemic, unfortunately, has influenced the debate over the necessity of masks. As of early July, of the 21 states that issued a mask mandate, only three were led by Republican governors. After experiencing a new surge in cases beginning in late June, more states have issued mask requirements. Yet, with no federal mandate, some states such as Florida, which saw a record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases in July, did not make masks compulsory despite the severity of their situations.

Despite being a country made up of highly autonomous states and citizens heavily devoted to the concept of freedom, the current health crisis in America calls for immediate and effective action. Be it through a nationwide mask mandate or another lockdown, it is the role of the federal government to unify these states and their people under a system that protects them. Politics and conflict between individual liberty and collective wellbeing during a pandemic are the causes of the true calamity of this crisis—the deaths of hundreds of thousands due to inadequate action. To prevent further tragedy, the government should now implement the strictest yet simplest measure: require masks to be worn in public.