Over the course of the pandemic, we’ve heard one refrain over and over again: “follow the science.” It’s a well-intentioned line that’s hard to refute and generally serves as good advice. But somewhere along the way, levelheadedness turned emotional, and quests for transparency and truth turned dogmatic. Many people’s dedication to science began to resemble something decidedly unscientific: religion.
Rigorously cleaning and sanitizing surfaces we’ve long known aren’t major sources of transmission is largely a comfort ritual. Erecting plastic barriers that may actually worsen ventilation is also often about psychological reassurance.
Wearing masks as you walk to your table in a small restaurant, but not for the next two hours as you eat, drink and socialize, is not just ritualistic, but a theatrical display. The same goes for QR code menus and directional stickers in aisles. These things may look like science, sound like science, and even feel like science, but they’re stretching what science actually demands.
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