Trump decided not to wear a mask when meeting veterans, while on the other side of the Atlantic, Macron wore a French flag picture when going to school.

When the world is loosening blockade, public attention is focused on leaders.

An increasing number of countries encourage or force people to wear masks as an important antivirus tool, along with handwashing and social spacing.

"The decision to wear or not wear a mask in public is based on the message the leader wants to convey," said behavioral scientist Jacqueline Gollan of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

"Leaders are more likely to wear a mask if they believe it enhances people's health protection. They may not wear a mask if they want to convey the message that the risk of infection is low and all

Some leaders began to appear in public with medical masks, N95 masks or FFP2, others opted for reusable cloth masks that many governments are encouraging people to wear to wear medical masks for

But a few, including US President Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, go against the trend.

Regardless of what motivates leaders, they are "a mirror many people look to follow, whether it be compliance or ignoring the recommendation to wear masks", according to Claudia Pagliari, medical researcher at

More than 50 countries require people to wear masks when leaving home, especially on public transport and in stores.

This has led more than three quarters of respondents in France in a recent poll to suspect the government initially deliberately lowered the effectiveness of masks to avoid depleting the stock of medical supplies.

"It is the officials' fault to think that the public is ignorant and incapable of understanding complex messages. So they simplify the message. In this case, they convey a very simple message that masks are not

KK Cheng, director of the Institute of Applied Medical Research at Birmingham University, UK, said the rationale for the initial stance of politicians was largely the lack of clinical trials proving that masks were effective.

"The problem would have been simple. If it didn't work, why would we advise people to cover their mouths when they cough? There is no clinical trial, but we never doubt that," he said.

When many agreed that masks could work, although the level of user protection was different, political leaders had to adjust the message.

French President Macron last week wore a dark blue mask shaped like the French flag when he met elementary students.

Earlier this month, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Koen Geens was embarrassed when wearing a cloth mask.

In March, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova drew attention when wearing a plump, pink cardboard mask with a skirt and shoes during the new government's inauguration ceremony.

In contrast, Trump repeatedly ignored the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Since the CDC made a recommendation on April 3 that Americans should wear masks in public, Trump has repeatedly said it was "unrealistic, meaningless and unworthy of the position of a leader."

"Unfortunately, Covid-19 took place at the same time as the global populist movement brought a generation of tough politicians to power," Pagliari said.

"Sadly, masks have become the latest taboo symbol of this populist movement, just like during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, when protesters considered them a symbol of strong control.

Updated: 12:26, 12/5 | Source: WorldOMeters