sarah mccool. so professor, thanks for joining us.m a medical point of view, what do you think of this mask battle between the governor and the mayor? >> well, from a public health point of view, the idea of a mask mandate may not be something that americans generally embrace because american and america is a very individualistic culture, meaning we prioritize doing what's best for the individual over what is best for the group. collectiveist cultures are the opposite, they do what's best for the group over what they believe is best for the individual. so individualism in america is not a bad thing and in fact the protection of personal liberties is one of the things that makes america uniquely great. however, that individualistic view can become problematic when facing a common enemy like covid where it requires us to prioritize what's best for the group over what's best for the individual. eric: so in that vein, what would be in your view best for the group? >> in that vein, what's best for the group is really to wear masks. we know