(Un)masking the Demos: How Covid-19 Containment Policies Conceal State Surveillance

The Covid-19 pandemic has introduced us to someone new, an acquaintance with whom we have established an intimate relationship within a very short time—the face mask. Masks have become a device found in every household, an object of everyday use. Masks also take a prominent role in democratic engagement. They function as a symbol promoting pandemic containment policies when they are worn by politicians giving speeches in election campaigns or when they are worn in parliamentary debates. They become an object of contention when unmasked protesters challenge Covid-19 policies in street rallies. Masks, finally, have become a necessity for most people who gather publicly to promote or contest various, health-unrelated causes1 .