> people turned wearing masks into a ridiculous political issue.
In my country, “wear masks because we say so, else you are an idiot” came just after “people who buy masks are selfish baboons because masks are not useful at all.”
When you treat citizens like idiots, or threaten them, it usually becomes a “political” issue at some point.
It would be better to have a more coherent communication strategy ready for the next time. It would also be great to have literate leaders in charge, something we sorely lacked over here.