This is 99% invisible. I'm Roman Mars.

Over the past month, we've all had to make some adjustments to try to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Some of them have been small, like me recording this episode underneath the comforter in my bedroom instead of in our studio in beautiful downtown Oakland, California.

I mean that experience is unique to me, but another adjustment that I've made and one that you probably had to make two is wearing a mask in public.

Have you been paying attention to the directives about where and when or even who should be wearing masks,

then there's a good chance you've been a little confused because they've changed dramatically.

Here in the U.S. we're just not used to needing to cover half of our faces in public, but if you look at the other

side of the world, it's a different story.

In parts of Asia, wearing a mask in response to the coronavirus pandemic was a totally easy and normal adjustment.

Rebecca Cantor is a reporter based in Shanghai who has lived in China for the past 17 years, and she is here to tell us why the culture

of masks developed so differently there, and the doctor who started at all.

Yeah, I remember the first time I really started taking this seriously.

I was traveling on my way home to see my in-laws actually for Chinese New Year.

And the night before I'd gone out, everything was normal. And then that

morning I walked out the door and you know I put the location on my GPS app on my phone.

And you know how on your phone, you the GPS app will tell you in this like nice calm voice you know which direction to start off in?

Yeah. Well this time my GPS app said this. She has been to the

sheing in joue and hing hing hong houe

and choue choue choue choue choue chouein.

So it's saying please wear a mask if you're going out.

Be safe. Wow. I don't I don't think my GPS has ever been quite

that intimate with me before. Yeah, my phone's never gotten that personal with me

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