It was in 1918 that the world was struck by the deadly pandemic of the Spanish Flu. And much like today, people were somewhat panicked by the prospect of possibly dying young from a dreaded disease, and laws were quickly passed to force -you guessed it - that masks be worn.
I used to have a Judo Sensei named Herzog who often got the students in the dojo to line up in formation during hard times and he always granted the same two pieces of advice no matter what the dilemma.
“When the going gets tough” he would say, “the tough get going”. “And…” he would add almost as an afterthought, “this too shall pass”. He would then turn to the framed photo of Jigoro Kano and bark out “Kiotske! Joseke… rey”
We look now into the dark window of history and simply see that what to the world of 1918 was a worldwide disaster, is simply a trivial historical matter to us as a society today. With this knowledge, your best bet is to hunker down, practice safeguards, take one day at a time, and realize that this too shall pass.