Perception

Alex Parker reports that the Department of Homeland Security is holding back on endorsing having Transportation Security Administration employees wear facemasks for lack of evidence:

Elaine Duke, undersecretary of management for DHS, said there wasn't enough evidence to warrant a departmentwide policy endorsing the use of face masks.

"There has to be a reasonable probability that our employees are going to encounter the sickness in their line of work," Duke said. "It did not seem appropriate."

Some lawmakers complained that DHS seemed overly worried that they'd send the message that the risk from swine flu (sorry, H1N1) was more serious than it was. But as someone who has friends who work with a swine flu diagnosee, I feel like I'd feel a little safer seeing TSA employees wearing face masks. Perception can work in two directions.