<div>With three highly contagious respiratory viruses sickening adults and children around the country and holiday gatherings just weeks away, public health officials are beginning to talk about face masks again.</div> <div> <p>While mask mandates are unlikely in most parts of the country, health experts are renewing recommendations to wear a high-quality medical mask on public transportation, in airports and on planes, while shopping and in other crowded public spaces.</p> <p>What’s notable is that the mask recommendations this time aren’t just about avoiding the coronavirus. Masks are advised to protect against what is being called the “tripledemic” — a confluence of influenza, coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that already is straining hospitals and forcing&nbsp;<a tabindex="0" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/15/work-absences-childcare/" _mce_href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/15/work-absences-childcare/" target="_blank">parents to miss work</a>&nbsp;in record numbers.</p> <p>As the country heads into its third pandemic winter, covid-19 cases are on the rise, and the 2022-23 flu season is shaping up to be the&nbsp;<a tabindex="0" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/28/flu-season-2022-cdc/" _mce_href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/28/flu-season-2022-cdc/" target="_blank">worst in a decade</a>&nbsp;— there have already been 4,500 deaths from flu, including 14 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p> </div>