Let's Talk About Masks

Let's Talk About Masks

I personally don't have a problem with wearing a mask. I figure that if ANTIFA and BLM can wear masks and circumvent facial recognition then I should be able to do so too.

While I don't believe that wearing a mask provides the wearer with much protection (studies I've read say around 2.8% increase in protection) I do believe that it offers protection to those around the person wearing the mask. I read an in depth article that discussed the particle droplet interaction and containment.  I'd share it here but it's been deleted and I've yet to find it again.  But, think of it this way: If you could increase your odds of winning at poker by 3% wouldn't you do so?  If you could change one piece of sports equipment that would increase the odds of your sports team winning wouldn't you want to them to use it?  Hell that's the entire marking strategy for Golf. Buy X product and improve your game.  Same for fishing: Buy this lure, rod, boat catch more fish.

I can relate with the idea that government enforcing the wearing may violate personal freedoms, but - seat belts, motorcycle helmets, legal drinking ages and such also may violate personal freedoms and the enforcement of these laws has be upheld by the courts.  That said, private businesses have very right to bar you from entering without a mask. They have liability to consider.  You know that anyone that catches Covid and can trace it back to a location they frequented that had an outbreak is going to sue them for as much as they can get. They also have to make sure their employees feel safe.  Notice I said "feel." This takes into account that while I think the disease can be devastating for the individuals that get it, I don't think it's that big a treat to society as a whole. In my local big box home improvement store a few weeks back I listened as a customer complained about the lack of cashiers. The managers response was they couldn't find anyone that was willing to work.  They didn't FEEL safe. If a mask and plastic shield gets them back on the job then I'm all for it. The entire country needs to get working again.

Here's some research on aerosol transmission of infectious agents, exhaled particles and small airways, and Mechanistic insights into the effect of humidity on airborne influenza virus survival, transmission and incidence that can give you some insight into how the virus may be transmitted.