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How about these rich guys just open a domestic mask factory or two? I think I'd like to see that as an ante in the "Here is how you should all live going forwa

How about these rich guys just open a domestic mask factory or two? I think I'd like to see that as an ante in the "Here is how you should all live going forward" game.

grugagag 7y ago
Its not ethical to overcharge for masks at this point so there’s no profit to be made so it’s not gonna happen
cobookman 7y ago
Because it takes months to open a mask factory.
- vearwhershuh 7y ago
  Ah, well, that explains it. Mask technology is extremely advanced, after all. And how long does it take to produce a safe, well tested vaccine that we are supposed to give to our kids?
  - HeWhoLurksLate 7y ago
    > And how long does it take to produce a safe, well tested vaccine that we are supposed to give to our kids? Didn't we cover this in SARS-COV-1 and Ebola outbreak 1 and Ebola outbreak 2 and Ebola outbreak 3? It takes a while. Generally months. When one of these shows up, you'll hear some news about an expiremental vaccine and someone volunteering to get it, but it normally takes quite a while- -months- to get all the stuff in place to actually get it to your kids. Betting on a vaccine swooping in to save isn't smart.
    - vearwhershuh 7y ago
      Exactly my point. I agree entirely.
    - wool_gather 7y ago
      There is apparently one trial beginning now: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/21/818759617/i-wanted-to-do-something-says-mother-of-2-who-is-first-to-test-coronavirus-vacci https://www.npr.org/2020/03/21/818759617/i-wanted-to-do-some... Per current rules, there's 14 months of monitoring involved before it is considered safe.
- dreamcompiler 7y ago
  Indeed. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22613061 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22613061
- dessant 7y ago
  The threat has been known for months. But regardless, there are several factories around the world that are being repurposed to start producing masks immediately. While mask production ramps up, it would be essential to stop spreading the misinformation on official channels that masks don't work, and also teach people how to correctly wear them. There are lots of people on the streets with masks pulled down on their chin or covering their mouths only. Everyone should wear a mask, and if they don't have a mask, everyone should be teached to create makeshift masks, because almost anything that is a barrier in front of your face, such as a scarf, will help with reducing the spread of the virus. Most infections are either asymptomatic, or cause mild symptoms that are not necessarily identified as COVID-19, but those people are still spreading the virus, because government officials are telling them to not wear masks. What's more twisted, those who do wear masks out of precaution are called out and sometimes attacked because of this misinformation.
- kev009 7y ago
  It only takes a few minutes to transfer funds to extant facilities and ensure the workers are justly compensated for their risk and extended hours.
- qes 7y ago
  Isn't Elon Musk going to deliver 250K masks, like, tomorrow?
thawaway1837 7y ago
It would be significantly faster, cheaper and more effective to open additional mask factories in China. And they’d probably have a life beyond the pandemic there as well. Besides, it’s likely considering how few American regions are actually taking the steps needed to limit the spread of the virus that within a few months a factory opened anywhere in the US will be shut down to prevent the spread of the virus anyways.
- vearwhershuh 7y ago
  I think one lesson we might learn here is that having domestic capacity for most essential supplies is a worthwhile endeavor, even if it costs a bit more per lot.

How about these rich guys just open a domestic mask factory or two? I think I'd like to see that as an ante in the "Here is how you should all live going forward" game.

grugagag 7y ago

Its not ethical to overcharge for masks at this point so there’s no profit to be made so it’s not gonna happen

cobookman 7y ago

Because it takes months to open a mask factory.

vearwhershuh 7y ago
Ah, well, that explains it. Mask technology is extremely advanced, after all. And how long does it take to produce a safe, well tested vaccine that we are supposed to give to our kids?
- HeWhoLurksLate 7y ago
  > And how long does it take to produce a safe, well tested vaccine that we are supposed to give to our kids? Didn't we cover this in SARS-COV-1 and Ebola outbreak 1 and Ebola outbreak 2 and Ebola outbreak 3? It takes a while. Generally months. When one of these shows up, you'll hear some news about an expiremental vaccine and someone volunteering to get it, but it normally takes quite a while- -months- to get all the stuff in place to actually get it to your kids. Betting on a vaccine swooping in to save isn't smart.
  - vearwhershuh 7y ago
    Exactly my point. I agree entirely.
  - wool_gather 7y ago
    There is apparently one trial beginning now: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/21/818759617/i-wanted-to-do-something-says-mother-of-2-who-is-first-to-test-coronavirus-vacci https://www.npr.org/2020/03/21/818759617/i-wanted-to-do-some... Per current rules, there's 14 months of monitoring involved before it is considered safe.
dreamcompiler 7y ago
Indeed. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22613061 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22613061
dessant 7y ago
The threat has been known for months. But regardless, there are several factories around the world that are being repurposed to start producing masks immediately. While mask production ramps up, it would be essential to stop spreading the misinformation on official channels that masks don't work, and also teach people how to correctly wear them. There are lots of people on the streets with masks pulled down on their chin or covering their mouths only. Everyone should wear a mask, and if they don't have a mask, everyone should be teached to create makeshift masks, because almost anything that is a barrier in front of your face, such as a scarf, will help with reducing the spread of the virus. Most infections are either asymptomatic, or cause mild symptoms that are not necessarily identified as COVID-19, but those people are still spreading the virus, because government officials are telling them to not wear masks. What's more twisted, those who do wear masks out of precaution are called out and sometimes attacked because of this misinformation.
kev009 7y ago
It only takes a few minutes to transfer funds to extant facilities and ensure the workers are justly compensated for their risk and extended hours.
qes 7y ago
Isn't Elon Musk going to deliver 250K masks, like, tomorrow?

thawaway1837 7y ago

It would be significantly faster, cheaper and more effective to open additional mask factories in China. And they’d probably have a life beyond the pandemic there as well. Besides, it’s likely considering how few American regions are actually taking the steps needed to limit the spread of the virus that within a few months a factory opened anywhere in the US will be shut down to prevent the spread of the virus anyways.

vearwhershuh 7y ago
I think one lesson we might learn here is that having domestic capacity for most essential supplies is a worthwhile endeavor, even if it costs a bit more per lot.