3 ms·

Is there any reason to believe that coughing into the crook of your elbow is effective? Yes. Neither is N95 certified, but they are both physical impediments

Is there any reason to believe that coughing into the crook of your elbow is effective? Yes. Neither is N95 certified, but they are both physical impediments to particles directly flying out of your mouth/nose onto other people. Why is this hard to believe?

CaptArmchair 7y ago
That's where social sciences come in. Because people associate wearing a mask with disease, restrictions, illness and so on. A mask taps into beliefs and deep-seated fears about society, the wider world, uncertainty, personal freedom, body autonomy and public health. As such, in Western culture, wearing masks carries widespread stigma: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/america-asia-face-mask-coronavirus/609283/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/america... https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/wearing-a-mask-while-asian/Content?oid=78894606 https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/wearing-a-mask-while-a... Wearing a mask is a stark wake up call whereas many people simply want to go to business-as-usual as before. During the 1918 pandemic, SF ordered people to wear masks several times. At one point, some people were fed up and started an "anti-mask league". Today, washing your hands is not questioned, and social norms dictate that one washes their hands at various times. It's something you get taught to do from a young age. That wasn't always the case, as washing hands was heavily opposed in the 19th century when it was first suggested by Ignaz Semmelweiss and Florence Nightingale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis It took time, campaigning and a lot of education across several generations to get to this point.