3 ms·
"Can someone explain to me how placing a barrier in front of your mouth and nose can possibly be a BAD idea when the purpose is to reduce the entry of particles
by timr 7y ago
"Can someone explain to me how placing a barrier in front of your mouth and nose can possibly be a BAD idea when the purpose is to reduce the entry of particles into the system?"
There are a number of reasonable arguments. Just a few:
* people who wear masks touch their face more often, which leads to greater infection (I personally observe this every day).
* masks give people a false sense of safety, and cause them to reduce social distancing.
* masks increase risk of infection unless donning and doffing procedures are followed correctly.
* telling people to wear masks causes them to seek out medical masks and N95 masks that are in short supply, and should be reserved for professionals (also personally observe this every day; people are walking their dogs in Manhattan wearing N95 masks, while hospitals literally beg for new masks).
- kinkrtyavimoodh 7y agoIf anything the fact that I have a mask on constantly reminds me that I should not be touching my face. Every time I hand motions towards my face I remember that I have a mask on.
- timr 7y agoI am citing the most common arguments made by experts in the field. Unless you record yourself and count the number of times you touch your face while wearing a mask, your recollection is unlikely to be objective or accurate.
- kinkrtyavimoodh 7y agoIt is not hard to come up with a laundry list of such arguments. Here, I made another one— > If you are wearing a mask while others are not, they are likely to ask you about it, which makes it more likely for you to talk in their presence, thus increasing the chance of transmission. Given how the authorities flipped their advice in barely a month, despite having the same laundry list of arguments, shows that the arguments were more of a deflection than something that was properly incorporated into the cost-benefit analysis.
- timr 7y ago"Given how the authorities flipped their advice in barely a month, despite having the same laundry list of arguments, shows that the arguments were more of a deflection than something that was properly incorporated into the cost-benefit analysis." It's also consistent with a recommendation made for non-scientific reasons. The science here hasn't changed, but the recommendation has.
- wegs 7y agoI wore masks in public early. Everyone on the street observed social distancing with me. As with most anti-mask excuses, statements didn't match reality.
- Brian_K_White 7y ago...or representative of the majority.
- stillbourne 7y agoAn anecdote is not data.
- ThrowawayR2 7y agoI see people adjusting their masks frequently, which is evidence against your theory.