7 ms·

The cost / benefit analysis is so much in favor of mask wearing that I don't understand why they are not made mandatory. Maybe some HN reader knows about some

The cost / benefit analysis is so much in favor of mask wearing that I don't understand why they are not made mandatory. Maybe some HN reader knows about some cost that I am not aware of (ie a few of pounds and a small inconvenience).

brianwawok 6y ago
I literally just watched a youtube video that sums up the American view on masks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q3PSISAZL8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q3PSISAZL8 I just.. don't get it man.
- umanwizard 6y ago
  That video does not “sum up the American view on masks”. It might at most sum up one American view among many. Where I live (which is part of the US), I’d say 100% of people wear masks inside of businesses (other than dodgy corner stores selling illegal cigarettes), and about 90% on the street.
  - brianwawok 6y ago
    It sums up the view of many Americans though. You can see many masks in the video, and also many not masks. Where I live, in America, it is something like 70% of people with masks. And it is required in stores in my area. Some stores enforce, some do not. Some people wear a mask past the greeter in the store, and then take off their mask once inside.
  - ryandrake 6y ago
    It appears to at least sum up a (possibly non-random) sampling of non-mask-wearers' views. Certainly more than one view, since multiple people were interviewed.
    - umanwizard 6y ago
      Indeed it does. I could find multiple people in France to say on video that vaccines cause multiple sclerosis - a French person could rightfully object if someone claimed that that sums up the French view on vaccines.
- baby-yoda 6y ago
  are you seriously asserting a random video by a random person on YouTube in a random geographic location is an accurate summary of 330 million people?
derwiki 6y ago
It’s been politicized in America. I think it’s really that simple.
antisthenes 6y ago
In our state/county they are essentially mandatory. You don't have to wear one outside, but if you want to use any public or private business that's located inside of a building - you are required to wear a mask.
spaetzleesser 6y ago
I still feel weird when wearing a mask myself or when I see somebody with one. Before the Covid situation somebody with a mask would feel threatening. I think we should have a big public campaign promoting mask wearing and make sure public leaders set an example by wearing one.
- derekp7 6y ago
  What about sunglasses? Why doesn't that feel threatening when you see someone slip on a pair of sunglasses, and a hat? After all sunglasses are a form of a mask for the upper part of the face.
  - spaetzleesser 6y ago
    Wearing sunglasses is often viewed as impolite too. I am not arguing against masks I am just saying that there are some cultural obstacles that make people uncomfortable wearing them. It would take some leadership to get around those.
- sameerds 6y ago
  Bangalore resident here. I felt kinda embarassed wearing a mask initially. But it took about two weeks to get used, and now I feel vulnerable if I am not wearing one. I also tense up a bit if someone else not wearing a mask is within a meter from me.
umanwizard 6y ago
Until when do you think mask wearing should be mandatory? My biggest problem with covid interventions, including masks, is not the cost itself, but a lack of objective/quantitative criteria for deciding when to lift them, rather than “when it doesn’t feel scary anymore”. (As for the direct costs of masks, well, they are uncomfortable, prevent me from seeing people’s faces which I enjoy doing, and make me feel depressed because they make the world look like a dystopia. Yes, the costs are relatively low, but IMO the difference in probability of death or maiming from covid with and without a mask is also quite low.)
- allenp 6y ago
  Although not a direct answer to 'when would you not wear a mask anymore' there are objective criteria guiding some of the decision making around phased re-openings (of which some phase would be "no more masks"). Example Criteria: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/~/media/depts/health/communicable-diseases/documents/C19/indicators-dashboard-key-metrics.ashx https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/~/media/de... Example Dashboard: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/key-indicators.aspx https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/key-indica...
- cvhashim 6y ago
  > and make me feel depressed because they make the world look like a dystopia Personally don’t care about people’s feelings. Normalize masks already.
  - umanwizard 6y ago
    That's a silly attitude. The entire movement to wear masks is predicated on caring about other people's feelings. Otherwise, people at low COVID risk (or even high risk but willing to accept it) wouldn't need to bother.
    - pnutjam 6y ago
      No, it's about caring about other people's health and quality of life (there are long term effects from covid-19). Feelings aren't really figured into it.
Someone1234 6y ago
Mandatory but with reasonable exceptions (disabled, young children, etc). That's why special needs schools haven't been able to re-open, even though in theory a ten-year old should be trusted to keep on a mask, due to various developmental conditions (e.g. autism, down syndrome, etc) they sometimes cannot. So we should consider edge cases when discussing mask mandates. And I acknowledge that some able-bodied adults will abuse any exception provided, but those exceptions remain important otherwise you're just persecuting a subset of the population who are unable to comply.
nicoburns 6y ago
> The cost / benefit analysis is so much in favor of mask wearing that I don't understand why they are not made mandatory They have finally been made mandatory in shops and on public transport in the UK after quite a bit of public pressure. Kind of ridiculous that this wasn't done in March, but better late than never I guess.

brianwawok 6y ago

I literally just watched a youtube video that sums up the American view on masks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q3PSISAZL8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q3PSISAZL8 I just.. don't get it man.

umanwizard 6y ago
That video does not “sum up the American view on masks”. It might at most sum up one American view among many. Where I live (which is part of the US), I’d say 100% of people wear masks inside of businesses (other than dodgy corner stores selling illegal cigarettes), and about 90% on the street.
- brianwawok 6y ago
  It sums up the view of many Americans though. You can see many masks in the video, and also many not masks. Where I live, in America, it is something like 70% of people with masks. And it is required in stores in my area. Some stores enforce, some do not. Some people wear a mask past the greeter in the store, and then take off their mask once inside.
- ryandrake 6y ago
  It appears to at least sum up a (possibly non-random) sampling of non-mask-wearers' views. Certainly more than one view, since multiple people were interviewed.
  - umanwizard 6y ago
    Indeed it does. I could find multiple people in France to say on video that vaccines cause multiple sclerosis - a French person could rightfully object if someone claimed that that sums up the French view on vaccines.
baby-yoda 6y ago
are you seriously asserting a random video by a random person on YouTube in a random geographic location is an accurate summary of 330 million people?

derwiki 6y ago

It’s been politicized in America. I think it’s really that simple.

antisthenes 6y ago

In our state/county they are essentially mandatory. You don't have to wear one outside, but if you want to use any public or private business that's located inside of a building - you are required to wear a mask.

spaetzleesser 6y ago

I still feel weird when wearing a mask myself or when I see somebody with one. Before the Covid situation somebody with a mask would feel threatening. I think we should have a big public campaign promoting mask wearing and make sure public leaders set an example by wearing one.

derekp7 6y ago
What about sunglasses? Why doesn't that feel threatening when you see someone slip on a pair of sunglasses, and a hat? After all sunglasses are a form of a mask for the upper part of the face.
- spaetzleesser 6y ago
  Wearing sunglasses is often viewed as impolite too. I am not arguing against masks I am just saying that there are some cultural obstacles that make people uncomfortable wearing them. It would take some leadership to get around those.
sameerds 6y ago
Bangalore resident here. I felt kinda embarassed wearing a mask initially. But it took about two weeks to get used, and now I feel vulnerable if I am not wearing one. I also tense up a bit if someone else not wearing a mask is within a meter from me.

umanwizard 6y ago

Until when do you think mask wearing should be mandatory? My biggest problem with covid interventions, including masks, is not the cost itself, but a lack of objective/quantitative criteria for deciding when to lift them, rather than “when it doesn’t feel scary anymore”. (As for the direct costs of masks, well, they are uncomfortable, prevent me from seeing people’s faces which I enjoy doing, and make me feel depressed because they make the world look like a dystopia. Yes, the costs are relatively low, but IMO the difference in probability of death or maiming from covid with and without a mask is also quite low.)

allenp 6y ago
Although not a direct answer to 'when would you not wear a mask anymore' there are objective criteria guiding some of the decision making around phased re-openings (of which some phase would be "no more masks"). Example Criteria: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/~/media/depts/health/communicable-diseases/documents/C19/indicators-dashboard-key-metrics.ashx https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/~/media/de... Example Dashboard: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/key-indicators.aspx https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/key-indica...
cvhashim 6y ago
> and make me feel depressed because they make the world look like a dystopia Personally don’t care about people’s feelings. Normalize masks already.
- umanwizard 6y ago
  That's a silly attitude. The entire movement to wear masks is predicated on caring about other people's feelings. Otherwise, people at low COVID risk (or even high risk but willing to accept it) wouldn't need to bother.
  - pnutjam 6y ago
    No, it's about caring about other people's health and quality of life (there are long term effects from covid-19). Feelings aren't really figured into it.

Someone1234 6y ago

Mandatory but with reasonable exceptions (disabled, young children, etc). That's why special needs schools haven't been able to re-open, even though in theory a ten-year old should be trusted to keep on a mask, due to various developmental conditions (e.g. autism, down syndrome, etc) they sometimes cannot. So we should consider edge cases when discussing mask mandates. And I acknowledge that some able-bodied adults will abuse any exception provided, but those exceptions remain important otherwise you're just persecuting a subset of the population who are unable to comply.

nicoburns 6y ago

> The cost / benefit analysis is so much in favor of mask wearing that I don't understand why they are not made mandatory They have finally been made mandatory in shops and on public transport in the UK after quite a bit of public pressure. Kind of ridiculous that this wasn't done in March, but better late than never I guess.