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I remember when our public health officials told us not to wear masks. Those same public health officials (Fauci) are now in interviews expressing disbelief and

I remember when our public health officials told us not to wear masks. Those same public health officials (Fauci) are now in interviews expressing disbelief and shock that people would choose not to wear masks - calling them science deniers even. My biggest takeaway from the epidemic is that government officials not only think it's ok to lie to the people in the name of the greater good, they also think gaslighting us is the appropriate way to deal with our skepticism towards them.

_ph_ 6y ago
Yes, it was the one most prominent mistake in dealing with the pandemic, that there was no clear statement in favor of masks at the beginning. Only partially justifiable by the justified fear, that there would not be enough masks for medical personal. All the involved should be harshly critisized for that. However this should not be taken as an excuse to deny all good scientific information we have received and the right measures that have been recommended, especially the overly late committment to masks.
- daniellarusso 6y ago
  I agree, it shouldn’t, but it really undermines their credibility. At the end of the day, these are all still political animals. We still don’t have readily available N95 masks for ‘normal’ prices from reputable vendors.
  - _ph_ 6y ago
    Which is a scandal for any nation, which considers itself industrial and advanced. But even plain and cheap medical masks have been shown in helping reducing infection spread and should be recommended. If everyone would consequently wear N95 masks only for a few weeks though, the pandemic should be greatly reduced in numbers.
oblio 6y ago
Did Fauci actually say that? I think the guideline was more like "don't buy them, we need them for healthcare professionals". Why they didn't encourage people to just use makeshift masks, is another discussion entirely.
- runako 6y ago
  > encourage people to just use makeshift masks They correctly estimated that compliance with encouragements would be very low (see e.g. current encouragements not to travel to see family at holidays). If you tell people something that can keep them safe is available on Amazon for $25, all the encouragement in the world isn't going to keep that product from selling out.
  - macintux 6y ago
    That’s part of the communications problem about this pandemic, though: the masks aren’t all that effective at keeping you safe. They’re much more effective at keeping everyone around you safe.
- matwood 6y ago
  You can look up the 60 minutes interview [1]. He said anyone sick should wear a mask, and they should be saved for sick and healthcare professionals. I thought he also qualified his statement then that there was no evidence of wide scale community spread yet, but that might have been a different interview. Regardless, it does highlight how hard it is to communicate with the public about a topic that is dynamic and fast changing. [1] https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2020/05/fact-check-dr-anthony-fauci-theres-no-reason-to-be-walking-around-with-a-mask-60-minutes-interview.html https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2020/05/fact-check-dr-ant...

_ph_ 6y ago

Yes, it was the one most prominent mistake in dealing with the pandemic, that there was no clear statement in favor of masks at the beginning. Only partially justifiable by the justified fear, that there would not be enough masks for medical personal. All the involved should be harshly critisized for that. However this should not be taken as an excuse to deny all good scientific information we have received and the right measures that have been recommended, especially the overly late committment to masks.

daniellarusso 6y ago
I agree, it shouldn’t, but it really undermines their credibility. At the end of the day, these are all still political animals. We still don’t have readily available N95 masks for ‘normal’ prices from reputable vendors.
- _ph_ 6y ago
  Which is a scandal for any nation, which considers itself industrial and advanced. But even plain and cheap medical masks have been shown in helping reducing infection spread and should be recommended. If everyone would consequently wear N95 masks only for a few weeks though, the pandemic should be greatly reduced in numbers.

oblio 6y ago

Did Fauci actually say that? I think the guideline was more like "don't buy them, we need them for healthcare professionals". Why they didn't encourage people to just use makeshift masks, is another discussion entirely.

runako 6y ago
> encourage people to just use makeshift masks They correctly estimated that compliance with encouragements would be very low (see e.g. current encouragements not to travel to see family at holidays). If you tell people something that can keep them safe is available on Amazon for $25, all the encouragement in the world isn't going to keep that product from selling out.
- macintux 6y ago
  That’s part of the communications problem about this pandemic, though: the masks aren’t all that effective at keeping you safe. They’re much more effective at keeping everyone around you safe.
matwood 6y ago
You can look up the 60 minutes interview [1]. He said anyone sick should wear a mask, and they should be saved for sick and healthcare professionals. I thought he also qualified his statement then that there was no evidence of wide scale community spread yet, but that might have been a different interview. Regardless, it does highlight how hard it is to communicate with the public about a topic that is dynamic and fast changing. [1] https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2020/05/fact-check-dr-anthony-fauci-theres-no-reason-to-be-walking-around-with-a-mask-60-minutes-interview.html https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2020/05/fact-check-dr-ant...