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Do people commonly wear masks outside in some places? Yes. In my area it's required by law. What's the point of wearing a mask outside? Basically nothing oth
by orangecat 6y ago
Do people commonly wear masks outside in some places?
Yes. In my area it's required by law.
What's the point of wearing a mask outside?
Basically nothing other than signalling, with possible exceptions for crowded environments. Overall I expect outdoor mask mandates to be harmful on balance, by causing people to shift from outdoor to indoor gatherings.
- ev1 6y agoAt least here (SF), everything is crowded. Every single trail, park, you are going to effectively be covered in people, runners panting on the sidewalk an inch from you. It's definitely not signaling and I'd much rather everyone put them on in this case when crowding is the guarantee. I'd have no issue walking around unmasked if you were out in the middle of the night and you were the only one around, though. But the days are so crowded it's pretty much an indoor environment.
- orangecat 6y agoYeah, I can see the argument for places like SF. Where I am there are lots of areas where you can easily maintain 10+ feet separation, yet the city explicitly changed the law from "masks outside when you can't distance" to "masks outside always".
- howlgarnish 6y agoEnforcing an absolute is much easier. In Singapore, you wear a mask at all times outside your home or face fines of up to $3000, with exceptions only for eating, drinking, and "strenuous exercise".
- ev1 6y agoAnother thing: (that also pisses me off when I see it) is watching people constantly touch their masks (unsafe), taking them on and off every few minutes when they're about to pass someone, occasionally putting them on quickly by _holding their hand on the front of the mask pushing it against their mouth_
- greggturkington 6y ago"signalling?" It reduces the spread of disease in crowded areas.