just to be clear, i'm not suggesting that modest distancing and masking would eradicate the virus long-term. it would just provide the same level of drawing out

just to be clear, i'm not suggesting that modest distancing and masking would eradicate the virus long-term. it would just provide the same level of drawing out as the announced mandates, but without the fanfare. absent a veritable miracle, i don't think anything gets us out of a 99+% infection rate long-term. folks worried about serious illness/death can (and do) vaccinate. as such we end up with the same outcome without mandates. hence the assertion that these mandates are purely political, not mitigative. also, no one of any political persuasion is masking or distancing at home or at private social gatherings, which is where a large portion of transmission happens, so it's not just a certain group of selfish bad people prolonging the pandemic. it's all of us who are not following this limited but most mitigative measure (as opposed to the performative ones).