> Masks restrict the amount of goo that is dispersed with a sneeze or cough. They reduce the chance of randomly touching mouth/nose. These are merely theories

> Masks restrict the amount of goo that is dispersed with a sneeze or cough. They reduce the chance of randomly touching mouth/nose. These are merely theories on how masks may reduce spread. They do not change that evidence supporting universal masking is not good. > They signal to others that you’re aware of the current risk profile, letting them despise how to interact with you, etc. That in no way justifies mask mandates. The referenced article is about a mask mandate being axed. > My point is the arbitrary political nature of covid. Both sides of the political spectrum has erred considerably on COVID. Both Trumpists and the hard-left have kowtowed to their own fears instead of following the evidence. Had we "followed the evidence", we would have never panicked about the outdoors, not even from the beginning. We would have dropped concerns about fomites and touch-spread almost from the beginning. We would have dropped masking requirements far, far earlier than what happened. We would have figured out a way to deal with supportive care needed during surges instead of panicking on each surge. We would have let experience from similar viruses inform us more strongly, rather than acting as if we had no prior experience of coronaviruses or respiratory viruses.