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Germany is currently a good testing ground for mask effectiveness. At the beginning of this month, the mask mandate has been dropped in most states, with some e

Germany is currently a good testing ground for mask effectiveness. At the beginning of this month, the mask mandate has been dropped in most states, with some exceptions like public transport and hospitals. However, Mecklenburg Vorpommern and Hamburg declared themselves hotspots and kept the full indoor mask mandate, even though their infection rate was about the same as other states'. In MV it had been overturned by a court last week, but in Hamburg the mask mandate is still in effect. So far, infection rates in MV and Hamburg have been about the same as in the other states (actually a bit higher). As a caveat, there are still a lot of people wearing masks voluntarily. My guess is about 50% in super markets still wear them, with regional differences.

q-big 4y ago
> My guess is about 50% in super markets still wear them, with regional differences. My personal gut feeling (being German, but also having been influenced by a "privacy-consciousness bubble" ;-) ) is that there exist people who like the situation that it has become socially acceptable to wear a mask in public (without being concerned about COVID-19 in the slightest), for example because - this enables you to say a big "f... you" to surveillance cameras - this might possibly be even a socially acceptable and semi-legal way to "circumvent" the "Vermummungsverbot" on rallys (concerning "Vermummungsverbot": in Germany, you are not allowed to wear face coverings on public rallys; the police often uses this as a pretense to take action against protestors when it does not like the goal of the rally) In this spirit: Let's continue the situation that disguising yourself in public stays socially accepted. Thus, I will continue wearing a mask in public and simply give the pretense that I am still concerned about COVID-19, or that I believe to belong to a group that is more vulnerable regarding COVID-19. TLDR: Do not believe that everybody who now still wears a mask in public in Germany does this because he is afraid of COVID-19.
- LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago
  Surveillance cam feeds into Edge-AI-Gadget, tracking your clothes, gait, whatever, saying KTHXBAI subject 08154711! Sorry for the wet nose and face.
- tjansen 4y ago
  I think people wearing masks for privacy are a very small minority. This is the first time I heard that. People I know just feel uneasy not to wear them, especially indoors, either thinking it will protect them or feel that it's the right thing to do given the still very high infection rates. Some also have to wear them in public transport and just keep them on because it's easier.
  - q-big 4y ago
    > I think people wearing masks for privacy are a very small minority. That is why I wrote 'having been influenced by a "privacy-consciousness bubble" ;-)'. But I actually do know quite a few such people.
    - LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago
      I've actually thought about that before, and came to the same conclusions :-) Can even be combined with sunglasses, though I don't like hoodies, basecaps, or other stuff on my head. I guess I'm black wavy ponytail for any recognition algorithms. shrug

q-big 4y ago

> My guess is about 50% in super markets still wear them, with regional differences. My personal gut feeling (being German, but also having been influenced by a "privacy-consciousness bubble" ;-) ) is that there exist people who like the situation that it has become socially acceptable to wear a mask in public (without being concerned about COVID-19 in the slightest), for example because - this enables you to say a big "f... you" to surveillance cameras - this might possibly be even a socially acceptable and semi-legal way to "circumvent" the "Vermummungsverbot" on rallys (concerning "Vermummungsverbot": in Germany, you are not allowed to wear face coverings on public rallys; the police often uses this as a pretense to take action against protestors when it does not like the goal of the rally) In this spirit: Let's continue the situation that disguising yourself in public stays socially accepted. Thus, I will continue wearing a mask in public and simply give the pretense that I am still concerned about COVID-19, or that I believe to belong to a group that is more vulnerable regarding COVID-19. TLDR: Do not believe that everybody who now still wears a mask in public in Germany does this because he is afraid of COVID-19.

LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago
Surveillance cam feeds into Edge-AI-Gadget, tracking your clothes, gait, whatever, saying KTHXBAI subject 08154711! Sorry for the wet nose and face.
tjansen 4y ago
I think people wearing masks for privacy are a very small minority. This is the first time I heard that. People I know just feel uneasy not to wear them, especially indoors, either thinking it will protect them or feel that it's the right thing to do given the still very high infection rates. Some also have to wear them in public transport and just keep them on because it's easier.
- q-big 4y ago
  > I think people wearing masks for privacy are a very small minority. That is why I wrote 'having been influenced by a "privacy-consciousness bubble" ;-)'. But I actually do know quite a few such people.
  - LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago
    I've actually thought about that before, and came to the same conclusions :-) Can even be combined with sunglasses, though I don't like hoodies, basecaps, or other stuff on my head. I guess I'm black wavy ponytail for any recognition algorithms. shrug