4 ms·

I have the strange opinion that US COVID policy was terrible, but it wouldn't have made much difference if it had been excellent. The choices that mattered wer

I have the strange opinion that US COVID policy was terrible, but it wouldn't have made much difference if it had been excellent. The choices that mattered were mostly those that expedited or delayed the vaccine. A canny gambler might have gotten us the vaccine several months earlier, maybe blunting the horrible toll of the first winter. But the type of human who would have been willing to try that never gets anywhere near any real power in today's federal government. The system is incorrigibly biased against change of any kind, and would rather be gored by a charging rhino than risk stepping out of the way. Maybe universal masking with actual masks (not cloth rubbish) would have helped slow the spread better prior to the vaccine deployment.

Zak 4y ago
My experiences in Germany, where most public transit has had an FFP2 (similar to N95) mask mandate for many months makes me question the effectiveness of mandates. It should work; Germans have a reputation for following the rules, and there is a very good supply of the mandated masks. In reality, I'm not impressed. The number of unmasked people is substantial, and enforcement is limited. Non-filtering surgical masks are also common, and exactly once, I heard a train conductor politely ask a passenger with a surgical mask to wear a filtering mask next time. Ironically, the same mandate did not apply to staff, and the conductor was also wearing a surgical mask. I also see a lot of people wearing the correct type of mask incorrectly, not covering the nose, or with very loose bands that cannot possibly result in an effective seal. I think I'd prefer a request to a mandate at this point. I'll wear FFP3 masks and do a quick leak test every time I put them on. People who pretend to wear masks to satisfy a mandate can stop pretending.

4 ms·

I have the strange opinion that US COVID policy was terrible, but it wouldn't have made much difference if it had been excellent. The choices that mattered wer

by civilized 4y ago

Zak 4y ago
My experiences in Germany, where most public transit has had an FFP2 (similar to N95) mask mandate for many months makes me question the effectiveness of mandates. It should work; Germans have a reputation for following the rules, and there is a very good supply of the mandated masks. In reality, I'm not impressed. The number of unmasked people is substantial, and enforcement is limited. Non-filtering surgical masks are also common, and exactly once, I heard a train conductor politely ask a passenger with a surgical mask to wear a filtering mask next time. Ironically, the same mandate did not apply to staff, and the conductor was also wearing a surgical mask. I also see a lot of people wearing the correct type of mask incorrectly, not covering the nose, or with very loose bands that cannot possibly result in an effective seal. I think I'd prefer a request to a mandate at this point. I'll wear FFP3 masks and do a quick leak test every time I put them on. People who pretend to wear masks to satisfy a mandate can stop pretending.