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The virus dies relatively quickly once on a surface. There is now enough mask inventory that you can dispose of a mask daily, if that floats your boat. You cannot be simultaneously worried about "pathogens" and laissez-faire over COVID.
The over-arching problem here is "you can't make me!" It's childish behavior against a global pandemic. It was driven by politicizing the wearing of masks, especially in America. If you wear shirt and shoes to go into a store, surely you can wear a mask.
For a pandemic that has killed 450,000 Americans so far, I'm in favor of masks whether they provide 90% protection or 25% protection. Both numbers are better than zero.
I went to W. Europe this November/December 2020. And you have the same dichotomy, those who think masks are stupid, and those who don't. It's not as politicized, but it's there. Not just in America.
In reality, wearing masks is having no effect. Why? Because no one gets Covid19 from passing a stranger on the street. Regardless whether that stranger has a mask on or not. You get Covid19 from your wife, from your kids, from your friends, usually inside your home or their home. When none of you will be wearing a mask because hell, it's life, and you got to live sometime.
I used to wear a triple folded cotton bandanas. Since I have a small face, I had to overlap the sides making for NINE layers of cotton over my nose. Could not breathe, but if two masks are better imagine how "safe" nine layers of cotton would be? Of course if you are not breathing, you won't be catching COVID.
Maybe that is the point of these mask "guidelines"; to weaken and kill people
That means they want a second, cloth, mask to push the more gas impermeable one over your vital airways.
What could go even more wrong for you?
The WHO released a detailed report, with multiple decades long studies on the ineffectiveness of paper masks to protect people from the flu. Where is the study that shows that wearing two masks provide protection?
If paper masks are too porous to stop the virus, then wearing two porous masks will not filter out the virus either. If a fishing net is too porous to be used to strain your spaghetti noodles, then using two fishing nets is not gonna do the trick either.
The virus dies relatively quickly once on a surface. There is now enough mask inventory that you can dispose of a mask daily, if that floats your boat. You cannot be simultaneously worried about "pathogens" and laissez-faire over COVID.
The over-arching problem here is "you can't make me!" It's childish behavior against a global pandemic. It was driven by politicizing the wearing of masks, especially in America. If you wear shirt and shoes to go into a store, surely you can wear a mask.
For a pandemic that has killed 450,000 Americans so far, I'm in favor of masks whether they provide 90% protection or 25% protection. Both numbers are better than zero.
The problem is to much faith is being placed in face coverings, rather than focusing on other means of prevention when it comes to the virus. Social distancing, constant washing/sanitizing of hands, etc. are no longer "front and center" as a means to control the spread. Instead, all anyone wants to talk about are masks, masks, masks. You say in your statement above the the virus dies "relatively" quickly on a surface. Well, exactly what do you consider "relatively" to be. Because while the virus may die quickly if exposed to sunlight and warm temperatures, it can live for days in the right environment. You know, places like the supermarket, where the sun never shines and temps are generally nice and cool. Washing hands and cleaning surfaces needs to be promoted just as strenuously as mask wearing. Too many people have forgotten how we started fighting this virus in the first place, and I would bet you any amount of money more people are getting this virus through contact than there are getting it from the air they breath.
Yes, wearing a mask can help stop the bigger particles and droplets from reaching another person. I think most people get this, and most people are actually wearing masks. Two (or more) though, isn’t going to make much of a difference, given that air is still being exchanged around the edges of the masks. Unless a person IS restricting their breathing, two masks amounts to not much more than a virtual signal, like mentioned in the first quote here.
If people out there want to wear two and it makes them feel better, then more power to them. Just don’t start thinking yourself superior or expecting everyone to join you.
You don't get how this works do you? Expecting (demanding) everyone join you is the fun part. Watching people reluctantly comply when you know they don't want to is the really fun part. Seeing people complain about it on the internet, but do it anyway is the really really fun part.
Maybe that is the point of these mask "guidelines"; to weaken and kill people
Telling us to wear a mask is just being used to calm the fears of people. If people thought their wasn't any effective protection form the virus, then a lot of them would freak out. So telling people that if they were a mask, it will protect them, prevents panic.
Anyone following the news knows that more and more people are becoming infected with COVID, even with everyone wearing a mask, distancing, closing businesses, and restricting the freedom to assemble. So how does the government calm the population when their one and only protection isn't working? Simple, they tell the people that all they need to do is wear two masks.
You don't get how this works do you? Expecting (demanding) everyone join you is the fun part. Watching people reluctantly comply when you know they don't want to is the really fun part. Seeing people complain about it on the internet, but do it anyway is the really really fun part.
I don’t think we’re going to see much ‘go along to get along’ with this one. At least I really hope this is where we start to draw the line. It is for me.
Those of you not in health care will not understand the concept of wearing two masks, let alone which mask you should be wearing.
My husband and I have been wearing an N95 with a surgical mask over that for about a year now when going anywhere inside.
N95's have a cone shape and they are perfectly easy to breath through when they're new. If it gets harder to breath through, it's time to change it.
Why are they easy to breath through? Because they have an electrostatic charge that traps foreign particles. This allows for air to move freely in and out of the mask. They stop 95% of any particulates so the name N95.
So why wear a surgical mask over the tight fitting N95? Because they were not available for almost a year and we only had 3. To preserve them, we wore a surgical mask over them to keep them cleaner longer. One would last about 2 or 3 months if you used them only in stores.
We have KN95's the Chinese equivalent. We use those dealing with the contractors, or for walks outside if too many people are around, or for inside places that are not too crowded. You can tell the real ones by placing a drop of water on the inside of the mask. They will not leak.
KN95's are not as good as N95's in my opinion because of the fit. You can twist the ear bands and make them tighter, but the N95's have a better fit.
You will never see me wear a cloth mask in public. I prefer the best, and that would be the N95's.
So, if you're out there in a cloth mask, then yes, wear a surgical mask over that. Is a cloth mask better than nothing? Yes, but barely.
I'm a retired Respiratory Therapist, and I would never go into any isolation room with an airborne sticker on the door in a cloth mask. It goes against my training to do so in a store.
The CDC is not wrong telling you to double mask, especially if you're wearing cloth masks.
This would have been over much sooner if we all had started wearing masks from day one. That is a fact. It's never too late to do the right thing. With the vaccines going in arms and all of us wearing the right masks, this will end faster.
If you look closely, you can see the gate on the right is open...lol!
(Yes, that was meant to add to the stupidity!)
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