To Mask or Not to Mask?

[qwerty]

Masks have had months and months now - when are they gonna start actually working?

I heard it will take 15 days to slow the spread. Not sure which 15 days though.

 

[d.kaufman]

I heard it will take 15 days to slow the spread. Not sure which 15 days though.

Masks have had months and months now - when are they gonna start actually working?

Seems more like it increased the spread, doesn't it?

 

[nonobaddog]

Maybe if we squint our eyes and believe the politicians really harder
or click our heels three times
or **** up a rope three times
then they will work.

 

[CampingJosh]

I believe we're still having that discussion because WuVid is still spreading rapidly despite significant levels of compliance, which is leading people to desire real world evidence of masking actually stopping the spread. You could probably get near 100% compliance for 15 days, if people still believed that was all that was wanted. The rest of our lives? I will not comply

"Significant" levels of compliance? That isn't what I have seen.

I had to buy food today. While I was there, it seemed like a third of the employees had their noses sticking out, and a big chunk of the customer's didn't even bother with a mask at all.

 

[CampingJosh]

Masks have had months and months now - when are they gonna start actually working?

Certainly not before people actually wear them.

 

[d.kaufman]

"Significant" levels of compliance? That isn't what I have seen.

I had to buy food today. While I was there, it seemed like a third of the employees had their noses sticking out, and a big chunk of the customer's didn't even bother with a mask at all.

You keep saying you're not seeing high compliance, yet everyone else is.

Once again I'm in Lake County which is supposedly one of the hardest hit counties in all of Indiana, and compliance is thru the roof. Why oh why do the numbers continue to grow (if you actually believe the numbers) if masks are so damn effective?

 

[nonobaddog]

Certainly not before people actually wear them.

Kinda like socialism - people just aren't doing it right.

 

[jamil]

"Significant" levels of compliance? That isn't what I have seen.

I had to buy food today. While I was there, it seemed like a third of the employees had their noses sticking out, and a big chunk of the customer's didn't even bother with a mask at all.

I think you could agree that compliance with mask wearing is better now than in June when the lockdowns started loosening up. The numbers had dropped. Not because of masks, but presumably because of lockdowns. So then things open up, and the numbers got worse. And then we started getting the mask mandates and the numbers still got worse. So there is at least a little there that you have to acknowledge. Even if the compliance wasn’t stellar, it was still better than it was as things were opening up when numbers started to climb. I think if masks were very effective at stopping transmission, we should have seen numbers proportional to the masks being worn adequately. I think there is a lot more to retarding transmission rates than just wearing masks. I kinda think people have stopped the social distancing of late especially. I suspect social distancing and isolating positive people may be better than masks.

 

[drillsgt]

Yep. Confirmed again and again, this time even with single-layer, non-medical cotton "face diapers."



And yet for some reason we're still having a discussion about whether or not people should be wearing masks.

Confirmed what that if you put something in front of your face it will stop some 'large' droplets lol. This study really doesn't tell us anything in fact they temper the results with the last two sentences in the abstract.

 

[ghitch75]

if masks work why is it supposably running rampant?

 

[jamil]

if masks work why is it supposably running rampant?

You guys can notice the hell out of “tempering” results when it supports something you don’t agree with. But when you site studies you don’t seem to notice the tempering statements therein.

Note, “you” is rhetorical.

 

[Thack]

 

[jbombelli]

The only reason I wear a mask is so I don't end up in some kind of confrontation. I carry a gun and don't need that.

 

[jamil]

If someone walks up and pees on me, I think they need to get knocked the **** out.

 

[NKBJ]

Our civilization has successfully been over written.
When in town do as townies do.

 

[jamil]

Our civilization has successfully been over written.
When in town do as townies do.

That’s not exactly anything new.

 

[witdog2020]

I only wear a mask where they verbally ask me. I’ve had multiple employees, coworkers and friends that have been positive Covid cases. None have been sick at all other than very minor symptoms and many of those are 100% maskers and they still caught it.

 

[wagyu52]

I know a good mix of maskers and non maskers. Here are a few of my observations.

Most non maskers are outdoor types, work or otherwise, rural, live a secluded life and mainly socialize with family, only wear a mask when asked.
Most maskers wear masks everywhere, are more indoor, work in an office, tend to be more social, urban, go out to eat regularly and tend to have a larger social group.

All of the people I know that have had covid are in the later group. I‘m not saying masks cause covid but I think in general their behavior makes them more susceptible and trump the mask.

 

[BugI02]

"Significant" levels of compliance? That isn't what I have seen.

I had to buy food today. While I was there, it seemed like a third of the employees had their noses sticking out, and a big chunk of the customer's didn't even bother with a mask at all.

Now you're jumping from scientific studies to anecdotal. I wonder why that is?

There are several studies out there where experimenters reviewed security camera footage as well as drove around videoing the people on the street and compliance was found to be always in the 72% to 89% range. The caveat would be it is like a poll, where an overall compliance number is derived statistically from a smaller sample and they cannot go into private spaces such as peoples homes and apartment buildings to see what kind of compliance is happening there, but that sort of masking isn't required anyway.

Perhaps you have an anecdote that explains why the rate of spread is higher in this second wave than in the first, when lockdowns were more spotty and masking compliance was much lower.

 

[CampingJosh]

I think you could agree that compliance with mask wearing is better now than in June when the lockdowns started loosening up. The numbers had dropped. Not because of masks, but presumably because of lockdowns. So then things open up, and the numbers got worse. And then we started getting the mask mandates and the numbers still got worse. So there is at least a little there that you have to acknowledge. Even if the compliance wasn’t stellar, it was still better than it was as things were opening up when numbers started to climb. I think if masks were very effective at stopping transmission, we should have seen numbers proportional to the masks being worn adequately. I think there is a lot more to retarding transmission rates than just wearing masks. I kinda think people have stopped the social distancing of late especially. I suspect social distancing and isolating positive people may be better than masks.

Yes, better than in June. Still significantly worse than in the parts of the world where the case numbers are practically zero.

Masks are certainly not the entirety of pandemic defense. In fact, they're a pretty small part.

The refusal to wear a mask, to me, says a lot about the character of the person. A lot of people imagine themselves to be a "sheepdog," always willing to protect their families and communities. But when a simple way to do it shows up... :shrug: