The Masking Conundrum

[jackfaire]

The argument most people in my area make against wearing masks is "Well it only stops droplets" So even the anti maskers are aware that the masks work but they don't want to wear them.

Their argument is basically like if I drove without my glasses and after I killed five people said "well they only make it so I can see" when I tried to excuse why I wasn't wearing them.

People know the masks work to protect others. They don't care.

[jedimaster91]

The anti-mask folks like to bring up that a cloth or surgical mask won't stop the virus since the holes in the cloth are too big and let the virus through. Which is partially true. Yes, the virus on its own will go right through anything short of an N95 respirator. However, the droplets that carry the virus do get stopped by the mask. The WHO was recommending droplet and contact precautions at the end of March, which to my knowledge hasn't changed.

I saw a really interesting observation circulating online: people aren't used to seeing the scientific process in action. We typically don't see these "results" until they've been thoroughly experimented and vetted. Now we're seeing the process in real time and it's messy. Scientists get things wrong and change direction all the time when the evidence dictates. We're in a constantly evolving situation. But since humanity as a whole is unused to seeing this process, a reversal of previous best practice is seen as flip-flopping or flat out lying instead of hey, we know better now so we can do better.

[Dreamstalker]

I've read countless studies saying that had there been a national mask mandate early on, things would be in relatively way better shape.

So many people may be infected but completely asymptomatic and not know it that masking up is just another common sense public health/safety point akin to seatbelts or--if I may get crude about it--condoms.

It's really not that big of a deal to wear a damn mask. If you know you're not infected you're protecting yourself from getting it. If you are infected you're protecting others...think especially of elderly neighbors/friends in that case.

[NorthernZel]

Based on a recent discussion in CS, I would like to create a space for unbiased discussions/conversations on whether wearing masks in public is a good thing or not during this "human malware" also known as the COVID-19 pandemic.

I would like to exclude myself from the debate for the time being, as my country as for now does NOT have any rules in place for masks right now (except for: "durr, if you feel you need to wear a mask, you do you") since social distancing and hand hygiene seem to do the trick for the moment being. But then again, we're only a tiny country the size of Dallas + suburbs

So, enter your pros and cons in here!