A look at a misunderstood concept.
I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard that nonsensical phrase. Face masks are becoming more commonplace, especially in harder hit regions of the country. They now come in all sorts of styles from homemade cloth masks to half face respirators.
While it is true that most masks available to the public do little to protect the wearer from viral exposure, that really isn’t the idea behind the push to wear them. Of course, while an N95 or better mask will offer a good degree of protection, this is only true if the wearer also takes additional precautions such as avoiding touching the face or the outside of the mask.
Most commonly worn are the simple fabric masks, which do not protect the wearer, but again, that’s not the idea behind them. First, we have to understand how this virus is transmitted. Quite simply, it can be found in droplets, notably those expelled by coughs and sneezes, and yes, by speaking moistly.
In reality, fabric face masks significantly reduce the spread of these droplets from the wearer, essentially protecting others around them. Two people in close proximity with no masks are highly more likely to spread the disease than two people both wearing masks. Simply put, you are much more likely to catch the Covid bug from someone not wearing a mask than from someone who is. There is no other choice but to accept the idea that if everyone wore a mask in public places, the risk of transmission would be significantly reduced, likely to the point of eradicating the disease.
Now, stop for a moment and go reread that last sentence, then read it again until it sinks in. I get it, we all want our daily lives to go back to normal. This simply won’t happen until this virus is properly dealt with. So long as it continues to affect people, we are going to see the consequences. As we saw in the recent past, it is very easy for large food processing plants to be shut down due to Covid outbreaks among employees. These shut downs cause food shortages and price hikes. This has happened in the past and will continue to happen until Covid is no longer a threat.
Wearing a mask in public places isn’t so much a question of personal freedom, but one of social responsibility. Of course we all want things to get back to normal, but trust me, there will be a new normal. The economic impact of this pandemic is likely already far beyond what most people imagine, why make it worse?