Are Masks Effective?
Oct. 12th, 2020 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dogriverCovid-19 is a terrible thing. It is a situation that few of us have ever experienced in our lifetimes. Right now there is a strong emphasis on the wearing of masks. I'm starting to wonder, though, are the masks effective?
During the first phase of the pandemic, we didn't have a mask mandate. We did emphasize the distancing aspect of things, though, and at one point we were down to once active case in our province. Since then, we've started opening things up, mandating masks, and now we're seeing record numbers of cases. And as it happens, the public seems to be desnsitized to the whole thing.
So I'm wondering about the effectiveness of masks. If we're worse off now with a mask mandate than we were before the mask mandate, should we be rethinking whether the mask mandate is working? Are masks giving us a false sense of security? Should we be more aggressive?
Certainly, I don't think masks are hurting anyone, except maybe by offering that false sense of security. I also hate the idea of another lockdown and the incredible financial burden that would impose on us all. But until some kind of a vaccine comes along, what else can we do? Do we put the financial needs of us ahead of the physical ones? If we do, then we risk so much physical damage that the financial damage follows anyway. I'm so glad I'm not the one deciding these things. But I am really wondering if masks aren't a booming business for the cotton industry that gives us very little return.
During the first phase of the pandemic, we didn't have a mask mandate. We did emphasize the distancing aspect of things, though, and at one point we were down to once active case in our province. Since then, we've started opening things up, mandating masks, and now we're seeing record numbers of cases. And as it happens, the public seems to be desnsitized to the whole thing.
So I'm wondering about the effectiveness of masks. If we're worse off now with a mask mandate than we were before the mask mandate, should we be rethinking whether the mask mandate is working? Are masks giving us a false sense of security? Should we be more aggressive?
Certainly, I don't think masks are hurting anyone, except maybe by offering that false sense of security. I also hate the idea of another lockdown and the incredible financial burden that would impose on us all. But until some kind of a vaccine comes along, what else can we do? Do we put the financial needs of us ahead of the physical ones? If we do, then we risk so much physical damage that the financial damage follows anyway. I'm so glad I'm not the one deciding these things. But I am really wondering if masks aren't a booming business for the cotton industry that gives us very little return.
