The curious case of the mask vs no mask
 

I went to Calaveras County a while back and a lot of people didn't wear masks in stores of other indoor venues. And restaurants were open! I asked why, and they said hardly anyone has covid, so they don't need to. I've talked to people who spend more time there, and they say masks are still eschewed often. So I checked on covid stats there. They still have had very few cases, with a total of 23 deaths, and only 2 deaths since November.

Meanwhile, in the Bay Area where we have had strict restrictions for a long time and it seems like everyone wears a mask even in the shower, people have been dropping like flies. Is this only because Calaveras County is rural? Maybe.

Rural townships here in AZ don't wear them. I walk in to the gas station, dollar stores, ect and the only people wearing masks are non locals stopping through. Head up more towards the small cities, and towns close to the indian reservations and everyone is wearing them.

Not like i'm against them. Conceals my identity so I don't have to talk to people I know...

Lots of pre-CV studies showing that anything short of an N95 is almost totally ineffective against a flu like illness. In addition the general public has no comprehension of medical mask wearing protocol making them typically contaminated. Fabric masks have actually been shown to enhance the distribution of aerosol droplets when exhaling, sneezing, etc. Even Fauci said that masks don’t work....until a few months later when the politicians needed to up the ante and flip the script to make things scarier.

Want proof? Go look at the numbers for the hardcore mask lockdown states vs the states that don’t treat their citizens like prisoners. The trends are very similar which tends to indicate that the lockdowns, masks, and distancing don’t do a damn thing. Remember “flatten the curve” and similar such BS? The curve didn’t flatten yet the restrictions remain. Curious that...

I'm pretty sure that Fauci never said that masks don't work, when he said that people did not need to wear masks was a time when there were very few cases in the USA and medical personnel did not have enough masks. There was panic buying and hoarding of N95 masks and he was trying to protect the supply for hospitals.

There was also not as much understood about the virus as there is now. I know that it's a popular rightwing talking point that Fauci supposedly said that masks don't work but it never really happened.

It's proven that he only thing masks do is stop particulate matter. It will protect others from your spit if you cough, sneeze or talk like Sylvester the cat. Masks obviously will not stop an airborne virus so small one needs a electron microscope to actually see it. What masks seem to do more than anything else is provide a false sense of security. Many people feel safe in large gatherings as long as they keep their "protective" mask on so could masks actually be causing a faster spread of the virus as opposed to slowing it?

The only time people that wear them in the county where I live is when they go to a doctor or to a big box store that makes them. If you take your pet to the Vet, go to an auto repair, gas station, smaller grocery store, gun store, etc....none of the employees wear them...and most customers do not. A few elderly people in nursing homes have died here in the past year (but they were isolated from the rest of us...and may well have died anyways...as people died there almost every day before the pandemic). No real lockdowns otherwise although a lot of people just get their restaurant food to go.

When I drove cross country this past summer, it was the same most places. People looked at you like you had two heads if you were wearing a cloth mask. Locals did not wear them.

If you want/need protection, someone else wearing one of these silly masks will not provide it. If you are at risk, you need to keep your distance and/or wear a respirator (N95 or better) to protect yourself.

I agree with this. When this started and I went to Walmart (before mask requirements), it was easy to keep 6ft or more distance. Now, with the masks, it is almost impossible as people simply squeeze up right next to you...thinking they are protected (I guess). Similar every place where they wear masks.

We assume we are in charge of our own fate and don't go to other people's homes or confined spaces...or invite anyone into our home. We have our own home and a vacation home to use and really only need food/toiletries. Everything else is available on line if you plane ahead. Generally, I go to the store or shop alone as I assume that taking my wife doubles the risk. I have generally tried to reduce grocery shopping to about once per week when they are not crowded vice two or more trips. Only a short time before the vaccine will be available...so why take unnecessary risks?

With 40 people per square mile, they're pretty much social distancing all the time. The tiny little county of Van Wert in Ohio has 70.3 residents per square mile. The even teeny tinier Putnam county has 47 inhabitants per square mile... and only 21 deaths.

Masks plus social distancing plus proper hygiene... and living in a low population density area doesn't hurt either.

Its a mix here. Up in the northern part of the county where my shop is, I would say mask wearing is about 50%, in the southern part, where are all the housing is , its pretty rare to see someone unmasked.
I don't wear my face diaper at work, but do when I go out in public .

Stay distanced

Wear a mask

Wash your hands.

My ex-urban town has 500 people per square mile! We've had 2500 cases and 15 deaths so far with a population of 22,000. Nearly all businesses require a mask . Our hardware store doesn't but all employees are masked.

I concur. From two perspectives:

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/flashback-dr-fauci-claims-masks-dont-provide-covid-protection-only-help-people-feelbetter

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fauci-says-he-doesnt-regret-telling-americans-not-to-wear-masks-at-the-beginning-of-the-pandemic/ar-BB16P84e

I just wear the mask. In my part of the world it is rare to see someone NOT wearing the mask.

That said, I really work hard at distancing. When I go to my company in Yorktown we all wear the face shields and masks in meetings, often a video teleconference from folks in the same building:) The face shields may look goofy but they make our folks feel better.

I also used to like to stop and get snacks at a certain gas station driving down, which I don't do now...I bring all my own stuff and gas, wipe my hands down and scoot.

We went to the grocery store recently. Everyone had masks on, but about one third of them had their nose sticking out above the mask. They are technically wearing a mask, but it is totally useless for them and everyone else around them.

Hey Denis, are Fauci’s own words good enough? Some of you guys really need to educate yourselves from more than one media source.

https://youtu.be/5gYAka7qSnM

I know he said it but I do think the time and context is important.

I am not a Fauci fan, BTW. His AIDS works was horrific in the beginning.

Once again, he said it when there was a mask shortage for frontline workers in hospitals and there were very few cases in the U.S. A lot has been learned since then as well.

What is he saying wrt mask wearing now? Do you prefer health directive info on the pandemic from a year ago to current info? Do you have any idea how many conservative, anti-mask people have died of Covid? It’s a huge number.

People simply do not understand the function of any kind of mask. Just look around at all the goofy masks and how they're worn. I reuse masks of different design and am prone to double up. This only in rotation after masks have been hung out in the sum for 2 days.

I do believe part of the mask requirement is simply awareness. No way are you not cognizant of a mask on your face, therefore you're in defensive mode taking care to wash your hands, not touch anything in public you don't have to, and carrying a sanitizing wipe with you at all times when facing tasks like pushing elevator buttons, etc.

Hell, I have not directly touched an elevator button in years. I believe that the ones that worked as a heat sensitive fixed button have all been replaced. I haven't seen one for quite awhile.

In SoCal we've been wiping down shopping carts before use for years. Also the statewide ban on single use plastic bags has gone by the wayside, sort of. If you bring your onw bags into the store, only you are allowed to bag your stuff. This often causes a bottleneck so it's easier to just say yes to new bags. Note: he bags being used these days are heavy duty and could be used over and over. But....

Fellows, we are all getting this.

“There’s no reason to be walking around with a mask. When you’re in the middle of an outbreak, wearing a mask might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet, but it’s not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is. And, often, there are unintended consequences — people keep fiddling with the mask and they keep touching their face.”

Unfortunately, Fauci himself started the whole anti masking thing when he went on national TV and said that very early on.

There’s never been a shortage of cloth face coverings.
It took Fauci months to learn that a cloth face covering can help prevent the spread of a respiratory flu-like virus?
After a long lifetime of studying viruses, he just learned that last year?