Our findings do not support the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates decrease with greater public mask use," notes the U of L report. Researchers stated that “masks may promote social cohesion as rallying symbols during a pandemic, but risk compensation can also occur” before listing some observed risks that accompany mask wearing:
Prolonged mask use (>4 hours per day) promotes facial alkalinization and inadvertently encourages dehydration, which in turn can enhance barrier breakdown and bacterial infection risk. British clinicians have reported masks to increase headaches and sweating and decrease cognitive precision. Survey bias notwithstanding, these sequelae are associated with medical errors. By obscuring nonverbal communication, masks interfere with social learning in children. Likewise, masks can distort verbal speech and remove visual cues to the detriment of individuals with hearing loss; clear face-shields improve visual integration, but there is a corresponding loss of sound quality.
There was a meatpacking plant in Germany that installed rigorous anti-COVID procedures among its 1,400 production line workers. All workers were required to wear masks. When Covid showed up, what percentage of the work force was spared. The answer is NONE. Every single employee came down with virus. The only masks that work are the N-95 used by those who spray xylene lacquers. They work great for the wearer because they have an especially dense filer for ingressive air and a one way valve that allows easy release of egressive air. Hence the air breathed out is unfiltered and someone wearing this type mask that has Covid does an excellent job of spreading the virus all around any confined area.
Wouldn’t doubt it Bikki. However, meat packing plants are also notorious for having employees literally working shoulder to shoulder. So in that case, I agree masks would be much less effective.
I figured there would be studies showing it both ways.
My issue is that the evidence has shown us that the heavy mask wearing lockdown states haven’t done any better, and in many cases they’ve done worse.
And even if masks do provide some benefit, which they certainly may, we can’t minimize the downside of having an entire population of adults and kids masked all the time.
I think the main problem is - some states mandated masks. And those states didn’t much enforce it.
Other states didn’t.
And all states obviously allowed free travel between all of them. I’d find this a huge reason for the spread.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Despite the mask mandates, or recommendations, or nothing, it’s tough to get a lot of people to do the same thing - even if it does make sense from a health perspective.
And to force them - i.e. fine them thousands for so much as leaving their homes - isn’t exactly the right answer either.
