Why I favor the voluntary wearing of masks:
First of all, I see little advantage in wearing a mask outdoors -- unless you are in a crowd, such as at a protest or on a street jammed with pedestrians. Even minor air currents will likely have dispersed any airborne viral particles breathed out by others. If the air is exceptionally still, then there is a good chance it is very humid, meaning the particles will have a tendency to sink to the ground along with water in the air.
So that leaves indoor public spaces, such as stores, libraries and government offices. If we can persuade a substantial portion of Americans to wear masks in such places, we have a good chance of knocking out the disease. Social distancing helps a little, but is insufficient.
If you wear a mask properly in those places, you reduce the viral load that you might take in or give out. For you, a lesser viral load might even be a blessing, because your immune system will fight the virus without being overwhelmed. You will have been immunized. The result is very similar to being vaccinated.
Of course, if you wear a mask over your mouth but not your nostrils, you are permitting viral particles to be transmitted through those orifices. Still, the viral load would possibly be somewhat less, so I guess that type of masking is better than nothing.
So if we multiply your mask-wearing to include a substantial part of the population, the result should be a greatly reduced transmission rate nationwide -- though door knobs and other surfaces remain a problem -- and far fewer people who fall ill from Covid.
An additional benefit: We would probably choke off the annual influenza epidemic(s), which usually show up in the Fall and Winter.
But, our Constitution does not permit a police state. Hence, I do not favor officials mandating mask-wearing. Their overreaction on lockdowns has already done enough damage, and shows what happens when basic American freedoms are suspended for open-ended periods.
The fact that the C-19 virus escaped from China is strongly correlated with data on the annual flus that sweep the world. That is because most, though not all, flus originate in China's wet markets. Many of them jump from animals to humans. In particular, these diseases tend to escape from China's enormous duck population, as ducks are a main source of food in that country.
Pressure needs to be brought to bear on China for better sanitation and health surveillance of its wet markets and duck flocks. Why must the world suffer yearly from these nasty microbes?
First of all, I see little advantage in wearing a mask outdoors -- unless you are in a crowd, such as at a protest or on a street jammed with pedestrians. Even minor air currents will likely have dispersed any airborne viral particles breathed out by others. If the air is exceptionally still, then there is a good chance it is very humid, meaning the particles will have a tendency to sink to the ground along with water in the air.
So that leaves indoor public spaces, such as stores, libraries and government offices. If we can persuade a substantial portion of Americans to wear masks in such places, we have a good chance of knocking out the disease. Social distancing helps a little, but is insufficient.
If you wear a mask properly in those places, you reduce the viral load that you might take in or give out. For you, a lesser viral load might even be a blessing, because your immune system will fight the virus without being overwhelmed. You will have been immunized. The result is very similar to being vaccinated.
Of course, if you wear a mask over your mouth but not your nostrils, you are permitting viral particles to be transmitted through those orifices. Still, the viral load would possibly be somewhat less, so I guess that type of masking is better than nothing.
So if we multiply your mask-wearing to include a substantial part of the population, the result should be a greatly reduced transmission rate nationwide -- though door knobs and other surfaces remain a problem -- and far fewer people who fall ill from Covid.
An additional benefit: We would probably choke off the annual influenza epidemic(s), which usually show up in the Fall and Winter.
But, our Constitution does not permit a police state. Hence, I do not favor officials mandating mask-wearing. Their overreaction on lockdowns has already done enough damage, and shows what happens when basic American freedoms are suspended for open-ended periods.
The fact that the C-19 virus escaped from China is strongly correlated with data on the annual flus that sweep the world. That is because most, though not all, flus originate in China's wet markets. Many of them jump from animals to humans. In particular, these diseases tend to escape from China's enormous duck population, as ducks are a main source of food in that country.
Pressure needs to be brought to bear on China for better sanitation and health surveillance of its wet markets and duck flocks. Why must the world suffer yearly from these nasty microbes?
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