I don't dispute that most anti-maskers are Republicans.
I don't dispute that anti-maskers cause problems on airlines.
But I do ask what part of actual science shows that mask mandates actually make any significant difference in the spread of covid. I ask how a cotton mask can do anything? Yes, I will agree that an N95 mask (or better) is actually effective. But a cotton mask ... surgical mask ... are those statistically effective?
Statistical analysis shows they are actually not very effective at all. Even the CDC data shows that mask mandates may have just over a 1% effectiveness at slowing covid; this is largely because the public is using ineffective masks.
Most people actually treat their masks improperly. Most are shoved in pockets, reused, filthy. How many are worn below the nose? How many are closely fitted to the face versus worn loosely so exhaled air can escape the sides?
Is a simple mask mandate actually following real science? Or social science? If you want to argue that we should have had an N95 mask mandate then I'd totally support you. But if you are actually going to argue that any mask is helpful then, if I ever thought about, would have to think less of you. Most people's masks are about as sanitary as a used diaper, people wear them below their nose, re-use disposable masks, stuff them into dirty pockets, etc.
"The predominant conclusion is that face masks have a very important role in places such as hospitals, but there exists very little evidence of widespread benefit for members of the public (adults or children) as well as evidence that masking is truly an ineffectual way to manage...
www.aier.org
Importantly, the evidence just is and was not there to support mask use for asymptomatic people to stop viral spread during a pandemic. While the evidence may seem conflicted, the evidence (including the peer-reviewed evidence) actually does not support its use and leans heavily toward masks having no significant impact in stopping spread of the Covid virus.
In fact, it is not unreasonable at this time to conclude that surgical and cloth masks, used as they currently are, have absolutely no impact on controlling the transmission of Covid-19 virus, and current evidence implies that face masks can be actually harmful.
The article below has dozens of footnotes that show how ineffective cotton and disposable surgical masks really are, in actual use. Bear in mind that disposable surgical masks are effective for some things, but stopping a virus is not one of them. And they must be properly used, and must be sanitary and close fitting.
Even N95 masks have limited lifespans, must be treated properly, must be fitted properly, but if everyone wore them the reality is that Covid probably would have been curtailed. Instead our governments sold us a bogus mask mandate that just said we should cover our faces. Me and my family, we wore N95 masks because we are not idiots. Follow the link below, and the footnotes for REAL science.
Print this article and hand it to frightened mask wearers who have believed the alarmist media, politicians and Technocrats in white coats. Masks are proven ineffective against coronavirus and potentially harmful to healthy people and those with pre-existing conditions.
www.technocracy.news
Oh and let's not forget the New England Journal of Medicine ...
- “We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection. Public health authorities define a significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or even 20 minutes). The chance of catching Covid-19 from a passing interaction in a public space is therefore minimal. In many cases, the desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.”