The available evidence indicates that for the average person masks offer no meaningful increase in protection against catching COVID-19, but that they do somewhat reduce the amount of infected droplets that an infected person can spread with their breath.
Since the vast majority of people who catch COVID-19 have no symptoms or only mild symptoms, most folks will not know they have the virus. But does this mean everyone should wear a mask? No.
If I were in the medical field and worked with/around COVID-19 patients, I would wear a mask, and I would hope that my hospital/clinic would require all patients to wear a mask. But the average person gains no meaningful benefit from wearing a mask, especially if they are outdoors, according to the available evidence.
Heather MacDonald comments on the silliness of people who wear masks while riding bikes outdoors:
The masked cyclists, who speed around the park’s inner road, apparently think that there are enough virus particles suspended in the billions of square feet of fresh air circulating across the park to enter their mucous membranes and to sicken them.
MacDonald's discusses the fact that science tells us it is virtually impossible to catch a virus like COVID-19 outdoors:
It is worth briefly reviewing the facts about outdoor viral transmission in order to assess the rationality of New York’s park users. The chance of getting infected across a wide open, windswept space is virtually nil, even if the imaginary carrier were not moving quickly past his potential victim. When it comes to viral infections, dose matters. Proximity to the carrier, prolonged exposure, and being in an enclosed space are the biggest risk factors. Even the New York Times, one of the most aggressive purveyors of virus hysteria, could not avoid acknowledging this commonsensical truth about outdoor transmission. The director of Australia’s International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health told the paper: ‘Outdoors is safe, and there is certainly no cloud of virus-laden droplets hanging around.’ Infectious droplets would be quickly diluted in outdoor air, director Lidia Morawska said, so their concentrations would quickly become insignificant. Bottom line: ‘It is safe to go for a walk and jog and not to worry about the virus in the air.’
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Since the vast majority of people who catch COVID-19 have no symptoms or only mild symptoms, most folks will not know they have the virus. But does this mean everyone should wear a mask? No.
If I were in the medical field and worked with/around COVID-19 patients, I would wear a mask, and I would hope that my hospital/clinic would require all patients to wear a mask. But the average person gains no meaningful benefit from wearing a mask, especially if they are outdoors, according to the available evidence.
Heather MacDonald comments on the silliness of people who wear masks while riding bikes outdoors:
The masked cyclists, who speed around the park’s inner road, apparently think that there are enough virus particles suspended in the billions of square feet of fresh air circulating across the park to enter their mucous membranes and to sicken them.
MacDonald's discusses the fact that science tells us it is virtually impossible to catch a virus like COVID-19 outdoors:
It is worth briefly reviewing the facts about outdoor viral transmission in order to assess the rationality of New York’s park users. The chance of getting infected across a wide open, windswept space is virtually nil, even if the imaginary carrier were not moving quickly past his potential victim. When it comes to viral infections, dose matters. Proximity to the carrier, prolonged exposure, and being in an enclosed space are the biggest risk factors. Even the New York Times, one of the most aggressive purveyors of virus hysteria, could not avoid acknowledging this commonsensical truth about outdoor transmission. The director of Australia’s International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health told the paper: ‘Outdoors is safe, and there is certainly no cloud of virus-laden droplets hanging around.’ Infectious droplets would be quickly diluted in outdoor air, director Lidia Morawska said, so their concentrations would quickly become insignificant. Bottom line: ‘It is safe to go for a walk and jog and not to worry about the virus in the air.’
Should We All Be Wearing Face Masks? Here's Why Experts Are So Conflicted
Should members of the public be wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic? It's a controversial question, with different countries and authorities giving different advice.
www.sciencealert.com
The paranoid style in COVID-19 America
We are in a race between the ideology of safetyism and the facts. The future depends on which side prevails. The data is clear
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