[impendia]

> frankly, wasteful.

I think I disagree.

It seems that face masks are quite effective in reducing the spread of illness. For example, look at the numbers in South Korea, Japan, etc. (where mask-wearing is common) compared to ours. Masks don't need to do 100% of the job -- rather, we would hope that in combination with moderate social distancing, better hygiene, improved testing, etc. we could reduce the rate of transmission. If each infected person spreads the illness to an average of only 0.9 others, then it won't do much more damage.

Now, from an economic angle, the US government just passed a $2 trillion stimulus package, which works out to about $6,000 per American. There are calls to spend much more money. Suppose we spend 5% of this on face masks, so $300 per American.

Currently, face masks can be bought at $20 for a box of 50 on Amazon. That gets 750 face masks to every American, at a cost that is cheap relative to the other costs of Covid-19.

And this is ignoring economies of scale. If the government decided to distribute free face masks in every school, every restaurant, in every theater, etc., then it could produce them at much cheaper than 40 cents each.

All in all, it seems like a potentially good investment.

[clairity]

99% of the reduction in transmission comes from physical distancing alone while inside of closed spaces with strangers. hygiene is likely negligible outside of a very few high interaction zones inside those enclosed spaces. testing only improves targeting who to distance (isolate).

it's a virus that rides on tiny masses of water to hopefully jump into the nasopharyngeal cavity of the next host. if it doesn't make it to those warm and juicy brachiae, it exponentially decays to the elements in hours. relative to air, those virus-laden water masses are heavy. most fall at your feet. some fly a few feet. very few make it many feet.

then imagine your chances of making a full-court basket (94 feet, 9.4" diameter ball in 18" hoop) and then divide those odds by the several orders of magnitude smaller that viruses are relative to us.

wearing masks (or gloves) outside makes no sense. you might as well walk around with your own lightning rod too then.

[tlb]

Substantial research contradicts your claims. See https://www.masks4all.co for links.

[clairity]

that site serves to reduce anxiety rather than transmission risk. none of the graphs and pull quotes, presumably the strongest arguments they could find, address the added risk reduction of masks above other prevention measures like distancing, and especially not concerning outdoor, non-group settings for the general public.

emergency personnel, medical professionals, and essential business workers should wear masks because they are at elevated, face-to-face risk.

[impendia]

> 99% of the reduction in transmission comes from physical distancing alone while inside of closed spaces with strangers.

This is an extremely strong statement. Although it might be plausibly true, my impression is that the transmission of the disease isn't well enough understood to make such assertions with confidence.

Can you cite a reference for your claim?

I think it is agreed that physical distancing alone while inside of closed spaces with strangers is an extremely good idea. Wearing masks is, potentially, also an extremely good idea.

Shouldn't we adopt any and all measures that have the potential (not certainty; potential is enough) to substantially cut down on Covid-19 transmission, and whose economic and other costs are comparatively modest? Even if we later determine that only one of these measures was really necessary, I doubt that we'll regret our efforts.

[perl4ever]

"For example, look at the numbers in South Korea, Japan, etc. (where mask-wearing is common) compared to ours."

There seems to be a huge difference in the trajectory of cases in Japan, vs South Korea, so I don't know what you think you're saying, if you group them together. In South Korea, cases went up and then apparently flattened out almost completely. In Japan, the graph I saw has been lower than in other places but is, almost uniquely, not flattening so far, even in the way that Italy or the US has.

So it makes no sense to me to combine them and say "look, that is the example". If one is the example, the other most likely isn't.

[Talanes]

Can't defend the gloves though.