[generalk]

Sure, a cloth mask won't STOP Covid. But the science indicates that community mask wearing does decrease transmission rates as mask wearing rates go up.[1]

Similarly, the current vaccine does not prevent infection, but it significantly reduces symptoms and helps reduce the amount of people who'd otherwise be hospitalized with COVID-19.[2]

Death rates are the most serious metric to look at (and it's abysmal), but certainly not the only metric. Long-term effects of the virus aren't well understood, but individuals have reported brain fog or lack of sense of taste/smell long after clearing the flu-like symptoms.[3] Folks who get sick and transmit the virus, or are severely hospitalized, have still been affected.

Most children do not have issues masking in school unless trusted adults are telling them it's a problem. I have two sons, both of whom mask at school with no complaint, and the school has a full mask mandate except at mealtimes for those eating. Neither the school nor the district have reported any instances of psychological or social harm, and I'm having a hard time finding a credible source that believes that's true.

So, we have a set of assumed (or just plain made up) negatives, and a whole host of scientifically proven benefits. When folks say we are not a serious nation, they mean that this debate is even happening in the first place. The reasonable asks: a facemask indoors in public, and a vaccine. Against a worldwide pandemic that's killed over 700,000 in the United States alone and shut down our hospital systems in some cities.

[1]: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-br... [2]: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/keythings... [3]: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/keythings...

[gavinhoward]

> The reasonable asks: a facemask indoors in public, and a vaccine.

Those are not reasonable. You may think they are, but there are obviously people who disagree.

Also, the vaccine and masks may have been a reasonable ask, but it is not a reasonable mandate! Once mandates started kicking in, and politicians started saying "The voluntary phase is over" while not following their own rules, then they became unreasonable and definitely not "asks".

Also, we have had far worse pandemics and have not had those "asks".

[skinnymuch]

Which ones? We used masks during the Spanish Flu. That’s the other biggest pandemic. We don’t really have any others that compare.

[ghoward]

We used masks during the Spanish Flu until politicians were caught not using masks.

Also, the Hong Kong Flu might be close to COVID in per capita deaths.

[skinnymuch]

There’s a whole bunch of reasons for the masks not used as Spanish Flu went on.

However, it was a mainstay for a period of time without any where close to the current division over using masks.

[ghoward]

And the Spanish Flu was far deadlier. Perhaps that matters?