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To mask or not to mask? — 23 Comments

1. There really was never any evidence that cloth or paper surgical masks would protect the wearers from respiratory viruses. Epidemiological studies of COVID incidence in mask-required and mask-optional locations confirms that they make no difference.

   There IS evidence that a properly-fitted n95 mask will protect the wearer. Therefore, people who have immune deficiencies or serious health conditions should consider wearing one in public, for their own protection.

2. I am glad that my daughter and I began ditching the mask everywhere that we could, when the Texas governor lifted the absolute mandate, but local retail still posted it. It made going into retail outlets a bit fraught sometime, as we were fully prepared to be set upon by shrieking maskists determined to make a scene. But we were sick and tired of the charade and didn’t want to play any more, if we didn’t have to. It was kind of nice, meeting the gaze of other rebels, though – and knowing that we were all proud, defiant non-conformists. Some other rebels got absolutely chummy, too. A couple of weeks ago, we also noticed that they weren’t requiring masks any more at Randolph AFB; the military bases being federal activities were the only places outside of hospitals and doctor offices being insistent on masks.
   Last weekend, I had a book event at a local outdoor museum – their FolkFest. It was grand fun, and I only saw maybe one mask the whole two days of the event.

3. Heard again today from the usual suspects on FB. They are “defiantly” going to continue masking. Big announcement today about how they all are getting their third booster.

   Really fascinating view into the other mind.

4. Well physicsguy…if they’re intent on power-boosting the not-a-vax then you may not have to see them on FB much longer. Those adverse reactions won’t happen all by themselves.

5. John.
   My thoughts exactly. A couple of them I’ve been friends with for 40 years, despite their politics I keep thinking I’d hate to see the reactions from the boosters. Emotional thinking, not rational on their part.

6. The latest news is that the CDC has requested that the DOJ appeal the court decision ending federal mask mandates.

   Were there actual scientists involved in that CDC action or were they just told to do so by Joe Biden and Ron Klain? Because those two guys have such superior scientific intellects.

7. They want to retain the power to reinstate it next winter at any time without going through the necessary steps.

8. Were there actual scientists involved in that CDC action or were they just told to do so by Joe Biden and Ron Klain?

   Klain if it’s not coming from the CDC director herself. Either the teachers’ unions want it or it’s liberals giving another demonstration of their ICNBW narcissism.

9. They want to retain the power to reinstate it next winter at any time without going through the necessary steps.

   Good point. I’ll wager to generate panic in advance of the midterms.

10. “56% of Americans favor requiring people on planes, trains and public transportation to wear masks…”

    There it is, a majority of Americans chose fear over reason.

11. It’s hard for me to believe that this is still an issue. Or maybe I should say I don’t want to believe it is still an issue because I know many seemingly intelligent people who still believe in the power of the mask. Sadly, I think the poll results are probably in the ballpark of accuracy. It’s probably never wise to bet on reason over fear.

12. The only large enough to matter, and done in a valid manner, test, tracked iirc 100,000 people, split in half, wear masks as much as possible/not wearing masks at all, and in the time of the test, all of 2.1% of the non-mask wearers came down with WuFlu. For those going everywhere with a mask, the rate was 1.8%. with the variables figured in, that is statistically the same and could easily been the other was on that 0.3%.
    The only disease a Medical grade N95 or N99 mask is considered viable PPE is either TB or Typhus (forget which and looking now gives so much trash, it ain’t funny. It’s like finding the old pre-kungflu data on mRNA vaccine testing for SARS and MERS), and the rules are- Wash and sterilize hands and face, in a sterile environment, put the sterile mask on, tight enough to seal (must leave marks on your face 360 degrees or tape at the edges) and repeat in 3 hours. After 3 hours it is considered compromised. Also, when taking it off, it is treated as a bio-hazard, because it is such, so you remove the mask, put in special hazmat containers for bio-hazard so it can safely go for incineration, wash again, and either repeat, or get smart and go with the 3M full face covering filter system.
    Hell, the way masking turned out, I’ll not be surprised later on that it is shown the things have contributed to the spread.

13. Tommy Jay–

    The CDC apparently thinks that people must be forced to respect its authoritah: according to its statement of this afternoon, “To protect CDC’s public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced last week, CDC has asked DOJ to proceed with an appeal in Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc., et al., v. Biden, et al. It is CDC’s continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health. CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary. CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC’s legal authority to protect public health.”

    https://www.outkick.com/just-in-cdc-approves-biden-administrations-appeal-to-bring-back-airline-mask-mandate/

    In my opinion, Atlanta (headquarters of the CDC) needs another visit from William Tecumseh Sherman.

14. Hawaiian Judge will reinstate it by tomorrow.

15. PA Cat,
    Love the Sherman reference.

    These Jen Psaki quotes are from Breitbart, and presumably preceded the CDC request to the DOJ by some hours.

    “I mean our focus here was seeing what power we had to preserve what we felt was in the public health interest of the country,” Psaki explained.

    She defended the mandate extension as “entirely warranted” and “entirely reasonable.”

    “For current and future health crises, we want to preserve that authority for the CDC to have in the future,” Psaki said.

    So they are “preserving authority” which is entirely separate from the issue of it being an illegal or impermissible authority. (Are they suggesting that they don’t really care if it is useful on an epidemiological basis right now?) PA Cat’s quote does clearly state that it is “well within the CDC’s legal authority.” Stating it doesn’t make it so, but it is outside my range of knowledge.

    Does Neo have an opinion? Is the Florida judge on solid legal ground, or is it debatable?
    ______

    I accidentally skipped over this gem from Psaki at the top of the article.

    Jen Psaki defended the two-week extension of the mask mandate on planes and public transportation, arguing the CDC “felt they needed that” to examine more data about the coronavirus pandemic.

    Yes, because 25 months of examining data is not enough. Also, it takes time to destroy data and cook the books.

16. The issue isn’t really “to mask or not to mask.” It is “to force my neighbor to mask or not to force my neighbor to mask.” No one is preventing anyone from wearing a mask if they want to do so.

17. My prediction: Hawaiian Judge sides with CDC/Biden/? and they then reinstate it until May 3 then say they feel it is not needed AT THIS TIME but they will follow the data blah, blah, blah on whether it needs to be reinstated in the future.

    Hopefully then SCOTUS steps in but who know what Roberts, Barrett and Kavanaugh will say.

18. The part about examining more data was not a full quote, so the Breitbart journalist could have “cooked” the quote.

19. Bauxite (7:50 pm) helpfully points out that “No one is preventing anyone from wearing a mask if they want to do so.”

    I was about to make the same point Bauxite made, but s/he beat me to it. Bravo.

    The opposite of mandatory masking is not mandatory no-masking; it’s voluntary masking-or-not (imagine!). [Couldn’t resist inserting my $0.02 worth.]

    I’ve posted here before that due to my own immunosuppressant issues (as well as my advancing/advanced years), I am well advised to mask up in many situations. And I do exactly that, with N95s I ordered some time ago — once it became evident to me that most masks were of only marginal efficacy at best, and I could do without the theater.

    I’d blush to think that I’m compelling others to cater to me.

    I realize I may come off in public as a compliant scared-of-my-own-shadow wimp, but that’s an indignity I’ll endure.

20. Here’s a link (https://tinyurl.com/2cdjcjpv) to the story of how Progressive Christians are waiting until marriage to remove each other’s masks.

21. So many Good Germans …

22. My sister, a seven-year survivor of ovarian cancer, is undergoing another round of chemo after a third recurrence.

    Obviously she’s immunocompromised, and she wears a mask when she has to be in a public place with others. I have no problem wearing a mask when I’m with her — indoors for sure, and I would wear one outdoors, too, if she asked me to, but she never has.

    She understands her risks and does what she can to reduce them. What she does not do is demand that total strangers out in the world modify their behavior to accommodate her vulnerability (though of course she’s grateful if things work out that way).

    I am disgusted by double-vaxed and boosted thirty-something authoritarian maskholes whose unreasonable fear and entitlement are second only to their literally willful ignorance about the low risk that COVID poses to them.

    https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/opinions/transportation-airplanes-mask-mandate-ruling-filipovic/index.html

    Bauxite said it well, above: “The issue isn’t really ‘to mask or not to mask.’ It is ‘to force my neighbor to mask or not to force my neighbor to mask.’ ”

23. Bauxite wins the Bingo game tonight.

    A few more articles of interest.

    https://www.joshbarro.com/p/travel-mask-rules-were-increasingly?s=r
    Travel Mask Rules Were Increasingly Absurd and Ignored. Now They Are Gone.
    Freedom arrives in the club lounge.

    I saw a lot of posts on social media about pilots announcing mid-flight that mask rules had been lifted.1 But on my flight from Atlanta to New York, there was no announcement. Instead, while we were at the gate, the pilot made a point of walking down the aisle with no mask on, successively addressing groups of a few rows at a time to explain that our flight was likely to be very turbulent, and the seat belt sign might be on for most of the flight.

    It was a nice display of normalcy. I think Delta CEO Ed Bastian is right that lifting mask rules is an important step toward re-establishing pre-COVID behavior norms where people weren’t so much trouble all the time. It’s good for people to see each other’s faces — it helps us relate to each other as people, remember that we are all human, and maybe not get into stupid-ass arguments in the airplane environments that seem to, for whatever reason, being out terrible behavior in people.

    https://compactmag.com/article/alienation-at-30-000-feet
    by Walter Kirn in March 2022 – in re the change in behavior aboard airplanes

    These gestures and pleasantries haven’t wholly vanished, but I notice them much less often than I used to, and they stand out when I do. They seem to draw from some reservoir of cheer—or credibly simulated cheer—installed in our species by history or nature to ease our transit through crowded situations. A reservoir that may be drying up.

    I have my ideas about why this is occurring. Shrinking seats, diminished leg room, and flights that are routinely overbooked by airline computers that I fear are programmed with game-theory models based on Cold War brinkmanship play only minor parts in my analysis. Yes, the captains of the aviation industry have tested customers’ psychological limits concerning personal space and so on, but this has been a long and gradual process, one we have had time to adjust to and absorb. By itself, it can’t quite account, from what I’ve seen, for the precipitous deterioration of in-flight civil society, such as it is.

    The mandatory masks don’t help, of course. In less confined, less hectic settings—restaurants, stores, and such—anonymized faces don’t loom and swarm the way they do on planes, which emphasizes the latent claustrophobia. It’s hard enough while being squeezed and jostled to summon empathy for one’s fellow passengers, but when the buffer of smiles is removed—the mollifying, apologetic smiles triggered by spilled drinks and stepped-on toes—minor aggravations swell. They especially swell when authority is involved. Last month, about halfway through an endless flight which found me in a narrow middle seat between two laptop users with their trays down, the flight attendant rolled up with her drink cart. I lowered my mask to order a diet soda and was met with a wagging finger and the glare of a sternness I hadn’t faced since grade school. I tried to explain—“I wanted you to hear me”—but the attendant didn’t soften. “Put it on,” she barked. I fumblingly obeyed her and then, obliged to abase myself again, repeated my drink order through a layer of cloth. Prepare now for the joke ending:

    “What?” she said.

    But enough with the sour anecdotes. It’s time for my pet theory, my explanation for the outbursts —some of them rattlingly explosive—that I’ve witnessed all too often since resuming my post-pandemic travel schedule.

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