Why are people still wearing masks?

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DCR

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I understand for traveling commercial - especially if you are going to visit someone who is high risk (elderly parents / grandparents).

But there appears to be a large number of seemingly healthy young people still wearing masks doing everyday things or even at work.

Genuinely curious what the reasons are. High risk? Political statement? Sick and trying not to spread it?
 
I'll avoid getting deep into this BUT I am sick right now. 2 people asked me "is it covid? is it covid??" I was like really what difference does it make at this point? I wouldn't do anything differently if it was or wasn't, I'm staying home until I'm better. downing dayquil and nightquil and it is what it is. if I was just 'sick', no one would say "oh did you hear, eman's sick?", but if I have covid it'd be the talk of the town. who gives a rats arse? unless you have it, then stay the frick home.
 
DCR said:
I understand for traveling commercial - especially if you are going to visit someone who is high risk (elderly parents / grandparents).

But there appears to be a large number of seemingly healthy young people still wearing masks doing everyday things or even at work.

Genuinely curious what the reasons are. High risk? Political statement? Sick and trying not to spread it?
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Couple weeks ago I tested positive, taught the entire week online (Teams) and the two times I went to the store, wore a mask both for my protection as well as others. Wearing masks is common in the Japanese culture, so I don't think of it as a political statement.
 
Properly wearing a quality mask is a standard way to reduce the risk of spreading/getting germs/infections/whateveryouwanttocallit.

The operative words are "properly" and "quality"
 
I remember some people who looked like they were of Asian descent wearing masks 10-15 years before COVID-19. I just see it as a conservatively protective informed behavior now, nothing more or less.

I did on a few of the commercial flights I took this year, but not all.
 
I lived in Japan in the 80s, and visited other SE Asian nations. It wasn't rare to see people in public, specifically on the subway or bus wearing a mask if they were not feeling well.

As for mask wearing, the best that can be said is that the results of mask wearing slowing the spread of a recent virus are 'inconclusive'. My personal position is that about 0.1% wore N-95 masks which potentially could be effective, and about 0.1% wore the correct mask correctly.

There is also an opinion out there that deserves attention indicating that the attendant handling, mounting, dismounting, adjusting, and touching the mask on the face actually increased contamination of the hand(s), and may have increased the manual spread of the virus. :confused2:
 
Half Fast said:
Saw a guy wearing a mask a while ago. While riding a motorcycle. Without a helmet. And wearing shorts. And sandals.

I really don’t understand how some people perceive risk.
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Bugs carry germs, and when they get stuck in your teeth..l
 
Half Fast said:
Saw a guy wearing a mask a while ago. While riding a motorcycle. Without a helmet. And wearing shorts. And sandals.

I really don’t understand how some people perceive risk.
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And also people who wear them while driving alone *confused face*

There's a player on my hockey team who still wears one while playing, which I think is torture. His girlfriend has some immune condition so he does it for her, so respect there. And that goes to show that people have their own reasons for choosing.

I wore one while playing when the rinks opened up again in late 2020 until they were no longer required, and it was hell the whole time. Wearing it in the grocery store is one thing, but come to me when you've played an entire ice hockey game wearing one, and I'll be receptive to your complaint :p
 
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All the websites of the major medical facilities, and health information providers, plus the CDC point out the benefits (reduced transmission of your infections, reduced acquisition of others’ bugs) and limitations (they are not perfect).

Your wearing a mask in no way offends me (unless you’re pointing a gun at me or the bank teller).
I will happily wear one in the instance I want to protect others from a known infection.

No politics, no soapbox, no emotion.
 
Baked Potato said:
And also people who wear them while driving alone *confused face*

There's a player on my hockey team who still wears one while playing, which I think is torture. His girlfriend has some immune condition so he does it for her, so respect there. And that goes to show that people have their own reasons for choosing.

I wore one while playing when the rinks opened up again in late 2020 until they were no longer required, and it was hell the whole time. Wearing it in the grocery store is one thing, but come to me when you've played an entire ice hockey game wearing one, and I'll be receptive to your complaint :p
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I would have quit playing. I'm not in college anymore. I get out there and I'm sucking wind after my second shift with NO mask on. I can't imagine back checking hard with something inhibiting my breathing!
 
Why do you care? Im early 30s and healthy.

I continue to wear a mask on public transit, on flights, and in stores simply because COVID is still very prevalent and long COVID is a thing. The long term health impacts of multiple rounds of COVID (it took me 3 years to catch it the first and only time, likely so late exactly because of masking and vaccines) are still very unknown. Furthermore brain fog and loss of taste, while less common symptoms with the more recent variants, would have a large impact on my life. It really impacts my life very little to wear a mask in those scenarios so why not reduce the risk?
 
If you are going to read only one thing, I highly recommend “Your Local Epidemiologist” Dr Katelyn Jetelina (and her staff)


yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com

Do masks work?

On my way back from Turkey, and there’s nothing quite like international travel to help put things into perspective.
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
 
flyingpreacher said:
… I get out there and I'm sucking wind after my second shift with NO mask on…
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There was a time in my career we routinely PT’d in MCU-2 gas masks with filters on and body armor. It was humbling.
 
DCR said:
I understand for traveling commercial - especially if you are going to visit someone who is high risk (elderly parents / grandparents).

But there appears to be a large number of seemingly healthy young people still wearing masks doing everyday things or even at work.

Genuinely curious what the reasons are. High risk? Political statement? Sick and trying not to spread it?
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I believe young healthy people are wearing masks just as a political statement. Sure some elderly folks with breathing problems need to be cautious. Here in WY we laugh at young healthy kids wearing face diapers.
 
You assume it’s for germs. Some of us have terrible allergies to pollen. Winter is awesome but summers I sometimes will put in the mask to reduce my reaction which meds don’t 100% alleviate.

Currently I don’t wear it in the office. However, as wife is going in for cancer surgery and she has to be healthy or it gets delayed I put one on in the train. Yeah, it’s not exactly making 100% sense but if it avoid delaying the surgery, it’s not a hard minor thing to do.

Wearing a mask while along in the car? Yeah see above about allergies.

Finally, why give a rodents behind if people wear or don’t wear a mask? I see it as none of my business unless they are using a mask to commit a crime.
 
I see it regularly in local production line workers, but they are only wearing it when they feel sick to prevent getting their coworkers sick, not as a preventative measure to keep from getting sick. In many of the “essential” productions lines that never stopped or slowed down during Covid there has developed a culture of it kinda being expected if you are at work When sick out of respect for your coworkers, and in return their coworkers help them a bit/take on some of their work burden when they don’t feel well. It ends up spilling over into the public when those workers go in public and have a pretty hard wired mindset of trying to not get other people sick.
 
Barrett50 said:
I wouldn't care either way if someone wants to wear a mask
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Let'sgoflying! said:
Your wearing a mask in no way offends me
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AKiss20 said:
It really impacts my life very little
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There is a lot of non-verbal communication which happens between your eyes and your chin. I'm not saying it is absolutely of greater value than people's health concerns, but there is a trade off. I remember the day when we were allowed to demask in the office, it was really nice to see everyone's face again.
 
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DCR said:
I understand for traveling commercial - especially if you are going to visit someone who is high risk (elderly parents / grandparents).

But there appears to be a large number of seemingly healthy young people still wearing masks doing everyday things or even at work.

Genuinely curious what the reasons are. High risk? Political statement? Sick and trying not to spread it?
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Ask them.
 
Someone at work kept wearing a mask since Covid. We keep trying to coach him. Came down with Covid recently and was out for over a week with a bad case.
 
Initial Fix said:
Someone at work kept wearing a mask since Covid. We keep trying to coach him. Came down with Covid recently and was out for over a week with a bad case.
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This is a really good chance to learn what Dr. Jetelina teaches; science & statistics.
Others here are much better at it and I could never duplicate her work but I think those who understand this in detail would first of all point out the "n" issue with this.

N=1, in the above statement. An exceedingly small sample size from which no generalizations could reasonably be made (but people insist on trying all the time).
Causation does not equal correlation in the above example. Does every mask wearer come down with covid? Can we hypothesize that the mask is somehow causing covid. Certainly not.

Who knows, maybe this wearer is in very high risk situations outside of work that you don't know about and the mask failed (I believe the link I posted earlier points out that masks were never shown to be 100% protection), or maybe he failed to wear the mask in that situation.

Like all of science, it is a fascinating topic (masks) - and science itself recognizes that information presented changes so that the recommendations naturally will too.
 
There's also resistance to disease. Eliminate exposure reduce immunity. American Indians died from colds.

I applaud someone who is sick wearing a mask in public but doubt the effectiveness. If they worked why was covid spread?
 
Some wear it as a fashion statement. Not kidding, one of our office employees wears a weaved, silver, jeweled mask (a fly can get through that).
I currently wear it because elderly in-laws are visiting us.
I guess everyone has their reasons, and yes, some even political.
Interesting about allergies, don't remember seeing or hearing anyone wear a mask pre-covid for allergies. I myself have been suffering since childhood, and never noticed any improvement when masks were mandatory.
 
Ashara Keliyn said:
Interesting about allergies, don't remember seeing or hearing anyone wear a mask pre-covid for allergies. I myself have been suffering since childhood, and never noticed any improvement when masks were mandatory.
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I never used to mask up for allergies - but when N95s were mandated in our office I noticed a big difference. Now I only wear one on the most severe days. The little rectangle ones don't help for me - has to be one which makes a decent seal.
 
DCR said:
There is a lot of non-verbal communication which happens between your eyes and your chin. I'm not saying it is absolutely of greater value than people's health concerns, but there is a trade off. I remember the day when we were allowed to demask in the office, it was really nice to see everyone's face again.
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How much non-verbal communication do you think I need on public transit, commercial flights, and in the store? 99% of the time I’m wearing a mask I’m listening to a podcast or music anyway and in the 1% I’m actually actively communicating with someone else in those scenarios I have my, you know, words?
 
Put your mask on and then sand some drywall and see how good they work. Then realize that the virus is 1000's times smaller than drywall dust and you will understand you have been lied to. I have to work around asbestos sometimes and you should see what we have to do to stay safe. And asbestos fibers are huge compared to covid virus.
 
If you like a mask, wear one. If you don't like a mask don't wear one. If you want to carry a weapon, carry one. If you don't want to carry, don't. But - do NOT tell others they can't wear - either. Recall, one of them is actually an inalienable right.
 
rockwoodrv9a said:
Put your mask on and then sand some drywall and see how good they work. Then realize that the virus is 1000's times smaller than drywall dust and you will understand you have been lied to. I have to work around asbestos sometimes and you should see what we have to do to stay safe. And asbestos fibers are huge compared to covid virus.
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Do you think the virus travels alone, in the air? Viruses don't have wings you know.
 
:) I know two people that regularly will wear a mask, still.

One has a spouse that works in healthcare, and because of her job tends to get everything. So he wears one to reduce the chances he spreads it to one of his co-workers.

The other has a 5 yr old with a compromised immune system, who's already had more surgeries than the average NFL retiree. She doesn't know if it helps any, but she'll do pretty much anything to reduce the suffering her son goes through.

So I don't worry about who wears a mask. I am a bit judgemental about anyone who is critical of people who act a little differently but don't harm anyone.
 
rockwoodrv9a said:
Put your mask on and then sand some drywall and see how good they work. Then realize that the virus is 1000's times smaller than drywall dust and you will understand you have been lied to.
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The virus is small, but it doesn’t float around on its own. It rides out of the body on the moisture in your breath. The microdroplets are a lot bigger. Wear a mask outdoors in cold weather, you won’t see your breath because the mask catches the moisture.

Ron Wanttaja
 
I’m from the generation that when I learned about germs in elementary school and told my dad he shouldn’t take a swig out of the milk jug in the fridge cause it spreads germs, I got a full lecture of how when he was a kid and went to a one room country school house (and he actually did) they had a bucket hanging on a hand pumped hydrant with a ladle in it for when they got thirsty (again true). There were a few kids who lived on the boarder of the township so would ride their horses there instead of walking 2 miles, and everybody would use the same dipper out of the same bucket and half the time you’d have to shoo away the flies that were just on the horse excrement. But until he died I can never remember him ever being “sick”, and I mean never once ever seeing him sick, not a cold, not a flu, nothing, EVER in my life. But he did tell stories about having scarlet fever, having phnemonia a few times that almost killed him when he was a kid and getting really sick once with what sounded to be cholera. But he was extremely of the belief that it was important to be exposed to viruses, bacteria, pathogens in general for your immune system to function properly. And I agree.
 
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