Concart (11-17-2020), signalmankenneth (11-18-2020), Trumpet (11-17-2020)
Paper masks are 9 times more effective than cloth masks.
Cloth masks originated because we simply did not have enough of the more preferable paper masks.
It was intended as a temporary measure to make up for the lack of sufficient numbers of paper masks.
The goal should be to make paper mask usage universal.
We need to make paper mask supply a priority so that all cloth masks can be replaced with paper masks.
Cloth mask wearing could lead to a false sense of protection.
Distancing is far more effective than mask-wearing.
Far higher priority needs to be given to distancing.
If people are far enough apart, no masks are required.
Masks are only for when distancing is not a possibility.
Distancing remains the most effective method of preventing disease transmission.
Personal Ignore Policy PIP: I like civil discourse. I will give you all the respect in the world if you respect me. Mouth off to me, or express overt racism, you will be PERMANENTLY Ignore Listed. Zero tolerance. No exceptions. I'll never read a word you write, even if quoted by another, nor respond to you, nor participate in your threads. ... Ignore the shallow. Cherish the thoughtful. Long Live Civil Discourse, Mutual Respect, and Good Debate! ps: Feel free to adopt my PIP. It works well.
Concart (11-17-2020), signalmankenneth (11-18-2020), Trumpet (11-17-2020)
I've gone fully to the 3 ply mask or the KN-95 mask which is 5-ply. Tossed my cloth masks. I've got a couple of reusable masks that have the disposable carbon filter, but I've steered away from those now, even though they are supposed to be effective. Too much of a pain. I think the KN-95 is probably best bet but they aren't cheap.
Neck Gaiters are pretty much useless.
PoliTalker (11-17-2020)
Cloth masks and paper masks are improper ppe as protection from viruses. Always use correct ppe for protection from hazmat.
The Truth Does Not Need To Be Supported With Censorship.
gfm7175 (11-18-2020)
I wear disposable paper masks, buying 500 at a time online.
But you go through them quickly if you wear five or six a day.
That's why I keep a cloth mask in the car--
I have a couple so that I've always got a washed one--
in case I'm just going to run into a convenience store for a minute or pump gas.
So while I use paper masks if I'm actually going to come in significant contact with people, I use both overall.
I also use disposable latex gloves.
Those are good because they turn inside out while you're taking them off and thus your clean hands aren't touching the outside.
And yes, distancing is the most important thing.
But this is the most relevant thing:
Even if we don't fall under financial hardships from not being able to go to work or whatever--
even if money isn't an issue--
going a year without having any fun, without celebrating any holidays, without socializing with friends and family--
that alone is a bitch.
I'm not a covid denier.
If I were that stupid, I would hope that my family would have had me euthanized before my first birthday--
but people may be getting to the point where suicide by covid seems less miserable than living the way that they're living.
Hopefully, we'll all hold out a little bit longer.
I'm not inclined, however, to be optimistic.
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. Samuel Johnson, 1775
Religion....is the opiate of the people. Karl Marx, 1848
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose. Kris Kristofferson, 1969
Personal Ignore Policy PIP: I like civil discourse. I will give you all the respect in the world if you respect me. Mouth off to me, or express overt racism, you will be PERMANENTLY Ignore Listed. Zero tolerance. No exceptions. I'll never read a word you write, even if quoted by another, nor respond to you, nor participate in your threads. ... Ignore the shallow. Cherish the thoughtful. Long Live Civil Discourse, Mutual Respect, and Good Debate! ps: Feel free to adopt my PIP. It works well.
Hello NiftyNiblick,
Ah, but optimism is what keeps us going when the odds are not in our favor.
It is easy to say it is hopeless and give up.
But there have been times I felt like that; and stuffed that feeling down, persevered, and then subsequently reached an unexpected good outcome.
Later, I was glad I hung in there and continued to strive for the best outcome.
And if I didn't prevail, then I always try to learn a lesson in it.
So I win either way. I either attain a goal I have sought, or I learn something, which is also a gain.
Personal Ignore Policy PIP: I like civil discourse. I will give you all the respect in the world if you respect me. Mouth off to me, or express overt racism, you will be PERMANENTLY Ignore Listed. Zero tolerance. No exceptions. I'll never read a word you write, even if quoted by another, nor respond to you, nor participate in your threads. ... Ignore the shallow. Cherish the thoughtful. Long Live Civil Discourse, Mutual Respect, and Good Debate! ps: Feel free to adopt my PIP. It works well.
I'm of Italian heritage, PoliTalker, and not 100% assimilated. I retain a measure of my ethnicity,
and my ethnicity means as much to me as my American nationality.
We're a lot like Jews--we tend to hug and kiss when we greet our friends.
We all act like those "Hollywood Elites" that redneck crackers hate so much.
That's OK if they hate us, We do look down at them like so many hayseeds, after all.
So let them hate us--I've wandered off the subject.
The point is, we've been unable to act like ourselves for a year now.
I suppose a year isn't a huge length of time if you compare it to World War II.
That inconvenienced us--kept us from living normally--for longer.
But neither patience nor optimism is infinite.
At 74, I'm running out of both.
I'm taking covid seriously because I'm respecting the rights of my other liberal acquaintances
[I don't share your very generous respect for the reactionaries]
to remain healthy.
But if I'm any example, I'm going to opine that even the non-deniers are starting to get pissed.
Science needs to get off its ass and make some serious progress to keep us from saying, Fuck it.
Hopefully, the signs that it's doing that are not false.
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. Samuel Johnson, 1775
Religion....is the opiate of the people. Karl Marx, 1848
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose. Kris Kristofferson, 1969
Hello NiftyNiblick,
I think everyone hopes for a tech solution as soon as possible.
It doesn't look like normal life is coming back any time soon. At least another half year or full year or even more.
This is no little proxy war.
This is a full scale world war.
It's the humans against the bug.
We could have prevailed long ago if everyone did everything they should. Taiwan already has. They operate under strict guidelines and enjoy near universal adherence within the population there. Taiwan and Florida have roughly the same population size. Florida is out of control. They have had 17,647 deaths, and the virus still rages there. Taiwan has had 7 deaths with no new cases in months until just recently. They have 2 new cases, both in quarantine.
It's really propaganda that's losing this war for us. Our success in this war is affected more by the irresponsibility of individuals who refuse to cooperate than it is by the diligence and dedication of those who do.
No, this is no little proxy war. It is widespread, and it is affecting nearly everyone, all of our daily lives. You're not alone in this at all. Everyone wants it to just be done and get back to normal life. But we can't do that until we either get through to those who won't listen, or we reach herd immunity, which we are nowhere close to reaching. The recent vaccines are very promising, and I believe there are more to come. But they are not going to be widely available for months, and even then, we don't know what the distribution criteria is going to be. Who is going to pay? Will this only be available to those who can afford it? And how many people will accept a vaccine? There is a strong anti-vax movement.
They will be asking if the vaccine is safe. How will we really know? It's experimental. Any initial approval will be an emergency one not subject to the usual criteria for full scale approval for general public use. These things usually take years. How can we know the possible long-term side effects of the vaccine?
Will we be able to vaccinate enough people to turn the tide on the virus?
How long will protections last?
Since we don't have the answers to any of these important questions we still can't know when this will all be over. But at least we do have one answer. It is possible to create a vaccine with 90 - 95% effective rate. That is extraordinary.
One thing appears certain.
We are going to be wearing masks and distancing for a long time yet to come.
Last edited by PoliTalker; 11-17-2020 at 07:55 PM.
Personal Ignore Policy PIP: I like civil discourse. I will give you all the respect in the world if you respect me. Mouth off to me, or express overt racism, you will be PERMANENTLY Ignore Listed. Zero tolerance. No exceptions. I'll never read a word you write, even if quoted by another, nor respond to you, nor participate in your threads. ... Ignore the shallow. Cherish the thoughtful. Long Live Civil Discourse, Mutual Respect, and Good Debate! ps: Feel free to adopt my PIP. It works well.
Hello Charoite,
Any face covering is better than nothing. But if a poor virus blocking cover leads to a false sense of protection, causing the wearer to feel that it is OK to get too close to others, then that's how it might be worse than nothing at all. We should wear more effective masks, AND we should try to stay as far apart from others as possible. Coming within 6' of others is where the risk of transmission rises.
Personal Ignore Policy PIP: I like civil discourse. I will give you all the respect in the world if you respect me. Mouth off to me, or express overt racism, you will be PERMANENTLY Ignore Listed. Zero tolerance. No exceptions. I'll never read a word you write, even if quoted by another, nor respond to you, nor participate in your threads. ... Ignore the shallow. Cherish the thoughtful. Long Live Civil Discourse, Mutual Respect, and Good Debate! ps: Feel free to adopt my PIP. It works well.
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