Since the pandemic began, public health experts have told us to wear a mask when interacting with others, keep a social distance from others, avoid crowds, and wash your hands frequently. The purpose is to protect yourself and others and to stop the spread of the disease.
The evidence shows that it works. New York City and New York State went from worst in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, then adopted and enforced stringent rules, and flattened the curve. Other nations had explosive outbreaks—think Spain and Italy—established strict rules and flattened the curve.
The U.S. went the other way and infections are rising. Some people resist wearing a mask, claiming it infringes on their personal rights.
Steve Nelson (borrowing his rhyme pattern from Dr. Seuss) wrote this poem about those who refuse to protect themselves and others:
School choice as a civil rights matter is oddly analogous to “not wearing a mask” as a civil rights issue. Selfishness over collective responsibility. With apologies to Damn Poet:
I will not wear a stupid mask.
I will not wear one – please don’t ask.
I do not like them day or night,
I will not wear one – that’s my right.
I do not like them loose or tight,
I will not wear one, I’ll stand and fight.
I will not wear one in the park,
I will not wear one in the dark,
I will not wear one on a lark,
I will not wear a stupid mask,
I will not wear one, please don’t ask.
I do not care if you’re displeased
I do not care if you’re diseased.
I do not care who coughed or sneezed,
I will not have my freedom seized.
I will not wear a stupid mask,
I will not wear one, please don’t ask.
I will not wear one in the store,
I will not wear one out the door,
I will not wear one, you’re a bore,
I will not listen anymore.
I will not wear a stupid mask,
I will not wear one, please don’t ask.
I will not wear one day or night,
I will not wear one loose or tight,
I will not wear one in the park,
I will not wear one in the dark,
I will not wear one on a lark,
I will not wear one in the store,
I will not wear one out the door.
I will not wear one, evermore.
I will not wear a stupid mask,
I will not wear one, please don’t ask.
Actually Dr. Seuss would want you to wear one!
I guess I really should be masked,
On second thought, I’m glad you asked.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Since the pandemic began, public health experts have told us to wear a mask when interacting with others….”
Actually, no and that’s a huge part of the problem. When the pandemic began, public health officials specifically told us not to wear masks. We wouldn’t wear them properly, we were told. They would irritate us and we’d be more likely to touch our faces and, hence, get the disease. Anything less than an N95 mask wouldn’t help anyway, we were also told – they would do nothing to stop the virus because the holes are big enough to let the virus through.
It was only after about a month that public health officials abruptly reversed course and told us to wear masks. They said their previous message was only because there weren’t enough masks for medical people, so they wanted to conserve supplies. So, what, their original message wasn’t even mistaken – they knowingly lied to us? Or were they lying now? Can you see how people might distrust their motives/information after something like that? Furthermore, we were now told that if you can’t get an N95, use anything you can get your hands on. Again, another complete reversal of what we’d previously been told.
If public officials want to be trusted, they should be trustworthy all along. If we should have been wearing masks all along, they should have said that all along and put the blame for supply shortages where it belongs – on greedy companies and their short-sighted “just in time” supply cycles.
Whatever the public health officials said in the first days of the pandemic, they Naveen condistebt for months that wearing a mask is crucial to protecting yourself and others. I recall clearly an early debate about whether masks could protect you it there was never uncertainty about whether they would protect others. But there is no question that public health officials have said for at least four-five that covering your nose and mouth was essential to slow transmission and protect yourself.
Righteous hindsight does indeed make one infallible.
I love how people defend our “trusted” government agencies blatantly lying to us and just call it “hindsight” as if no one could have known better, when, in fact, they outright admitted they did know better.
To be clear: I hate Trump and the liars and thieves who surround him. Unlike you, I don’t hate our government. I worked in the U.S. government for two years back in the first Bush administration. The career people I met were dedicated and hardworking. Agencies like the Bureau of Labor Statustics, the Government Accountability Office, the CDC, and many more were peopled by smart, honest, knowledgeable civil servants with a strong sense of mission. They are the people who keep the government functioning regardless of who is president. Trump calls them the Deep State because they are loyal to the Cinsturutuon, not to him. He has done his worst to corrupt every federal agency.
dienne77….Our “trusted government agencies” are filled with worker bees who want to stay alive and keep their family’s safe along with the US population they serve. If you want to lay blame, then blame the Trump appointed Toadies that are heading these agencies, actively defunding the agencies and making it hard for these agencies to serve the public. We all know darn well that the Toadies are masking up and taking precautions to keep their own families safe from the virus. We all know that as Faux News was calling this a big hoax, that they were recording from studios far from network headquarters. You have a right to be angry….we ALL are angry….but be angry at the right people/person!
Give it a break dienne77!!! Dr’s used to treat Leukemia with blood transfusions and other wacky medicines and most patients would still die. Are you going to crucify those Dr’s because they couldn’t see into the future and magically produce a cure? They’ve come a long way in the medical research world and more people with deadly diseases/cancers are able to survive and live productive lives.
Yep!!! They stood up there on public TV and told people that masks weren’t necessary, then they told people to save the masks for health care workers. They said all those things!!! Not a single Dr on that podium knew what they were really dealing with at that time, except that they didn’t have the necessary PPE for frontline workers. You’re playing the blame game and it’s getting kind of old! If people keep undermining those that are smart enough to save us, we will be doomed to living this way of life indefinitely! Wear a mask, wash your hands and stay out of crowded indoor places….and shut your mouth and keep your hot air to yourself!
Sorry, Diane R! I’ve got Covid fatigue/rage from listening to and watching Covidiots deny the science….which keeps us ALL living this way!
Lisa,
I am continually amazed to see people who refuse to wear masks or to hear that someone was attacked in a public place when they asked the maskless to put on a mask. The only way we can stop the spread of the virus is to stop its transmission.
dienne77 has repeated this allegation many times that US Health Experts said to not wear masks. I don’t remember dienne77 providing links to primary evidence taht this is accurate.
So, I decided to finally do a fact check:
July 14, 2020, the CDC calls on Americans to wear masks to prevent COVID-19 spread
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p0714-americans-to-wear-masks.html
Mask mystery: Why are U.S. officials dismissive of protective covering?
Other nations recommend wearing masks to avoid coronavirus, but the Trump administration has not seen a benefit. PUBLISHED March 30, 2020.
In recent weeks, facing public uncertainty about coronavirus and a severe domestic shortage of medical-grade face masks, top Trump administration officials offered adamant warnings against widespread use of masks, going so far as to argue that members of the general public were more likely to catch the virus if they used them.
“You can increase your risk of getting it by wearing a mask if you are not a health care provider,” Surgeon General Jerome Adams said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” earlier this month.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/30/coronavirus-masks-trump-administration-156327
Considerations for Wearing Masks (from the CDC) – Apr 24, 2020 – Masks may help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading … COVID-19 can be spread by people who do not have symptoms …
“Masks are recommended as a simple barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the mask coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice. This is called source control. This recommendation is based on what we know about the role respiratory droplets play in the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, paired with emerging evidence from clinical and laboratory studies that shows masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth. COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), so the use of masks is particularly important in settings where people are close to each other or where social distancing is difficult to maintain.”
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html
FROM MarketWatch on March 2, 2020: U.S. health officials say Americans shouldn’t wear face masks to prevent coronavirus — here are 3 other reasons not to wear them.
Most people don’t use face masks correctly, a Johns Hopkins public health expert told MarketWatch
Does this alleged health expert that works for Johns Hopkins public health also work for the CDC?
Later in the MarketWatch piece there’s this: “In fact the U.S. surgeon general recently urged the public to “STOP BUYING MASKS!” “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!,” wrote Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Twitter”
The U.S. surgeon general was appointed by Donald Trump and is part of Trump’s administration and does not work for or with the CDC. If that surgeon general doesn’t say what Trump wants, he will get fired.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-cdc-says-americans-dont-have-to-wear-facemasks-because-of-coronavirus-2020-01-30
Read further and you will learn that the CDC did mention it was okay to not wearing a mask because the virus was not widespread throughout the general community.
“The virus is not spreading in the general community,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a Jan. 30 briefing. “We don’t routinely recommend the use of face masks by the public to prevent respiratory illness.
FOCUS ON THE end of Dr. Nancy’s Messonnier’s statement on January 30, 2020: “And we certainly are not recommending that at this time for this new virus.”
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-cdc-says-americans-dont-have-to-wear-facemasks-because-of-coronavirus-2020-01-30
dienne77, if you are going to make allegations like this, do your homework FIRST!
Glad you have the patience to do this, Lloyd! From the beginning, credible medical experts have been unanimous about one thing: uncertainty. They’ve been honest about the notion that what we know and recommend today may well change tomorrow once we learn more and have experience. To blame them without citing that sincere caveat is “I told you so” sophistry of the very worst, venal kind.
Here is an obituary from a Texas gentleman that passed away from Covid-19. His family is devastated and angry.https://nypost.com/2020/08/03/obit-of-texas-man-who-died-of-covid-19-includes-ominous-warning/
A good obituary has a way inspiring and educating the living, doesn’t it? Thanks for sharing.
Early on when the plague was just beginning: U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams explains why the CDC and WHO do not recommend the general public wear masks and how doing so could increase your virus risk. In February, Adams said Americans worried about the coronavirus outbreak shouldn’t buy face masks to protect themselves against it because the masks are ineffective for those without symptoms — and the purchases deplete the supplies available for medical professionals.
That made no sense to me, if wearing masks were good enough for doctors, nurses, dentists and dental hygienists, then they should be good enough for me. I had hardware store dust masks, better than nothing. Not to mention that millions of Chinese, Japanese and Koreans wore surgical masks. Not wearing masks is dumb and stupid.
Adams is a Trump sycophant and I don’t trust to anything he says.
When Adams was making these remarks, I was going to the Asian grocery stores in my area to prepare for lockdown/quarantine. Every single asian person was wearing a mask….employees and shoppers. I decided at that moment that Adams was not the one to listen to. Of course I couldn’t purchase any masks and they really needed to go to healthcare personnel. We locked down immediately in MD and there really wasn’t any need for a mask as none of us were going anywhere. The Asian people here wear masks during normal flu season, high pollen days and high pollution days. The Covid data in our area is very accurate and detailed and the Asian population has the lowest number of infections AND deaths. The numbers don’t lie.
Many of the dust masks that were sold by hardware stores and home centers in the past (most are long since sold out) were actually N95 masks.
I know because I had one before the pandemic that I used for sanding (though I never paid attention to the N95 label before, just knew it worked to take out small dust particles)
The statement (on Twitter) by the US surgeon general on Feb 29 that
“Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!
They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk! ”
was a half truth (at best).
The latter part was true, but former not.
The primary purpose of the mask is to prevent dissemination of the virus but a mask (particularly rated N95 or better) will also provide some level of protection against breathing in airborne virus containing droplets.
Even a bandana might be better than nothing for the latter, but probably not much.
Not incidentally. I recently had to use a paint sprayer to stain a house with some particularly strong stain that would make you sick without a respirator, and had to go to three different places before I could find one. The first two had sold out months ago and I got the last one at an out of the way mom and pop store.
Apparently people have been buying full heavy duty painting respirators for the virus.
SomeDAM…I see dry wallers wearing their masks into the grocery stores. They look like they are right off the set of a Viet Nam movie set. I had to take my son to the pediatrician at the height of lockdown and the man had on a mask that looked like something from an outer space movie.
Construction workers were way ahead of the curve on mask wearing.
It’s actually pretty serious that people who need masks for their jobs can’t get them.
And that’s not just true for the medical profession.
Lots of others need them and it can be a very serious health risk not to have one.
It would be downright dangerous to do the painting job I just did without a heavy duty respirator.
I actually returned the respirator I just bought (unopened, of course) because my sister had one that she let me use.
True, SDP! My husband had a pack of 2 N-95 masks that he had brought for sweeping out the fireplace years ago: 1 was used & 1 unused, but the package had been open & the masks taken out & handled, so he gave me one. My cousin worked for 3M &, for some reason, many years ago, gave me a packet of 8 face masks. (Oh, I think he knew that I was involved in a teachers’ strike, attended protests, etc.) Anyway, I had 10: kept 4 (2 for husband & 2 for me), & gave the rest to some people we knew who worked at Trader Joe’s & the grocery stores around here. They’re good masks for taking walks outside the band is in the back, so you can wear it around your neck & then pull it up if a child on a bicycle or an unexpected adult comes around the corner, too close & not in sight. Luckily, around here, there’s a lot of room to walk & to avoid other people who, more often than not, are maskless (not even wearing a bandanna or mask arounf the neck, for quick cover.
There was a doctor on a plane–all masked up & wearing gloves–but tested positive after (he’d gotten sick(. He’ realized that it must have gotten in through his uncovered eyes. Hardware stores & Menard’s, Lowe’s, Home Depot sell clear plastic wraparound glasses in packs of 4 or 5, & they’re cheap, fit snugly & are comfortable. Of course, you can order them online, as well.
Also, I was in a grocery store right before the IL shutdown (March) & was wearing a mask. The man behind me asked, “Are you sick?” I said, “No, I’m wearing one so I don’t get sick.” He laughed, the said, “It won’t help, you know!” “Are you a doctor?” I asked. “Yes, an eye doctor.” (I just knew it!) I told him to have a nice day.
Actually, I’d been at airports 4x within 3 weeks prior to the March quarantine, & I saw many Asians (there were many tourists from there in New Orleans) & Asian-Americans wearing masks, which I’d always though of as smart, anyway. I have become extremely ill (terrible cold, sore throat) on at least 3 trips, as someone was always coughing or sneezing at the airport, in the plane, in elevators, etc., & NOT covering nose or mouth. Kids know better: during the H1N1 (“swine flu”) scare, the school nurses came around & taught kids to sneeze/cough in the crook of their elbows (staff, as well). At least 50%
less absences.
Q: Are you a doctor?
A: Yes, a Doctor of philosophy and my philosophy is that masks don’t work.
A doctor of philosophy
Is what I am, that’s me
I give advice on masks — for free —
“They’re worthless as can be”
A doctor of Fullofsophy
Is what I am, that’s me
I’m really full of it, you see
I’m sure you will agree
Good one!
I personally would not put this poem out there because mask resisters might latch on to it. I just wouldn’t .
Sent from my iPhone
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Or maybe they would realize how infantile their rants are? I’m happy to belong to a healthy herd of sheep….BAAAAHHHHH.
That comment is a head-scratcher.
I’m in moderation^^^, but I’m not in moderation??? Or is everyone in moderation when certain posters receive replies?
WordPress arbitrarily puts people in moderation.
There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Ask James K. Polk about it.
Polk put you in moderation.
A recent Stanford study released by the NCBI, which is under the National Institutes of Health, showed that masks do absolutely nothing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and their use is even harmful.
NIH published a medical hypothesis by Dr. Baruch Vainshelboim (Cardiology Division, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System/Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States).
NOQ Report uncovered the study:
Did you hear about the peer-reviewed study done by Stanford University that demonstrates beyond a reasonable doubt that face masks have absolutely zero chance of preventing the spread of Covid-19? No? It was posted on the the National Center for Biotechnological Information government website. The NCBI is a branch of the National Institute for Health, so one would think such a study would be widely reported by mainstream media and embraced by the “science-loving” folks in Big Tech.
Ahh, of course, the masks are not going to stop the spread of COVID, but masks will slow it down — A LOT! If everyone wore a mask, the spread of the virus would be much slower.
The evidence is how slow the spread of this virus was in East Asian countries like China, Vietnam, et al. where few if any people question the wisdom of wearing a mask to slow the spread of the virus. Not as many idiots as we have in the United States.
I’m sure that we will find studies that wearing condoms during sex does not guarantee that women will not get pregnant but without those condoms, there would be a lot more pregnancies, an epidemic.
I think it is safe to say that the United States, with four percent of the world’s population, has the largest ratio of fools that will read a study like this one and then tear their masks off and spread the virus faster explaining why one in five deaths (about 20 percent) from COVID throughout the world took place in the United States.
3.01 deaths globally
568K deaths in the U.S.
Want more proof of how stupid it would be not to wear a mask. There was almost no flu season this year because so many people were wearing masks.
“Why the Flu Season Basically Disappeared This Year”
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-the-flu-season-basically-disappeared-this-year