Read on Twitter
The "Mask vs No Mask" debate rages on in Canadian Twitter. We need to get this debate behind us and ramp up our homemade mask output ASAFP. It's the right thing. Here's WHY:
THREAD
#Masks4ALL #cdnpoli #abpoli #yyc
THREAD
#Masks4ALL #cdnpoli #abpoli #yyc
The Czechs masked up and they're flattening the curve better than most of their European neighbours. They credit #Masks4ALL for this. We should be like the Czechs. Canada should do EXACTLY what they've done /1
The arguments against #Masks4ALL don't stand up, which is why our federal government and the esteemed Dr Theresa Tam has steadily evolved her position from one of outright dismissal, to tolerance to a suggested practise. We need to go further. All of us. Together. /2 @CPHO_Canada
I have enormous respect for Dr Tam & her team & find little to fault the Trudeau government's response to this global pandemic since we all started taking it seriously. I only ask them to ask my fellow Canadians to step up to the #Masks4ALL challenge /3 https://twitter.com/TheGentYYC/status/1245571361096871936
#Masks4ALL isn't about depriving our already mightily deprived frontline healthcare workers of the N95 masks they so desperately need in order to protect themselves in this civilization-defining blood-and-guts battle for the rest of us. It's about sending them less sick people /4
It was at first the recommendation of the world's top virology institutions like CDC & WHO that only folks showing symptoms or healthcare folk should wear masks. Moment we realized covid19 is transmissible long before a victim exhibits symptoms exploded that rationale forever /6
Remaining arguments against #Masks4ALL don't stand up. A homemade mask over your mouth & nose doesn't detract in any way from the other #FlattenTheCurve solutions we're already employing. By all means #StayInside but if/when you have to forage, wear a mask. Protect each other /7
Biggest remaining argument, that masks give the wearer a 'false sense of security' is taken care of by proper government instruction and a populace eager to get safely past this dangerous disease together ASAFP. Educate us. We'll pass it on. Done deal /8
Folks responding to #Masks4ALL saying "fine, wear a mask! Nobody's stopping you!" are missing the essential point on earth right now: we're all LITERALLY #InThisTogether. Any layer of protection only employed by a small number of citizens is near meaningless for the Curve /9
Another #Masks4ALL concern is that folks will wear them or dispose of them improperly but if improper preventative measure implementation means we dispose of the measure entirely you probably don't want to see what I see from my window each day inre #socialdistancing /10
Those claiming Science doesn't support #Masks4ALL don't get another essential point of our time: the science, like everything else in our civilization, is in flux now. Fluid. Adapting. Learning. We won't have a body of knowledge on this until long after we've won or lost /11
That said there's absolutely an abundance of Science, Data and Facts indicating #Masks4ALL is a worthy & indeed critical endeavour we humans should undertake together, which is why many scientists & medical professionals worldwide are advocating for it /12 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340438732_Country-wide_Mortality_from_the_Novel_Coronavirus_COVID-19_Pandemic_and_Notes_Regarding_Mask_Usage_by_the_Public?channel=doi&linkId=5e88f28f92851c2f527f7499&showFulltext=true&fbclid=IwAR0Wr5AzEKcfV8qzoGBd1dq2RzYi40risz2AxCwDMUuFm2K_8_Vbub8URzw
No Science in favour of #Masks4ALL?
"Science Magazine is the peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world's top academic journals."
Read the Science.
/13 https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/would-everyone-wearing-face-masks-help-us-slow-pandemic?fbclid=IwAR37SiTlcGnPWsPp5ueBmcZpiOI56m3Yi9jWGnYgcwlkHwbYwVOtXP52h8I
"Science Magazine is the peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world's top academic journals."
Read the Science.
/13 https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/would-everyone-wearing-face-masks-help-us-slow-pandemic?fbclid=IwAR37SiTlcGnPWsPp5ueBmcZpiOI56m3Yi9jWGnYgcwlkHwbYwVOtXP52h8I
You want evidence for #Masks4ALL? Dig in!
/14 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HLrm0pqBN_5bdyysOeoOBX4pt4oFDBhsC_jpblXpNtQ/preview?fbclid=IwAR2bBSvWQwR0FShItowdF1gOlBv1lKrS8WsXlzNBjpf_zd_K_ldwuFF3cE8
/14 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HLrm0pqBN_5bdyysOeoOBX4pt4oFDBhsC_jpblXpNtQ/preview?fbclid=IwAR2bBSvWQwR0FShItowdF1gOlBv1lKrS8WsXlzNBjpf_zd_K_ldwuFF3cE8
Better late than never (some of us have been calling for this since March as you may recall, ahem cough cough but not real cough) /15 https://twitter.com/CTVMontreal/status/1280236214751092736
The world has changed and changed again significantly since I began this thread in early April. Canada's federal government now routinely mentions masks as a primary level defence against covid though it still fails to make the mandate. There's no good medical reason for this /16
At this phase given what we now know about how the virus spreads (low ~ surface transfer, high ~ air droplets) case could be made (& I guess hereby *is* being made) that widespread mask usage is actually more effective vs Covid than both hand washing & not touching your face /17
(which is not to say vigorous hand washing & not touching your face when you're out & about aren't important in the fight vs Covid, in fact why don't we just go ahead & continue employing these eminently sensible practices throughout the rest of our lives regardless?) /18
I don't know how to say it any better than this /19 https://twitter.com/TheGentYYC/status/1276937192519032832
And while I'm at it /20 https://twitter.com/TheGentYYC/status/1276948460722257920
There's no easier argument to debunk, possibly ever, than "I don't want to wear a mask, I have a breathing issue." If this is indeed the case you are in great danger of serious effects if you catch the Rona. Masking of the population around you is a lifesaver for you /22
Making masks mandatory is how a jurisdiction indicates they're taking the coronavirus seriously. Just like Climate (& so much of it is *exactly* like Climate) the sooner we get started the sooner we beat the problem. Let's do this, #YYC! /23 #abpoli #yyccc https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/mandatory-masks-calgary-bylaw-faq-1.5645320
You don't have to die from Covid to suffer from one element or another of it FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. A brand new "pre-existing condition" you carry around til you die. It's not something you want to do to yourself to 'rip off the bandaid' or spur 'herd immunity' /24
Say businesses have no right to refuse service for not wearing a mask? It's no different in any way from insisting you wear shoes & socks. Or park doggo outside. Health reasons. Hygiene stuff. Not making their customers sick or dead where preventable. That's the end of that /25
All for now and thanks for reading. If you feel like supporting the work I do on threads like this I can assure you it's *very* thirsty work & you can buy me a cold beverage of the adult nature through this here tip jar thinger and I thank you kindly: https://ko-fi.com/thegentyyc
And if you're interested in supporting the Gent on a more long term basis, large or small I can tell you I'll never give up trying to present the critical information in digestible chunks & fostering the necessary change. Projects inbound. My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheGentYYC
And finally, if you'd like to share this thread with folks not yet enamoured with this weird & wonderful Twitterverse of ours, here it is in article format. Thanks, be well, have a GREAT day and let's get to work. https://the-gent-yyc.wixsite.com/thegentyyc/post/hey-canada-mask-up
