Just a reminder that cloth masks - the majority of what the public is wearing because it’s the only thing widely available and what is being required by governments and smug businesses - don’t really filter viral particles that well. It’s public health theater

N95s are the gold standard but you need fit tested, surgical masks are ok. Someone showed me a mask made out of an old t-shirt today and like cool concept but

I’m not saying be a belligerent asshole to businesses asking you mask up. They’re serving a wider customer base and need to make everyone feel comfortable to survive. So don’t be dicks to shops with “please wear a mask signs” DAYS after things have started opening up

At the same time, recognize the efficacy of what you’re doing. Masks protect others from you more than they protect you from others. So don’t let it give you a false sense of security. Distancing and hygiene remain key

I still maintain that the vaccine, while important, is less a game changer from a public perception standpoint than widespread antibody testing. If folks found out they were exposed and felt nothing or got sick and recovered, regardless of epidemiology, that’s gonna be a shift

Building back trust in being in public and being in contact is important, so doing masks in whatever fashion and trusting vaccines goes a long way in restoring normalcy which is what anti lockdown folks want, right? We can meet folks halfway and show them it’s ok

So while I started this thread acknowledging the theater, I still think the stakes are so low to just put one on and go about your day to show those deathly afraid that we can absolutely go on.

Could you do a mosh pit in Times Square and prove the same thing? Sure. But the doubters will only look at the initial optics and never the results two weeks later.

I guess I’m just tired of the virtue signaling chest thumping in both camps. We all need to bridge the divide and get on with our lives. That means restoring the trust we have in just gathering in public.

So short term mask wearing? Cool, deal with it. “New normal”? Get the fuck out of here. Being cautious doesn’t mean living in fear, which is a distinction lost on far too many.

Anyway here’s Wonderwall