1/ Blanket guidance like “wear a mask” is largely unhelpful IF it is not followed up w/ key messaging around *when* & *where* masks are most important AND when cloth/surgical masks may not be good enough (hint- we have other tools at our disposal)

Some thoughts:
#covid19

2/ Remember— indoor spread is so much more common/likely than outdoors.

Yet there are people who seem to religiously mask outside and then take the mask off when it is most critical, such as indoors when they get to work or in the breakroom w/ colleagues etc

3/ If you mask outside but don’t inside, you are doing things almost completely backwards.

My guess is that realistically, people are *not* going to wear a mask 100% of the day.

So the 25-50-75% that you actually do *must* happen when most likely that you could get infected

4/ Walking through a day in the life...if you live in an apartment building like me, the elevator is usually your first stop.

From what we know, getting infected likely takes more than a few seconds, so as long as you have some type of mask on, risk is probably low but...

4.5/ There are hardly any guarantees. If some1 w/ high viral load just left that elevator w/ a big sneeze or cough moments earlier, hard to be certain that you couldn’t get it if you were in there right after. Still, unlikely combination of events, wouldn’t lose sleep here

5/ Next, for me, is my ride share ( @lyft or @Uber).

Now you are in a car, closed compartment w/ someone you don’t know for several mins or more.

Let’s think this through. Combination of closed space, possible aerosols playing a role in spread, and close contact— bad setup

6/ Cloth/surgical masks may not be enough if you end up with a driver that has active infection.

But likely an easy answer— **pull down the windows**

I make sure the windows are down during these rides 100% of the time.

Others have written about this— ventilation is key

7/ Now you get to work. You are indoors. You may be at your own desk, & the tendency may be to take off your mask here. I wouldn’t. I would also make sure that your employers have seriously looked into improving ventilation. This matters now and it will matter a lot in winter.

7.5/ Individual situations may vary. Perhaps you are the only person in the office that day. Or perhaps you have a separate room w/ windows open and people are not coming in etc

Individual scenarios will be different but if you’re around others, which most are, *mask on*

8/ We have seen outbreaks in our state linked to indoor workers taking masks off during shared breaks when they are eating.

Remember— you are most likely to be exposed when you least expect it. So start thinking ahead— plan for the day/situations. https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/07/27/springfield-coronavirus-outbreak-bay-state-medical-center/

9/ In our own state, we are working hard to stop clusters that are linked to private gatherings and parties.

If you find yourself thinking about going to a party—need to make sure it is exclusively outdoors & limited # of people to avoid crowding. https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/07/31/coronavirus-clusters-in-massachusetts-have-been-traced-to-private-gatherings-large-parties/

10/ Personally I say avoid—but if you don’t, at least avoid going inside

Avoid crowds that form around bathroom etc

Risk: outdoors often turns into indoors esp in the heat

Put reminder signs on the door, whatever it takes

Also, last I checked, you can’t drink w/ a mask on

11/ This brings me to dining. I don’t recommend eating w/ a mask on. I also don’t recommend taking your mask off indoors around many people you don’t know.
So— I personally would avoid indoor dining for the time being. Just go to places that have outdoor seating or get take out.

12/ Ultimately, everything I have listed here is soaked in immense privilege. Going out to eat or going to parties is literally privilege at a time like this. There are people struggling- working while sick bc they can’t afford not to. Our poorest are bearing the burden as usual

13/ So until we have a government response that is stronger, quicker, w/ mandates, w/ enforcements & accountability, which sadly we probably will not have anytime soon, it is incumbent on us to do what we personally can to stop spread.

It is more than just “wear a mask”
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