[BostonCard]

Just FYI:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nco...e-faq.html


[*]Should I wear a respirator in public?

• CDC does not recommend the routine use of respirators outside of workplace settings (in the community). Most often, spread of respiratory viruses from person-to-person happens among close contacts (within 6 feet). CDC recommends everyday preventive actions to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, such as avoiding people who are sick, avoiding touching your eyes or nose, and covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue. People who are sick should stay home and not go into crowded public places or visit people in hospitals. Workers who are sick should follow CDC guidelines and stay home when they are sick.
  

[*]
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases...-use-masks



I don't want to tell anyone not to use the mask, but I don't think the purpose of wearing one is to "communicate to people in public that they should be wearing one"


In the absence of specific information about the transmission modes of SARS-CoV-2, I think it is fine to wear a mask out of an abundance of caution.  It might protect other people if you are sick and not staying home (but it would be better if you just stayed home).  It might also be useful as a "signaling device", reminding others that there is an epidemic and that it's important to maintain social distance.  It might also remind you not to touch your face (but, on the other hand, it might start getting uncomfortable and you'll find yourself adjusting your mask more than you would have touched your face had you not worn a mask).  But it is not a panacea, and until we know what the dominant mode of transmission is, we won't know whether masks do any more than the "security theater" did following 9/11.

BC

[BostonCard]

Just FYI:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nco...e-faq.html


[*]Should I wear a respirator in public?

• CDC does not recommend the routine use of respirators outside of workplace settings (in the community). Most often, spread of respiratory viruses from person-to-person happens among close contacts (within 6 feet). CDC recommends everyday preventive actions to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, such as avoiding people who are sick, avoiding touching your eyes or nose, and covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue. People who are sick should stay home and not go into crowded public places or visit people in hospitals. Workers who are sick should follow CDC guidelines and stay home when they are sick.
  

[*]
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases...-use-masks



I don't want to tell anyone not to use the mask, but I don't think the purpose of wearing one is to "communicate to people in public that they should be wearing one"


In the absence of specific information about the transmission modes of SARS-CoV-2, I think it is fine to wear a mask out of an abundance of caution.  It might protect other people if you are sick and not staying home (but it would be better if you just stayed home).  It might also be useful as a "signaling device", reminding others that there is an epidemic and that it's important to maintain social distance.  It might also remind you not to touch your face (but, on the other hand, it might start getting uncomfortable and you'll find yourself adjusting your mask more than you would have touched your face had you not worn a mask).  But it is not a panacea, and until we know what the dominant mode of transmission is, we won't know whether masks do any more than the "security theater" did following 9/11.

BC