Mask Logic

For all the people who say we shouldn't wear masks/face coverings because they restrict your breathing and don't protect the wearer against viruses anyway:

1) If masks were so unbreathable, wouldn't people who wear masks for their job be passing out all the time? Why have we never heard of the numerous doctors, nurses, construction workers, nail technicians, or Asians with colds who are constantly being asphyxiated by their masks? Probably because you can breathe just fine. There have actually been many studies over the years to test this, and of course many more recently because it's been brought up again by the anti-mask contingent. See this Health article, or this piece from Snopes, with lots of good links and citations. Poynter, an independent organization specializing in media ethics, also has an article on this dangerous hoax, which is being seen globally.

2) If cloth masks kept you from breathing, they would also stop all viruses. Viruses are much larger than air particles. If you believe masks have a tight enough weave that they could prevent you from getting oxygen or releasing carbon dioxide, then you must also believe that they will keep out all viruses. Or, if you believe they're worthless because the weave is loose enough that they don't block viruses, then you must also believe that they allow for safe breathing.

3) You aren't wearing the mask to protect yourself. You're wearing it to protect others. While a cloth face covering doesn't keep out all contaminants, it does do a pretty good job of keeping them in. Coughing, sneezing, talking, or just breathing and existing cause you to expel potentially disease-carrying droplets. By wearing a mask, you can stop from spreading germs if you are unknowingly sick - which, with the long incubation period of COVID-19, you very well could be.

Caveat: There are some people who, for legitimate medical reasons, cannot wear a face mask, and that is ok. What's not ok is for healthy people who can wear masks not to wear them when required (e.g. by a store), citing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). People who falsely claim a disability are not covered by the ADA, and since no medical records are being shared, HIPAA is not involved. Snopes has a good article on this viral claim.