Mask Wars

I'm so frustrated I don't even feel like writing this post, but I'm really trying to document everything, so here goes. In addition to everyone who's saying they prefer to wait in lines and crowds than vote by mail, there's also so many people (smart people! people who've worked in the pharmaceutical industry, even!) who are posting wrong and outdated information in an attempt to create controversy. Situations and recommendations are changing quickly, sometimes daily - that's one of the reasons I started this blog - and it's important to make sure you're referencing the latest information.

Last night someone shared an article on Facebook saying the CDC was recommending people don't wear masks. That obviously doesn't sound like current information, so I checked the article - it's from March 2nd. (I feel like publications should put a large disclaimer on these types of outdated articles, that may display in Facebook previews, to discourage this sort of thing.) Since the article was written during the time when they weren't recommending masks for the general public (due to concerns about sufficient PPE for medical providers, and worry that people would end up touching their faces more), I simply commented that this article is over two months old and the current recommendation is that people do wear masks to prevent the virus being spread by asymptomatic carriers.

Some woman I don't know started replying to me with further outdated screenshots stating that masks provide no protection and were not recommended. I responded with a current, active link to the CDC web site (one of several pages updated as of early April), where cloth face coverings are recommended. The other commenter kept saying things like, "They can't just change their minds," and that their previous statements were fact.

I didn't want to keep engaging, but I would have commented that political stance has changed on many things over the years, such as the right of women to vote, the right to marry someone of a different race or the same sex, heck, the right not to be a slave! Even the 18th amendment, prohibiting the production and sale of liquor, was overturned by the 21st amendment!

Instead, I said I was leaving my last comment because I didn't want to have an argument with a stranger, but the fact is that the CDC originally didn't recommend masks because 1) medical grade masks needed (and still need) to be reserved for medical professionals, and 2) at the time, the risk of accidentally touching your face while wearing the mask or wearing it incorrectly was greater than the risk of transmission via droplets/aerosol. As the situation has changed, their recommendation is now to wear some sort of face covering. It's more of a courtesy to keep others healthy than it is a protection for yourself. Unfortunately, because the guidance has changed frequently and isn't being modeled from the top down [e.g. the President and Vice President of the United States still refuse to wear masks], not everyone has gotten the message.

Wearing a mask does not make you scared, compliant, or complacent. It makes you considerate and responsible. The situation with the virus has gotten out of control, and so this is what it's now come to.