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One thing the Asian countries didn't ahve to deal with was their authorities telling them the first three months of the pandemic to NOT wear masks.

This trope is trotted out every day by the anti-mask crowd. It is nonsense. Here are the facts:

Nobody ever said "don't wear masks." The message, for anyone who cared to pay attention, was this:
  1. There is (was) a critical shortage of PPE (personal protection equipment), including face masks. The need for this equipment is (was) extremely dire in the early days (March-April).
  2. Front-line health care workers and first responders need that gear most - without it, they will die in great numbers (and then we will all be in even more trouble, as the pandemic spreads and we have no trained professional staff to deal with it).
  3. In order to make as much PPE available to those who really need it the most, individuals should not try to buy it all up. So don't hoard medical supplies - leave that for the critical medical staff and other front-line essential workers who need it the most. You don't really need a mask, instead stay home and limit your contact with others.
That was true then. Three months later, the supply shortages are not the same (though you should still limit contact with others). Face masks and other face coverings are now widely available, cheap, plentiful. Back in March and April, heroic hospital staff were improvising, making their own PPE (from trash bags, rain ponchos, and whatever they could scrounge), re-using the same (infected) masks for days and weeks, and resorting to other very dangerous measures.

The point was that most of us didn't really have a great need for PPE (we were supposed to be staying at home), and we should let the docs and nurses have it. Not that wearing masks was bad or provided no benefit.

So please stop spreading disinformation ("Hey, we were told not to wear masks, so don't blame me for not wanting to wear one now!"), stop making excuses, and do the most basic, common sense thing you can to help slow the spread of the virus: wear the damn mask! To everyone who wants to "open up" the economy anywhere, the #1 thing you can to do help make that happen is to wear a mask. Every person you see out amongst others (within 6 feet of another person) who is not masked up is contributing to spreading the pandemic, causing more economic hardship, and further delaying the day when life returns to something we might recognize as anything like "normal".
 
Ok, that sucks, as they are putting you at risk.
One guy about 20 years my senior actually asked me "Do you feel safe?" Because I was wearing my bandana over my face in the bar. I replied "It's not for my safety, it's for yours" and he just blankly stared at me for a minute then quietly walked away without another word ‍♂️
 
Sitting COZ right now and I will say it is a bit unnerving that literally the only people wearing masks at Secrets are me, my lady, and the staff. Literally None of the other guests are. Craziness. First two dives of the week just completed though so I am a Very Happy man at the moment regardless of others poor choices.

First, good for you and your lady for following common sense precautions. Good too for the staff - please let them know that you appreciate them being careful (I think it's really important to give them, and management, the message that you appreciate their efforts - it will help them maintain the required discipline).

Of course, everyone is tired of all this. Of course, everyone longs to things to be back "they way there were". But every person who lets down their guard, who just gives up and pretends the virus is gone, contributes to the virus' spread. The more people slack off the longer the pandemic will rule our lives. The virus is still all around us and will be for a long time. Exactly how long? Depends on how much people follow the necessary steps to stop its spread. Based on what I see around me and reports from elsewhere (such as yours), I am not encouraged.

But thank you for doing the right thing, even if others won't.
 
This trope is trotted out every day by the anti-mask crowd. It is nonsense. Here are the facts:

You're the one spreading false misinformation. Provide us a link from BACK THEN where CDC, WHO, or other experts said wearing masks was effective but let's save them for healthcare workers who need them more. I've backed up my position, now it's your turn to back up your trope.

In fact the U.S. surgeon general recently urged the public to “STOP BUYING MASKS!” “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!,” wrote Surgeon General Jerome Adams

The CDC said last month it doesn’t recommend people use face masks, making the announcement on the same day that first case of person-to-person transmission of coronavirus was reported in the U.S.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a Jan. 30 briefing. “We don’t routinely recommend the use of face masks by the public to prevent respiratory illness. And we certainly are not recommending that at this time for this new virus.


U.S. health officials say Americans shouldn’t wear face masks to prevent coronavirus — here are 3 other reasons not to wear them
 
First, good for you and your lady for following common sense precautions. Good too for the staff - please let them know that you appreciate them being careful (I think it's really important to give them, and management, the message that you appreciate their efforts - it will help them maintain the required discipline).

Of course, everyone is tired of all this. Of course, everyone longs to things to be back "they way there were". But every person who lets down their guard, who just gives up and pretends the virus is gone, contributes to the virus' spread. The more people slack off the longer the pandemic will rule our lives. The virus is still all around us and will be for a long time. Exactly how long? Depends on how much people follow the necessary steps to stop its spread. Based on what I see around me and reports from elsewhere (such as yours), I am not encouraged.

But thank you for doing the right thing, even if others won't.
Preach! We Definitely will pass our thanks to the staff, they have truly been On It with the covid practices.
 
This is common knowledge to anyone who has been paying attention. But plenty of people are still in denial, and still looking for excuses to not wear masks. None of this should be a surprise to anyone.

Surgeon General Urges the Public to Stop Buying Face Masks
Surgeon General Urges the Public to Stop Buying Face Masks
New York Times, 2/29/2020
"“Seriously people,” the surgeon general said on Twitter, warning that a run on the masks could risk a shortage harmful to public health professionals."

"Health officials around the world have been imploring the public to stop buying masks if they are healthy or not caring for someone who is ill. Medical professionals need a large supply of the masks because they are in direct contact with infected patients and must change their masks repeatedly."

"“There are severe strains on protective equipment around the world,” said Dr. Michael J. Ryan, executive director of the health emergency program at the World Health Organization, during a briefing on Friday. “Our primary concern is to ensure that our front line health workers are protected and that they have the equipment they need to do their jobs.”

Dr. Ryan said masks primarily prevent a person from giving the disease to someone else."
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‘It Feels Like a War Zone’: Doctors and Nurses Plead for Masks on Social Media
‘It Feels Like a War Zone’: Doctors and Nurses Plead for Masks on Social Media
New York Times, 3/19/2020

As supplies have dwindled, doctors and nurses have improvised ways to make their stock last. Now they’re urging leaders to help.

An intensive-care nurse in Illinois was told to make a single-use mask last for five days.

An emergency room doctor in California said her colleagues had started storing dirty masks in plastic containers to use again later with different patients.

As hospital supplies have dwindled, the vice president has called on construction companies to donate masks, the surgeon general has urged the public to stop buying them, and experts have warned that, the more doctors and nurses who get sick, the greater strain on a system already stretched thin.

Now, doctors, nurses and others are rallying on social media with the hashtag #GetMePPE, referring to personal protective equipment like masks, gowns and face shields, to put pressure on elected leaders to get them more gear to guard against infection. Some suggested that members of the public reach out to a nearby hospital if they had masks or other medical equipment to donate.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
You're the one spreading false misinformation...

In fact the U.S. surgeon general recently urged the public to “STOP BUYING MASKS!” “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!,” wrote Surgeon General Jerome Adams

The CDC said last month it doesn’t recommend people use face masks, making the announcement on the same day that first case of person-to-person transmission of coronavirus was reported in the U.S.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a Jan. 30 briefing. “We don’t routinely recommend the use of face masks by the public to prevent respiratory illness. And we certainly are not recommending that at this time for this new virus.

You simply do not understand the most basic facts. And, I will point out as gently as I can, the links you post actually demonstrate your lack of understanding, and reinforce my post.

Here is what you do not seem to understand:

You do not wear a mask to protect yourself from catching the virus. You wear a mask to prevent you from spreading the virus to others.
(wearing a mask may provide some minor benefit to the wearer, slightly reducing the risk of catching the virus, but the primary reason you wear one is so you don't spread it to others).


This is a very basic fact which is routinely ignored by the anti-mask crowd.

And in fact, your links above, which you cite to bolster your excuses from not wanting to wear a mask, actually reinforces that point. Look at the very line that you quote!

"In fact the U.S. surgeon general recently urged the public to “STOP BUYING MASKS!” “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!,” wrote Surgeon General Jerome Adams"

You just make my point for me: Back then (when the article you cite was posted, on 3/1/2020), the need for masks by front line workers was greatest, and the US Surgeon General plainly said so - illustrating my point perfectly. Masks are NOT about protecting the wearer. They are about protecting the greater community - in Texas, Cozumel, or Singapore.

Bottom line: "They told us not to wear masks back in January!" (when there was a shortage) is no excuse for not wearing one now (when they're plentiful).
 
This trope is trotted out every day by the anti-mask crowd. It is nonsense. Here are the facts:

Nobody ever said "don't wear masks." The message, for anyone who cared to pay attention, was this:
  1. There is (was) a critical shortage of PPE (personal protection equipment), including face masks. The need for this equipment is (was) extremely dire in the early days (March-April).
  2. Front-line health care workers and first responders need that gear most - without it, they will die in great numbers (and then we will all be in even more trouble, as the pandemic spreads and we have no trained professional staff to deal with it).
  3. In order to make as much PPE available to those who really need it the most, individuals should not try to buy it all up. So don't hoard medical supplies - leave that for the critical medical staff and other front-line essential workers who need it the most. You don't really need a mask, instead stay home and limit your contact with others.
That was true then. Three months later, the supply shortages are not the same (though you should still limit contact with others). Face masks and other face coverings are now widely available, cheap, plentiful. Back in March and April, heroic hospital staff were improvising, making their own PPE (from trash bags, rain ponchos, and whatever they could scrounge), re-using the same (infected) masks for days and weeks, and resorting to other very dangerous measures.

The point was that most of us didn't really have a great need for PPE (we were supposed to be staying at home), and we should let the docs and nurses have it. Not that wearing masks was bad or provided no benefit.

So please stop spreading disinformation ("Hey, we were told not to wear masks, so don't blame me for not wanting to wear one now!"), stop making excuses, and do the most basic, common sense thing you can to help slow the spread of the virus: wear the damn mask! To everyone who wants to "open up" the economy anywhere, the #1 thing you can to do help make that happen is to wear a mask. Every person you see out amongst others (within 6 feet of another person) who is not masked up is contributing to spreading the pandemic, causing more economic hardship, and further delaying the day when life returns to something we might recognize as anything like "normal".
You are trying to recreate history. Probably shouldn't do that when we were all there.
 
You simply do not understand the most basic facts. And, I will point out as gently as I can, the links you post actually demonstrate your lack of understanding, and reinforce my post.

Here is what you do not seem to understand:

You do not wear a mask to protect yourself from catching the virus. You wear a mask to prevent you from spreading the virus to others.
(wearing a mask may provide some minor benefit to the wearer, slightly reducing the risk of catching the virus, but the primary reason you wear one is so you don't spread it to others).


This is a very basic fact which is routinely ignored by the anti-mask crowd.

And in fact, your links above, which you cite to bolster your excuses from not wanting to wear a mask, actually reinforces that point. Look at the very line that you quote!

"In fact the U.S. surgeon general recently urged the public to “STOP BUYING MASKS!” “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!,” wrote Surgeon General Jerome Adams"

You just make my point for me: Back then (when the article you cite was posted, on 3/1/2020), the need for masks by front line workers was greatest, and the US Surgeon General plainly said so - illustrating my point perfectly. Masks are NOT about protecting the wearer. They are about protecting the greater community - in Texas, Cozumel, or Singapore.

Bottom line: "They told us not to wear masks back in January!" (when there was a shortage) is no excuse for not wearing one now (when they're plentiful).

How about you save/take this discussion to the other thread. This thread is for those wanting to travel, not hole up at home. You certainly have a right to your opinion, but others would like to discuss traveling back to Coz and other places without the constant mask drivel.
 
Actually, you completely misunderstand both what the cited statements mean and my position. To start with, I'm NOT against wearing masks and in fact argued vigorously for wearing masks back in early February when authorities were saying don't. I called them out then.

Second, none of those statements conceded that wearing masks were effective in preventing spread but asked us to sacrifice for the welfare of healthcare workers. Instead, they misled the public and said they were ineffective, whether deliberately lying or just ignorant.

What you think I don't understand - "You do not wear a mask to protect yourself from catching the virus. You wear a mask to prevent you from spreading the virus to others." - I understand completely and is actually my point in saying authorities lied to the people because surely they understood that. The best way to protect health care workers is not to have so many people getting infected in the first place.

As for your "bottom line", I agree completely. I always wear a mask when I'm out. My point was that you can't have your authorities tell 300 million people that wearing masks are ineffective and not to buy them, then do an about-face and tell people wearing them is crucial if not mandatory, and not have lots of people confused and wondering about your credibility. And that is something those Asian countries did not have to deal with. Sending a consistent signal is important.
 

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