Masks - Why to wear one and should they become mandatory, like condoms, for safer sex
Protect yourself, your loved ones, and the people around you. Wear a mask when you can't social distance. And encourage friends and families to do the same.
The numbers are striking. I'll post some specifics on this sometime in the future in the eccie Political forum when I've got the time and inclination to dip my toe back into that cesspool.
In the meantime, look at countries in East Asia right now, where wearing masks in public during epidemics is part of the culture. They were doing it from the outset of this crisis. Our death rate per person from the coronavirus is from 40X higher to 600X higher than Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. They haven't had to shut down to the extent that we have, so that their unemployment numbers are also much lower, per capita.
In these places, if you're not wearing a mask, you're the weird one. It's like lighting up a cigarette in a crowded room. In their view, you're showing little regard for the health of the people around you and yourself.
So is this just an Asian thing, or does it work everywhere? In March, the Czech Republic and Slovakia made wearing masks mandatory in supermarkets, pharmacies, and on public transport. The USA has 50X more deaths per person than Slovakia and 9X more than the Czech's. Most countries in Europe have higher death rates than these two countries. Austria, Poland and Germany have since also started requiring masks, and their death rates are also lower than ours (or France's, Switzerland's, Italy's, etc.)
It used to be a problem finding masks but not anymore. Cloth masks are available everywhere. N95 masks are more effective, but uncomfortable and according to the CDC best not used by the general public, because there aren't enough of them for health care workers. You can find N95 masks on the internet on places like E-bay but they cost $30 up.
An alternative is KN95 masks. These are made in China, and theoretically are equivalent to the N95 masks. But many or most of them aren't. The FDA has rejected a lot them for medical use. Still they should provide more protection than cloth masks and you can find them for $3.00 to $6.00 a piece. A downside is that they're uncomfortable.
OK, my title was a joke, kind of. I don't imagine there are going to be a lot of providers making their clients wear N95 masks. But the possibilities are intriguing. Both parties cinch up their masks before doing it cowgirl or doggy style. Police bust a hotel room and find a provider's stash of masks and condoms to use as evidence. I can imagine one of our esteemed posters, an Asian American who frequents the AMP's, going bareback with his favorite providers while wearing a mask. And depending on how old he is, his priorities might be spot on. If you're 60+, the chances you'll die of the coronavirus are much, much higher than the chances you'll die of AIDS
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