For me it was mind boggling when two days ago HN acted like the smart consensus was "masks do nothing, they are useless and don't wear it".
It is not just "little ad hoc debates". It is also clashing between cultures I guess. There are people down threads actively convincing others not to wear masks and implying you are uneducated if you do. Unless that side of discussion stops spreading it, people who got the "wear masks for others and yourself" advice should be allowed to state their case too.
I dont really know where "dont wear masks" meme is coming from, but it seems to be against everything I hear in my country. Person you are answering to might not be American either.
E.g. WHO: "a medical mask is not required, as no evidence is available on its usefulness to protect non-sick persons." https://www.who.int/publications-detail/advice-on-the-use-of...
NPR: "the scientific evidence that 'there might be a benefit for people in the community wearing [surgical] face masks is very, very meager.'" https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/01/29/8005317...
Then there's places saying the opposite: "Any type of general mask use is likely to decrease viral exposure and infection risk on a population level, in spite of imperfect fit and imperfect adherence" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/
I don't know what to think, but I've ordered some (surgical) masks.
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/196234/covid19-imperial-rese...
Shows that the pandemic and associated social distancing measures may need to go on for months. How does the CDC switch messaging from saying that masks are useless to "well you should wear one now since you're going out..."
Everyone on the ground having little ad hoc debates doesn't seem like it will converge onto a nationally organized solution. The fact that this is happening is symptomatic of the lack of leadership IMO, and so instead we're getting a disorganized cascade of businesses, institutions, mayors, and governors making ad hoc calls.