Re:SARS-CoV-2 concentrations and virus-laden aerosol distrib...
by chiefalchemist on Monday November 23, 2020 @05:03PM
(#25192481)
If you're alone and no one is within 10+ yards of you, who is going to be infected? I agree with your concerns. I simply don't see the need for the unnecessary. We need a steady state of vigilance. Fear inflation only leads to fatigue. That's not helpful.
Re:SARS-CoV-2 concentrations and virus-laden aerosol distrib...
by yellowapple on Tuesday November 24, 2020 @12:21AM
(#25195543)
> If you're alone and no one is within 10+ yards of you, who is going to be infected?
If someone unexpectedly approaches and gets within 10 yards of me, how long will it take me to put on my mask? Can I do so before that person's within 2 yards?
Better to just leave it on and leave it be rather than spend all day fumbling with it. That is:
> We need a steady state of vigilance.
Wearing a mask when out in public is that steady state. Taking it off because you think you're alone is a deviation from that steady state.
That's a big "if". When's the last time you were tested?
Because that's the actual reason to wear a mask. Preventing yourself from getting infected is less relevant than preventing yourself from infecting others.
> A passing squirrel or a bird is not going to infect anyone.
I don't know about those two animals specifically, but it is very much possible for COVID to spread via animals (that is, indeed, in all likelihood how the COVID pandemic started in the first place).
> People walking solo in open spaces with masks on - which I see a couple times per week on my morning run - perpetuates a scientifically false narrative.
No, it perpetuates a narrative of "it's better to be safe than sorry", which is about as scientific of a narrative as it gets when it comes to infectious diseases. I wear my mask when out walking or hiking specifically because I don't trust others to keep their distance, and because I care more about the possibility that I might inadvertently spread COVID to someone who'd die from it than I do about messing up my beard with a mask.