PATed wrote: “I work for a health care provider and all of the docs say masks can reduce the spread...”
Which type of masks? Those made out of t-shirts, surgical masks, N95?
How much do they reduce the spread?
But are they worth the costs?
Why not leave the decision to the individual on whether to mask or not?
At my facility everyone wears isolation masks (the disposable paper masks that are blue on one side). They effectively reduce (but do not eliminate) the risk of spread. A person not wearing one increases the risk for everyone else, and for that reason we won’t treat anyone not wearing a mask. The facility pays for them for everyone (staff and patients) so no one has out of pocket costs.