Asia may have been right about coronavirus and face masks, and the rest of the world is coming around

CNN ^ | Wed April 1, 2020 | James Griffiths

[nickcarraway]

In the coming weeks, if they have not already, your government is likely to begin advising you to wear a face mask to protect against coronavirus.

For those living in Asia, such announcements will be a vindication of a tactic that has been adopted across much of the region since the beginning of the crisis and appears to have been borne out by lower rates of infection and faster containment of outbreaks.

In other parts of the world, this message may be confusing, coming after weeks of public health authorities, politicians and media figures confidently claiming masks do not help and urging people instead to focus on washing their hands and maintaining social distancing.

The tone of such claims ranged from condescending to frustrated, with the US Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeting in late February -- in all caps -- "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," he added, in a post that has since been retweeted over 43,000 times.

[windsorknot]

This issue needs to be settled honestly. If it turns out that masks provide protection against Covid-19, then their use should be encouraged if not recommended. What is the problem with manufacturing a lot more of them? How difficult is it to make an effective face mask? Will homemade masks suffice?

[9YearLurker]

More than that. Why don’t we have our front-line healthcare workers and cleaners, etc., wearing full hazmat suits?

I doubt China wrapped their workers up needlessly.

[ThanhPhero]

Face masks have been a part of ordinary outside wear in the cities in China and Southeast Asia for years. There are two primary reasons. One is everybody drives scooters and the mask is protection against dust in the air and the other is that everyone is conscious of air pollution. Another reason goes back to the various influenzas that have emanated from China. In Việt Nam the popular wisdom is, "Vũ Hàn. Here it comes again."

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Just got back from the store. Saw one woman wearing a mask with her nose poking out. 🙄

[BobL]

“How come white, black, and Hispanic people don’t want to wear masks?”

FluBro Response: They don’t fit over faces of people who don’t have slanty eyes.

[BobL]

“One NY hospital doc said, “This is not aerolsol-ized. You can’t get it in the air unless someone coughs right in your face.””

LOL - good one!

[LS]

Not what any docs say. Only coughing directly. Otherwise it’s surface contact.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I just leave my cell phone sitting next to a radio tuned to Spanish stations so that Google will waste all of their time beaming ads to me in a language I don’t speak.

[oincobx]

98% of people in Hong Kong wear masks when going out. The other 2% are mostly western expats.

[mmichaels1970]

So says the propaganda arm of the Chinese Communist Party.

[Honorary Serb]

Because there is NO WAY you can get the masks!!!! Just like hand sanitizer, etc.!

PHOOEY!!!!

[Kozak]

This is nonsense.

It HAS been shown to spread very well in droplet and AEROSOL form. Aerosol particles can hang in the air for 30 minutes and contaminate several meters away. These are FACTS at present.

If everyone wore a mask in public we could cut transmission by as much as 80%.

[caww]

A hospital in europe handling exclusively corona patients has had ‘zero staff affected’...they even separated the hallway into lanes so those working with patients directly and those assisting outside their room walk in opposite lanes. Those working directly with the patient are completely covered which look like hazemet suits. Other nurses prepare injections and whatever the Dr. needs outside the rooms.

[Scrambler Bob]

“How come white, black, and Hispanic people don’t want to wear masks?”
= = =

Give me all your money!

My mask is for the virus.

[caww]

I saw people in the grocery today wearing plastic bags on their hands and scarfs over their faces for the first time. Others wore turtle neck sweaters and just pulled the neck area up over their mouth and noses. Another gal wore her winter gloves.

The idea is to protect yourself with what you’ve got....or stay home...which is your best bet.

[caww]

I expect to see plastic Halloween masks being used, just plug up the nostril area and enlarge the eye area.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

I think if we can persuade the Chinese to ban their primitive meat markets where live bats, pangolins, foxes, wolves and other wild animals are available for slaughter, it would be a lot more effective than asking everyone around the world to wear masks while we wait for the next disease outbreak from China.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

"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,"

Right - they won't prevent YOU from catching coronavirus, but we do want healthcare providers to wear them or they'll catch coronavirus.

[Eagles6]

I've seen all races wearing them here.

Rural area with a low number of cases but it is here.

I know of 4 people that have tested positive.

[familyop]

"How come white, black, and Hispanic people don't want to wear masks?"

Vanity, and for those who imply penalties against employees for wearing masks, the criminal minded kind of greed. Style at the expense of utility really makes those overly concerned about style put their stupidity on display.