You have to wonder if there is a negative health outcome in the mask regime from the combination of two things, people naturally holding on to used and increasingly dirty masks, and the rather obvious new social trend of discarded masks littering the streets.
Neither of those developments can possibly be a good thing for the general health of the population.
The other question is whether they ever did much good as intended. You’ve probably noticed a widespread tendency in stores and restaurants for customers and employees to get quite close together to understand the muffled squawks that emerge from masked faces. Naturally they go towards the gaps between plexiglass shields which tend to reflect and distort the faces. For the hard of hearing who rely on facial pattern recognition to follow most conversations, the masks are particularly disruptive.
All things considered (we are not wearing a very high quality of mask either compared to surgeons in a hospital for example) the mask mandates probably did far less good than many thought. The flip side is whether they prevented much from happening since a lot of people got the virus anyway in some fairly tame form and may not have ever realized it passed through their bodies.
Just a strange year all round.
Excellent characterization, Mr. O'Donnell!
My own observation is that, when shops don't allow more than two customers at a time to enter, what you get is groups of people huddled outside the shop entrance, waiting to enter.
Also: Since restaurants are closed and all you can get is take-away, people take their chop suey or pizza and what have you and find a window ledge, steps, or other convenient surface - inevitably covered with bird droppings and the like - and eat there.
Paradoxes / unintended consequences abound!
Regards,
the mask mandates probably did far less good than many thought.”
About as much good as putting on a bullet proof vest and thinking it’s now safe to go out and get into gun fights.