Something has been bugging me, and I think I’ve finally figured out how to put it into words. One of the biggest complaints I see and hear over and over about wearing a mask is that “the medical experts keep changing their minds.”
#1 “Medical expert” does NOT mean “novel coronavirus expert;” there’s no such thing as an “expert” on something that has never been encountered before. We are all learning as we go.
#2 In science, you observe, develop and test a theory, then move forward as you learn new things. At one time, the standard belief was that the world was flat, but most people now accept it is round. In a similar vein, advice changes as we have time to study the effects of the virus and how it spreads. I have been following it closely since early January since I had a trip planned overseas in April. The advice has not changed per se; it has evolved. I never heard from anyone at any time that “you 100% don’t need to wear a mask.” Everything has always been prefaced with “from what we know now.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t always clear early on how little was actually known.
#3 With masks, the top priority at the outset was to make sure front-line workers had them since they would be continually exposed and there were shortages.
#4 It has now become clear that this virus can have significantly more severe and long-term effects than the flu and so far there is no clear answer as to who/why. Some young once healthy people have ended up dying, losing limbs, and/or staying ill for months. Some elderly people have had no symptoms. No rhyme or reason.
Beyond that, I am not really getting how a mask interferes with your freedom. (Comfort maybe, but freedom? Helmet and seat belt laws maybe, since you make a choice that only impacts yourself, but this is bigger than that… unless of course your dream is to be a serial killer!) You can still carry your weapon, talk shit, praise God, and print flyers with one on. Dying or losing a loved one because there’s no place with a bed and no one to help will be far worse.
And as far as getting back to “normal“ life? The sooner we knock this virus down, the sooner we get there or at least close. So please, #MaskUp!