I know where you are getting at. Viruses are very small (nanometers). Neither homemade masks nor surgical masks is gonna filter them all out. N95 or higher grade masks are necessary and even those are not 100% effective.
But masks do have limited effectiveness in "minimizing exposure" (not complete prevention) to the virus. And a healthy immune system should be able to deal with small exposures and give you immunity.
imho, exposure matters because a healthy doctor exposed to virus 24/7 is going to have their immune system overwhelmed, no matter how healthy they are.
If a surgical mask gives you, i dunno, something like 20% effectiveness (very ineffective), some will argue 20% is still better than 0%. I understand that argument.
With that said, I don't work in a hospital, not an elderly, and I don't go to crowded places. So my risk exposure is very low.
I am also confident with my health, hence my risk aversion is low.
For those reasons, I do not wear a mask.
All this boils down to is individual attitudes towards risk. Some people are extremely risk averse. Some are not.
You cannot change that. People will be themselves.
And if you believe in freedom, then you also have to believe in freedom of risk-averse people to wear a mask, if they choose to.
What is important is not to conflate individual/personal decisions with policies/laws that will be imposed on everyone else.
Respect individual decision to do what they want (wear a mask or not).
Governments / businesses should not force anyone to wear a mask, nor penalize them.
Don't shut down the economy just because some people are too risk averse.
I know where you are getting at. Viruses are very small (nanometers). Neither homemade masks nor surgical masks is gonna filter them all out. N95 or higher grade masks are necessary and even those are not 100% effective.
But masks do have limited effectiveness in "minimizing exposure" (not complete prevention) to the virus. And a healthy immune system should be able to deal with small exposures and give you immunity.
imho, exposure matters because a healthy doctor exposed to virus 24/7 is going to have their immune system overwhelmed, no matter how healthy they are.
If a surgical mask gives you, i dunno, something like 20% effectiveness (very ineffective), some will argue 20% is still better than 0%. I understand that argument.
With that said, I don't work in a hospital, not an elderly, and I don't go to crowded places. So my risk exposure is very low. I am also confident with my health, hence my risk aversion is low. For those reasons, I do not wear a mask.
All this boils down to is individual attitudes towards risk. Some people are extremely risk averse. Some are not. You cannot change that. People will be themselves.
And if you believe in freedom, then you also have to believe in freedom of risk-averse people to wear a mask, if they choose to.
What is important is not to conflate individual/personal decisions with policies/laws that will be imposed on everyone else.
Respect individual decision to do what they want (wear a mask or not).
Governments / businesses should not force anyone to wear a mask, nor penalize them.
Don't shut down the economy just because some people are too risk averse.
Yes