[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Interesting. I guess I haven't expressed myself clearly in previous posts. I am not against masking, just can't see any value in "useless" making. Indoors, in a crowd, and when unable to socially distance a mask is valuable to reduce COVID spread. Alone in your house or car, outdoors more than 6 feet away from others---pretty useless. I was at Disney last week, at the edge of the parking lot of Magic Kingdom, and got a phone call. The person on the other end couldn't hear me well through my mask, so I lowered it. I was more than 100 yards from the next person, yet a security person came flying out of nowhere in a cart and yelled for me to put my mask back on. Totally IDIOTIC. Not that it was his fault, just doing what he was told, But the policy maker must be a MORON.

As for as mutations, you are right in general----the less virus circulating the less the odds of a mutation, although viruses tend to mutate in the wild anyway. If there was NO virus then there would be NO mutations. Also realize, even in viruses, just like people, most random mutations are fatal (to the virus). Apparently there are now over 4,000 mutations, but only 3 of them (UK, S. Africa, and Brazil) have had any medical significance (so far)

Thanks for addressing my concerns. You know, I totally agree with you on the masking when it is necessary and useful. You will never see me outside not near anyone with a mask on. Just not going to happen (except at Disney World, I guess). My bad for thinking you were against masking all together. Your stance makes sense to me now, knowing you are a physician. Sorry that I misunderstood.