The mask protects others. If you are carrying the virus & cough you are protecting others.
I have a lung disease, COPD, & asthma so I have to be extra careful. I wear a hat, a mask & a clear plastic shield to protect myself from people like you who do not wear masks. You may be encouraged by others not wearing a mask but it doesn't encourage me. Hence I only go out looking wierd but it is not that I am being ridiculous it is because I have a very good reason for my protection from others who don't wear masks. Masks are to keep your germs to yourself. I keep my germs to myself and have to protect myself as well. I need to walk to exercise my lungs, I have to buy groceries & pickup my mail. Other than that I stay home. I would like to go the the restaurants so I have the plastic shield to keep me safe.
Why do nurses, doctors & anyone entering a very sick patients room? To keep from spreading anything to the patient. To protect themselves they wear the shield. Doesn't take an expert to figure that out. Gloves are worthless.

Until at least 14 days after the opening of public places, we cannot tell whether wearing masks contributes to health safety. I have a spouse with health risks. I wear a mask and gloves when I go out as protection for when I return home.

Good for you!
 

Good for you for doing the best you can to try and protect yourself and the one you love. Taking precautions are no more foolish than looking both ways before crossing the street. Those who would tease or belittle the cautious and careful have their own fears or agendas and certainly haven't considered there may be circumstances they aren't aware of.
Keep doing the best you can to keep safe and well. Nothing is 100%, but it doesn't hurt to try.

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Here is what I don't understand. Why the heck do you care if I wear a mask?

Exactly correct.

Originally Posted by dewilson58
As more was learned about the virus, things changed.

No, it's totally incorrect. Fauci and the CDC knew the virus was spreading human to human in China through people coughing sneezing droplets of virus before it even got here. They first learned about asymptomatic spreaders after anaylizing the cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in February and found that 17% of the positives experienced no symptoms. Fauci was still saying masks not necessary in late March on 60 minutes.

Thanks for understanding my “question”

What if we would all treat others as we want to be treated? The science and opinions about masks are too often used like a club to beat others into submitting to whatever position you believe is right. It has always seemed reasonable that covering my face Might help protect others from me and covering my eyes might help protect me from others. Why wouldn’t someone else’s tiny droplets enter my unprotected eyes, nose or mouth and set up shop if there’s nothing to inhibit them? Since sneezes and coughs are unpredictable, how would anyone know one will not sneeze or cough in a store potentially infecting others? So I wear a mask & eyeglasses in enclosed spaces but I don’t bully or chastise others because I don’t want to be treated that way. So many of the things we need to have science or lawmakers demand of us is really common sense and were things that our foremothers knew all too well: keep your distance from sick people, keep your hands out of your mouth, nose and eyes, cover yourself when you sneeze or cough, wash your hands often with plenty of soap, a hot toddy can make a sick adult feel a little better, warm sunshine & fresh air are really good disinfectants—but always— treat others like you want to be treated. (I can hear my Grandma & Mom’s voices as I write this. So grateful for their words of wisdom, RIP)

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. My opinion is that they did lie about masks because there was a shortage and they wanted health care workers to get the available masks. It's the same kind of lie they tell when a hurricane hits and they say that looters will be prosecuted.

LOL...... get 'em Doc. Ranks right up there with the "Google search vs your medical degree"...... I love your posts :clap2:

Everyone wishes masks would come with an impossible guarantee. Respect for others and reasonableness would go a long way. Is it better to:
A) wear a mask and risk that it did nothing beneficial?
Or
B) not wear a mask and show disrespect for others and risk infecting them?
I think option A is respectful in certain reasonably limited, enclosed public situations. Wearing a mask while walking or jogging outside all alone or while driving a car or working in your own yard are unreasonable and potentially more of a safety risk to the mask wearer.

Isn’t it illogical that lawbreakers (criminals) are expected to magically transform their behavior and comply with social distancing and mask wearing guidelines?

Many of the mask enforcing patrol are the same folks who don’t respect fetal human life. Demanding protection for others is inconsistent if it is not extended to all humans, an inconvenient truth.

You also have an abundance of commitment, intelligence, respect and prudence which you use to try to outwit a viral invader. It takes dedication and courage to do what you’re doing. Keep up the good efforts. May good health and peace be with you.

Mm, not exactly. I'll see if I can help you understand it a wee bit better.

With a prison situation, there is a very limited amount of space the prisoners are provided to occupy. They can't choose which store to go to, they are not given permission to decide when to eat, or where, or even how. They eat where and when they're ordered to eat, and they eat what they are given to eat, or they go hungry.

Outside in the rest of the world, we can choose this supermarket or that one. We can see that it's more crowded at 3pm and choose to go at 2pm instead, if we wish. We can buy fresh meat if we feel it's safe, or we can buy frozen patties if we are more comfortable with that choice. We can cook those burgers at 5 in the kitchen, or we can cook them outside on the grill at 7:30. Or, we can do curbside, or we can do inside, or outside dining at a restaurant, or have it delivered. We are not required to have the entire neighborhood line up outside Burger King in single-file and order a plain double cheeseburger, small fry, and small diet coke, then gather together at the only 5 tables in the entire restaurant and spend exactly 10 minutes eating, before we are required to get up and leave single file back to our jail cells.

In a prison situation, you have no options. You are forced to either all be together, or be in your cell with your cell mate, or you're in a solitary confinement situation, seeing no one else but the guard who brings you your meal.

This means - there is a much better opportunity for free folks like us to spread out and NOT be in close crowded proximity with each other. Unlike prisoners, who are not given that option.

I don’t care one bit that you ware a mask. I just find it amusing that people who put these flimsy non surgical face coverings on actually believe that they’re protecting themselves from something? Knock yourself out!