Remember when we were told at the outset of COVID-19 that facial coverings weren’t recommended, and then all of the sudden, they were not only recommended, but necessary?
This happened seemingly overnight, and it wasn’t because the science changed, which, the science can change, or, rather, our understanding of the science can change.
It’s perfectly OK to accept that we didn’t know something before, and now we do.
What’s not OK is to use the word science as a bludgeon.
Seriously, cut it out.
The concept of science is on life support right now with everybody out there throwing the term around like any of them have any kind of scientific background past 10th grade biology class.
Science isn’t what some TV talking head says it is, what some dude on Twitter who doesn’t like the other side’s presidential candidate says it is, what a guy with a string of letters after his name shilling for a pharmaceutical company that stands to make billions from developing a vaccine says it is.
Ahem, I digress.
Point I was trying to make is, we still don’t know if masks do anything to stop the spread of a virus, but that isn’t to say that the push to have us wear masks in indoor public spaces is misguided.
For all the claims of the pseudoscientists on the right who have curiously made the mask requirement their hill to die on, there isn’t evidence that masks don’t do anything to stop the spread of a virus.
Yes, concede the points, you touch your face more when you have a mask, which, not good, and the masks, not properly cleaned, can be vectors for all manner of unhealthy bacteria.
Also, not good.
Where we are with this now is that the science on the finer points of masks as a public health response to a widespread virus aren’t going to be settled anytime soon, though, trying to find a silver lining here, we should have plenty of material to review and analyze, given the current moment.
Which is to say, we can look forward to having some real, you know, science to follow there.
In the meantime, whatever you have come to believe personally about the value of a mask in combating COVID-19, it’s really not that big a deal.
Not saying you have to wear a facial covering every minute of the day, and honestly, it can be depressing to see somebody drive by alone in a car with a mask on, because, come on, that person has been scared out of any sense of scale to reality.
It’s not about following science; it’s just about being a team player.
Why the Trump 2020 campaign hasn’t capitalized on this with Trump facemasks available now for $29.95 on the campaign website is beyond me, but that’s another story for another day …
Story by Chris Graham
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