Coronavirus has brought out the frauds in full force on ECCIE. Everyone’s an expert. I forget what asshat said we will wear masks everyday like they do in Asian countries. I’ll bet that ain’t happening after this is over.
Originally Posted by bambino
Why AFTER? Are you conceding it will happen during this pandemic?
I assume you are conceding because the US government - meaning Trump and Fauci - are now conceding that maybe - juuuust maybe - wearing a mask does give a bit of protection. And every bit helps.
At the start of the epidemic, it was important that the limited supply of masks we had be reserved for medical professionals. So the experts HAD to emphasize that the masks were unnecessary for a paralegal or a sanitation worker to use. So they downplayed the protection offered by masks for people who were not coughing and sneezing.
But NEXT time, this country will have huge stockpiles of respirator masks and protective clothing and ventilators. Because we always learn after the fact.
And the average citizen isn't going to listen to government anymore. People will have several boxes of latex gloves and N95 masks stashed at home in the future. And when there is another outbreak somewhere in the world, you will see Americans walking the streets wearing them.
I often wondered in years past why I saw so many Asians - in person or in pictures - wearing masks in airports or on planes - even in the US. I thought they were just hypochondriacs.
But, in reality, they had past experience in China or elsewhere in Asia with SARS, H1N1, and various bird flus and swine flus to know that you are most likely to catch something when you are packed into airplanes or airport lounges. So they took proactive measures - both to avoid catching a flu or spreading one if they might be sick themselves.
Going forward, you will see Americans doing the same thing far more often. People learn from harsh experiences.