Working through lockdown.

AJJewsbury:

As masks are, in my opinion, very far from an evidence-based approach

Isn't the thinking that they work in the same way as Grandma's instance to use a handerchief when you cough or sneeze - the idea being they reduce the amount of potentially infected droplets being expelled from a potentially infected person? There's no magic boundary at 2m.


  - Andy.

Yes, agreed, that is the argument. However there is little to no evidence to support it. Indeed the recent Damask-19 research in Denmark found no particular evidence for the efficacy of masks. I understand some people feel that they must be beneficial, but it's better if they avoid the need to be in the same area where I'm working. That's not to suggest that 2m provides some magical boundary either. But ultimately life has risks, and I'm not convinced that COVID is particularly much greater a risk than many other things. But I don't really want to get into a debate about the merits and demerits of the restrictions - which in my view are totalitarian and unjustifiable.

AJJewsbury:

As masks are, in my opinion, very far from an evidence-based approach

Isn't the thinking that they work in the same way as Grandma's instance to use a handerchief when you cough or sneeze - the idea being they reduce the amount of potentially infected droplets being expelled from a potentially infected person? There's no magic boundary at 2m.


  - Andy.

Yes, agreed, that is the argument. However there is little to no evidence to support it. Indeed the recent Damask-19 research in Denmark found no particular evidence for the efficacy of masks. I understand some people feel that they must be beneficial, but it's better if they avoid the need to be in the same area where I'm working. That's not to suggest that 2m provides some magical boundary either. But ultimately life has risks, and I'm not convinced that COVID is particularly much greater a risk than many other things. But I don't really want to get into a debate about the merits and demerits of the restrictions - which in my view are totalitarian and unjustifiable.