Originally Posted by
AntiPeter
Indeed public perception has been and will continue to be the main problem right now.
In general, people estimate the severity of COVID-19 to be 100x (not 100%, but 100-times) more than it actually is:
https://www.kekstcnc.com/media/2793/...ker_wave-4.pdf
Anxiety and hypochondria are pervasive. I think it will likely take years to resolve this as in my experience hypochondria doesn't just go away.
This is a big reason why I've advocated mask wearing from the beginning. Nobody HAS to participate in the economy and if they go out and see everyone wearing masks they're more likely to participate, but If they see people blatantly disregarding the mask rules they think they're not taking any other precautions, they're probably going to be the first to get the virus, and there's no telling how much stuff they'll touch and breathe on before they get symptoms bad enough to keep them home.
Also, another great Uncle Rob video on mask effectiveness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6cTDGqcUpA&t=1s
I'm a big fan of his other work, as well.