Originally Posted by Duffman

So, I'm definitely not emotional, but I can see how it came across that way.

I asked the wifey what she thinks is causing the spike and she's speculating it's because people have been having lots of small gatherings within their pre-COVID social circles. She's not omniscient, but she has a lot more trend data than all of our anecdotal stories together.

The way I see it, if people are getting the virus from hanging out in small groups, taking their masks off, practicing CPR, etc, then there's nothing you can do to control it, except 'education,' which is similar to how we handle hookers and blow (from a public health stand point).

I still absolutely think there should be public mask laws because they work. Tons of studies show they work. Yes, the virus is smaller than the mask fabric mesh, but the virus is also usually riding droplets that are much larger. Also, they disrupt the airflow when people exhale, so their breath doesn't go nearly as far. The people spreading the virus don't know they have the virus, that's why they're saying sneezing in your mask is the new '****ting in your pants' in public. Given a choice of smashing up asbestos with a cloth mask or no mask, indoors or outdoors, windy or calm, what would you prefer? People don't get infected by one virus, it takes millions (which is still low compared to most viruses, apparently). Ideally wearing a mask during a pandemic just becomes 'manners,' like not walking around with your fly down and your dick out to feel the breeze on your balls. Liberating, yes. Inappropriate? Also, yes. And that won't give anyone else a virus from 6' away, no matter what type of unlicensed, seedy sex dens you've been to recently.

I think we're in agreement that you can't control what people do in private, but I still think that mask laws should be applied to public spaces because it's safer and makes people more comfortable, which means more business for everyone, and limits the spread of the virus between social circles.