According to my fiance's mother, who has a PhD in Epidemiology and is a professor at an Ivy League school, the 6' rule exists because that's roughly how far you expel aerosols while speaking at normal conversational volumes. Masks bring that down to less than a foot. You need a draconian one-size-fits-all policy because distancing, along with masks, do work and you have to draw the line somewhere, unless you think there should be distance rules for all situations, based on airflow, face coverings, type of coverings, etc. I elect one simple guideline.

So why do we need to wear masks and be 6 feet apart?

There's a huge credibility issue now, caused by presenting hypotheses as truths, providing intentionally false or dramatically overstated information in order to achieve certain behaviors, and generally considering the public as ignoramuses that need to be manipulated. Even if the intentions are pure and the facts are correct, this will now have to be overcome.

worth perusing:

https://twitter.com/EricRWeinstein/s...354746882?s=20

that is indeed a possibility. In which case, the airline industry would be changed for 10-15 years and about 30-50% smaller.

Not even the mask huh? Something that’s so basic... All or nothing. You’d be a lot more believable if you’d said this is a hoax but I’ll wear the mask because it at least slows the chances and it’s the right thing to do to help others. It’s based on hard science, studies and common sense. But again you search for that one guy on Twitter that validates you guy’s beliefs. So you guys want to open it up for the healthy ones as they have a 1% chance of death and not wear masks or social distance huh? Have a good one, just make sure to stay away from the responsible ones.

...Probably because not everybody wears masks or wears them correctly. Look, I try to relay useful information from people who, quite frankly, know a lot more about epidemiology than anyone on here. Masks help. Distancing helps. Do you agree or not agree? By now, I'm sure you've found whatever data you want to confirm your beliefs. Also, I don't doubt you can find data fo support your claims, but that also means you're dismissing everything that says the opposite. If you want to trust your and your family's health to the less conservative methods, then go ahead.

I personally am financially secure, young, fit, and have engineering to fall back on, so if the virus gets out of hand, I really don't care. I even know which 3x inverse ETFs to day trade if the market collapses, so I'd probably benefit from another crash. Everyone knows the risks by now and ultimately you're the only person responsible for you.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-05-hamster-masks-coronavirus-scientists.html

https://www.livescience.com/face-masks-eye-protection-covid-19-prevention.html

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200612172200.htm

By this point, if you don't wear a mask I assume it's because a) its uncomfortable, b) you forgot it, or c) you're a conspiracy theorist. Which is fine with me, but keep in mind the "at risk" populations are probably less enthusiastic.

I'm not sure you guys are even reading before posting anymore....

Did somebody claim masks don't help? Oh yeah, it was CDC, but they were only kidding at the time.

I just don't see why so many folks (mostly of the "R" political persuasion) have a problem with wearing a mask. Sure, I *hate* the darn things. They're scratchy, inconvenient, fog up my sunglasses, and look ridiculous.

But I would feel pretty bad if I unknowingly had the virus and passed it on to my friends or loved ones, all because I was too selfish to wear a mask.

And yet, somehow it's become a macho symbol. "I don't need no mask, I'm healthy, you can't tell me what to do." The level of selfishness and entitlement in this attitude is pretty astonishing.

I dunno. I guess some people just don't give a *** about others. It's just that simple.

Here's a tip: if you really want people to start wearing masks, you should probably keep opinions like these to yourself.