Masks are back in Alameda County

[Hammy]

Why are people so weird about masks?

Because masks are weird around people.

You've lost it to the point you're not even making grammatical sense. I'm increasingly convinced you're a bot.

[Joe Republic]

Why are people so weird about masks? Wearing a mask isn't that hard, definitely not inconvenient enough to justify active outrage.

You can always rely on Atlas to come up with the most bizarre against-the-grain takes on pretty much anything.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Why are people so weird about masks? Wearing a mask isn't that hard, definitely not inconvenient enough to justify active outrage.

You can always rely on Atlas to come up with the most bizarre against-the-grain takes on pretty much anything.

I don't think this qualifies considering the vast majority of people aren't wearing a mask now. Like I said, it's like maybe 20% in Minneapolis currently, and that's hardly a bastion of conservatism.

[jojoju1998]

Alameda's the only county in the Bay area that's doing this. Santa Clara, San Francisco, are not doing it.

[THG]

Literal insanity.

[Joe Republic]

Why are people so weird about masks? Wearing a mask isn't that hard, definitely not inconvenient enough to justify active outrage.

You can always rely on Atlas to come up with the most bizarre against-the-grain takes on pretty much anything.

I don't think this qualifies considering the vast majority of people aren't wearing a mask now. Like I said, it's like maybe 20% in Minneapolis currently, and that's hardly a bastion of conservatism.

At least you brought some science into the discussion, even if you of course had to make like three mentions of mosh pits.  But add in comments like "masks are weird around people" (recommended 4 times), and basically anything Jimmie posts these days, and… yeah, this forum is just plain weird about masks.

[jamestroll]

Why are people so weird about masks? Wearing a mask isn't that hard, definitely not inconvenient enough to justify active outrage.

You can always rely on Atlas to come up with the most bizarre against-the-grain takes on pretty much anything.

I don't think this qualifies considering the vast majority of people aren't wearing a mask now. Like I said, it's like maybe 20% in Minneapolis currently, and that's hardly a bastion of conservatism.

At least you brought some science into the discussion, even if you of course had to make like three mentions of mosh pits.  But add in comments like "masks are weird around people" (recommended 4 times), and basically anything Jimmie posts these days, and… yeah, this forum is just plain weird about masks.

I CAN BREATH AGAIN! without a MASK!

[Joe Republic]

^ See?

[Since I'm the mad scientist proclaimed by myself]

I was watching the Minnesota numbers closely at that time. There were no mask mandates anywhere in Minnesota in 2022 aside from in the Twin Cities, Rochester, Duluth and a few immediate suburbs. Hennepin and Ramsey counties weren't the most infectious counties and the numbers started falling in the same pattern as everywhere else.

Plus even the CDC said cloth masks aren't very effective: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-cloth-masks-enough-against-omicron

And it's pretty obvious how many people are going to always an N95 or KN95 to go to the grocery store. On the other hand people who do actually want to wear those can...and in that case are pretty much entirely protected anyway unless they have close contact for at least an hour with an infectious person.

Also do you seriously believe that a cloth mask is really going to matter in a mosh pit? And if it doesn't and since it does make breathing in a mosh pit more difficult for me, why even bother? Plus I don't associate with anyone unvaxxed anyway.

Okay, so cloth masks don't work. That doesn't mean that all masks are ineffective, and in fact, the article you linked tells people to wear more effective masks instead of claiming that masks are pointless. The death rate of COVID on the 4th would translate to almost 70,000 deaths a year. COVID is still a problem. Everyone masking uo would likely save quite a few lives, and its not fair to put the burden of not getting a disease that would be deadly to them solely on disabled people who have to deal with enough of societies s**t as it is when others can make them much safer so easily.

Again people with serious medical concerns can wear an N95 and avoid close contact with likely carriers. That will go much further than everyone wearing a cloth mask. I got my last booster over six months ago but I don't meet FDA criteria for getting another one, so I did my part. I also don't associate with anyone unvaxxed. So where's the risk for me?

Avoiding close contact with likely carriers basically means not going outside. And while one N95s is effective, it isn't perfect. Two is much better than one(not cloth, as I've said above).

Putting a piece of cloth over my face while packed like sardines in a music venue and jumping into a bunch of other sweaty people and carrying sweaty people over my head clearly isn't going to do anything, so I'll just do what's most comfortable.

(It's also virtually impossible to keep a cloth mask from slipping down while in a mosh pit or doing any type of hardcore dancing for that matter as well.)

Most of life isn't mosh pits.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I was watching the Minnesota numbers closely at that time. There were no mask mandates anywhere in Minnesota in 2022 aside from in the Twin Cities, Rochester, Duluth and a few immediate suburbs. Hennepin and Ramsey counties weren't the most infectious counties and the numbers started falling in the same pattern as everywhere else.

Plus even the CDC said cloth masks aren't very effective: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-cloth-masks-enough-against-omicron

And it's pretty obvious how many people are going to always an N95 or KN95 to go to the grocery store. On the other hand people who do actually want to wear those can...and in that case are pretty much entirely protected anyway unless they have close contact for at least an hour with an infectious person.

Also do you seriously believe that a cloth mask is really going to matter in a mosh pit? And if it doesn't and since it does make breathing in a mosh pit more difficult for me, why even bother? Plus I don't associate with anyone unvaxxed anyway.

Okay, so cloth masks don't work. That doesn't mean that all masks are ineffective, and in fact, the article you linked tells people to wear more effective masks instead of claiming that masks are pointless. The death rate of COVID on the 4th would translate to almost 70,000 deaths a year. COVID is still a problem. Everyone masking uo would likely save quite a few lives, and its not fair to put the burden of not getting a disease that would be deadly to them solely on disabled people who have to deal with enough of societies s**t as it is when others can make them much safer so easily.

The mandate this thread is about does not mandate N95s. Most people will wear just a cloth mask to comply. Hence proving that it's just security theater.

Could they mandate N95s? Perhaps but then your claim of "Wearing a mask isn't that hard, definitely not inconvenient enough to justify active outrage." definitely doesn't apply. N95s are not easy to put on, I have a pack I got when there was a mask mandate and I only wore one once, the straps even make the back of my head ache and pulls on my hair in an uncomfortable way, and breathing is very annoying. There's a reason why even hospitals don't use them except for things like surgery. They're also not easy to quickly remove and put back on when you're outside or driving, etc. So it's obvious that's never going to catch on.

There's also the fact that even cloth masks are not just "isn't that hard, definitely not inconvenient enough to justify active outrage." for people with asthma or sensitive skin or have to deal with their glasses fogging up.

Again people with serious medical concerns can wear an N95 and avoid close contact with likely carriers. That will go much further than everyone wearing a cloth mask. I got my last booster over six months ago but I don't meet FDA criteria for getting another one, so I did my part. I also don't associate with anyone unvaxxed. So where's the risk for me?

Avoiding close contact with likely carriers basically means not going outside. And while one N95s is effective, it isn't perfect. Two is much better than one(not cloth, as I've said above).

That's not true. It would require at least 2.5 hours of contact to be infectious if someone was wearing even a weak N95 even if the other party wasn't wearing any mask at all:

Putting a piece of cloth over my face while packed like sardines in a music venue and jumping into a bunch of other sweaty people and carrying sweaty people over my head clearly isn't going to do anything, so I'll just do what's most comfortable.

(It's also virtually impossible to keep a cloth mask from slipping down while in a mosh pit or doing any type of hardcore dancing for that matter as well.)

Most of life isn't mosh pits.

In terms of actual close contact I have with others...for me it is. I don't have such contact at the grocery store, or in a movie theater, or even in a bar or restaurant (where I wouldn't be wearing a mask regardless.) So if you're acknowledging that masks won't do any good in a mosh pit anyway, does that mean you'd at least support an exemption to the mandate for music venues?

Also your argument of "Wearing a mask isn't that hard, definitely not inconvenient enough to justify active outrage." could easily replace the word "mask" with "hijab" and there wouldn't really be much difference. So if some hypothetical Muslim-majority municipality passed a law requiring that women wear a hijab in the city limits, would that be your response? That it's not a big deal or outrage worthy because wearing a hijab isn't really that inconvenient?