All the early evidence points to mass transmission but low health impact. Which would be ideal. Will have to wait another week or two but better to slow down it's uptake by implementing some measures until more is known, then if it does turn out to be almost exclusively mild or no symptoms then open everything back up.

My hunch is it won't cause significant hospitalisation / death this time around but lets see. The other interesting outcome of this is the potential elimination of the more 'dangerous' strains. So it could work out win win

I presume you mask up at the supermarket. Next time you go have a walk down the toiletries aisle. You can still smell the products clearly, mask or no mask. This is how effective a mask is at preventing small particles getting into your system. As for keeping small particles in, maybe if you are coughing it helps projectile particles but otherwise it’s just coming out the sides, top and bottom so still gets into the air.

I am not an anti-vaxxer, anti-mask wearer or take COVID lightly however this notion that putting a paper mask on all of a sudden makes the world a safer place is frankly ludicrous.

Enforcing mask wearing is another element of the government exerting control over the public, which in my mind is a more worrying trend than the actual safety impact of mask wearing. If it makes some feel better to wear one then fine, carry on but it should not be enforced.

Basically you're paranoid about big brother. Fine. Just say that

As for efficacy of masks – yes paper and cloth ones are s***. Masks with filters in are significantly better. Does that mean you shouldn't wear one? No. Does it mean you should wear a half decent one in certain scenarios out of courtesy? Yes.

Not wearing one simply because you have an authority issue / in protest (which I also think is the reasoning for most people anti vaxxing, as they have some sort of 1984 chicken little complex) rather than wearing one to be courteous and polite in and around fellow humans is weird. Don't be a prat. You can still be anti-authoritarian and have some element of respect amongst others, even if most of them are morons. Also, if you're unvaxxed surely mask wearing becomes even more of a priority?

But, as we all know, it's a real hardship to wear one. I certainly find it extremely fatiguing wearing one every day on public transport. It's extremely hard to suppress my raging selfishness, and it tear the thing off and shout 'I AM NOT A SHEEP, SHEEPLE', spraying fresh spittle long into the poorly circulated air for all to enjoy. I do wonder how those Japanese have been doing it for decades. Such a burden.

Basically you're paranoid about big brother. Fine. Just say that

As for efficacy of masks – yes paper and cloth ones are s***. Masks with filters in are significantly better. Does that mean you shouldn't wear one? No. Does it mean you should wear a half decent one in certain scenarios out of courtesy? Yes.

Not wearing one simply because you have an authority issue / in protest (which I also think is the reasoning for most people anti vaxxing, as they have some sort of 1984 chicken little complex) rather than wearing one to be courteous and polite in and around fellow humans is weird. Don't be a prat. You can still be anti-authoritarian and have some element of respect amongst others, even if most of them are morons. Also, if you're unvaxxed surely mask wearing becomes even more of a priority?

But, as we all know, it's a real hardship to wear one. I certainly find it extremely fatiguing wearing one every day on public transport. It's extremely hard to suppress my raging selfishness, and it tear the thing off and shout 'I AM NOT A SHEEP, SHEEPLE', spraying fresh spittle long into the poorly circulated air for all to enjoy. I do wonder how those Japanese have been doing it for decades. Such a burden.

All the early evidence points to mass transmission but low health impact. Which would be ideal. Will have to wait another week or two but better to slow down it's uptake by implementing some measures until more is known, then if it does turn out to be almost exclusively mild or no symptoms then open everything back up.

My hunch is it won't cause significant hospitalisation / death this time around but lets see. The other interesting outcome of this is the potential elimination of the more 'dangerous' strains. So it could work out win win