I've been getting asked the question about universal masking and have gathered my thoughts. See thread. /1
There are reasons to think that universal mask wearing will allow us to re-open the economy, with restrictions, without causing huge spikes in cases that will overwhelm hospitals. /2
These reasons include our understanding of how masks work, how COVID-19 spreads, and indications that other countries with widespread mask wearing have much lower rates of infection. /3
Agreed that other factors are also important in these other countries. There is no magic bullet. Thanks to @kprather88 for good discussion on the topic.
It is true that there are no studies that adequately replicate the conditions we're talking about--everyone wearing homemade masks with a virus that may or may not transmit more by droplets/aerosols compared to other viruses--so we don't know how big the effect will be. /4
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