1 / I have some thoughts on face masks.
There is increasing talk about face masks on Twitter. That's a good thing. The problem is much of the talk is too obtuse. Few people are going to read 25-page research papers on the topic. There needs to be much simpler messaging.
There is increasing talk about face masks on Twitter. That's a good thing. The problem is much of the talk is too obtuse. Few people are going to read 25-page research papers on the topic. There needs to be much simpler messaging.
2 / On a very basic level, face masks are like stay at home directives. We aren't just staying at home to prevent catching coronavirus (although that may be one objective). Instead, we are staying at home to prevent unknowingly passing coronavirus to others.
3 / The U.S. public would wear face masks to reduce the probability of unknowingly spreading coronavirus to others. This explains the growing number of recommendations to use simple fabric or cloth over one's mouth in lieu of N95 face masks.
4 / Up to now, the face mask narrative in the U.S. has been to position them as tools for not catching the virus. This is an incorrect way of framing the product for the general public. The focus should instead be on wearing face masks to prevent others from getting the virus.
5 / People coming into contact with the virus all day (medical professionals) should wear N95 face masks or something equivalent. For everyone else, wrapping a scarf or bandana around one's mouth is better than sneezing into an elbow or hand while at the grocery store.
6 / There is a social stigma found with wearing face masks in the U.S. Many people may think "why should I wear one if I feel fine?" Similar doubts were found with stay at home directives.
What changed?
States closed everything down so you had nothing to do but stay at home.
What changed?
States closed everything down so you had nothing to do but stay at home.
7 / The best way we can get the U.S. general public to wear a face mask is to require them in certain circumstances. For example, a grocery store can require customers to wear something (anything) over their mouth to enter. You would see 100% "face mask" adoption overnight.
8 / In the coming months, the general public can move away from using cloth, scarfs, and bandanas as face masks to something like procedural masks once the supply is there.
9 / Until there is a vaccine, it's tough to see how we can begin reopening businesses without there being some kind of face mask requirement. Face masks are like a mobile version of stay at home - a tool to help slow the virus spread while out and about.
P.S. I'm like most people - I don't have any face masks. However, I do have bandanas from my snowboarding days. My plan is to wear a bandana when going to the grocery store. If nothing else, if wearing one makes other people more comfortable wearing a face mask, it's worth doing.
