Everywhere you go now, you have to wear a mask to enter an establishment. This is the new norm due to COVID-19. But let’s talk about what everyone is thinking. How much protection do face masks offer? There are differing opinions on whether or not masks actually work. Let’s hear some different perspectives on this debate.
Side of Affirmative: Face Masks Help
Here to argue the affirmative is the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. Though they have changed their side many times since the start of COVID-19, they are now saying that masks are effective. In their perspective, the masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth.
The CDC recommends that anyone over the age of 2 years old should wear a mask. But we know that as instructions come down the pipeline, they get mixed up. Remember the father who tweeted about WestJet? They asked him to put a mask on his 3 year-old and 19-month old. And the interesting thing is that the flight attendant quoted the CDC guidelines about the age requirement. Eventually, the whole flight was cancelled. This is the time we are living in.
The main idea that the CDC states is that masks help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading to others. Masks should be worn by everyone. They even suggest you wear a mask inside your home. Though they link their suggestions to emerging evidence, the data is not newer than May 2020. A lot has happened between then and now.
Side of Opposing: Face Masks Don’t Help
Here to argue the opposing side is Dr. Sherri Tenpenny. This internationally renowned speaker and author is an American Osteopathic Medical Doctor. She has invested 20 years and 40,000 hours of research and documentation to reveal opinions outside of mainstream media. When she talked to Brian Rose on LondonReal, she explained how face masks are, in fact, not effective against COVID-19.
Tenpenny brings up an interesting point when it comes to droplets and particles. Coronavirus’ are less than 0.125 microns in size. Masks and respirators filter particles from 0.30 to 0.80 microns. So how is the mask protecting you from spreading the virus again? Something to think about.
When the World Health Organization conducted a COVID-19 press conference, there was an interesting statement from Dr. Michael Ryan. Ryan is an Irish former trauma surgeon and epidemiologist specializing in infectious disease. He stated the following:
“We don’t generally recommend the wearing of masks in public by otherwise well individuals…There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any particular benefit. In fact, there’s some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly or taking it off and all the other risks that are otherwise associated with that.”
Did you hear about the 455 contacts that were exposed to the asymptomatic COVID-19 virus carrier? None of them contracted the infection. To read more about Tenpenny’s point and evidence, click here.
All in all, you have to believe what makes sense to your level of understanding and level of open-mindedness. The mask debate has been a topic of conversation for many months now and doesn’t seem to go away. How much protection do face masks offer us? It depends on who you ask and what you are willing to analyze in return. 2020 has proven to be a rocky year, but in any storm, there is a silver lining. There has certainly been a rise in online dating.
