© howstuffworks
When it comes to masks, U.S. government officials have more waffles than a pancake house. Back in March we were told not to wear masks. Then, starting in April, they do an about-face and for the past several months have been telling us to wear surgical and even cloth masks.
But they insisted that the masks won't protect the people wearing them from COVID-19 — only the people they come in contact with. "My mask protects you, your mask protects me" was the mantra. This is because respiratory droplets are supposed to be the primary mode of viral transmission which the masks supposedly block. This is mainly why surgeons wear masks in operating rooms — they prevent droplets from their nose and mouth from going into a patient's open wound. Now, since November, we are being told that masks protect both the wearer as well as the people they come in contact with.
For years the scientific literature has demonstrated that the
primary mode of transmission for respiratory viruses are fine
aerosol particles that can remain suspended in the fluid air for up to
16 hours and can travel much further
distances than 6 ft. Back in July, more than 200 scientists asked public-health agencies in a
letter published in the journal
Clinical Infectious Diseases to recognize these facts.
Comment: As well as natural disasters devastating crop growth, the insane response to the coronavirus crisis and losing value of currency in Western nations in particular, have made the production, availability, purchasing and distribution of food - a MAJOR global issue the likes of which we haven't seen in generations.
See related articles: