I’ve been seeing tables showing the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of different types of masks on Facebook lately.  Some have been taking it the right way: A mask is not a “Get Out of Jail Free” card, you need to self-isolate, social distance, wash hands etc., etc even if you were a mask.

But then others ask, “Why bother?”

There are two reasons.

The first is simple: the mask helps to remind you to not touch your face and limits the places that your hand actually touches.  Just remember to consider your mask contaminated after you have been in public.

The second is much more complicated.

Every time you breath, you release a lot of water vapor in hundreds or thousands of tiny water droplets. These can hang in the air for hours and will settle on objects.  If you have the virus, those water droplets will have the virus.  This is the main way it spreads.  Sure, the mask won’t filter individual viruses, but it will stop a lot of water droplets.

Wearing a mask will help keep the virus inside of the mask and so away from other people.  Fool proof?  No.  Put on sunglasses with your mask and breath.  Yes, the glasses fog up.  Fog = water droplets….

Remember, you might have it at this time and not know it.

And if you don’t have it, the mask limits the amount of water droplets getting to your mouth and nose, thus into your respiratory system.  Is a mask foolproof?  No way.  Does it help?  Yes.

What this comes down to is that if everyone wore a mask and continued to wash hands, social distance, etc., it will put another layer in to slow the spread of the virus down.  It is not a magic bullet, but it is a big help.

Anyway, that is “why bother”!

I hope this helps.

Oh, and I hope nobody mistakes me for a gangster in my mask ;)