Wow, Facebook is removing posts on masks

[user1477391263]

---including posts about how to make masks.

I find this concerning. Masks, even homemade ones, play a role in slowing the spread of this virus, and more and more people are wearing them. At some point there will be a climbdown where this is widely admitted, and then people are going to be annoyed about the fact that they were lied to and censored.

The thing with masks around here is that the people wearing them are the ones not sticking to the social distancing when walking they just walk right up the middle of the pavement past those trying to distance

Lots of people are selling them, I didn't think it was that big a deal ... it's a really nice fabric. Was going more for the fashion angle than trying to attract panicked buyers.

All those countries with flatter curves had governments who took quick and fast responses, partly because they're all fairly authoritarian states (and so could)

Not really. I wouldn't call SK, Taiwan or Japan authoritarian governments (and Japan's response has been pretty weak at the state level---almost no action has been taken).

Lots of people are selling them, I didn't think it was that big a deal

It isn't @Mimishimi . Really don't worry about it.

Of course you can sell homemade masks. Medical workers should be wearing serious gear like N95s and face shields.

Not really. I wouldn't call SK, Taiwan or Japan authoritarian governments (and Japan's response has been pretty weak at the state level---almost no action has been taken)

Fair point on the authoritarian point. With the possible exception of Japan (I haven't looked into the detail) they all did act very fast though. I just read an interesting article putting it down significantly to this perception in the West that it was an 'Asian flu'.

As an aside I'm hearing HK is a disaster waiting to happen as the people who ran overseas have come back and are now carrying on daily life pretty much as normal.

Schools were closed weeks ago in all those places, I think. Is a pretty big deal to close schools. And universities.

My understanding is a mask that isn’t medical grade is on a par with sneezing into a tissue or washing your hands.

No, it doesn’t guarantee you won’t catch or spread anything but it does measurably reduce transmission. The problem is large numbers of people need to do it for it to be effective.

Personally I feel we need to get on board with it when we start to ease restrictions. Anything that slows transmissions is a good thing surely?