Smart people have always known masks don't do much. And outside, they don't do anything.
From an article at NOQ, at a glance:
- According to an expert on viral transmission mechanics, brief outdoor encounters present a “very low risk” for transmission of COVID-19. Viral particles quickly disperse in outdoor air, so the risk of inhaling aerosolized virus from passersby is negligible
- Using mathematical models, Italian researchers have calculated the amount of time it would take for you to contract the SARS-CoV-2 virus outdoors in Milan. If 10% of the population were infected, you would require 31.5 days of continuous outdoor exposure to inhale a dose of virus sufficient to transmit infection
- Other research has shown your odds of transmitting COVID-19 are 18.7 times greater indoors than in an open-air environment
- Several investigations looking at SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in air have come up empty. No detectable RNA was found in air samplings from various locations in Wuhan, China, Venice in northern Italy, or Lecce in southern Italy, during the pandemic
- Germany’s first registry for side effects of mask wearing on children has identified 24 physical, psychological and behavioral health issues, including irritability (60%), headache (53%), difficulty concentrating (50%), reduced happiness (49%), reluctance to go to school/kindergarten (44%), malaise (42%), impaired learning (38%) and drowsiness or fatigue (37%)
Do you remember the time of Spain mandating use of face masks while swimming in the ocean? They were actually arresting and quarantining people who dared question the narrative regarding mask wearing.
In an April 22, 2021, article in The New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope cited several doctors and virologists who advise against universal mask wearing outdoors.
According to Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech and an expert on viral transmission mechanics, who notes that brief outdoor encounters, such as walking past someone on a sidewalk or hiking trail, present a “very low risk” for transmission.
“Viral particles quickly disperse in outdoor air, and the risk of inhaling aerosolized virus from a jogger or passers-by is negligible,” Marr told Parker-Pope.2 “Even if a person coughs or sneezes outside as you walk by, the odds of you getting a large enough dose of virus to become infected remain low.”
Similarly, Dr. Muge Cevic, a clinical lecturer of infectious disease and medical virology at the University of St. Andrews School of Medicine in Scotland, is quoted saying:3
“I think it’s a bit too much to ask people to put the mask on when they go out for a walk or jogging or cycling. We’re in a different stage of the pandemic. I think outdoor masks should not have been mandated at all. It’s not where the infection and transmission occurs.”
There are other examples in the article. But the reality is....
Vaccinated or Not, Masks Don’t Work
But in spite of that
The CDC Grants Special Permission to Fully Vaccinated
Despite science being rather clear on these points, at the end of April 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its outdoor mask guidelines for vaccinated-only.
If you’ve gotten all of the required doses of the COVID-19 “vaccine,” you no longer need to wear a mask outdoors when in small groups or when exercising. Masks are still recommended when in crowded outdoor venues, though, such as sports stadiums. According to another New York Times article:6
“President Biden hailed it as a landmark moment in the pandemic, wearing a mask as he approached the lectern on a warm spring day on the White House grounds — and pointedly keeping it off as he walked back into the White House when he was done. ‘Go get the shot. It’s never been easier,’ Mr. Biden said. ‘And once you’re fully vaccinated, you can go without a mask when you’re outside and away from big crowds.'”
Researchers Set the Record Straight
Breaking with The New York Times’ typical propaganda, Parker-Pope actually goes on to cite research7 published in February 2021 in the Environmental Research journal:
“To understand just how low the risk of outdoor transmission is, researchers in Italy used mathematical models to calculate the amount of time it would take for a person to become infected outdoors in Milan.
They imagined a grim scenario in which 10% of the population was infected with the coronavirus. Their calculations showed that if a person avoided crowds, it would take, on average, 31.5 days of continuous outdoor exposure to inhale a dose of virus sufficient to transmit infection.
‘The results are that this risk is negligible in outdoor air if crowds and direct contact among people are avoided,’ said Daniele Contini, senior author of the study and an aerosol scientist at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate in Lecce, Italy.
Even as more-infectious virus variants circulate, the physics of viral transmission outdoors haven’t changed, and the risk of getting infected outdoors is still low, say virus experts.”
You can read the rest of the story here.