# Are you wearing a mask if you go out in public?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-a-mask-if-you-go-out-in-public/852448>\
**Category:** The Quarantine Zone\
**Tags:** covid-quarantine\
**Created:** [April 23, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-a-mask-if-you-go-out-in-public/852448 "2020-04-23T16:39:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 101

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**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-wearing-a-mask-if-you-go-out-in-public/852448/101 "2020-04-24T21:06:28Z")

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A while back, I posted my breakdown of the categories of reactions to COVID-19:

> [@Coronavirus - what do YOU intend to do differently?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-what-do-you-intend-to-do-differently/849266/50):
>
> The activities related to the COVID-19 virus fall into three categories:
> 
> [ol]  
> [li]Actions based on rational analysis of the latest data and data driven guidance from the medical community[/li]  
> [li]Panic based on irrational conclusions, or false information, or assumptions of apocalyptic scenarios based on concatenation of worst case fears.[/li]  
> [li]Theater designed to play to the population’s panic, usually perpetrated by government or commercial interests for political or financial gains.[/li][/ol]
> 
> The tricky task is to recognize which is which and stick as much as one can to category 1…

The current masking requirements (or peer pressure, depending on your location) is a little bit of all three categories.

There is some protection offered by some masks and some protection of others as well (Cat. 1), but a lot of the semi-hysterical reaction is arrived at by assuming all masks offer significant protection and that the slightest exposure to the virus will result in almost certain infection and death (Cat 2).

Finally, there is a huge dollop of category three in the governmental edicts on masks in public. They ,make you feel a lot safer than you actually are (sort of like TSA at the airports 😛 )

Me? I take a mask with me whenever I leave the house and wear them when 1) I’m going to be in places where decent physical distancing is likely to breakdown or 2) where everyone else will be wearing masks.

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