I think it’s also worth pointing out that there just aren’t enough masks for what you are suggesting. That’s why my example was telling people to make homemade masks, not using N95 respirators. If they are following instructions for mask usage, people should be replacing masks multiple times every day and not reusing them—as soon as you remove the mask, you touch both the inside and the outside, moving droplets around. Suggesting widespread use of the types of masks you’re talking about, then, seems unhelpful in any case.
That’s a very useful data point, and I’m happy to see that I was pessimistic about how quickly factories could ramp up production. Hopefully we’ll see the supply crunch reduced in the near future, (without a collapse in quality,) and at that point I’d be very happy for people to advocate more widespread mask wearing using actual disposable masks.
I think it’s also worth pointing out that there just aren’t enough masks for what you are suggesting. That’s why my example was telling people to make homemade masks, not using N95 respirators. If they are following instructions for mask usage, people should be replacing masks multiple times every day and not reusing them—as soon as you remove the mask, you touch both the inside and the outside, moving droplets around. Suggesting widespread use of the types of masks you’re talking about, then, seems unhelpful in any case.
Oh, I am not at all advocating for widespread usage of masks in this particular pandemic. I am just trying to figure out whether they are effective.
However, on a more object-level, see this comment for an estimate of the potential increase of global mask production in the next few months.
That’s a very useful data point, and I’m happy to see that I was pessimistic about how quickly factories could ramp up production. Hopefully we’ll see the supply crunch reduced in the near future, (without a collapse in quality,) and at that point I’d be very happy for people to advocate more widespread mask wearing using actual disposable masks.