Seems like a lot of work considering the virus doesn't live that long on porous surfaces. Why not just rotate masks every few days?

What do you suppose they're infected with?

And if wearing a mask can't hurt then why do they need to be disinfected?

normaleagle05 said:

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What do you suppose they're infected with?

And if wearing a mask can't hurt then why do they need to be disinfected?

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I think you're generalizing and confusing regular masks with N95s.

You're right, a common saying is that people should wear masks because it can't hurt anything, but it could help. The idea behind that is that regular surgical masks and cloth masks help protect other from you, incase you're infected, by preventing droplets from spewing all over the place. It may also protect the wearer by decreasing viral load if they are exposed, leading to a less symptomatic infection.

However, N95s are typically worn by individuals that are going to be exposed to sick patients - such as doctors and nurses. The purpose of those masks is to protect the wearer. So the N95 is more likely to have the external surface covered in infectious virus. If you have to reuse the mask, and you were exposed to a high level of virus, there's a chance that the external surface of the mask could be covered in virus that you'll be touching when putting it on and taking it off. Donning and doffing PPE correctly actually takes training. But disinfecting masks can help reduce spread if we believe that the viral particles on the mask are infectious.

Most people I know just rotate the mask. Back during the summer and fall you could leave it on your dash board in Texas and it'd more than be sterilized.

coolerguy12 said:

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cone said:

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so you're saying I shouldn't be wearing a N95 in enclosed public places?

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I don't think you should be wearing a mask at all unless you consider yourself high risk.

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Would also recommend it if you're going to be around people you'd like to protect in case you are sick.

I know you have an opinion that won't change no matter what I say, but we will get through this pandemic and we'll get to a point when the likelihood of catching and transmitting this virus will be about as likely as maybe the measles (that is, very unlikely, except for occasional community outbreaks). In which case, local communities should start wearing masks till the outbreak comes under control, but in general most people won't need to.

So no, I don't anticipate people being told to wear masks for the rest of their lives.

Maybe if another virus emerges that is able to rapidly spread and overwhelm hospital systems then yes, we should do what we can to keep that from happening. Mitigating spread also helps mitigate the need for shutting down businesses. Masks help reduce viral loads if you do get exposed and help build herd immunity through asymptomatic infections (hypothetically, there's some evidence, but it's not proven yet).

But hopefully if we're in this situation again, we'll have the knowledge and experience to prevent things from getting as bad as they are. And hopefully we'll all understand that everyone can do their part to prevent the overload we're seeing on hospital systems.

Maybe it's because I'm quite used to wearing masks for long periods of time, and being around immunocompromised people that could die if I'm not careful, but I don't understand how wearing a mask and taking precautions to protect others makes life not worth living.