Looking for just ONE intelligent answer

Fair Warning: Be careful of the word “intelligent”, some contributors are sure to blow that part.

I would appreciate literally any intelligent contributor telling me why the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and literally anyone present in an operating theater wear a mask.

Second warning: Do not respond with “for their own personal protection”. That is patently untrue. There are thousands of procedures performed that present no danger whatsoever to the personnel performing the procedure, but masks are always worn, ALWAYS.

The obvious answer is, of course, to protect the patient from possible infection. Would you like the surgeon performing open heart surgery on your child coughing on an open section of chest or heart while not wearing a mask?

So, DJT and his followers say “Don’t tread on my rights, I am not wearing a mask and that is that.”

A point of law has long been – Your right to flail your arms in the air ends where my nose begins. There is also the long-accepted practice (in some places law) of not shouting “FIRE” in a crowded theater.

I can easily see, and accept, both principals, as most intelligent people can. So, let me express another thought, closely related.

Your right to cough, sneeze or breathe ends where the air I need to breathe begins. You have no moral right to infect the air I have to breathe, even if DJT says you have the legal right.

Please, give me one single, legitimate reason for not wearing a mask and social distancing, the only proven methods so far that combat the spread of the Coronavirus. “My rights” and “My opinion” are not legitimate excuses when faced with the only method that has so far worked. If you disagree with me but can’t formulate your own response perhaps governor DeSantis can help you out.  

They wear masks so that they don't spread pathogens into the open cavities of patients. They are not for the surgeon's protection. They are for the patient's. Same for the gloves, the scrubs, the head coverings. It's the same reason healthcare officials advocate for mask wearing to prevent the spread of covid19. People are confused in their thinking that the mask is to protect yourself. It's really to stop your own snot and spittle from flying around.

What STU said sums it up quite well... 

BTW, as a Trump supporter, I disagree with the policy that supporters at his rallies don't need to wear face coverings.  They should be mandatory IMHO in all indoor settings everywhere in the country, and any larger gatherings outdoors ....for the reasons you pointed out 'Key.  To protect OTHERS. 

Individual Rights & Liberties have limitations when they effect the health of others !        It's also called decency...   

Put the 'damn mask on people.  

The question itself  "DJT and his followers say “Don’t tread on my rights, I am not wearing a mask and that is that.”                  is under a false premises...supposed as a basis of argument /inference...I have never,, ever heard a DJT follower say that..

President Trump to my knowledge has not said '' you have the legal right" no to wear a mask.  However ,I have heard him say that he was "all for masks" and would wear one if he were in "in a tight situation with people."He also said he had a mask a dark, black mask and "thought it looked OK. Looked like the Lone Ranger."....

Jesse james used a mask...  Trump should at home garnering one.

Key- are you satisfied with the answers or does this not fit the narrative you were lookin for?

At least I know now that the Covers forum understands masks are for the protection of others. That was questionable. It often looks like some of the folks believe you wear a mask to prevent breathing in the virus. Wrong, dumb. 

Leadership is a skill. "Do as I say, not as I do" is not leading by example. Millions of followers will not wear a mask until Trump and Pence do. Republican governors are definitely fighting face mask orders. To avoid safe practices and "do as I want to do" is not strong independence, it is poor leadership and a bad example. If Trump looked like the Lone Ranger someone should tell him the mask is not for covering the UPPER face, it belongs over the nose and mouth. Certainly by now there has been at least one photo-op that could have shown Trump in a mask. Well, at least 6 of 7 respondents seem to understand, I guess 85.7% ain't bad, higher than the general populace. Thank you for your participation.   

KEY -Fair enuf

of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said, “There are several explanations as to why face masks have not generally been found to be effective if worn by the general population: they do not protect against the virus getting into the eyes (only close fitting goggles do this); people may not fit the masks properly or take them on and off; and people may have a false sense of reassurance and thus pay less attention to other behaviours key to reducing transmission, such as social distancing and handwashing.”

All of this leakage in surgical and fabric masks are why public health officials generally don't believe that wearing a mask prevents anyone from catching a virus that is already floating around in the environment. Airflow follows the path of least resistance, said Rachael Jones, an associate professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of Utah who was not involved in the new research. If viral particles are nearby, they have an easy path around a surgical or fabric mask. And in the case of a fabric mask, wearers may well be wafting in particles small enough to flow right through the fabric.

But what about the other way around? When the wearer of a mask coughs or sneezes, the barrier might be enough to contain a lot of that initial jet of grossness — even if there are gaps in the fabric or around the sides.

One study, published April 6 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found that they did not. That study, led by South Korean researchers, involved asking four patients with COVID-19 to cough into a petri dish 7.8 inches (20 centimeters) away. The patients coughed without masks, while wearing a disposable surgical mask and again wearing a 100% cotton mask.

Neither mask meaningfully decreased the viral load coughed onto the petri dishes. But experts not involved in the study who were contacted by Live Science were hesitant to put much stock into the findings. The researchers didn't look at distances beyond 7.8 inches to see if droplets didn't travel as far while people were wearing masks, Chu said.

"They didn't measure 2 feet or 3 feet or 4 feet," she said.

of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said, “There are several explanations as to why face masks have not generally been found to be effective if worn by the general population: they do not protect against the virus getting into the eyes (only close fitting goggles do this); people may not fit the masks properly or take them on and off; and people may have a false sense of reassurance and thus pay less attention to other behaviours key to reducing transmission, such as social distancing and handwashing.”

All of this leakage in surgical and fabric masks are why public health officials generally don't believe that wearing a mask prevents anyone from catching a virus that is already floating around in the environment. Airflow follows the path of least resistance, said Rachael Jones, an associate professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of Utah who was not involved in the new research. If viral particles are nearby, they have an easy path around a surgical or fabric mask. And in the case of a fabric mask, wearers may well be wafting in particles small enough to flow right through the fabric.

But what about the other way around? When the wearer of a mask coughs or sneezes, the barrier might be enough to contain a lot of that initial jet of grossness — even if there are gaps in the fabric or around the sides.

One study, published April 6 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found that they did not. That study, led by South Korean researchers, involved asking four patients with COVID-19 to cough into a petri dish 7.8 inches (20 centimeters) away. The patients coughed without masks, while wearing a disposable surgical mask and again wearing a 100% cotton mask.

Neither mask meaningfully decreased the viral load coughed onto the petri dishes. But experts not involved in the study who were contacted by Live Science were hesitant to put much stock into the findings. The researchers didn't look at distances beyond 7.8 inches to see if droplets didn't travel as far while people were wearing masks, Chu said.

"They didn't measure 2 feet or 3 feet or 4 feet," she said.

The results from influenza and seasonal coronaviruses suggest that surgical masks can help keep people with COVID-19 from spreading the virus, Cowling said. SARS-CoV-2 probably behaves similarly to the viruses he and his team studied, he said, and the fact that people can spread the virus before they experience symptoms is an argument for recommending masks for everyone.

But experts are still mixed on the potential usefulness of non-N95 masks.

"To me, it's not harmful to wear these masks, but it doesn't look from this study like there is a whole lot of benefit," Jones said. The sample size for seasonal coronavirus was small, she said, and there was a large amount of non-mask-related variation in how much virus people emitted, particularly given that the majority of samples without masks didn't have detectable coronavirus.

I know most people now don’t have time to read or are too lazy to read — they just rely on news outlets, instead of critical thinking.  

I have listed the links on the other thread here about the many issues with masks — especially the cloth masks.  They become moist and start to carry bacteria almost right away.  People don’t use them properly.  People become complacent.  Restricts your oxygen intake. Doesn’t protect your eyes. Air takes least resistant path, along with vapors and expelled droplets. Etc. Etc. 

But for people to not realize that this is the LEAST effective of the many promoted ‘fixes’ shows folks lack of research and herd-following mentality.  

Masks are not a panacea.  If you are that worried — why not wear gloves, goggles, etc. 

Obviously, if you do NOT want to get it — isolation is the best method.  Go isolate in a cabin in the mountains until it is gone.  

But for sure take the methods you do all the time — like during cold and flu season.  Nobody wears masks then.  They wash their hands, stay away from sick folks, stay home when they are sick, and don’t go around old folks when they are sick. 

Sure, it doesn’t hurt to wear around susceptible folks BUT realize for YOU it is not really helping AND maybe hurting more.

Lots and lots and lots of folks been wearing masks and it is MANDATORY at most work places.  Yet folks still getting it and then folks getting sent home to quarantine — again!

The herd immunity has to be built up. And we have seen the virus is obviously becoming less fatal and, hopefully, dying out as it does. 

The RO has to be lowered and the Pareto Principle is still at play — since, it is not nearly as bad as we have been told we need to let the folks get out. 

Just watch for old folks and use masks and gloves around them etc. etc. 

But to use people not wearing masks as a political tool is very disingenuous and lacks critical thinking skills to me. 

“of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said, “There are several explanations as to why face masks have not generally been found to be effective if worn by the general population: they do not protect against the virus getting into the eyes (only close fitting goggles do this); people may not fit the masks properly or take them on and off; and people may have a false sense of reassurance and thus pay less attention to other behaviours key to reducing transmission, such as social distancing and handwashing.”

Brilliant; another example of how the virus is caught, not transmitted. “I wish that guy with no mask on had not coughed in my eyes, I would probably not be infected! Not his fault he had no mask on and the virus invaded my eyes instead of my nose!” Reminder folks, it is about transmission, not reception. Asymptomatic people are transmitting the virus by broadcasting their infected breath, instead of blocking it with a mask. Don’t blame the victim.

Your honor, the guy I shot is responsible for his own death, he stood in front of the bullet.  

I certainly don’t mean to make light of it. Because people are scared.  The media has them frightened with showing ‘numbers’ all day long. 

But when I see a person out walking for exercise in the park with a mask on — AND no one else even at the park.  I have to shake my head. 

I can forgive a lone person in their car — maybe they forgot or don’t feel like putting it right back on at the next stop.  

But when I ride by your house and know you live alone and you are sitting alone on your front porch — WITH a mask on?  Come on man.  

Sure. But don’t overlook the part about the cloth masks being ineffective about the airflow and vapors.  I think that is their overarching point.  It works BOTH ways for it be truly effective.  Not much difference, for example in the one study, with/without the masks and the outflow of contagions. 

Photo President Trump wearing a mask............

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/22/pictures-show-donald-trump-wearing-mask-after-ford-factory-row

Just for the sake of argument, and not conceding a thing, what preventative measures should be followed, beyond masks and social distancing? Is it best to just wait it out and hope the cure and vaccine are just around the corner?

We are rapidly running out of hospital beds, especially ICU beds, but more importantly we are running out of personnel. Trained professionals cannot be produced overnight, and the current heroes are stressed and exhausted. Do you want people dying because the nurse in the ICU ward nodded off from exhaustion? The president and all the governors have promised beds, even tents and national guard personnel if necessary. The acceptable standard of treatment can only go down, and where do the replacement medical professionals come from after that? Is ther an unlimited supply? 

The statistics are not a fabrication of the liberal media. Regardless of how they portray the problem, always negative for Trump and Retardlicans, the problem and statistics are very real. We could jump and shout and rejoice and cheer at a Trump rally, and it would not change the statistics one iota.

As for that person walking their dog in the park, or sitting on their front porch, if you do not form good habits they do not follow you when you are not alone. The same folks that avoid forming the habit will just as easily forget the mask when they enter a crowded area. Good habits are hard to form, bad ones easily catch on. I would venture to guess that the dog walker and porch sitter are also the people you never see out in public without a mask, the GOOD habit is formed. 

President says he did not want to ‘give press the pleasure’ of seeing him in face mask

Photo-op for propaganda. His war with the media is not my concern, his example for the American people is. One incident in six months is a little short of setting a good example. Why not Tulsa? Why not Glendale? Why not encourage mask wearing, or at least encourage the sardines crowded into the can to do so? 

Reading with interest (and respect) of those in this thread who are contributing thoughtful input into KeyElement's thread. Some valid points from different directions.  But my 2 cents: I think right now it comes down to the the highlighted text above, by Key.

Yes, there is some disagreement among experts as to how effective masks are but it is NOT an equal disagreement - as the overwhelming majority agree MASKS are a significant (though not 100% foolproof) means of reducing 'transmission' AND to a lesser degree to reduce 'reception'.... Certainly as Key correctly points out masks are mandatory in hospitals operating rooms and denistry, because of the off chance of infecting the PATIENT!

The overwhelming majority of experts agree - and to the layperson it would seem fully logical -  that the best means to manage a contagion like this is a combination of *EVERYONE* wearing masks (except when totally isolated of course, as otherwise it is just silly), social distancing, handwashing during and after being in public but BEFORE touching your face, and caution with communal surfaces (like doorknobs, exercise gym equipment, etc) and disinfecting where appropriate after use.

We all are taxpaying citizens. And we all have the RIGHT to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" ....If you are infected (whether you know it or not) you still have that right. And if you are NOT infected, and sure don't wish to become infected, you also have the same right!  I should NOT be forced to stay couped up in my basement for the next year or two having my right to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" subverted *because* jerks who MAY have the contagious virus (but not know it) choose to run around spreading that virus at their pleasure.  No!  That is NOT the way it works.  Nor should it.  I should have the same right to get out and enjoy the city, bars, movies, restaurants as YOU - without fear that selfish/reckless people may be transmitting a deadly contagion near me or on surfaces I might come in contact with.  While no measure is 100% effective - traffic deaths still happen even when motorists & passengers where seatbelts -  it is still common sense to do whatever we REASONABLY CAN to mitigate further spread of a deadly contagion where no vaccine exists.

With our RIGHTS come communal responsibilities.  We do not have the right to stand up in a crowded movie theatre and scream fire (unless there is one)  Free speech is a right, yes, but how about 'slander'?  Do you have a right to slander people?  How about lying under oath? How about uttering death threats?  To paraphrase KeyElement: your RIGHT to own & fire a gun ends where my right to "life from harm" begins -- and we should not have to cower in our basements because you choose to run around with a loaded gun shooting at whatever you please... So it is with coronavirus

being inside a hospital today he was forced to wear appropriate face covering . so now that makes 2 times lol