stated this in an earlier post...
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Fauci..."followed the science" by immediately recommending masking with whatever people had available...while waiting for sufficient quantities of N95/KN95's to be available for the public as well as the hospital personnel.
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Now, add to this Baron's contribution of the memorable (maybe not by him) "MIT Report" on masking and social distancing for indoor situations...it's readily available on this board by searching under my name...but it shows clearly that even a cloth mask can have some beneficial effect on transmission...surgical masks, much more...and finally N95/KN95 masks that allow docs and nurses to work around COVID patients all day, every day (yes, for close intimate contact with infected patients, they use respirators and face shields)...and when there are no N95/KN95s available...SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING...sadly, too many people didn't get the whole message...if you have only a cloth mask or surgical mask a) don't go into risky environments, b) if you need to go there (e.g. Safeway or CVS) keep your distance from others and don't stay long (e.g. < 30 min.)...
It's all about "Mitigation" and Risk Reduction...masks, even cloth masks, when used intelligently, play a role in reducing COVID cases...OMG, this is so simple...stop fighting the truth...listen more and post less.