An interesting article. I was recently unimpressed by the new Virginia governor's first action to reaching the mandate on masks in schools. My county has elected to retain its own mask mandate.
At first blush a mask mandate is generally a public good. I keep my germs to myself, you keep yours too yourself, and we don't get the flu, or a cold, or COVID, whatever. And so for me despite not living wearing a mask I have been happy to anytime I'm near others.
The article makes a decent case that, at least for kids in schools, the science to support the utility of masks just isn't there. At first I found this surprising - how could it not be? At least it should help. But kids are in school, together, for 6+ hours a day. I barely wear my mask properly for two hours at a time and I understand how they work. Kids don't care, they're just doing what they're told, cargo cult style. Of course they won't be written perfectly, which reduces their effectiveness. But the idea that they don't help at all, or at least statistically so, is astonishing.
And the article provides evidence of that, cutting neighboring counties in Tennessee with similar vaccination rates where one had a 23% lower making rate, but similar spread. How can that be? Truly fascinating.
Much as we've seen the downside of forced closures and lockdowns, this article reminds us that there may be downsides for kids and masks. I wasn't open to this possibility previously. What could be the downside to putting on a mask? And the answer is, we just don't know. How can we follow the science if we don't have any research?
I continue to be glad to be a resident of the US, whose federalist system allows all these different jurisdictions to try different rules that may work better for them. It gives us a chance to study these differences and learn from them.
Really thought provoking article. While I wait for more studies, guess I'll keep wearing this mask around people. Can't hurt, right? Probably.