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Follow up
The last six month I have lost four or five friends here. It could be they have unfriended me since there's no chemistry, but it’s also easy to assume it’s because of cultural differences. That I live in a country where lockdowns and “facemasks” still are up for debate, because it’s debated here. Scientific consensus takes time to develop. While Americans are used to the only one question, lockdowns and masks as first response, is a small group of cartoonishly evil, far right conspiracy believers?
The bad news is that both sides have been wrong in their most optimistic assumptions. At least one of the lockdown and mask advocates here was sure the lockdown and mask countries in Europe would not get a “second wave” this autumn. Well, that happened. I just read a report from Paris claiming that Parisians might feel duped. First they went from “no need to wear masks” to “WEAR MASKS!!!” in just a few months. Now when everyone wears masks, the infection rate is worse than ever*. And the skeptics of lockdowns and masks have also been wrong. If they assumed the IFR was under 0.1 %. If they assumed the pandemic would have ended by now. Or if they assumed that it was like a seasonal influenza. That said, the good news is, the most pessimistic assumptions have also been shown wrong. It’s not just doom and gloom.
If anyone wants to read my thoughts about it. It seems like one criticism of draconian rules is that humans aren't robots. Demanding that people should have the stamina to use - the hard to use - masks, plus give up social interactions, is not a realistic demand. The other criticism is, of course, that lockdowns on their own have negative health consequences. If those consequences are worse than what they prevent? Definitely not a question I’m the right person to answer.
* Of course not in it self a proof if masks indiors work or not. (Masks wearing outdoors is, of course, for photographers who have decided they love to take photos of that.)
The bad news is that both sides have been wrong in their most optimistic assumptions. At least one of the lockdown and mask advocates here was sure the lockdown and mask countries in Europe would not get a “second wave” this autumn. Well, that happened. I just read a report from Paris claiming that Parisians might feel duped. First they went from “no need to wear masks” to “WEAR MASKS!!!” in just a few months. Now when everyone wears masks, the infection rate is worse than ever*. And the skeptics of lockdowns and masks have also been wrong. If they assumed the IFR was under 0.1 %. If they assumed the pandemic would have ended by now. Or if they assumed that it was like a seasonal influenza. That said, the good news is, the most pessimistic assumptions have also been shown wrong. It’s not just doom and gloom.
If anyone wants to read my thoughts about it. It seems like one criticism of draconian rules is that humans aren't robots. Demanding that people should have the stamina to use - the hard to use - masks, plus give up social interactions, is not a realistic demand. The other criticism is, of course, that lockdowns on their own have negative health consequences. If those consequences are worse than what they prevent? Definitely not a question I’m the right person to answer.
* Of course not in it self a proof if masks indiors work or not. (Masks wearing outdoors is, of course, for photographers who have decided they love to take photos of that.)