Masking the problem

"Where does that leave us? Simply here - you could wear a cloth mask when out and about, or a eye mask like the Lone Ranger wore, and your protection would be about the same."

To wear a mask, or not to wear a mask. That is the question. To wear a mask only once, or to wear it over and over. To wear a N 95 type mask, or to wear a cloth mask. To make the wearing of a mask mandatory, or to it voluntary. To have little kids wear masks all day in school, or to only have them wear them on the buses. All this mask BS is enough to drive one crazy. But at the end of the day, one glaring question remains - do they do any good for any one, or is just a "feel good" gesture?

First and most important, a fact that most all of us know by now is this - a cloth mask is about as useless as a screen door on a submarine. They do nothing, except make some people feel better. But that is what most folks are wearing at stores like Costco or Menards. And rumor has it, this is the kind of mask kids will be mandated to wear in school this fall (if there is school this fall). I guess they do one thing which is useful - for those who forget to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, they will catch some of the snot and spray.

But let's get down to brass tacks and talk about the real masks. The ones the pros wear. You know - KN 95 masks. Or the grand daddy of them all, the N 100 masks. The "95" stands for the mask being able to filter out 95% of all particulates 3 microns or larger. To be effective, these masks are made to be single use only. Even though because of the shortage, some health professionals have to wear their N 95 masks over and over again.

And the N 100 masks are suppose to be stout enough to filter out 100% of all particulates 3 microns or larger. Sounds good, right? Well, sort of. A couple of problems. First off, the masks which are the easiest to breathe through are respirator masks, which allow exhaling though vents in the mask. If the person wearing the mask is infected, all those germs are then vented through the mask, and into the room. Sucks then, being someone else in the room without proper protection.

Speaking of proper protection, here is the real bugaboo. Remember that whole 3 micron thing for size? Seems our uninvited virus is a real mini. Its size is .125 microns - much smaller than the 3 microns. That is the bad news. The good news however, is scientists believe the virus is often bonded to something else, which would make its size something over 3 microns. However, if the virus is not bonded to something else, its tiny size would allow it to slip through the filters on the N 95 or N 100 masks.

Where does that leave us? Simply here - you could wear a cloth mask when out and about, or a eye mask like the Lone Ranger wore, and your protection would be about the same. As the Governor of Minnesota wrestles with a state order mandating everyone wear masks, the one collective question which needs to be asked is "why"?

Sorry if this was not more help. I really wish I could have found a logical answer to this entire mask BS. But there is none from my perspective. I other words, I got nothing. If anyone has something on this issue, please let me know.