What’s up with parents not wearing masks at the playground?

[Anonymous]

re you seriously questioning whether masks are necessary in schools. Multiple studies have supported that masks and other mitigation strategies are the key to safely keeping schools open. And we need schools to stay open.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/sci...ssion_k_12_schools.html#ftn-50

"When mitigation strategies – especially mask use and physical distancing – are consistently and correctly used, the risk of transmission in the school environment is decreased.50 CDC’s school guidance for COVID-19 emphasizes 5 key mitigation strategies: consistent and correct use of masks, physical distancing, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and ventilation, and contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine. Use of multiple strategies – sometimes called layered mitigation – provides greater protection in breaking transmission chains than implementing a single strategy.51 The guidance recommends layering two or more mitigation strategies, with particular emphasis on universal use of masks and physical distancing."

That doesn’t separate the effectiveness of individual NPIs or compare outcomes in mask vs. mask optional schools. We have had worse outcomes than countries that don’t expect students to mask.

- Pediatricians in Canada advise against kids wearing masks for the school day.

https://www.sickkids.ca/siteassets/news/news-archive/2020/covid19-recommendations-for-school-reopening-sickkids.pdf

- Denmark and Sweden haven’t required students to mask

- Norway requires masks during passing periods

- Germany didn’t require them when windows were open

We know some schools in Florida are mask optional. Florida has done no worse than California, where extended school closures continue to harm students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Masks are only recommended outside when 6’ of distance can’t be maintained. It’s fine. Really.

Not true. Even for fully vaccinated people CDC recommends to: "continue to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart from other people in other settings, like when they are in public or visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.

The CDC also recommends that we all cook our steaks well done, and that all eggs should be hard-boiled. Their recommendations are well on the side of overly cautious.

And women should never have more than one drink in 24 hours. We should all be avoiding sushi and over easy eggs too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

re you seriously questioning whether masks are necessary in schools. Multiple studies have supported that masks and other mitigation strategies are the key to safely keeping schools open. And we need schools to stay open.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/sci...ssion_k_12_schools.html#ftn-50

"When mitigation strategies – especially mask use and physical distancing – are consistently and correctly used, the risk of transmission in the school environment is decreased.50 CDC’s school guidance for COVID-19 emphasizes 5 key mitigation strategies: consistent and correct use of masks, physical distancing, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and ventilation, and contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine. Use of multiple strategies – sometimes called layered mitigation – provides greater protection in breaking transmission chains than implementing a single strategy.51 The guidance recommends layering two or more mitigation strategies, with particular emphasis on universal use of masks and physical distancing."

That doesn’t separate the effectiveness of individual NPIs or compare outcomes in mask vs. mask optional schools. We have had worse outcomes than countries that don’t expect students to mask.

- Pediatricians in Canada advise against kids wearing masks for the school day.

https://www.sickkids.ca/siteassets/news/news-archive/2020/covid19-recommendations-for-school-reopening-sickkids.pdf

- Denmark and Sweden haven’t required students to mask

- Norway requires masks during passing periods

- Germany didn’t require them when windows were open

We know some schools in Florida are mask optional. Florida has done no worse than California, where extended school closures continue to harm students.

Kids in Sweden have attended maskless, and this was prior to teacher vaccination.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2026670

Data from the Public Health Agency of Sweden (published report5 and personal communication) showed that fewer than 10 preschool teachers and 20 schoolteachers in Sweden received intensive care for Covid-19 up until June 30, 2020 (20 per 103,596 schoolteachers, which is equal to 19 per 100,000). As compared with other occupations (excluding health care workers), this corresponded to sex- and age-adjusted relative risks of 1.10 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49 to 2.49) among preschool teachers and 0.43 (95% CI, 0.28 to 0.68) among schoolteachers

[Anonymous]

Are you seriously questioning whether masks are necessary in schools. Multiple studies have supported that masks and other mitigation strategies are the key to safely keeping schools open. And we need schools to stay open.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/sci...ssion_k_12_schools.html#ftn-50

"When mitigation strategies – especially mask use and physical distancing – are consistently and correctly used, the risk of transmission in the school environment is decreased.50 CDC’s school guidance for COVID-19 emphasizes 5 key mitigation strategies: consistent and correct use of masks, physical distancing, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and ventilation, and contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine. Use of multiple strategies – sometimes called layered mitigation – provides greater protection in breaking transmission chains than implementing a single strategy.51 The guidance recommends layering two or more mitigation strategies, with particular emphasis on universal use of masks and physical distancing."

This really isn’t helpful in determining the effect size of student masking in school. Texas is leaving the masking decision to individual districts. There should be some good data as a result.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you are being sarcastic because I don’t quite understand why you cast it in a seemingly nonsensical terms. The national mask mandate started in mid-April, by which time tons of infectious chains had been seeded. People were told to wear homemade masks. But as the pandemic went on they stepped up their PPE manufacturing and mask compliance rose to 90%+ nationwide by September, which is when their surge was cut short.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-was-consuming-india-until-nearly-everyone-started-wearing-masks-11609329603

There are policies and then there is timing, compliance, and a host of other factors that mitigate their impact. Just read about the details of these countries, everything is online now. Oh wait — I forgot the MSM conspiracy that somehow all newspapers around the world simultaneously propagated right?

I absolutely agree that the US acted too late. Masks are not the main reason we failed so badly.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/03/how-the-west-lost-covid-19.html

“Basically, going back to January, they’d be like, ‘China’s not going to control it; 80 percent of the population is going to get it; all efforts to contain it are going to fail; we have to learn to live with this virus; contact tracing and testing make no sense; this is going to be everywhere; right now we need to build up hospitals’ — which they didn’t even do. But they really didn’t think it was stoppable,” she says. “And then all of a sudden you started to see, in February, South Korea stopping it, Taiwan stopping it, and China stopping it. Then, in March, New Zealand. And then Australia. And then there’s this realization of, ‘Oh, wow. Actually, it is controllable.”

Yup, pretty much. We just had idiots in charge and people willing to follow. National embarrassment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you are being sarcastic because I don’t quite understand why you cast it in a seemingly nonsensical terms. The national mask mandate started in mid-April, by which time tons of infectious chains had been seeded. People were told to wear homemade masks. But as the pandemic went on they stepped up their PPE manufacturing and mask compliance rose to 90%+ nationwide by September, which is when their surge was cut short.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-was-consuming-india-until-nearly-everyone-started-wearing-masks-11609329603

There are policies and then there is timing, compliance, and a host of other factors that mitigate their impact. Just read about the details of these countries, everything is online now. Oh wait — I forgot the MSM conspiracy that somehow all newspapers around the world simultaneously propagated right?

I absolutely agree that the US acted too late. Masks are not the main reason we failed so badly.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/03/how-the-west-lost-covid-19.html

“Basically, going back to January, they’d be like, ‘China’s not going to control it; 80 percent of the population is going to get it; all efforts to contain it are going to fail; we have to learn to live with this virus; contact tracing and testing make no sense; this is going to be everywhere; right now we need to build up hospitals’ — which they didn’t even do. But they really didn’t think it was stoppable,” she says. “And then all of a sudden you started to see, in February, South Korea stopping it, Taiwan stopping it, and China stopping it. Then, in March, New Zealand. And then Australia. And then there’s this realization of, ‘Oh, wow. Actually, it is controllable.”

Yup, pretty much. We just had idiots in charge and people willing to follow. National embarrassment.

Exactly. We acted way too late. And by then, the horse had left the barn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Masks are only recommended outside when 6’ of distance can’t be maintained. It’s fine. Really.

Not true. Even for fully vaccinated people CDC recommends to: "continue to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart from other people in other settings, like when they are in public or visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.

The CDC also recommends that we all cook our steaks well done, and that all eggs should be hard-boiled. Their recommendations are well on the side of overly cautious.

And women should never have more than one drink in 24 hours. We should all be avoiding sushi and over easy eggs too.

I mean, the type of people who work for the CDC and come up with these guidelines are probably incredibly careful, cautious, socially anxious germophobes. The type of lifestyle they propose isn't worth living.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Masks are only recommended outside when 6’ of distance can’t be maintained. It’s fine. Really.

Not true. Even for fully vaccinated people CDC recommends to: "continue to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart from other people in other settings, like when they are in public or visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.

The CDC also recommends that we all cook our steaks well done, and that all eggs should be hard-boiled. Their recommendations are well on the side of overly cautious.

And women should never have more than one drink in 24 hours. We should all be avoiding sushi and over easy eggs too.

I mean, the type of people who work for the CDC and come up with these guidelines are probably incredibly careful, cautious, socially anxious germophobes. The type of lifestyle they propose isn't worth living.

+1. WHO says 3 feet? Let’s double it. WHO says mask 5 year olds? Let’s mask 2 year olds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Masks are only recommended outside when 6’ of distance can’t be maintained. It’s fine. Really.

Not true. Even for fully vaccinated people CDC recommends to: "continue to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart from other people in other settings, like when they are in public or visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.

The CDC also recommends that we all cook our steaks well done, and that all eggs should be hard-boiled. Their recommendations are well on the side of overly cautious.

And women should never have more than one drink in 24 hours. We should all be avoiding sushi and over easy eggs too.

I mean, the type of people who work for the CDC and come up with these guidelines are probably incredibly careful, cautious, socially anxious germophobes. The type of lifestyle they propose isn't worth living.

+1. WHO says 3 feet? Let’s double it. WHO says mask 5 year olds? Let’s mask 2 year olds.

I actually can picture these playground mask moms pre-covid. “No Larla! You know your steak must be well done.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Masks are only recommended outside when 6’ of distance can’t be maintained. It’s fine. Really.

Not true. Even for fully vaccinated people CDC recommends to: "continue to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart from other people in other settings, like when they are in public or visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.

The CDC also recommends that we all cook our steaks well done, and that all eggs should be hard-boiled. Their recommendations are well on the side of overly cautious.

And women should never have more than one drink in 24 hours. We should all be avoiding sushi and over easy eggs too.

I mean, the type of people who work for the CDC and come up with these guidelines are probably incredibly careful, cautious, socially anxious germophobes. The type of lifestyle they propose isn't worth living.

+1. WHO says 3 feet? Let’s double it. WHO says mask 5 year olds? Let’s mask 2 year olds.

I actually can picture these playground mask moms pre-covid. “No Larla! You know your steak must be well done.”

You mean people are really sad. Projecting onto people you know nothing about so you can feel better about what? Not following guidance?

You guys are petty and small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

re you seriously questioning whether masks are necessary in schools. Multiple studies have supported that masks and other mitigation strategies are the key to safely keeping schools open. And we need schools to stay open.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/sci...ssion_k_12_schools.html#ftn-50

"When mitigation strategies – especially mask use and physical distancing – are consistently and correctly used, the risk of transmission in the school environment is decreased.50 CDC’s school guidance for COVID-19 emphasizes 5 key mitigation strategies: consistent and correct use of masks, physical distancing, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and ventilation, and contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine. Use of multiple strategies – sometimes called layered mitigation – provides greater protection in breaking transmission chains than implementing a single strategy.51 The guidance recommends layering two or more mitigation strategies, with particular emphasis on universal use of masks and physical distancing."

That doesn’t separate the effectiveness of individual NPIs or compare outcomes in mask vs. mask optional schools. We have had worse outcomes than countries that don’t expect students to mask.

- Pediatricians in Canada advise against kids wearing masks for the school day.

https://www.sickkids.ca/siteassets/news/news-archive/2020/covid19-recommendations-for-school-reopening-sickkids.pdf

- Denmark and Sweden haven’t required students to mask

- Norway requires masks during passing periods

- Germany didn’t require them when windows were open

We know some schools in Florida are mask optional. Florida has done no worse than California, where extended school closures continue to harm students.

Your link goes to something from last July. More research has come out since and masks are still recommended. Other countries have had better responses in general than the U.S., which is full of people who did other things that increased community spread, so I'm not ready to throw my mask away over data from Sweden.

[Anonymous]

Masks outside are pointless

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

re you seriously questioning whether masks are necessary in schools. Multiple studies have supported that masks and other mitigation strategies are the key to safely keeping schools open. And we need schools to stay open.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/sci...ssion_k_12_schools.html#ftn-50

"When mitigation strategies – especially mask use and physical distancing – are consistently and correctly used, the risk of transmission in the school environment is decreased.50 CDC’s school guidance for COVID-19 emphasizes 5 key mitigation strategies: consistent and correct use of masks, physical distancing, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and ventilation, and contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine. Use of multiple strategies – sometimes called layered mitigation – provides greater protection in breaking transmission chains than implementing a single strategy.51 The guidance recommends layering two or more mitigation strategies, with particular emphasis on universal use of masks and physical distancing."

That doesn’t separate the effectiveness of individual NPIs or compare outcomes in mask vs. mask optional schools. We have had worse outcomes than countries that don’t expect students to mask.

- Pediatricians in Canada advise against kids wearing masks for the school day.

https://www.sickkids.ca/siteassets/news/news-archive/2020/covid19-recommendations-for-school-reopening-sickkids.pdf

- Denmark and Sweden haven’t required students to mask

- Norway requires masks during passing periods

- Germany didn’t require them when windows were open

We know some schools in Florida are mask optional. Florida has done no worse than California, where extended school closures continue to harm students.

Your link goes to something from last July. More research has come out since and masks are still recommended. Other countries have had better responses in general than the U.S., which is full of people who did other things that increased community spread, so I'm not ready to throw my mask away over data from Sweden.

For two weeks now, hospitalizations have been at flu level. Immunity from natural infection and increasingly vaccination are improving the situation weekly. The data is from a much more precarious time. Even then, maskless school was not unsafe. Would like to see your data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Masks are only recommended outside when 6’ of distance can’t be maintained. It’s fine. Really.

Not true. Even for fully vaccinated people CDC recommends to: "continue to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart from other people in other settings, like when they are in public or visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.

The CDC also recommends that we all cook our steaks well done, and that all eggs should be hard-boiled. Their recommendations are well on the side of overly cautious.

And women should never have more than one drink in 24 hours. We should all be avoiding sushi and over easy eggs too.

I mean, the type of people who work for the CDC and come up with these guidelines are probably incredibly careful, cautious, socially anxious germophobes. The type of lifestyle they propose isn't worth living.

+1. WHO says 3 feet? Let’s double it. WHO says mask 5 year olds? Let’s mask 2 year olds.

+1. The travel guidelines too. Party on in your own state but if you cross the border to go camping, test and quarantine for a week when you return home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Masks are only recommended outside when 6’ of distance can’t be maintained. It’s fine. Really.

Not true. Even for fully vaccinated people CDC recommends to: "continue to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart from other people in other settings, like when they are in public or visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.

The CDC also recommends that we all cook our steaks well done, and that all eggs should be hard-boiled. Their recommendations are well on the side of overly cautious.

And women should never have more than one drink in 24 hours. We should all be avoiding sushi and over easy eggs too.

I mean, the type of people who work for the CDC and come up with these guidelines are probably incredibly careful, cautious, socially anxious germophobes. The type of lifestyle they propose isn't worth living.

+1. WHO says 3 feet? Let’s double it. WHO says mask 5 year olds? Let’s mask 2 year olds.

+1. The travel guidelines too. Party on in your own state but if you cross the border to go camping, test and quarantine for a week when you return home.

Right. Somehow, it's okay for my kid, who is in DCPS, to go skiing in Wisp (since it's just barely inside Maryland), but not Snowshoe (which is just barely outside of Virginia). You can go party in Ocean City, Maryland, but not Dewey Beach, Delaware.

These rules stopped making sense a long time ago. We pretty much ignore them.