Masks optional by spring break

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone looked at the Urgency of Normal website? They advocate for removing masks… We watched the Zoom presentation last night and some interesting points were made. There was a danish doc saying they never masked any kids under age 12 in her country. She also said in her line of work she’s been collecting data from neighboring school districts in the U.S., one with and one without a mask mandate. There were similar rates of covid reported within the schools.

I understand the need to keep vulnerable people safe… but if the kid masks are providing little to no protection… what’s the point? Esp for pre-K and early elementary school kids. I’m not anti-mask but I am pro-face.

+1. There is no point. It is pure virtue signaling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone looked at the Urgency of Normal website? They advocate for removing masks… We watched the Zoom presentation last night and some interesting points were made. There was a danish doc saying they never masked any kids under age 12 in her country. She also said in her line of work she’s been collecting data from neighboring school districts in the U.S., one with and one without a mask mandate. There were similar rates of covid reported within the schools.

I understand the need to keep vulnerable people safe… but if the kid masks are providing little to no protection… what’s the point? Esp for pre-K and early elementary school kids. I’m not anti-mask but I am pro-face.

Ha, it’s funny that the only scientists doing this sort of analysis are outside the country. I’ve been saying for a while now that the data is there, why is no one looking at it? Childcares too, even with the same metro area.

Any scientists in this area that presented this research would promptly be labeled anti-science and get beaten up by the mainstream media.

There are plenty of countries who did not mask kids under age 12. And especially kids under 5. Yet, here in MoCo, anybody above the age of 2 needs a mask thanks to our inept public health officials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone looked at the Urgency of Normal website? They advocate for removing masks… We watched the Zoom presentation last night and some interesting points were made. There was a danish doc saying they never masked any kids under age 12 in her country. She also said in her line of work she’s been collecting data from neighboring school districts in the U.S., one with and one without a mask mandate. There were similar rates of covid reported within the schools.

I understand the need to keep vulnerable people safe… but if the kid masks are providing little to no protection… what’s the point? Esp for pre-K and early elementary school kids. I’m not anti-mask but I am pro-face.

+1. There is no point. It is pure virtue signaling.

This is unhelpful. I'm sure there's some asshat out there sending their kids to school in a mask in order to send a message to others about who and what they are -- i.e. virtue signalling or mere performance -- but for the most part people wear masks because they believe it keeps them and others safer.

Does it? And how much safer? These are open questions.

There are studies that suggest strongly that community masking reduces transmission rates. THere are studies that do not reach the same conclusion.

There are no randomized controlled studies on the efficacy of mandatory masking policies for schoolchildren with any-and-all-masks during an omicron surge. SO people are doing the best they can with imperfect and incomplete knowledge.

My own read is that masking policies do keep the community at-large safer -- but only incrementally so. Maybe 10% safer? (which makes the question 10% of what pretty important.) And it's unclear that masking specifically in schools is needed in order to achieve this kind of improvement -- it may well be that it is not.

Since the costs of masking policies are non-negligible to the community, masking should only be mandated when the benefits are clear and the need is urgent. And I also believe that we know well enough at this point that kids are not a primary driver of community spread; Covid rates are more likely to reflect community transmission rates than drive them.

So we should make masking voluntary ASAP.

My two cents.

[Anonymous]

DUMBEST THREAD EVER!!!

[Anonymous]

It's a thread meant to stir up the parents, nothing more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone looked at the Urgency of Normal website? They advocate for removing masks… We watched the Zoom presentation last night and some interesting points were made. There was a danish doc saying they never masked any kids under age 12 in her country. She also said in her line of work she’s been collecting data from neighboring school districts in the U.S., one with and one without a mask mandate. There were similar rates of covid reported within the schools.

I understand the need to keep vulnerable people safe… but if the kid masks are providing little to no protection… what’s the point? Esp for pre-K and early elementary school kids. I’m not anti-mask but I am pro-face.

+1. There is no point. It is pure virtue signaling.

This is unhelpful. I'm sure there's some asshat out there sending their kids to school in a mask in order to send a message to others about who and what they are -- i.e. virtue signalling or mere performance -- but for the most part people wear masks because they believe it keeps them and others safer.

Does it? And how much safer? These are open questions.

There are studies that suggest strongly that community masking reduces transmission rates. THere are studies that do not reach the same conclusion.

There are no randomized controlled studies on the efficacy of mandatory masking policies for schoolchildren with any-and-all-masks during an omicron surge. SO people are doing the best they can with imperfect and incomplete knowledge.

My own read is that masking policies do keep the community at-large safer -- but only incrementally so. Maybe 10% safer? (which makes the question 10% of what pretty important.) And it's unclear that masking specifically in schools is needed in order to achieve this kind of improvement -- it may well be that it is not.

Since the costs of masking policies are non-negligible to the community, masking should only be mandated when the benefits are clear and the need is urgent. And I also believe that we know well enough at this point that kids are not a primary driver of community spread; Covid rates are more likely to reflect community transmission rates than drive them.

So we should make masking voluntary ASAP.

My two cents.

Yes, especially now with plentiful supply of N95 and KN95 masks, those who wish to protect themselves can do so. Those who have had covid, are fully vaxed, etc., can choose to not mask if desired. This is the way it needs to be. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/25/schools-safely-make-masks-optional-new-cdc-guidelines/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone looked at the Urgency of Normal website? They advocate for removing masks… We watched the Zoom presentation last night and some interesting points were made. There was a danish doc saying they never masked any kids under age 12 in her country. She also said in her line of work she’s been collecting data from neighboring school districts in the U.S., one with and one without a mask mandate. There were similar rates of covid reported within the schools.

I understand the need to keep vulnerable people safe… but if the kid masks are providing little to no protection… what’s the point? Esp for pre-K and early elementary school kids. I’m not anti-mask but I am pro-face.

+1. There is no point. It is pure virtue signaling.

Appreciate the irony of it being a zoom a presentation?! Why didn't you guys all meet in person and breathe on each other?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You all sound like children

That's built into the dna of dcum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone looked at the Urgency of Normal website? They advocate for removing masks… We watched the Zoom presentation last night and some interesting points were made. There was a danish doc saying they never masked any kids under age 12 in her country. She also said in her line of work she’s been collecting data from neighboring school districts in the U.S., one with and one without a mask mandate. There were similar rates of covid reported within the schools.

I understand the need to keep vulnerable people safe… but if the kid masks are providing little to no protection… what’s the point? Esp for pre-K and early elementary school kids. I’m not anti-mask but I am pro-face.

+1. There is no point. It is pure virtue signaling.

This is unhelpful. I'm sure there's some asshat out there sending their kids to school in a mask in order to send a message to others about who and what they are -- i.e. virtue signalling or mere performance -- but for the most part people wear masks because they believe it keeps them and others safer.

Does it? And how much safer? These are open questions.

There are studies that suggest strongly that community masking reduces transmission rates. THere are studies that do not reach the same conclusion.

There are no randomized controlled studies on the efficacy of mandatory masking policies for schoolchildren with any-and-all-masks during an omicron surge. SO people are doing the best they can with imperfect and incomplete knowledge.

My own read is that masking policies do keep the community at-large safer -- but only incrementally so. Maybe 10% safer? (which makes the question 10% of what pretty important.) And it's unclear that masking specifically in schools is needed in order to achieve this kind of improvement -- it may well be that it is not.

Since the costs of masking policies are non-negligible to the community, masking should only be mandated when the benefits are clear and the need is urgent. And I also believe that we know well enough at this point that kids are not a primary driver of community spread; Covid rates are more likely to reflect community transmission rates than drive them.

So we should make masking voluntary ASAP.

My two cents.

Yes, especially now with plentiful supply of N95 and KN95 masks, those who wish to protect themselves can do so. Those who have had covid, are fully vaxed, etc., can choose to not mask if desired. This is the way it needs to be. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/25/schools-safely-make-masks-optional-new-cdc-guidelines/

The responses are getting more embarrassing by the moment. I have to stop reading this. I'm losing faith in humanity.
Science can be hard for the intellectually challenged Republicans but the selfishness that is emerging is overwhelming

[Anonymous]

We are going to be masking for a long long time. Someone paid for all those KN95s and they have an expiration date. We are going to be made to wear masks so that the money spending is justified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone looked at the Urgency of Normal website? They advocate for removing masks… We watched the Zoom presentation last night and some interesting points were made. There was a danish doc saying they never masked any kids under age 12 in her country. She also said in her line of work she’s been collecting data from neighboring school districts in the U.S., one with and one without a mask mandate. There were similar rates of covid reported within the schools.

I understand the need to keep vulnerable people safe… but if the kid masks are providing little to no protection… what’s the point? Esp for pre-K and early elementary school kids. I’m not anti-mask but I am pro-face.

+1. There is no point. It is pure virtue signaling.

This is unhelpful. I'm sure there's some asshat out there sending their kids to school in a mask in order to send a message to others about who and what they are -- i.e. virtue signalling or mere performance -- but for the most part people wear masks because they believe it keeps them and others safer.

Does it? And how much safer? These are open questions.

There are studies that suggest strongly that community masking reduces transmission rates. THere are studies that do not reach the same conclusion.

There are no randomized controlled studies on the efficacy of mandatory masking policies for schoolchildren with any-and-all-masks during an omicron surge. SO people are doing the best they can with imperfect and incomplete knowledge.

My own read is that masking policies do keep the community at-large safer -- but only incrementally so. Maybe 10% safer? (which makes the question 10% of what pretty important.) And it's unclear that masking specifically in schools is needed in order to achieve this kind of improvement -- it may well be that it is not.

Since the costs of masking policies are non-negligible to the community, masking should only be mandated when the benefits are clear and the need is urgent. And I also believe that we know well enough at this point that kids are not a primary driver of community spread; Covid rates are more likely to reflect community transmission rates than drive them.

So we should make masking voluntary ASAP.

My two cents.

Yes, especially now with plentiful supply of N95 and KN95 masks, those who wish to protect themselves can do so. Those who have had covid, are fully vaxed, etc., can choose to not mask if desired. This is the way it needs to be. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/25/schools-safely-make-masks-optional-new-cdc-guidelines/

The responses are getting more embarrassing by the moment. I have to stop reading this. I'm losing faith in humanity.
Science can be hard for the intellectually challenged Republicans but the selfishness that is emerging is overwhelming

Science can be hard for the ideologically driven Democrats but the selfishness that is emerging is overwhelming

[Anonymous]

With falling case numbers and a handful of docs finally speaking up against masking I think we’re headed in the right direction, OP! Spring break sounds about right!

[Anonymous]

Our kids are stuck in a war between COVID deniers and COVID paranoids. Hopefully by spring, reasonable voices will emerge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With falling case numbers and a handful of docs finally speaking up against masking I think we’re headed in the right direction, OP! Spring break sounds about right!

Lol better go pressure the MSDE. It's their decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If one-way N95 masking plus vaccines work just as well or better than universal masking (cloth or surgical), there really is no need for universal masking. It's just not needed.

Better to put our energy into vaccine clinics and getting well-fitting N95s / KN95s / KN94s to everyone who wants one.

it was true for a long time that your mask kept me safe; and my mask kept you safe.

But that's just not the case anymore. The surge is passing, thank God -- now it's time to change the policies and stop shifting costs to kids (unless it's a dire emergency.)

Focus on vaccines and boosters, get outside, and in crowds or not-well-ventilated spaces -- or during a spike -- focus on high-quality, well-fitting masks for YOU or your kid. Wear as needed.

Most of the earth’s population is not vaccinated. Variants will keep coming. You know a little something about omicron and nothing about the new variants we’ll see over the next 5 months. What gives you the confidence to make statements about the effectiveness of masking for the rest of the school year? I’m not saying masking will be necessary, because I don’t know, but what makes you so sure that masking won’t be necessary, other than the fact that you don’t want your kids to have to?

If things change, then we'll have to adapt again.

One of the reasons I'd like us to make masking optional sooner rather than later is a combination of the enjoy-it-while-you-can factor with what I suppose is best described as fatigue. Or maybe, just getting used to it. I'm worried that if we insist on mandatory masking when the benefits are likely statistically not-very-significant, then we may end up with less compliance in the future when it's really important.

FWIW, my kids and I will probably wear masks indoors, depending on what we're hearing from health officials. But I don't need you to mask if you don't want to -- unless there is new information (new variant, community spread rates, e.g.) to content with.

One-way masking works when you are talking about severe disease/mortality (due to vaccinations in individuals who are healthy) which is great news!! BUT it doesn't account for the fact that one way masking is not as effective as two way masking in reducing transmission - something that is still important because our students spend 6 hours indoors every day and can bring the virus home (or high risk students/teachers could get sick themselves). I think one-way masking could work in situations where your encounters with people who are unmasked are limited/short in duration.

Too early to make masks optional.. especially with therapeutics still very limited and 7 million immunocompromised Americans still needing to be highly cautious about being exposed to a highly transmissible virus.