Not Wearing Mask Outdoors

[Anonymous]

It's just a common sense thing. If we are walking through our quiet suburban neighborhood, masks are not necessary. We see people, but it's very easy to cross the street or get in the street (moving a few feet away from the sidewalk is safe).

If we lived in the city or were going on popular trails we'd wear a mask, but it's very easy to SD in our neighborhood.

I'm sorry, but every person I know who has gotten COVID or posted on DCUM all say the same thing: I never came in contact with another person!

Yet, the data shows that most people are getting COVID from close gatherings with people - working together in offices, prisons, nursing homes, health care facilities, bars, restaurants, churches, birthday parties, funerals, dinner parties. I am sure there are a few people who are very careful and have very bad luck - maybe they are genetically very susceptible and they happen to touch a surface that was just touched by a superspreader or something - but really it's impossible for all these people to just get it magically. We know how it is transmitted and hanging out in your yard and walking through places outside where it is easy to SD is not how 99% of people are getting it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

No one can possibly know if covid was transferred by an umasked person on the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t this highly contagious virus be transmitted with one sneeze outside?

Better safe than sorry. Plus it’s easier for my kids to accept “always” rather than “sometimes”. We are all masked anytime we leave our yard or house.

Of course it can be traced - if one highly infectious person is walking and passing people, surely a couple of people will get infected. They ask where they've been lately, and this would be their commonality. I get that tracing isn't happening often, but if there is not ONE SINGLE CONFIRMED CASE in ANY city, ANY county, ANY state, or ANY country? It's not happening. And all data points to viral load + time being a major, major concern. Someone would have to sneeze directly into your mouth for this to happen. Don't let other people sneeze directly into your mouth.

You can be cautious, and then there's being irrational against all evidence. This is the latter. Clustered and huddled outside? Sure, mask up. An incredibly brief pass? Pretty much impossible.

No, my mother assumes that she got covid from someone she passed outside on her daily walk as she has absolutely zero contact with anyone else for two months. No grocery store, no friends, no doctors - no one. She couldn’t have been infected any other way.

Sorry, I don't believe this. It defies all science. Everyone says I've basically been isolating except for that one time!" There's a lot of dishonesty about many infectious people and how much they've actually not been social distancing.

Disbelieve at your own peril, PP. My mother walked every single day and simply passed other walkers outside. It’s the only place she could have contracted it (and possibly spread it).

Was she living with anyone else who may have been an asymptomatic carrier? Surface transmission is also possible. One epidemiology study in China indicated that the likeliest source of transmission for residents of a building were elevator surfaces (buttons).

[Anonymous]

I both agree that "always" is easier to teach than "sometimes" and in my area I just can't see any benefit in always wearing masks outside. We live in a SFH urban neighborhood with minimal foot traffic near a huge Olmstead park that is lightly used. For myself, I don't want to wear a mask for an hour in a situation where I can easily stay 20 feet away from any other person and most of the time there is no one around and I also don't want to make my kid wear a mask in those circumstances. I feel like we need to focus on a harm reduction approach even though it can lead to much more annoying negotiation with kids.

I can totally see mask all the time if you live in a dense urban area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids hate masks too but we insist they wear them outside if we are going to pass anyone closer than six feet - like another person on the trail or sidewalk.

If you cannot guarantee a six foot or more distance, you need to wear a mask.

This. We don’t in our neighborhood because we just cross to the other side if we see someone coming, but on trails and such we have them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

No one can possibly know if covid was transferred by an umasked person on the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t this highly contagious virus be transmitted with one sneeze outside?

Better safe than sorry. Plus it’s easier for my kids to accept “always” rather than “sometimes”. We are all masked anytime we leave our yard or house.

Of course it can be traced - if one highly infectious person is walking and passing people, surely a couple of people will get infected. They ask where they've been lately, and this would be their commonality. I get that tracing isn't happening often, but if there is not ONE SINGLE CONFIRMED CASE in ANY city, ANY county, ANY state, or ANY country? It's not happening. And all data points to viral load + time being a major, major concern. Someone would have to sneeze directly into your mouth for this to happen. Don't let other people sneeze directly into your mouth.

You can be cautious, and then there's being irrational against all evidence. This is the latter. Clustered and huddled outside? Sure, mask up. An incredibly brief pass? Pretty much impossible.

No, my mother assumes that she got covid from someone she passed outside on her daily walk as she has absolutely zero contact with anyone else for two months. No grocery store, no friends, no doctors - no one. She couldn’t have been infected any other way.

Sorry, I don't believe this. It defies all science. Everyone says I've basically been isolating except for that one time!" There's a lot of dishonesty about many infectious people and how much they've actually not been social distancing.

Yes there’s often that long conversation with the neighbor down the street or chatting it up with the delivery person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

No one can possibly know if covid was transferred by an umasked person on the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t this highly contagious virus be transmitted with one sneeze outside?

Better safe than sorry. Plus it’s easier for my kids to accept “always” rather than “sometimes”. We are all masked anytime we leave our yard or house.

Of course it can be traced - if one highly infectious person is walking and passing people, surely a couple of people will get infected. They ask where they've been lately, and this would be their commonality. I get that tracing isn't happening often, but if there is not ONE SINGLE CONFIRMED CASE in ANY city, ANY county, ANY state, or ANY country? It's not happening. And all data points to viral load + time being a major, major concern. Someone would have to sneeze directly into your mouth for this to happen. Don't let other people sneeze directly into your mouth.

You can be cautious, and then there's being irrational against all evidence. This is the latter. Clustered and huddled outside? Sure, mask up. An incredibly brief pass? Pretty much impossible.

I complete agree with you in terms of the science. But in terms of public policy, because people often can’t parse what’s safe and what’s not, perhaps it’s better to simply tell people to wear a mask outdoors. Similar to AAP’s policy on cosleeping—sometimes an unambiguous message is best because people have trouble with the nuances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

No one can possibly know if covid was transferred by an umasked person on the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t this highly contagious virus be transmitted with one sneeze outside?

Better safe than sorry. Plus it’s easier for my kids to accept “always” rather than “sometimes”. We are all masked anytime we leave our yard or house.

Of course it can be traced - if one highly infectious person is walking and passing people, surely a couple of people will get infected. They ask where they've been lately, and this would be their commonality. I get that tracing isn't happening often, but if there is not ONE SINGLE CONFIRMED CASE in ANY city, ANY county, ANY state, or ANY country? It's not happening. And all data points to viral load + time being a major, major concern. Someone would have to sneeze directly into your mouth for this to happen. Don't let other people sneeze directly into your mouth.

You can be cautious, and then there's being irrational against all evidence. This is the latter. Clustered and huddled outside? Sure, mask up. An incredibly brief pass? Pretty much impossible.

No, my mother assumes that she got covid from someone she passed outside on her daily walk as she has absolutely zero contact with anyone else for two months. No grocery store, no friends, no doctors - no one. She couldn’t have been infected any other way.

My mom is a retired nurse and also has been extra cautious and had no contact with others—except for that one time she got her hair done. 🙄 Sometimes people convince themselves that occasional lapses in judgment don’t count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

No one can possibly know if covid was transferred by an umasked person on the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t this highly contagious virus be transmitted with one sneeze outside?

Better safe than sorry. Plus it’s easier for my kids to accept “always” rather than “sometimes”. We are all masked anytime we leave our yard or house.

Of course it can be traced - if one highly infectious person is walking and passing people, surely a couple of people will get infected. They ask where they've been lately, and this would be their commonality. I get that tracing isn't happening often, but if there is not ONE SINGLE CONFIRMED CASE in ANY city, ANY county, ANY state, or ANY country? It's not happening. And all data points to viral load + time being a major, major concern. Someone would have to sneeze directly into your mouth for this to happen. Don't let other people sneeze directly into your mouth.

You can be cautious, and then there's being irrational against all evidence. This is the latter. Clustered and huddled outside? Sure, mask up. An incredibly brief pass? Pretty much impossible.

No, my mother assumes that she got covid from someone she passed outside on her daily walk as she has absolutely zero contact with anyone else for two months. No grocery store, no friends, no doctors - no one. She couldn’t have been infected any other way.

Sorry, I don't believe this. It defies all science. Everyone says I've basically been isolating except for that one time!" There's a lot of dishonesty about many infectious people and how much they've actually not been social distancing.

Disbelieve at your own peril, PP. My mother walked every single day and simply passed other walkers outside. It’s the only place she could have contracted it (and possibly spread it).

Was she living with anyone else who may have been an asymptomatic carrier? Surface transmission is also possible. One epidemiology study in China indicated that the likeliest source of transmission for residents of a building were elevator surfaces (buttons).

No. My mother lives in a small house alone. The doctors ruled out her contracting it from delivered groceries left outside her door or mail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

No one can possibly know if covid was transferred by an umasked person on the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t this highly contagious virus be transmitted with one sneeze outside?

Better safe than sorry. Plus it’s easier for my kids to accept “always” rather than “sometimes”. We are all masked anytime we leave our yard or house.

Of course it can be traced - if one highly infectious person is walking and passing people, surely a couple of people will get infected. They ask where they've been lately, and this would be their commonality. I get that tracing isn't happening often, but if there is not ONE SINGLE CONFIRMED CASE in ANY city, ANY county, ANY state, or ANY country? It's not happening. And all data points to viral load + time being a major, major concern. Someone would have to sneeze directly into your mouth for this to happen. Don't let other people sneeze directly into your mouth.

You can be cautious, and then there's being irrational against all evidence. This is the latter. Clustered and huddled outside? Sure, mask up. An incredibly brief pass? Pretty much impossible.

I complete agree with you in terms of the science. But in terms of public policy, because people often can’t parse what’s safe and what’s not, perhaps it’s better to simply tell people to wear a mask outdoors. Similar to AAP’s policy on cosleeping—sometimes an unambiguous message is best because people have trouble with the nuances.

Not if the mask gives people a false assurance that wearing one means they don't have to worry about transmission, and then people increase their close contact with others accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

No one can possibly know if covid was transferred by an umasked person on the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t this highly contagious virus be transmitted with one sneeze outside?

Better safe than sorry. Plus it’s easier for my kids to accept “always” rather than “sometimes”. We are all masked anytime we leave our yard or house.

Of course it can be traced - if one highly infectious person is walking and passing people, surely a couple of people will get infected. They ask where they've been lately, and this would be their commonality. I get that tracing isn't happening often, but if there is not ONE SINGLE CONFIRMED CASE in ANY city, ANY county, ANY state, or ANY country? It's not happening. And all data points to viral load + time being a major, major concern. Someone would have to sneeze directly into your mouth for this to happen. Don't let other people sneeze directly into your mouth.

You can be cautious, and then there's being irrational against all evidence. This is the latter. Clustered and huddled outside? Sure, mask up. An incredibly brief pass? Pretty much impossible.

No, my mother assumes that she got covid from someone she passed outside on her daily walk as she has absolutely zero contact with anyone else for two months. No grocery store, no friends, no doctors - no one. She couldn’t have been infected any other way.

Sorry, I don't believe this. It defies all science. Everyone says I've basically been isolating except for that one time!" There's a lot of dishonesty about many infectious people and how much they've actually not been social distancing.

Disbelieve at your own peril, PP. My mother walked every single day and simply passed other walkers outside. It’s the only place she could have contracted it (and possibly spread it).

Was she living with anyone else who may have been an asymptomatic carrier? Surface transmission is also possible. One epidemiology study in China indicated that the likeliest source of transmission for residents of a building were elevator surfaces (buttons).

No. My mother lives in a small house alone. The doctors ruled out her contracting it from delivered groceries left outside her door or mail.

Uh huh. I’m not buying that the older woman who lives alone and goes on daily walks in her neighborhood never, not once stopped and chatted, had a longer conversation, spoke to literally no one for months on end then suddenly got covid. Your mom’s not telling you the whole story. Maybe she’s having a torrid affair with a neighbor. That’s far more likely than getting covid from a maybe 3 second pass of someone on the sidewalk. I mean come on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

No one can possibly know if covid was transferred by an umasked person on the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t this highly contagious virus be transmitted with one sneeze outside?

Better safe than sorry. Plus it’s easier for my kids to accept “always” rather than “sometimes”. We are all masked anytime we leave our yard or house.

Of course it can be traced - if one highly infectious person is walking and passing people, surely a couple of people will get infected. They ask where they've been lately, and this would be their commonality. I get that tracing isn't happening often, but if there is not ONE SINGLE CONFIRMED CASE in ANY city, ANY county, ANY state, or ANY country? It's not happening. And all data points to viral load + time being a major, major concern. Someone would have to sneeze directly into your mouth for this to happen. Don't let other people sneeze directly into your mouth.

You can be cautious, and then there's being irrational against all evidence. This is the latter. Clustered and huddled outside? Sure, mask up. An incredibly brief pass? Pretty much impossible.

No, my mother assumes that she got covid from someone she passed outside on her daily walk as she has absolutely zero contact with anyone else for two months. No grocery store, no friends, no doctors - no one. She couldn’t have been infected any other way.

Sorry, I don't believe this. It defies all science. Everyone says I've basically been isolating except for that one time!" There's a lot of dishonesty about many infectious people and how much they've actually not been social distancing.

Disbelieve at your own peril, PP. My mother walked every single day and simply passed other walkers outside. It’s the only place she could have contracted it (and possibly spread it).

Was she living with anyone else who may have been an asymptomatic carrier? Surface transmission is also possible. One epidemiology study in China indicated that the likeliest source of transmission for residents of a building were elevator surfaces (buttons).

If anything we have had more guidance that surface transmission is not much of a risk versus person to person, so why do you dismiss the person to person transmission out of hand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

No one can possibly know if covid was transferred by an umasked person on the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t this highly contagious virus be transmitted with one sneeze outside?

Better safe than sorry. Plus it’s easier for my kids to accept “always” rather than “sometimes”. We are all masked anytime we leave our yard or house.

Of course it can be traced - if one highly infectious person is walking and passing people, surely a couple of people will get infected. They ask where they've been lately, and this would be their commonality. I get that tracing isn't happening often, but if there is not ONE SINGLE CONFIRMED CASE in ANY city, ANY county, ANY state, or ANY country? It's not happening. And all data points to viral load + time being a major, major concern. Someone would have to sneeze directly into your mouth for this to happen. Don't let other people sneeze directly into your mouth.

You can be cautious, and then there's being irrational against all evidence. This is the latter. Clustered and huddled outside? Sure, mask up. An incredibly brief pass? Pretty much impossible.

You can’t know exactly when you’re exposed or gave it to someone you passed if you aren’t always masked except for that one specific time! It doesn’t make sense that covid cannot be transmitted if you sneeze on someone walking by.

A sneeze or cough can be infectious through your eyes, not just the nose and mouth covered by a mask. This is why it's so important to keep your spacing. If someone is passing you on a trail, don't rely on a mask to protect you or that other person. Move away! Step into the woods for a second to let the person pass from a distance.

The point is for the mask to be on the person who SNEEZES. The mask protects others, you see. God you selfish people.

[Anonymous]

We aren’t required to wear masks outdoors where we live, but we do anyway because a good share of the joggers, walkers and bikers are unmasked and pass you without providing 6 feet of space. This is on Beach Drive and the trails in MoCo but sometimes crossing over into DC. One lady the other day came running down the middle of the trail, no mask and wouldn’t move an inch to the side.

It’s frustrating because the trails and parts of the road are packed sometimes, and some folks just don’t care. But I’ve noticed that they are getting yelled at more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

You have absolutely no idea that this is true. Things about Covid aren't fact just because we really really want them to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not once single case in the entire world of covid being transferred passing someone on a sidewalk. No mask.

If you're huddled and staying close to people outside, yes, not a bad idea.

But just a pass of someone? Totally and completely unnecessary.

No one can possibly know if covid was transferred by an umasked person on the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t this highly contagious virus be transmitted with one sneeze outside?

Better safe than sorry. Plus it’s easier for my kids to accept “always” rather than “sometimes”. We are all masked anytime we leave our yard or house.

Of course it can be traced - if one highly infectious person is walking and passing people, surely a couple of people will get infected. They ask where they've been lately, and this would be their commonality. I get that tracing isn't happening often, but if there is not ONE SINGLE CONFIRMED CASE in ANY city, ANY county, ANY state, or ANY country? It's not happening. And all data points to viral load + time being a major, major concern. Someone would have to sneeze directly into your mouth for this to happen. Don't let other people sneeze directly into your mouth.

You can be cautious, and then there's being irrational against all evidence. This is the latter. Clustered and huddled outside? Sure, mask up. An incredibly brief pass? Pretty much impossible.

You can’t know exactly when you’re exposed or gave it to someone you passed if you aren’t always masked except for that one specific time! It doesn’t make sense that covid cannot be transmitted if you sneeze on someone walking by.

A sneeze or cough can be infectious through your eyes, not just the nose and mouth covered by a mask. This is why it's so important to keep your spacing. If someone is passing you on a trail, don't rely on a mask to protect you or that other person. Move away! Step into the woods for a second to let the person pass from a distance.

The point is for the mask to be on the person who SNEEZES. The mask protects others, you see. God you selfish people.

It's not selfish to protect yourself, and unfortunately not everyone wears masks. This is the reality. Don't count on other people to protect you, because they won't.