Well....one single German state has brought this up as a possibility (via a Focus article early today)....Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Now, before one gets excited....this is the German state on the far northeastern corner of Germany. It's also the state that had a far lesser infection and death rate from the Coronavirus.
The discussion only centers on the use of the mask in stores. As for the decision? 4 August is noted as the discussion day, and it'll be voted upon by the political folks in a assembly. My general guess is that if it does pass...it'll be mid-August before you see this happening.
The effectiveness of the mask? It's a mixed situation. One might agree in buses and trains....it's a big positive and I don't see that lessening much for 2020, or even for the first six months of 2021. Same for airline travel.
In stores though, with people keeping social distancing and air being flushed out occasionally, one might wonder about the statistics or science involved.
But here's the thing....you could tell one thousand Germans that the mask requirement ended today, and I would imagine that one-third of the group (as a minimum) would still wear the mask in various situations. People got used to it, and believe that it helps in certain situations. It's like the hand sanitizer business....people got used to it, and a lot of Germans apply it a dozen times a day now....without even thinking about it. When I walk off a bus....the sanitizer comes out and I walk away feeling 'safe' (even if it's a fake feeling).
2 comments:
"The effectiveness of the mask? It's a mixed situation. One might agree in buses and trains....it's a big positive and I don't see that lessening much for 2020, or even for the first six months of 2021. Same for airline travel."
(Kinda long-winded comment follows) From an American perspective, what I see is a lot of "virtue signalling" by politicians and some food stores. Here, wearing a mask is starting to be seen as a sign of kiss-the-king's-ring submission, due to the random/foolish way it is enforced/introduced.
A few days ago, at a food store and a Wal-Mart in Nevada, about 95% percent of the customers were wearing the mandated state-wide masks (not me - see above). There's a joke picture going around showing two people - one wearing a mask claiming it a defense against the virus, the othr was building a chain-link fence claiming a defense against mosquitoes. The point being that the virus is two microns in diameter while the mask mesh blocks 5 microns and above.
The foolishness continues with the one-way aisles and the 6-foot social distancing which only about 50% follow. (Does Germany do the same?) The checkout clerks have to wear a mask, which a few have told me give them constant headaches. They are also behind a plexiglass shield , and yet they handle, WITH BARE HANDS, all the products people are buying, negating IMO, all those "safety" precautions.
As for the airlines, many I have talked with won't take flights because it's bad enough you have to sit for hours in a cramped seat, not many are open to wearing a mask all that time either.
Many here are fed up with the 7/24 Media and politicians over-hyping this outbreak and are starting to rebel.
There are two great books on the 1918 Spanish Flu (The Great Influenza by John Barry, and Pandemic 1918 by Catharine Arnold) which I recommend...really lays out a great landscape over the flu era.
Both books come to the general thoughts of doctors, who wanted extreme measures done (like we've seen in Europe and the US), and politicians/generals held them back. This time, it's in slightly different fashion, where the public has shown dissolving patience with the doctors and politicians.
Trust has been the biggest causality of this Covid-19 era. I could have money in my hand for a fantastic trip to Sydney, Australia, and simply say no because I can't bear 16 hours of wearing a mask on a flight. I could have the funding for a Amtrak trip across America, and just not feel 'safe' on the train. Cruises? No way. Walking around NY City? Absolutely no. I don't see this trust coming back in 2021 or 2022. It might be five years before I can be convinced things changed.
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