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Stick Ya Mask, Cindy

Entry 2074, on 2020-09-07 at 13:10:35 (Rating 4, Comments)

I recently had reason to make some short flights around the country. They were less than an hour each, and there were four of them (two there, two back) so it wasn't like I was flying for vast periods of time, but I wanted to relay some of my experiences anyway, especially given the changes due to COVID.

The flight to my destination was great. The first part (Dunedin to Wellington) was on an Airbus A320, so it was fairly fast and comfortable, especially since there was an empty seat next to me because of social distancing. The second part was on an ATR72, so it was a bit slower and less smooth, but the view between Wellington and Nelson over the Marlborough Sounds makes up for that. Also, I had a free seat next to me again.

Having a lot less passengers on the aircraft is great: you have a lot of extra space, it's less noisy and claustrophobic, and getting on and off is much faster. Of course, I understand the economics of flying, so I know why we will have to go back to crowded flights once the COVID scare is over, but it's nice while it lasts.

So the flight to Nelson was good, as I said, but the flight back wasn't quite so enjoyable. First, it was through Christchurch so it was on a Q300 followed buy another ATR, making it quite a bit slower; but also because the airline had decided in the interim to force passengers to wear face masks to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

This decision was probably forced on the airline by the government, who have decided to make it compulsory, punishable by moderate sized fines. Superficially, wearing masks in confined spaces seems like a good idea, but - as you might have guessed by the title of this post - I'm not so sure.

I have two objections to compulsory use of masks: first, I'm not sure they are as effective as they are claimed, and might even be counter-productive in some cases; and second, I just object to having inconvenient rules and regulations inflicted on me by a government which seems increasingly enthusiastic about having more control over the population.

I found wearing the mask really uncomfortable and annoying, even after only a few minutes. I am assured by experts that mask use does not result in build-up of CO2 or lack of oxygen, so I guess it must primarily be a psychological rather than a physical effect, but it exists either way. Other people I spoke to gave similar accounts of discomfort.

At this point I should admit that I didn't really wear the mask except when the flight crew walked past checking. In fact I found a way to have it folded so that it looked like it was in use, but it would have been quite ineffective. And before discovering that technique, I was constantly fiddling with it and trying to create better air flow. So forcing me to wear this hideous thing achieved absolutely nothing, and might easily have made any potential transmission worse.

And, of course, no one on that flight had COVID anyway, because there has been none in the South Island of New Zealand for months. I do admit that what I just said isn't completely true, because the virus has a habit of sneaking into communities from areas which are affected, but I still think the chances of anyone on that flight being infected were close to zero.

A case could be made to say that wearing a mask for an hour or two on a flight is a small price to pay for improving the chances of preventing spread of the disease, but where does it end? We are already advised to wash our hands constantly, cough into our elbows, and use the tracing app. Now we have to wear masks, so what's next?

I have had a hand washing routine going for a couple of years now so that was no problem for me. The elbow coughing thing is just common sense, and involves no extra effort, so I'm on-board with that too. And the tracing app is a small inconvenience I initially resisted but have started using more recently, so that's also OK. But I'm drawing the line at masks. I'll make the most superficial effort to use one when I have no choice, but I'm not really participating in that edict from on high.

While the new rules came from the government, they were based on recommendations from health professionals, and I respect science, so you might ask why am I so resistant? Well, here's why: because health is only one aspect of this issue, and the advice of health professionals is generally based on theoretical rather than practical knowledge, and on a very restricted view from their narrow area of expertise.

So in a perfect world, where everyone had a good mask which fitted properly, and they were trained on how to use them, and they didn't constantly fiddle with them, I would agree that they are very effective. But this isn't a perfect world, and the effectiveness is likely to be far lower than what would be predicted in theory. They might still be better than nothing, but maybe not by much.

It's a little bit like the difference between the advice of traditional economists and those who follow the more modern version: behavioural economics, which tries to devise theories and make recommendations based on how people actually act rather than how they are supposed to act in theory.

I agree that the recommendations of health professionals should be taken seriously, but there should be other opinions used to help form the final policies as well. For example psychologists might give a better insight into how people will really act, economists (the ones I prefer to listen to) might give some input into the economic consequences, and philosophers might contribute towards the ethics and personal freedom aspects of the issue.

I don't see any sign that a more holistic view like this has been taken. In fact, all I see from this government is one panicked, arbitrary, and poorly thought out response after another as each part of the crisis unfolds. And yes, I know how much this government's response has been praised, but I call that "fake news"! I think the response has been mediocre at best, and any apparent success has been more a result of the fact that we are a small, isolated country which was affected well after most others, along with a lot of luck!

Being a leftist government run by a very socialist-inclined prime minister, we should be careful about too many controls being put on our lives. The natural response of this sort of leadership is to impose draconian controls. There are times when this can be effective, but we need to remain vigilant about excessive use of this approach.

Finally, let me throw in the old "thin end of the wedge" argument. In general, masks should reduce the spread of the virus, but what else could do this? Look at all the restrictions which have been used in the past and you will get a list: no travel; no social outings or events; being locked in our homes; no sport; no visting cafes, pubs, or restaurants. Which of these are reasonable and which aren't? It's a completely arbitrary matter of opinion, so why should I respect any of these restrictions over another?

So yeah, Cindy; you can stick ya mask where the sun don't shine. I'll pretend to follow your poorly considered and arbitrary rules when I have no choice, but I think you're wrong, and like all laws I think are wrong, I won't feel bad as I'm breaking them.

Comment 19 (5921) by adnical on 2020-12-09 at 13:35:50: (view earlier comments)

Sorry about not suiting your style. Maybe consider the Grey Power audience.
Ever considered progressing out of the dark ages and becoming a trendy?
Indeed have you thought of going paperless?
"BTW Could not resist the name"...... My favourite person, as you may know.

Comment 20 (5922) by OJB on 2020-12-09 at 14:40:10:

I guess it wouldn't matter what style I used: some people would still complain! I have had two very positive comments recently, and only one negative (yours), so maybe the current style is OK.

I always thought that older people didn't mind spending a bit of extra time reading material, and that it was the younger generation who wanted 30 second, superficial stuff. Maybe that isn't true.

Also, remember this is a blog - that means a "web log" - so it is a place to present and discuss personal opinions, and is not a scientific paper or other formal material. I do like to spend a bit of time introducing the subject and setting the scene. I guess that doesn't suit everyone.

Comment 21 (5923) by OJB on 2020-12-09 at 14:43:58:

Anyway, here's a brief summary of this post: is mask wearing during pandemics a good idea? How important is personal choice? How likely does infection with a virus have to be before we take action? Is a mask worn incorrectly worse than none? Should we always listen to politicians and experts? Where is line between civil disobedience and irresponsibility? This post attempts to answer all of these questions!

Comment 22 (5934) by Anonymous on 2020-12-11 at 14:25:23:

Classic - civil disobedience. You're not Rosa Parks you know.

Comment 23 (5938) by OJB on 2020-12-11 at 16:31:14:

It's not so much civil disobedience, because I don't take the laws seriously enough to worry about being against them. I simply ignore laws and do what I think is right. That usually coincides with the law, but not always.

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