It is now proven that people with no symptoms spread the virus. Breathing virus into a cotton sheet is obviously safer than breathing on other people, despite being far from perfect.
Based on what evidence exactly?
> Considering that under certain conditions the virus can stay in the air for up to 3 hours, masks definitely are helpful.
Those conditions being using a Goldberg Drum designed to keep aerosols that can't stay airborne for as long as possible? If yes then yeah sure this virus can survive in the air for 3 hours, but that isn't normal reality. It can't stay aloft that long, it will hit a surface.
Goldberg Drum: https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/68/1/85/188529...
You really only need the mask if you're going out and symptomatic. Even then, as noted, leave the masks for the people that are encountering sick people daily. They need them way more than you do walking around buying groceries.
This isn't my position, its from virologists. And I'll thank you to not presume I don't already know of those sources. Those aren't relating to aerosols in the air for 3 hours.
Listen to practicing virologists on the matter not me: http://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-592/
And as a note, I'm really resisting not getting pissed off at your comment which seems to presume I'm too dumb to know about asymptomatic transmission.
Perhaps you could, I don't know link to some bioarxiv sources or actual information rather than alluding to things. My comment was exclusively in regards to the virus surviving in aerosol form for 3 hours. Its a contrived environment where that can happen. Transmission in the air isn't what I am discounting. Capiche?
Actually forget about it. I'm just going to stop commenting entirely on this matter.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/f...
Sort of like those cones we put on the necks of dogs to control some of their behavior when they have medical stuff happening.
it actively interferes with people casually, constantly and mindlessly touching their face
Oh, I absolutely agree. And I see its value as not so much "actively interfering" like a Cone of Shame but by serving as a constant reminder against touching hands to face. (Eyes are highly vulnerable but are unprotected by masks.)