You can pretty much find a study or experiment that validates whatever opinion you have. It's not common for our society to immediately react to the result of one study or very few studies by applying them directly to the real world. Science takes time. Yet here we are.
Somehow we went from "masks for the general public are ineffective against fighting covid and most other diseases" to "any piece of garbage you put over your face is effective" almost instantly. I tried finding studies that proved that covid transmission is reduced when people put any piece of material over their face. I couldn't find any and still have yet to find one. They all show that things that may imply masks are effective but not of them show masks are actually effective.
They all seem to be based on the effectiveness of blocking droplets. To the best of my understanding we don't even know if it's airborne yet. Also, why aren't there any older studies? Droplets and masks have been around forever. Why did it take a few new studies to figure this out?
There are also so many other variables that are completely neglected such as the way people handle and wear their masks, how the masks fit, the material used (some studies cover multiple materials but are far from comprehensive), the social aspects like not being able to read someones expression, etc.
Cloth masks are all the rage these days but when you go to buy one none are approved by the FDA and say "not for medical use". Yet we are mandating that people where these things for medical use even though they haven't been proved by the FDA. They have been approved by this magical thing called "science" though. Why even have these government regulatory agencies if we can just bypass them in certain circumstances?
> Governments and industry must also stop announcing critical science policy by press release. Such ill judged moves leave science, the media, and stock markets vulnerable to manipulation. Clear, open, and advance publication of the scientific basis for policy, procurements, and wonder drugs is a fundamental requirement
They way covid policies are communicated is awful. When they change policies they always site science but never link to exact studies. They imply that this is the science they used is the "real" science and that all that matters.
I live in California and we have a site dedicated to covid (like I'm sure most other places do). A couple months ago they put up a "blueprint for reopening" that was supposedly based on science. There are arbitrary tiers that counties go through to determine what's banned. However, just recently, Newsom introduced a 10pm "curfew" and threatened another stay at home order. That wasn't part of the "blueprint". Where is the science for that?