The Immediate Coronavirus Solution Without Wrecking The Economy: Mandatory Masks In Public!

The Immediate Coronavirus Solution Without Wrecking The Economy: Mandatory Masks In Public!

The greatest threat to the economy are the drastic measures to contain the Coronavirus which lead people to stay at home, to not go to work, to not go to restaurants or go shopping. Since the virus spreads only through droplets of sneezes or coughs, and since the points of entry of the virus are the eyes, nose, and mouth, it should be sufficient to end the crisis by mandating that all people always wear face masks when they leave home. That way, there will be no spreading of the virus through sneezing and coughing in public. (This does not apply to hospitals, in particular to ICU’s, as explained below.) Any cough or sneeze droplets will be contained in the cougher or sneezer’s mask, and people nearby are doubly protected by their own masks. (So long as there is no mandatory mask in public, people should also wear glasses or goggles to protect their eyes). Having everyone wear a mask in public is absolutely necessary since we don’t know who is incubating the virus and is not yet ill but already contagious. The unpredictable first and subsequent coughs or sneezes must be contained within masks. 

If wearing masks in public were mandated and strictly enforced, business could go on as usual, as asymptomatic people and even those with symptoms would not be able to spread the virus in public. Baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer games would not have to be cancelled. People could go to work, to offices, to factories, to restaurants, conferences, events, stadiums, the movies, concerts, museums without risking contagion. People could safely travel on airplanes and go to hotels. And the virus itself would be stopped in less than a month.

Mandatory masks in public would be 100% effective since infected people healthy enough to be walking around do not have a heavy viral load, contrary to the very ill. The reason masks have not prevented all hospital workers from being infected, especially those working in intensive care units, is that the very ill have a very high viral load. At times their virus becomes aerosolized, not remaining contained in cough or sneeze droplets, but suspended in the air. The fact that masks have not been 100% protective in hospitals should not lead to the conclusion that they are not 100% effective in public. 

Ending #StayHome is the only way to prevent a big downturn in economic activity and the economy from going into a recession. Social distancing must be applied in a way that does not reduce economic activity, and the critical element is mandatory face masks in public. Government financial assistance is necessary only because of the #StayHome policy. However, it must be understood by all that government financial assistance will not prevent a deep recession so long as we have the #StayHome policy and business is largely blocked.

Since the majority of contagion occurs within family homes, masks should also be worn for 14 days at home to make sure no member of the family has the virus. After 14 days, no need to use masks at home, but wearing them in public is absolutely necessary until the virus disappears entirely. That should take place within a month, two months maximum.

#StayHome not only does not guarantee stopping the virus since there is widespread home contagion, it wrecks the economy, threatening a very deep recession and even a Depression, particularly if the virus comes in successive waves. We cannot depend on #StayHome. It is an illogical response. Not to say completely idiotic. Only mandatory wearing of masks in public (and at home for 14 days) is the solution for rapidly ending the Coronavirus crisis and for immediately restoring the economy and preventing a deep recession or even a Depression. That’s a simple (not simplistic!), logical, practical, effective, and immediate solution. Do we have the common sense to understand that quickly, so that we can avoid needlessly and stupidly destroying the economy and ruining people’s lives? How is it possible that we still don’t have mandatory masks in public, two months after the Coronavirus outbreak? Am I missing something?

? Edward Sonnino 2020

March 26, 2020