As Predicted, Masks are Coming Back

Guest Post by Ian Miller

It’s hard to believe that we’re still having to deal with masks and mask mandates in the summer of 2022.

As data became available, it was obvious by 2020 that masks and mask mandates did not work.

By 2021, it was positively confirmed that masks and mask mandates did not work.

Endless research and data accumulated over the past two years of nearly every jurisdiction on earth trying and failing to use masks to “slow the spread” of COVID should have been enough evidence.

It’s at least encouraging that many even in the scientific or medical community have moved on from masking, tacitly acknowledging that there are no benefits.

But as feared, there are seemingly limitless amounts of politicians, health officials and local administrators willing to reengage in COVID theater.

Just in the past few days, a number of cities and school districts have announced their intentions to reinstate mask mandates.

Los Angeles, the San Diego Unified School District, Athens, Georgia, Lincoln, Nebraska…all have returned or will soon return to masking to some degree.

There apparently is no amount of evidence or data that will convince committed pro-masking fanatics to permanently abandon their faith.

But it’s even more absurd considering that several countries where mask mandates are still in effect, or where universal masking compliance is still commonplace, have been experiencing dramatic, remarkable surges.

The evidence from 2020 wasn’t enough. The Delta and Omicron surges in 2021 also weren’t enough. You’d be wrong again if you believed another surge in 2022 would be enough.

While many states or countries have moved past the pandemic, those desperate to keep it going are ignoring the reality currently unfolding across the world right in front of their eyes.

Los Angeles

It’s been covered before, but it bears repeating that Los Angeles already provided one of the clearest data points that masking and mask mandates are completely ineffective.

When the public health department did spot checks in December 2021 to measure compliance, they found that over 95% of employees and customers at over 1,500 businesses were wearing masks.

Cases in the county immediately exploded, breaking records and reaching more than double the winter surge of 2020-2021:

LosAngelesCountyCases

You’d think that would be enough to permanently end the city’s commitment to masking, but of course you’d be wrong.

The city recently reached the CDC’s “high transmission” level, which is a created metric based on entirely arbitrary criteria.

While the overwhelming majority of the US has long since concluded that the CDC’s recommendations are probably best disregarded, Los Angeles has tied their mask mandates to the utterly meaningless guidelines.

And so, after just a few months of blissful, mostly maskless existence, the city will almost inevitably head back to forced masking in just a matter of days.

What’s also infuriating about LA’s devotion to mitigation fiction is that a month and a half after the mandate was lifted, cases remained low:

LosAngelesCountyCases

This is another key point that’s not made often enough.

It’s not just that mask mandates do not prevent cases from rising or stop surges in their tracks, but lifting mask mandates also makes no difference whatsoever.

LA ended theirs and cases didn’t surge. As was the case with Texas in March 2021, after Joe Biden called lifting mandates “Neanderthal thinking.”

This has happened over and over and over again, and yet the myth of masking persists.

Schools

While general mask mandates have long since fallen by the wayside, the continuation of forced school masking has become the most pernicious trend of 2022 COVID policy.

Earlier this year, it was already abundantly clear that masking in schools was not supported by copious amounts of data.

Then, just recently, an extremely important masking study was released, comparing two neighboring school districts in North Dakota.

One district had a mask mandate, the other did not. Their population demographics were similar, vaccination rates were similar, their enrollment was similar.

The comparison was about as well-matched as a non-randomized controlled trial can be.

And the results showed, once again, that masks do not make a difference.

Even as far back as May 2021, research conducted on schools in several states confirmed that there was no difference whatsoever in student case rates regardless of masking policy.

With the labels on this chart purposefully hidden, it’s impossible to tell which of the three lines represents universal masking, staff-only masking or where masks were not required for anyone:

Students

Student case rates are essentially identical, no matter the policy.

School masking is completely unnecessary. There is no significant benefit to it, no matter how hard you look.

Instead of taking this as good news, that students can learn in person, as normal, without the burden and harms of masking, officials like those in San Diego have appealed to authority and reinstated mandates.

And their suggestion for children who are uncomfortable wearing masks is as laughable as it is offensive.

What’s the advice of the literal President of SDUSD for any child who doesn’t want to wear a mask? Don’t go to school.

After years of evidence showing school closures have had catastrophic impacts on mental health, learning loss and set children back years, they want kids to miss more school.

This thinking is remarkably simplistic and unnecessarily panicked.

“CDC, Fauci and The New York Times say school masking works and is necessary, therefore as a ‘smart,’ science following local school board member or administrator, I will continue to mandate masks whenever I deem necessary, forever.”

It’s hard to stomach the comparative futures of American classrooms; students in sane, rational, evidence-based states like Florida will forever be free to learn as they should, while the “science followers” will permanently force ineffective and horrifying damaging policies on kids.

Until school masking is banned, desperate and incompetent officials will always return to the policy we know doesn’t work.

As long as they “do something,” in their minds, they will be cleared of blame.

The Examples

But most importantly, we now have several countries experiencing near record surges despite their masking policies or compliance.

The most obvious is New Zealand, which still has a mask mandate that covers nearly all indoor public spaces.

How’s that working out for them?

NewZealandCases

Cases have risen dramatically yet again.

Their population adjusted case rate is now among the highest on earth, despite the mask mandate and their exceptionally high vaccination rate.

What’s the excuse for this? What’s the explanation? This is exactly what mask mandates are supposed to prevent, we’re told; runaway case growth leading to surges.

Beyond cases, deaths have officially reached a new high:

NewZealandDeaths

The common sentiment that mask mandates are needed to lessen pressure on hospitals or “save lives” is endlessly contradicted by reality, yet it’s still repeated by public health authorities convinced of their own infallibility.

And it’s not just New Zealand.

One of the most cited examples of masks “working” to prevent COVID cases has been Japan.

Their near universal compliance and seeming early success made them an obvious reference for the anti-science masking lobby.Forbes, for example, specifically stated that their high rate of mask-wearing was responsible for preventing the spread of the virus.

Well compliance hasn’t changed, but case rates sure have:

JapanCases

Japan provides one of the best indicators of how utterly meaningless compliance actually is.

Survey data has measured the rate of mask-wearing at essentially identical levels for over two years. Yet cases have risen and fallen at will.

Now the country appears to be heading towards yet another new record that will be ignored by those pushing for endless mandates.

Singapore is yet another example of a location experiencing rapid case growth with extremely high mask-wearing rates.

Despite claims by the former US Surgeon General that the city controlled surges with masking and mitigation, the latest outbreak is once again heading towards record highs:

SingaporeCases

Naturally getting 92% of residents fully vaccinated didn’t help either.

Countries all over the world are seeing huge surges despite mask mandates and high levels of compliance.

Instead of taking these lessons to heart, the same lessons we learned in 2020 and 2021, local officials are going back to what we know doesn’t work.

Not only do we have history to refer to, it’s currently not working.

The fears that were raised throughout the past two years; that pretending masking works would lead to indefinite rolling mandates, appears to be coming true.

While the return to mandates is seemingly somewhat limited, this is only summer. When the inevitable fall and winter surge returns, how much worse will it get?

It’s even more important now to continue to document how useless masking is at preventing the spread of COVID. The longer institutional misinformation goes unchecked, the more ingrained it becomes in the minds of decision-makers across the country.

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Mike
Mike

Covid is a hoax and the mask is nothing but a measure of the population’s compliance and their participation in the hoax.

KJ
KJ

Of course masks are coming back! Lockdowns will be next because the Democrats/RINOs have an election to steal via “mail-in ballots!”

BL
BL

KJ- Right now voting is the least of our problems. For the 10 thousanth time, anyone running on both sides are owned or they would not be in the running. When you are barred from buying food without a vaxx pass, you will look at voting as rear view mirror content.

KJ
KJ

BL- For the 20,000th time: they still need to hold elections to give the veneer of legitimacy for the insane policies they’re enacting. If the people overwhelmingly elect America First GOP candidates – which is what would happen absent any shenanigans – they lose that veneer of legitimacy. That’s why they need lockdowns to justify “mail-in voting,” which allows them to stuff the ballot boxes and overcome large margins of defeat.

Stop with this “voting doesn’t matter” shit.

overthecliff
overthecliff

America First GOP candidates otherwise known a sleeper Democrats.

KJ
KJ

Sleeper Democrat? What are you talking about, man?

Anonymous
Anonymous

voting doesn’t matter

Smedley Mulcher
Smedley Mulcher

Indeed you are correct! You can count on it.

musket
musket

And the horse they rode in on…….

Boogieman
Boogieman

A mask for thee but not for me. No vax no mask.

realestatepup
realestatepup

Already got the ‘mail in ballot’ request form here in MA.
And now that Healy looks to be a lock for Governor, it will be female-hysteria led policy of masking, vaxxing, closures, mail in ballots, gun bans, and tampons in men’s rooms.
All the shit that never worked before will work this time…because the new Guv is a chick. Of course no one even can commit to saying what the fuck that is, but hey, who cares.

Svarga Loka
Svarga Loka

My husband, too, in MA. They are really trying hard to get you to vote by mail.

I myself am not a registered voter. Never was never will be. No jury duty either. Win win.

BL
BL

Not on my face and you can take that to the bank.

brian
brian

never have, never will…

Smedley Mulcher
Smedley Mulcher

Its a severe form of mental illness and the poor kids have already suffered so. What idiots we have trying to run things in this country.

73amxman

Went grocery shopping about one week ago and noticed approximately 25% of customers were all masked up. This was when it was 96° with 80% humidity outside, in a “Red” state, county and city.
I’m sure the Deep State must be ecstatic as to how well their brain washing tactics have worked. You look at graphs comparing unmasked locations vs masked and you will clearly see that masked locations are much worse. You’d think if facemasks worked so well, the graph would be flat line. I recall former CDC Director Redfield stating before Congress under oath that facemasks were every bit effective as vaccines. Well we know now neither work and actually have exacerbated the situation.

Svarga Loka
Svarga Loka

In 2020, there was a single moment that my then 10 year old insisted he wanted to wear a mask. Outside. At the playground. (In his defense, I think he just wanted to fit in). I got really mad with him, and told him in no uncertain terms that he is not allowed to wear a mask, ever, because it is not healthy and, on top of that, stupid, and that he will never play with his friends again if I ever catch him wear a damn mask. That was it. Never came up again. I think he appreciated the clarity and lack of ambiguity in an uncertain time. He is not allowed to play Fortnite either, use the solder iron when he is home alone, and will get his riding the bike around town privileges removed if I ever see him ride without a helmet.

Parents decide, not children. And not playground bullies or government minions either.

Smedley Mulcher
Smedley Mulcher

Not on me their not.

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