Muzzled

Can we please restore some sense of calm. Some sense of reality please?

Unless all of a sudden paper and cloth masks prevent you inhaling pathogens (which they never did – common only ever protected those people coming into contact with you – not the wearer: why are people wandering around country parks and the beaches muzzled like dogs?

How do I know this? – 30 years in dentistry, plenty of time to pick up the basics of what a mask is useful for.

If it makes you feel better I’ll wear one (under duress) in a shop to protect others from my foul breath and pathogen-filled exhalations. I’ll wear it so It covers my nose and mouth. Both at the same time. Even though it does inhibit vmy personal good breathing – the body’s first line of defense are the hairs and mucous in the nose – that’s my defense. If I don’t wear one I can’t go to a shop: although I’m putting my health at risk because I can’t breathe effectively. As long as the box is ticked.

What is our society coming to – a herd of muzzled beings. For what? When can we return to some common sense?