Glad to hear you are slowly mending. Healing thoughts your way. Again I plead my case of carelessness and dodgy thinking on mask wearing. I have worked in environments where respiratory PPE is needed (the stuff that does protect you) and so knew a clinical mask or a cloth face cover was of no value in protecting the wearer. And so know it takes the right equipment and training to use it.

But I figured, if it made them feel better, what is the harm?

I have also, sadly, been in cancer wards where real protocols to protect patients with compromised immune systems are used. The give very careful instruction on how to use those masks. Again because used improperly they don't work. AND they insist you replace with a new mask every 20-30 minutes at most, and whenever you go from one room to another (that was the protocol at least prior to 2020). So I knew that what most folks were doing was useless.

But again, figured if it makes them feel better emotionally, what's the harm?

I personally was suffering the harm of being locked down, under house arrest. My gym was ordered closed. Did what I could with what I had. When the gym was allowed to open a year later, it was "masks required". I read dozens of "expert accounts" that these masks did not hamper breathing while exercising. I concluded after trying a light workout at home with a mask that these experts either did not know what exercise looks like, or were just dishonest. I could do weights but any cardio and my lungs hurt and I got light headed as my O2 stats dropped.

I asked my doc and he repeated the "mask while exercising is OK" litany. I asked hem (a tennis player) if he had tried it. No. I asked then if it made sense to him having something covering your mouth and nose that could in theory stop a microscopic virus or bacteria NOT impede airflow? He said, no.

Then I noticed data from CDC on non-viral respiratory ailments that showed a massive increase in serious cases and deaths from infectious pneumonia. Then it fell into places: Millions of people wearing cloth petri dishes on their faces breeding and then breathing bacteria. Doh!

Of course I did learn. Here in central California where the hip thing to do is wear a mask while driving alone in your Tesla, I've come to realize it is image over substance, even if the substance is dangerous.

Most people are in fact reasonable and have stopped wearing masks. The overly-virtuous remain, and their minority status only builds their illusion of superiority over the masses. Here in CA masks were required until recently to enter a restaurants: wear the mask between the door and the table, then take it off. Ridiculous. Finally that absurd mandate is mostly gone. Most people had just stopped anyway. If someone bitched I'd say "oops, sorry" as I sat down and took a sip of water.

Still, we have the true believes. Those mask wearing Tesla drivers. In a restaurant a few weeks back, a couple came in, donned there masks and up to the counter. This woman was staring condescendingly at my unmasked face. Something about me must have offended here (so many things hard to narrow it down ;-) and she blared out "why are you not covering your face like me!". My calm answer: "clearly you care more than I do". The entire room erupted in applause. I few of the patrons even stood. I took a bow. The woman stormed off in a huff. The staff then applauded.