Originally Posted by
Aloha_Shooter
Absolutely wrong. The numbers from a broad spectrum of studies show that wearing masks does reduce (not eliminate but substantially reduce) the rate of transmission.
My view of the past couple of months has been far from a VERY high compliance rate for wearing masks in public. Hell, not even high without the VERY. Watching Monument last weekend, I don't think I'd even have rated it moderate.
Respirators are to protect the wearer from infection (generally in a high risk zone). The general wearing of masks is to reduce transmission from asymptomatic infected wearers. Can 100 or 500 particles sneak through that mask to the wearer? Yes but most people need a larger viral load than that to contract it. Can 1000 or more particles sneak through the mask FROM the wearer? Again, yes but the mask itself will reduce the range and field of their spread so the uninfected person 10 feet, 5 feet, even 2 feet away gets a much lower load.
Polis is an ass and his Executive Order is suspect but 1) the actual text of his EO only pertains to indoor spaces and in public, not to your backyard or hiking in the park 200 yards from anyone, 2) most of the objections I've seen including the ones posted above are bogus.