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The use of cloth masks by the general public is doable, better than the status quo (no masks), and is cheap.
Other countries use cloth face masks (e.g. the Czech Republic) and they work (22 deaths per million population in the Czech Republic vs. 90 deaths per million population in Canada).
And masks in general work (e.g. Hong Kong 0.5 d/m pop, Taiwan 0.3 d/m pop, Thailand 0.8 d/m pop, Vietnam 0 d/m pop vs. Canada at 90 d/m pop as of today May 1, 2020).
As a retired physician who used cloth masks in the face of many infectious diseases prevalent in the pre-vaccine era and in operating theatres as well, I can tell you that we are completely underestimating the utility of the humble cloth face mask.
I am also disgusted by the assumption that the general public does not have enough intelligence to use a cloth face mask. Simple instructions are all that is necessary.
The main reason we are having this discussion in the first place is the lack of N95 masks in Canada. Whose fault is this? We have had pandemics before. Who is responsible for our national lack of preparedness? Unfortunately, it's the same "experts" who are now telling us that cloth face masks are not effective. I surmise that this is blatant nonsense designed to protect their collective backsides.
As we open up our economy and "social distancing" becomes more problematic, what's the game plan to prevent infection? Wear nothing or wear a cloth face mask until N95's are available? Since it is difficult to spit through a tea towel, I think we are better off with a cloth mask than nothing at all.
Please stop the debate, use some common sense and get on with a crystal clear message to all Canadians on the use of cloth face masks in the coming weeks as we open up the nation. Something is better than nothing! And doing nothing will most certainly guarantee the "second wave". We have nothing to lose and many lives and our economic health to gain.