On mask bans

8 reasons arguing against mask bans

“Health mask” vs face covering / ID concealing masks

eight theses to sort the various claims swirling around the debates for each legislative effort

…

Masks exist on a spectrum from (a) cloth masks, to (b) surgical masks (“Baggy Blues”), (c) respirators (KN94s, N95s), (d) elastomerics, (e) full-on Darth Vader masks, and (f) various head-dresses like gaiters, keffiyeh, hijabs, ski masks, Venetian carnival masks (and even KKK hoods). It would surely be possible for regulators to distinguish the range (b) – (e), which are both clearly recognizable and manufactured for health purposes, from the others, which are not; but this seems never to be done.

…

Health Masks Work to Protect Against Respiratory Particles like Viruses. See the literature: “Effectiveness of face masks for reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2: a rapid systematic review” (2023), and Greenhalgh et alia’s magisterial “Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review.”

…

health masks are less effective [at concealing identity] than sunglasses, which are not banned 

…

What can we do?

Here is a letter writing campaign, and a toolkit.