“The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes
Wearing a mask in public is not to protect the mask wearer from germs. It’s to keep germs from being transmitted to others. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease and is contracted by inhaling the virus.
A sneeze is a veritable biological weapon. Whatever is in your mouth and nasal system is sprayed as an aerosol, covering an area well beyond the social distance of six feet. In fact, it appears to be well over 20 feet. The droplets can remain suspended in the air for several minutes When they settle, pathogens are deposited on surfaces with a virus that can last up to several days.
National Geographic has an interesting article.
Some decry that their rights are being violated by pandemic restrictions, such as face masks.
Using Supreme Court Justice Holmes logic, your right to go without a mask also ends where my nose begins.
sfnowak 