I really like what you've said here, these things need to be said, thank you for doing so. I've been in lockdown in the outback of NSW for 15 years, ya kinda get used to it. I had Covid-Sars-1 in 2002, yes it nearly killed me, but only 800 died worldwide and it disappeared without any type of controlling lockdown within two years. No one should have the right to force anyone else to do anything. You are your own person as is everyone else is. This lockdown business in Victoria and other places has nothing to do with Covid-Sars-2, but everything to do with THE UNITED NATIONS THE NEW WORLD ORDER THE GREAT RESET. The only one standing in their way was and is Trump, the only one who stood up to them. They don't call him Communist Dan for nothing, he's in very deep with China, the country that deliberately brought out this virus to destroy the world economically. Suddenly the UN has taken China in with open arms, how about that, never throughout all the years, and now they accept them!! I wish you well.

Are you serious? You don't actually KNOW that MASKS are ...SCIENTIFICALLY!!, yes, tests have been done!, and they DON'T work.
Can you follow? Everything you EXPEL is WASTE to YOU, mustn't ever be recycled .

But once in the AIR, the gases fix it, and you then breathe in clean air.
Do you know what CASES mean, don't mean?

Please look up Coronoaviruses; they're a huge, benign family. There are several Covid-19, not just one. Look it up. It's quite shrouded in mystery; China had A, but I think C virus was already found in US!!
The PARTS of this coronavirus don't make sense NATURALLY occurring. A leading French virologist said man made because of this.

Lockdowns donwork, period.
Look up the graph of Sweden. They're currently the LOWEST death rate over Europe.
Nobody lost their business, wore ANY mask.
Is it better to lose everything, starve? Because that's exactly what's coming.
I studied it in depth, thankfully have a science background, so I could understand a lot of it.

Masks are a TALISMAN, witchcraft, warding off the evil virus with a bit of paper, or cloth.
You work on strong, sound health. Not easy today.
So much toxin.
Those governments don't have the people's health in their minds.

Have you noticed how Covid-19 didn't bother PROTESTERS? Well, it SHOULD, but it didn't.
We should all smell something fishy.

There's plenty online. Don't follow blindly.

@2FollowHim Good grief... honestly people like you are part of the problem.
Do some research like I suggested... that is REALITY.
BTW you are an idiot if you don't know how to use a mask properly. Or do you think all DRs and Nurses are idiots?
BTW Victoria had 2 waves and the 2nd had thousands of infected and hundreds of dead... 112 days later no deaths no infections... going on for 3 weeks now still no infections and no deaths.
Do some research and stop posting rubbish.
All Australian states and territories have the virus under control.
I know the situation in the UK and the US and I know where I'd rather be living.

@turnerjolene48 What do you mean move? I live in Australia... compared to the US we are virtually virus free now.

@2FollowHim As of 14 November 2020, 10 361 110 cases have been reported in the EU/EEA and the UK: France (1 922 504), Spain (1 458 591), United Kingdom (1 317 496), Italy (1 107 303), Germany (773 556), Poland (665 547), Belgium (524 916), Czechia (454 030), Netherlands (436 024), Romania (343 725), Portugal (204 664), Austria (191 024), Sweden (177 355), Hungary (136 723), Bulgaria (94 937), Slovakia (83 796), Croatia (78 978), Greece (69 675), Ireland (67 099), Denmark (60 000), Slovenia (52 385), Lithuania (31 878), Norway (27 226), Luxembourg (25 218), Finland (18 858), Latvia (9 836), Malta (7 646), Estonia (7 148), Cyprus (6 853), Iceland (5 170) and Liechtenstein (949).

As of 14 November 2020, 262 220 deaths have been reported in the EU/EEA and the UK: United Kingdom (51 304), Italy (44 139), France (43 892), Spain (40 769), Belgium (14 106), Germany (12 378), Poland (9 499), Romania (8 684), Netherlands (8 347), Sweden (6 164), Czechia (5 926), Portugal (3 250), Hungary (2 990), Bulgaria (2 055), Ireland (1 972), Austria (1 574), Greece (997), Croatia (968), Denmark (756), Slovakia (491), Slovenia (481), Finland (369), Norway (294), Lithuania (253), Luxembourg (211), Latvia (116), Malta (88), Estonia (80), Cyprus (38), Iceland (25) and Liechtenstein (4).

So much for your Swedish lie...

@turnerjolene48 lol... Crocodile Dundee...
Like I have said... you need to do some research.
Unlike the US we don't have the right to bear arms... we do not see the need for it and we are right.
We are mostly happy to listen to official medical advice and adhere to it. Melbourne and Victoria are example of what can be achieved, we may comply, we may not like it, but the results speak for themselves.
We haven't given up our liberty, we have just ensured we can maintain it and get back to normal sooner rather than later.
Victoria is not in lockdown now and by Christmas most restrictions will have been lifted including Interstate travel, we already allow overseas travel to New Zealand and we bring back citizens from overseas and place them in quarantine for 2 weeks before allowing them to go home.
we are basically virus free.
You have had 250,000 deaths from the virus... that is not a small number. death from Influenza ranges from 24,00-62,000 per year. Big difference... and this year is only about 9 months into it.
Oh and BTW if we don't like a Government or their decisions we vote them out.

If they let this sham elections stand things are going to get very bad. Instead of state governors playing tyrant this will become federal

yes, it's actually childish, 'me want ALL the power. Aren't we finding out who's who in this?

I have a slightly different view. I think Socialism is just an excuse and a tool to achieve totalitarian control. Because everything promised goes out the window once control is established. But you are right: the more Socialist a state becomes, the more tyrannical it is.

This "KUNG-FLU" BS has ALWAYS been about control, not YOUR safety!!!
If it was not, why didn't we lock down and wear mask during the N1H1 during Obama administration???

@TheMiddleWay I don't know what medical professionals you are talking to, but the one I know have said from the start of all this BS that, "this is the FLU" just like any other year, get over it"!!!
I can not control the numbers that the MSM puts out, but they are just as much BS!!!!
I know I can not change YOUR mind, but I can state the facts!!!!

@TheMiddleWay I went into the ER because my O2 stats were in the 80% area (I have ONE lung and COPD), and my wife (a RN with a masters degree and over 25 years experience in an ER) thought I should get some O2!!!
I got 20 minutes of O2 in the ER and was then admitted to the hospital and put in a room by myself, with NO visitors!!!
During my THREE days in the hospital, I saw a nurse's aid twice a day, when she brought me the prescribed drugs that I took at home every day!!!
I did not get any more O2, I did not see a doctor or RN, I received no further treatment, but I was released on the third day!!!
Now, as I understand it, hospitals DO NOT get their $31,000 FEDERAL dollars if you are not admitted for CV-19, for at least 3 days!!!
Myself, my wife, and my 80 plus year old mother-in-law (who has more medical issues than I can name) have all survived the "KUNG-FLU!!!!!!!!!!!!
And you think this is NOT all a scam???
AGAIN, I've been there done that!!!!!!!!

@TheMiddleWay Sorry, but people die of the FLU every year including this one, some years more than others!!!
In the case of CV-19, more people died with CV-19, than from CV-19, if you care to check the facts put out by other than the Liberal Left, which I doubt YOU would EVER do!!!!!!!!!!!

@TheMiddleWay Like I said above!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mask statistics anywhere? When out at either work or elsewhere, just about everyone I see is wearing a mask, and the only individual that I know personally who got Covid was a firm believer in mask wearing. I think one of the main points brought up in the article was to question just how effective masks really are? Keep in mind, in the beginning of the pandemic the Federal Government encouraged people not to wear masks, and they did so for a reason. For what it's worth, I wear a mask when at work etc, and did so even back when most of those on the political left were calling folks like me a paranoid mask hoarder. When it comes to anti-science, I think both political extremes distort science in order to suit their own agendas. Bottom line is, there has not been loads of time in which to carry out these experiments regarding if certain measures work adequately or not when it comes to Covid. They say (the experts that is) masks are effective, I question just how effective?

Also, some of the Covid restrictions in place by certain state Governors are absurd at best and borderline civil rights abuse at worst.

You may not heard of this, but the brainwashed have also been taught to reject science and reason where it does not agree with their dogma. Why? Because they deny utopia. And that's where you get their "you have your truth and I have mine".

So why do you wear one? Who are you protecting, first? Do you know the virus is TEENY, TINY, and your mask has equivalent of TUNNELS? That your EXHALED breath is another WASTE product that until THIS YEAR, this year!, just went into the AIR, and like the ocean, the air cleaned it.
Like how cow dung so soon becomes cow manure, very good.
Masks DON'T work, and they're a FACE DIAPER, catching your expelled waste and recycled.
Your breathing shouldn't be BLOCKED.
Let's say you don't have symptoms. No mask needed.
If you have, stay home, get well.

Tests were done to PROVE you CATCH it. You don't.
I wouldn't go near a sick person but rather communicate with Skype.
Being around a negative environment isn't wise.

I've never believed in talking AT people, or getting their spittle on my face.
Unpleasant, unclean.

Those people want control, don't want anyone touching, talking.
I won't follow illness.
The science is found on Google. Lots on Google.

@TheMiddleWay Regarding the firearm comparison, you're right... and that proves my point that masks are not foolproof. The Dems often complain about those who put too much faith in guns to save them from criminals, but see nothing wrong with putting total trust in face masks during the pandemic? Sounds like skewed logic to me.

Little information back then on Covid you say? That I don't buy. They still knew it was potentially serious, and either face masks help against germs etc or they do not, having more knowledge or not on the matter should not change that much. Please show me the statistics on mask wearing and social distancing, I contend a majority of Americans have worn masks and keep a distance from others (me included) and that a relatively smaller portion of citizens are vehemently anti-mask.

Thank you for some statistics, and I'm not denying that masks help somewhat, my concern is how much faith people have put in them, and such might be deterring them from taking other important measures which in turn is why we are seeing a spike in Covid.

To the few who had commented on here in opposition to what I posted, don't think I didn't notice that none of you brought up the unnecessary restrictions put in place by some of the Democratic Governors. What the bloody hell does a curfew on alcohol have directly to do with Covid, to name just one example? You do realize that these mask mandates etc carry the potential to produce more interactions with the police and citizens, something I thought the Dems were trying to avoid given the recent police brutality cases that sparked outrage across the country. There have been plenty of documented instances of people being jailed over absurd Covid mandate "violations". Am I the only one who is concerned about that point? So... you (the Democrats that is) complain about police brutality and turn around and enact certain measures that if violated will likely get someone thrown in jail, by you guessed it... cops. Yeah, that makes such good sense now doesn't it? I'm not siding with the Repubs either, they are wrong too, but at times like this I get to see the little dictator state governors of mostly blue states. New York, New Jersey, and my home state of Pennsylvania, all of which are largely blue states with Democrat Governors and look at the Covid death rates in those states? You can't blame that one on the Repubs. The people you call experts are mere fallible human beings capable of being wrong. Covid-19, while not a joke, is still nothing worthy of losing our rights over or damaging the economy. I'm skeptical of certain claims made in regards to the current pandemic, and feel that I am within my rights to be so.

@TheMiddleWay Maybe not the experts, but alot of the citizens are though. I literally know some who damn near believe masks are the magical key in defeating Covid, with physical distancing not far behind on the list.

Crime may have gone down in certain areas/states, but some of the Covid restrictions do have the potential to bring the citizens and police together in a not exactly desirable way if you get my meaning...

I largely trust science itself, can't say the same about scientists or other human beings who of which can and have been incorrect on matters. A business owner who is forced to close down their business have at least a 50/50 chance they will not be able to start another business, and may even end up in the street in the meantime over bankruptcy. Through the ages humanity has weathered many storms and the current one will too come to pass eventually, but shutting down the economy is not the answer. The lockdowns have claimed untold lives as well, suicides are on the rise, and many others are on the verge of mental breakdown. Some of us are concerned not only about Covid-19 itself, but also what could follow the pandemic in the form of legislation/restrictions. Both are bad news.

@SpikeTalon
It’s not really relevant what “people on the other side” are saying/doing. It’s not about my tribe right - your tribe wrong. People on all sides get stuff wrong.

It’s my understanding that the reason mask-wearing was discouraged in the beginning was because people (who at that time were not in great danger because of relatively low rates of infection then) were panicking and buying up all the N95s, which were in short supply at the time, and were desperately needed by frontline health workers, who were being exposed to the virus daily. A doctor friend of mine was having to wear the same mask for a week when you’re supposed to dispose of them after every patient.

As time went on, and the disease spread to the greater population, and mask-makers ramped up production, it made perfect sense to change the recommendation to universal mask wearing. Had the supply been available it would have made sense from day one.

While there is still a lot we don’t know about covid, that doesn’t mean we know nothing. We know it is spread through droplets that are expelled from the mouth and nose. We have had plenty of time to discover ways to reduce the expulsion of droplets from mouth and nose. Surgeons have been wearing masks since the beginning of modern medicine. There are few things better established than this simple procedure.

Next time you need surgery (God forbid) will you tell the team to forego the masks and gloves because they don’t work?

Anecdotal evidence such as what happened to a single individual has no statistical bearing on whether a practice reduces the likelihood of infection. And paranoia is not a trustworthy guide.

Having brakes on a car doesn’t prevent thousands of deaths annually from car crashes. Removing the federally mandated brake system from your car simply because it isn’t guaranteed to save your life, AND because you don’t like the government “controlling” you, is a textbook model of logical fallacy.

@BlurtReynolds That may or may not have been the case with the masks in the beginning, but my point was that the way the Federal authorities and scientists framed it, the masks would not have done much good to the average citizen. My main concern with the masks is that people may be counting on them too much while ignoring other measures that could help just as much if not more in battling Covid. The other concern is mask quality, medical grade masks are different than just cloth masks. Do you see surgeons wearing just cloth masks? The mask quality can make a difference.

If what happened to one individual can certainly happen to another, that's hardly anecdotal evidence. Based on evidence I have seen it stands to reason that a majority of Americans are closely adhering to the National Covid guidelines, with only a rather small fringe of citizens not following said guidelines. Yet, Covid-19 is starting to spike and people continue dying from it, the skeptic in me says something is not right with that...

@SpikeTalon
People may well be counting on them too much, but scientists haven’t advised them to count on them too much. They advised them to use them, and distancing, and hand washing, and staying away from crowds. What other measures do you think the experts have overlooked? I’ve not seen any data on percentages of mask wearers, but where I live (a very red state) mask wearing is very spotty. And those who don’t wear them are very proud of it.

Even close friends of mine who wear masks religiously, also do other very risky and unnecessary things that put them in danger. Many people wear masks... under their chin or below their nose. Or wear them properly but still go out to restaurants (where you have to remove them to eat). It’s not as simple as mask or no mask. This bug is highly contagious. If we are to stop the spread people will need to get a lot better at the full range of precautions, which I see no chance of happening. Even a vaccine won’t work if people won’t take it. The U.S. is doing the worst job of any country at managing this health crisis, because we’re a bunch of spoiled, paranoid, tribal adolescents.