Any speculation on when/if mask mandates will be lifted

I’m sure there are plenty of people who feel the same but are too afraid to speak out.

I don’t know why the CECC believe that Taiwan is not only going to (apparently) escape the impact of COVID, but also the well-documented impact of ‘interventions’, including masks. One massive problem with masks (apart from the physical aspects) is that everyone knows they’re pointless, but because they’re mandated we have to justify our behaviour to ourselves. Making up stupid justifications for stupid actions creates an enormous amount of stress, and the mental-health fallout is going to be exactly the same as in every other masked-up country. The CECC, I assume, has no psychologists on staff.

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If you get tired of following the rules, you could consider heading into the heroic world of Finley like this guy did back in 2021:

Guy

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Have you considered that there might be a slight difference between a reluctance to agree with clearly dubious rules and being a single drunk obnoxious American?

I’m not sure what brownie points Taiwan is giving you for uncritically supporting silly rules, but I suspect that the majority of people here are still complying with mask rules despite their opinion of them in certain situations. They don’t have to like doing so, though.

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There’s no need to ethnicize this.

Some of my best friends are Americans!

Guy

One very effective rationalization for silly rules is this: if the rules are as they are, they can’t possibly be silly.

I dunno, you posted the article highlighting he was an American. I would have used similar language if he was a Brit or whatever.

We could also mention the Taiwanese people expressing an unwillingness to wear masks in convenience stores, although most of those stories presumably attracted less media attention and some of them have had worse outcomes.

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My direct boss, various admin and staff at work, the coppers near my place when chatting outside (front and back of cop shop), all functioning quite well w/o masks. Local stores not enforcing QR codes or masks. RT Mart removed QR code from front door completely.

There’s a few rebels around.

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My guess is that stores and staff don’t want to be shut down and shipped off just because a customer scanned a QR code. From what I can gather around here, they’d prefer you didn’t. They certainly never try and enforce it at all, anywhere.

In case my point was lost (I doubt it was, but here it is): noncompliance is sometimes understandable, but it is not heroic. Mask wearing works best when everyone helps out. The masks may not stop omicron, but they will help to slow it down.

If—against all expectations—community transmission comes to an end, then the masks can come off. I’d be amazed if this happens, but hey dare to dream!

Guy

That’s a pretty ill-defined criterion though - didn’t community transmission already come to an end last autumn or so, before it started again this time around? I wouldn’t hold my breath either…

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Nobody’s trying to be a hero. We’re just refusing to indulge in ritualised play-acting just because there’s a cold virus on the loose. It’s a matter of retaining one’s sanity, not seeking a pat on the back.

There’s a whole thread on this, but you’re making a completely unfounded assertion here - there are now multiple studies showing that masks do nothing. Even if they did “slow it down”, it’s not a sensible justification for mask-wearing. Let’s say masks reduce R from 9 to 8. Well, so what? The people who are “vulnerable” are still going to get it; they’ll just get it next week instead of this week. Meanwhile, the other 99.999% of the population has to submit to yet another random experimental medical intervention with no benefits accruing, and a high probability of harm of one sort or another.

In any case, it should be perfectly obvious that omicron isn’t slowed down if it’s not present in the wearer of said mask … and the CECC would have us believe that nobody in Taiwan has COVID.

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Masks useless, vaccines useless, compliance useless . . . I sense a trend here. You deserve credit at least for being consistent, even if I don’t agree with your positions.

Guy

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I didn’t say compliance was useless per se. I said compliance with harmful edicts is useless.

3 posts were split to a new topic: From speculation

I just don’t want to be forced to wear masks outside during the summer. I mean do we really have to choose between death from heat stroke and a fine?

I’m not sure those are the only two options. This summer I’m going for the following:

  • being mildly irritated 97% of the time
  • not dying from heat stroke
  • not getting fined
  • getting or exceeding my recommended dietary allowance of formaldehyde, aniline, fluorocarbons, cobalt, and microfibers
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Why Taiwanese are in love and obsessed with masks?

Can you still just wear cloth masks or are they now requiring medical or KN95? When outside it would make more sense to wear reusable masks since it sounds like it rains there every day :wink:

You can wear any mask, except for the MRT where the audio in the train says you should wear medical grade masks. Still, some people don’t follow that rule. But they are usually elderly.

I actually find odd that there’s not much encouragement of wearing N95s or masks that actually work, instead of poorly fitted surgical masks. I mean, if we are going to wear masks, let’s do it right at least.

When I’m excercising or in the rain I wear a foam/cloth mask and then change it to a medical one when I go indoors.

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There’s not enough supply for the approximately 23 m people here.

What I have noticed, though, are folks—especially women—wearing the better fitted surgical masks (not the fully flat ones, but the ones that are shaped to stay closer to our faces). These types apparently cost a bit more but are available.

Guy

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