It’s So Darn Simple! Wear the Damn Mask!

By Shlomo Maital

Listen carefully. Wear the damn mask! In Asia, countries where people are used to wearing masks, and do so, have fewer cases. Wear the damn mask! Make it a federal requirement. Personal freedom? First amendment rights? Come on, blockheads – you do not have the right to infect others and endanger their lives.

But hey – don’t believe me. Would you believe Goldman Sachs? They are very careful about what they say – the service investment banks offer is mainly trust and credibility. And Goldman Sachs says, 60% (you got it – 60%) of current cases could be prevented if everybody, everywhere, would wear masks in public. If everybody agreed to wear the damn mask, it would not be so necessary to keep shutting and opening restaurants, bars, beaches, small businesses, etc. The benefits would be huge.

   So why don’t people wear them in the US? Why are cases spiking, in 30 or more states?

   Ask your President.

   Unless mask attitudes and behavior change fast, the picture for the US economy is bleak. Here is Goldman Sachs’ take on it:

   “The sharp increase in confirmed coronavirus infections in the US has raised fears that the recovery might soon stall,” Jan Hatzius, Goldman’s chief economist, said in a note. “Although a significant part of the increase reflects higher testing volumes … a broader look at the CDC criteria for reopening shows that not only new cases but also positive test rates, the share of doctor visits for covid-like symptoms, and hospital capacity utilization have deteriorated meaningfully in the last few weeks.”   GDP fell 5% in the first quarter, part of a mostly self-induced recession aimed at stopping the coronavirus spread. It was the biggest one-quarter drop since the fourth quarter of 2008, during the Great Recession. As cases decreased, states slowly began reopening amid hopes that the sharp drawdown would be short-lived. Indeed, even if Goldman’s reduced call is correct, that would mark, by a wide margin, the biggest quarterly rebound since at least 1947. The U.S. has seen 340,000 new virus cases over the past week, a rise of 13.4%. That has come with 3,447 deaths, a 2.9% increase.”

Keep it simple, Stupxxx.   Wear the damn mask!