A False Sense of Safety From Inadequate Masks and Gloves

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/opinion/letters/coronavirus-masks-gloves.html

Version 0 of 1.

To the Editor:

Attention is now being given to the likelihood that a principal route of Covid-19 transmission is by inhalation of aerosols — droplets that are so small as to float in the air without settling — exhaled by infected people. So it is time to consider the possibility that inadequate or ill-fitting masks are creating false confidence, causing their wearers to engage in risky behaviors they would otherwise avoid, increasing rather than decreasing spread of the virus.

Without clear guidelines from the public health authorities about which masks are effective and how to make or obtain them, citizens cannot know how adequately they are protected. And if there are not enough high-quality masks to go around, as continues to be the case, why has the country been unable to produce them?

We have the laboratories to test masks for their ability to block airborne spread of the virus, and we have the industries to produce masks. Why has there been no adequate mobilization of science and industry to address these problems while the virus continues to spread?

Matthew MeselsonCambridge, Mass.The writer is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Harvard.

To the Editor:

Re “Welcome to Applebee’s! Can I Get You Started With Some Disinfectant?” (Sunday Business, June 28):

Please stop thinking that your host or server wearing gloves keeps you safe! Gloves are clean only until they touch something. If what was touched is dirty, then there’s a possibility of transferring those germs, just like bare hands.

As someone who has worked in food service all over the country for decades, I can tell you that staff never change gloves enough to prevent all cross-contamination. Someone with bare hands is more likely to wash or use hand sanitizer.

I realize that many company guidelines call for changing gloves between patrons, but I would bet that’s not the reality. And you think that the host is changing gloves before greeting each new set of patrons? Wear a mask, wash your hands and bon appétit!

Beth KornNew Orleans

To the Editor:

Re “White House News Conference Takes a Rambling Turn” (news article, July 15):

Peter Baker’s brilliant account of President Trump’s latest news conference-cum-diatribe-cum-de facto campaign speech lists some of the topics of the president’s utterly disjointed screed. Mr. Baker notes the odd assertions about Joe Biden’s positions on environmental issues and getting rid of windows (?!), and the extraordinarily puzzling comments on immigration policy during the Obama administration.

The entire piece paints a vivid illustration of the Trump news conference: a platform for dodging questions, spewing lies and incoherent thoughts, hurling insults and telling addled tales. It was demoralizing and alarming to watch.

We absolutely need rigorous reporting like Mr. Baker’s, but is it time to give these offensive performances a pass? There must be other, more effective ways to scrutinize the remainder of this low point in our nation’s history.

Mary HendersonRiverside, Conn.