At this stage of the coronavirus pandemic everyone has an opinion about cycling outside and the relative risk of catching Covid-19. We have government leaders telling us one thing, scientists saying another thing, journalists who interpret science saying something else, pundits doing what they do, and then of course we have all our friends and acquaintances pontificating about the topic on social media feeds.
I’m curious where folks are on this issue because I still see a big split in behaviors when I’m out on the streets. I also have a hunch the masks-while-cycling issue is the new helmet debate and we’ll just have to agree to disagree and muddle along.
Then there’s the graffiti I just saw while biking on the Marine Drive path north of NE 33rd Avenue. Over the weekend someone spray-painted about a dozen messages along several miles of the path: “Runners & Bikers Mask!”, “Six Feet Not Enuf!”, “Mask YOU”, and “Mask or Stay Home”, they wrote.
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I feel like there was major resistance to mask-wearing for many bicycle riders since Day One of this thing. Now with talks of a “phased reopening process” I can just sense everyone letting their guards down (driving traffic is way up for starters).
So… are you wearing one when you ride? What’s your personal practice?
I know bicycle users aren’t a monolithic demographic and that — just like every other type of road users — their bicycles don’t define how they think, what their lived experience is, and so on. So I’m not surprised there’s a wide range of views about this.
Personally, I’m on the wear-a-mask end of the spectrum; but I also use my head and use personal discretion about the when/where/how. For instance I wear a different type of mask if I’m biking for work or errands than if I’m suited up in my spandex on a fast-paced training ride. For the latter I’ll use a lightweight face-covering while I’m in town, but pull it down around my neck when I’m out on wide-open roads.
I’m curious what your thinking is on this. If you leave a comment, consider how it might influence others who are genuinely confused and looking for advice on the topic.
Further reading:
— The Risks – Know Them – Avoid Them, by Erin Bromage Ph.D. and Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
— Should You Wear a Mask When Exercising Outdoors?, by Wall Street Journal (5/4/20)
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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I always publicize my virtue signalling by defacing public property.
The concerned citizen who left this vandalism should just stay home. They are the one being irresponsible by exposing themselves and loved ones to whatever they think is lurking out there.
I could placate them by wearing ill-fitting, ineffective masks and bandanas, but I won’t.
Happy riding!
Too bad the paint bandit does not patrol the underpass on the I-205 path.
There is a road option that works well in this area. There are so many people out. Have all of them been at work and LA Fitness before now? It’s kind of funny, but far more sad.
I would not wear a mask while riding unless I was being handed a large bag of cash. Make that a very large bag. My favorite is the solo driver wearing a mask.
You mean the underpass near the Parkrose transit station? OMG it’s bad again.
At this point isn’t using the term “virtue signaling” actually an act of virtue signaling itself by the right? Seriously, its the current form of casual disregarding of others’ concerns by denigrating their motives without actually addressing them. Welcome to Fox News tactics 101.
Honestly…I forget my mask at home more than I’d like but I try to wear it as much as I can while biking and walking! I’d say that ends up being ~60% of the time and I feel awful without it but try not to beat myself up too much.
I think it depends. On a lower volume of users trails or roads, no mask required. Same is true of mountain biking. On higher volume of users trails or roads, a mask might be a good idea. If just for the reason of being a good example.
Judging by the volume of bikers, runners, and walkers I saw on that path yesterday, I would wear a mask there at that time. Usually I ride on streets and I don’t come close to people and I don’t wear a mask.
I’m not sure I agree with you about the need to wear a mask, Carter, but I do agree that it’s a great idea to avoid paths right now, which is really easy to do b/c traffic on streets is so much lighter and the riding on streets is so much more pleasant.
Fred, your reply to me is in this other thread but I found it anyway (thank you for a response instead of just a downvote). Regardless, the question was “What do you do and why?” You’re right. Maybe I don’t *need* to wear a mask. But, again, it does me no harm and *maybe* it does some good.
If the discussion was “What do you think is the minimum amount you can do?” then my answer would be different.
Oops, there are two “Carter”s in the comments. I didn’t mean to hijack this thread!
My actions thus far have been pretty dictated by the scientific guidance I’ve read. Wear a mask indoors where you cannot be 6 feet from someone. In this case, I think anytime indoors makes sense right now. I think that it also makes good sense that if you are coming within 6 feet outside, say picking up a to-go order, then wear that mask and probably gloves. Wear a mask if you’re outside waiting in a socially distant line. Wear a mask if you’re walking on a crowded sidewalk.
But. If I’m riding out on open roads not near other cyclists, or if I’m walking in the middle of my street not coming within 10 feet of people in wide open air – then, no, I’m not wearing a mask. All the science i’ve read is that risk outside,even during brief encounters is exceptionally low and when you’re more than the 6 ft away for those few seconds of inhabiting the same road- I don’t think it warrants that panicky, hyper-ventilating-induced feeling. But yes to all those other circumstances. My two cents
I agree with you, K, and so does the very learned author of this paper: https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them
Duration of exposure seems to be a critical factor in passing the virus.
I think this article is a “must read.” I highly recommend it.
Exactly that. Chances of getting it outside are negligible
If you aren’t going to wear a mask please at least pick a side of the street to walk down. It is kind of annoying to be unable to keep 6 feet of distance from someone not wearing a mask because they are walking 2-3 abreast right in the middle of the street.
Thanks for flagging as comment of the week. Noted. Always looking for good comments to highlight on Fridays and will consider this one for sure.
I have read several articles/papers (and used common sense) and agree. Does this virus hang at human head height while you descend down a road on your bike or jog along an open street? Do all the particles form a cloud and attack the next person that runs by? Do those particles then immediately absorb into this persons mucous membranes?? No. Unless you’re on a crowded path, no need to use a mask. I personally wear one during any encounter with other humans and when walking on a sidewalk with multiple people on it. Not going to struggle to breathe to jog or cycle though. If I had a person at risk at home, I would skip the crowded paths and consider exercising indoors or in remote areas.
I live in Greensboro NC, pop 290,000 with a known vastly under-tested under-reported number of Covid-19 cases, especially for our large black and retired residents. Nevertheless, neither I nor anyone else I know who rides uses a mask. We’ve seen a huge increase in bicycle riding (relatively speaking, still less than Portland on a cold wet day). Like with helmets, I’ve noted that many people who do wear them, wear them wrong, only covering their mouths and not the noses, or letting them hang, and often no eye covering. But 80%+ of whites don’t use them at all, including elderly, and about 40% of blacks. I also see a lot of mask users hugging each other, talking within 3 feet of one another, or waiting to pick up food in dense crowds.
There is no reason to wear a mask when you are outside and particularly when cycling. COVID transmission does not happen through transient proximity to someone who is infected.
Stay safe and keep others safe by:
Stay home if you don’t feel well.
Don’t touch anyone outside your household.
Don’t have close up conversations with anyone outside your household.
If you can’t avoid those close up conversations, wear a mask.
It is very reasonable to wear a mask when indoors.
Wash your hands.
If you feel the need to wear a mask outdoors, feel free to do so.
my limited anecdotal from Taiwan is everyone masks up indoors and on public transit, but many lose the mask once outdoors…
What would Trump do? Wearing a mask can be a political statement, as well as protecting others.
He wouldn’t ride a bike. That’s for dang sure.
Pretty clear NOT wearing a mask is a political statement for some people.
The “scientists saying one thing” you link to aren’t epidemiologists. Per Vox
“But this research — despite being branded as a “study” in a much-shared Medium post aiming to summarize it — contained no input from epidemiologists or virologists and was not peer-reviewed. Its logic is deeply flawed.”
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/4/24/21233226/coronavirus-runners-cyclists-airborne-infectious-dose
I’ll wear a mask outdoors if there’s a crowd, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that it’s prolonged periods in indoor spaces that are the main hazard.
This is a fascinating article that references what epidemiologists have to say about how covid-19 spreads. Totally changed my position on mask-wearing. https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them
I was going to post the same link. In short, focus on contact time and contact intensity. Don’t worry about that unmasked cycler passing too close on your left.
Thanks for the link! I was reading this the other day but closed the tab and couldn’t find it again.
Thanks for the article Cosmo. Hope to see that cabin sometime.
L
I mask up whenever I go out, regardless of my activity. 1) I think it’s good to stay in the habit so I don’t accidentally forget it at home 2) Even if I think I’m going for a ride in a secluded area, I can’t predict detours, stops, unexpected population, etc. 3) It does me absolutely no harm to wear a mask. Why make a set of situational rules when one rule (“wear a mask”) covers everything?
One of the ironies here is that in December and January there were lots of stories about various cities promoting facial recognition software for community security, the loss of civil liberties, and people even painting their faces to mess up the software. Now we are not only allowed, but even encouraged, to go into local businesses, government offices, and even banks looking like Jesse James.
Wow, people really don’t seem to like that I wear a mask.
I noticed that too.
Lots of folks seem to be having fun playing with the downvote button.
Too bad, really.
you can’t accept that someone … somewhere … might disagree with you?
I’m just having fun with the downvote button.
No, I can totally accept that someone might disagree with me. However, I wouldn’t mind if someone would explain the counterpoint to my “it doesn’t hurt me to wear a mask” attitude. Is there just a large anti-mask contingent? Am I missing something that masks are actively harmful?
Well I didn’t downvote so can’t speak to that inclination, but as to your question about why not just wear a mask for all occasions, for me it’s really uncomfortable. I have mild asthma and can get claustrophobic. In situations where I’ve worn a mask an hour at a time it gets to be pretty unpleasant. So in a situation like riding/walking outside where the risk is extremely low to me/others and I’d be exacerbating that feeling through strained breathing, I’m choosing the situational approach. If it was full stop required when going outdoors I would abide, but would definitely not choose to bike as much or take the walks around my neighborhood making me and my dog more sad.
I don’t think we have had the conversation here about what a downvote means. It could mean lots of things, but the facile ‘doesn’t agree with you’ doesn’t really ring true for me. Some people are clearly using the button to signal something else, especially under comments that don’t present a point of view but simply clarify or explore or ask a question. Downvoting those comments suggests something else to me.
To have every utterance on bikeportland no matter how banal, factual, exploratory subject to an up/down screening does not seem to me to serve a community purpose. It seems instead to offer some an outlet for kicking a commenter.
I downvote every comment discussing downvoting because I love the irony.
NPR recently gave 5mins to the question of whether or not u shud confront someone in public who is making you uncomfortable b/c they are not wearing a mask…their answer:
maybe don’t confront, but go to social media and post photos of self/friends wearing masks…and upvote/like photos your friends post of themselves wearing masks.
in short…don’t confront your fellow citizens, but try to manipulate their thought processes thru social media.
I played w/ downvote on your comment NOT b/c i dislike u wearing a mask…you do you…but b/c your anecdote instantly reminded me of the flaccid NPR strategy…and your idea that we as humans are incapable of situational nuance (“why make a set of situational rules when one rule (wear a mask) covers everything?”) is absurd and unduly paternalistic.
Finally, an explanation! Thanks.
So, to review, the question posed was, “what do you do mask-wise and why?” I thought I was framing my answer as addressing my personal habits and reasoning. I didn’t call out anyone about not wearing a mask. But that was *still* wrong because it reminded you of *something else* about how to change other people’s behavior.
I guess I can see how if you started with that faulty premise in the first place, you could read my “situational rules” bit to be about everyone instead of just me. But, hey, you started off with the wrong idea and ended up with the wrong conclusion. It happens. Forget it, Jake, it’s the internet.
jake?
:/
I agreed with you up until that point. But I didn’t vote either way.
That line sounds like the same parroting we get from the motor vehicle community. They want us to obey their rules because they have to obey them so everybody should. The problem is that one rule often does not equally cover everybody. We make situational rules so that the rules are fair.
As you are the second person to point out that bit, I guess I should have been clearer. “Why make a set of situational rules *for myself* when one rule covers everything?”
No need to wear one all the time. It’s uncomfortable and hard to breath and doesn’t do much. Just bring it with you in case you need it. I’ve got one in my purse, pocket, car at all times. Don’t wear it while riding/running.
This is just me, but my strategy now is pretty much the same as my strategy before the pandemic: avoid MUPs as much as possible.
There’s a perfect antidote to that acrimony in east county and the West Hills: open roads and your fellow cyclist. The past few weeks have been good vibes with especially wide berths and friendly greetings.
Honolulu is about 90% mask use now (100% mandatory if you go into a store) but out running/ cycling its at ~50%…I don’t ride with a mask yet as the streets are pretty wide open since few are commuting to work yet by bike…but if I were cycling in Portland along Vancouver/ Williams or the Hawthorne Bridge I would be using a mask.
I wonder if they wore a mask and gloves and eye protection …and deployed traffic cones when they spray painted their PSA 😉
The walker more than likely drove to the path while talking on their phone.
Masks are more important indoors, in particular in smaller, poorly ventilated spaces. Outdoors they aren’t really needed because the virus is going to disperse and you’re only around other people for a brief time. Wear them when you go to the store just to show some compassion and solidarity with the employees there.
My personal practice is to keep a mask with my bike lock and only bring them along when I plan to stop at the store. Perhaps counter intuitive, but I’ll wear a mask once we open up more and attempt to sensibly manage infection rates, rather than attempt to fully and futilely suppress infection rates. In Oregon, even metro Portland, we never came close to stressing hospital capacity, which was the initial rational behind flattening the curve. This was accomplished before masks became a thing. My zipcode is shared by this section of the MUP and it has had 14 reported cases, or about 4 in 10,000. For some context, the same zipcode has likely under a 50% vaccination rate for the seasonal flu and I don’t recall graffiti urging people to get their annual shots. I have yet to see any persuasive evidence that spreading or contacting coronavirus while riding right now on sparsely populated streets and MUPs is a legitimate concern. If we can get to a point where we tolerate infection rates a magnitude higher, then absolutely I’ll wear a mask on urban streets and MUPs, and will urge others to do the same. Until then, no need to fret or shame.
I haven’t worn a mask when I have been out riding (and don’t plan to wear one), but I have mostly been keeping my rides to the rural roads of Clark County. I also am either riding alone or with my wife.
We did venture to Marine Drive (and saw the markings in the posting) this weekend, but we never ride the path because it is too congested with too many different types of users. We stay on Marine Drive and didn’t encounter any other riders doing the same.
Right message, wrong media. Persons who flout CDC guidance and disregard the potential harm they cause to others by not wearing masks are selfish and small minded as this pandemic is a huge in scope and time frame. Persons who tag with paint are vandals. The graffiti heart doesn’t make the act loving, and the perp sure isn’t Banksy.
I think of health care workers, and grocery store clerks risking their lives in the course of their work, and on the other hand, self-important individuals, disregard the wellness of the “herd” as if health were someone else’s problem. This COVID-19 show cases the best and worst of humanity. Tis a pity that the worst undoes and stymies the best.
I don’t know about you, but my decision making process is frequently influenced by spray painted admonitions on public surfaces.
The CDC advice is: Everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.
To me it seems that by the examples given they want us to wear a mask when we’ll be within contact that is prolonged, indoor, and close-proximity. If that’s not what they’re getting at then be sure to also shame people driving without a mask on.
The CDC also suggests: Cloth face coverings should not be placed on […] anyone who has trouble breathing
I have trouble breathing with a face mask on while bicycling. It’s uncomfortable and induces panic when you are trying to get up a hill and you realize you’re not getting enough air.
I don’t feel that you’re around others while you’re bicycling alone and thus there’s no suggestion to wear a mask; not anymore than you would while driving around other drivers on the road.
I do not believe a mask is useful while riding. Between the outdoor ventilation, distance between people, and very short passing times, I believe the chances of giving or receiving an infection are very small. Balanced against the benefits of exercise that I simply would not do if I wore a mask, and it is clear to me that it makes sense to ride without a mask.
Another problem with masks, when you’re breathing heavily, is that you trap and recycle a bit of air. If I’m an asymptomatic carrier, that will increase my exposure to the virus because I’m essentially breathing from a reservoir with a high viral load that’s directly trapped against my face.
Very Bad.
Are you being facetious? If you’re an asymptomatic carrier, re-inhaling your own breath is not going to put you at greater risk.
I really don’t want to risk infecting myself.
It’s only paint, grow up already.
So graffiti vandals are the adults and persons who don’t want the commons defaced should grow up and shut up? Bizarro logic
Wait til it happens to your store.
Just so I follow, it’s cool if self-appointed citizens paint guerrilla crosswalks and other markings on streets they feel will encourage safe behaviors, but not on MUPs?
I’ve encountered a few hysterical people during my mask-less neighborhood bike rides – people, always wearing masks, who jump off the road and hide behind a bush, all the while giving me the evil eye til I pass by. I think they have lost their minds – there’s very little evidence that the virus can be transmitted in the open air. Everyone should read this report: https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them Avoiding prolonged contact in enclosed spaces is the key.
If you are so concerned that other people might give you the virus, then you should probably stay home (unless you are an essential worker). Anytime you leave your house, you are taking a risk – and that’s true even during non-pandemic times.
Language matters. People are frightened of dying because others are displaying behavior that makes them uncomfortable. If, prior to the pandemic, one was in an elevator and someone (a woman perhaps) said “you are making me uncomfortable” would you call them hysterical, or dismiss them as having “lost their minds”? You don’t get to determine what makes others uncomfortable, and certainly out of place to deride them for being anxious during a pandemic that has killed over 80,000 people in the US alone.
It is likely that the majority of posters on this blog are among the healthiest of people. Likely also, as cyclists, have a high risk threshold. Imposing your risk tolerance on others and telling them that being out doors is only for people with your risk tolerance is not exactly generous.
People around the country are protesting measures to slow the spread of the virus, such as wearing masks. Lots of these folks are protesting because they need to work to feed their families or pay rent. Here people are resisting prophylactic measures because it inconveniences their recreation. Either way people who do not use prophylactic measures will prolong the pandemic
We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection. Public health authorities define a significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or even 30 minutes). The chance of catching Covid-19 from a passing interaction in a public space is therefore minimal. In many cases, the desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.
From New England Journal of Medicine. Link below
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2006372
A reminder – avoid contact with shared surfaces and wash you hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.A mask may help if you are in close proximity to others.
Will the person who did this please speak up?
Go on. Identify yourself and defend your position.
Typical Portland : making up your own moral code and judging everyone else by it! If there is one thing I don’t miss about Portland culture, that is it.
I wear a mask in high density, enclosed areas (grocery store, hardwear store, etc). No masks outdoors when walking, running, biking in low density areas. I keep a bandanna on hand in case I come across high density areas where social distancing is hard to maintain, but that hasn’t been the case for me when I am out riding the routes I take in the city.
Within a couple weeks of OR’s SIP order, I understood why few masks were being worn. Oregon’s numbers were comparatively low. While Oregon’s numbers remain comparatively low, the case numbers are a bit of fiction without real wide spread and accurate testing. Top it off, no contact tracing. I have no idea where COVID cases are spreading. I can see county and state figures, but nothing more granular.
While testing and tracing are mostly/entirely out of my control, wearing a mask is pretty easy. I do it whenever I leave the house. I live in a relatively low-to-medium density area (for Portland), but more people are out and about these days, and it’s not uncommon to round a corner and encounter someone (also) out getting fresh air. I don’t know who I will encounter, and I don’t want to spread something with the degree of uncertainty that exists without wide spread testing.
I understand New Season requires masks, but the grocery store nearest me does not, and I usually see about 40-60% of people un-masked. I read an interesting article on the psychology of not wearing a mask. While signaling a ‘political statement’ I am quick to agree with, the article also mentioned the reason of ‘not wanting to show/appear weak’.
In response to myself, it appears OHA (on May 5) posted cases numbers by zip code. More granular than ‘by county’ figures, but still doesn’t show hot spots, just total count. Maybe someone has a source for better mapping of the virus across Portland?
Quick search of 17 zip code central-ish area shows highest case numbers in 97214 (40), 97213 (32), 97206 (27). My zip code was in the top five highest cases. All as of the report from May 5. Going further east, particularly east of 82nd, and numbers increase…97236 (159), 97233 (49), 97230 (42). East from about 82nd, and north to south, is showing highest reported cases according to OHA data. While not entirely useful as contact tracing, the OHA report at least shows concentrations. Not surprising since cases reflect socio-economic inequities.
As people who ride bicycles we’re used to being shamed for things people think we should be doing.
Ride in the gutter.
Wear a helmet.
Ride on the sidewalk.
Don’t ride on the sidewalk.
Use your left arm to signal a right turn.
It’s a STOP sign.
So now to add insult to injury we’re again being shamed for thing people think we should be doing.
Wear a mask.
Stay 6 feet away from people.
Don’t go to your friend’s house to visit.
We are not required to do any of these things. This isn’t martial law. We’re being asked nicely to stay apart and wear masks, but nobody is forcing us, yet. If you choose to wear a helmet or a mask then great, you do you. But don’t go shaming others for what you perceive as a personal assault that really has little to no affect on you.
So many people take these suggestions from the governor, OHA, DMV, and the CDC as strict orders. Then they use that as a means of gaining some self-control by telling others that what they’re doing is wrong.
Most of us are doing that little bit to help, and that adds up to a lot of help. Just because people aren’t giving 110% doesn’t mean they deserve your animosity.
Jeez, one would thing you are being called out for leaving the toilet seat up. We are in a global pandemic. How this can not be perceived as a call for All Hands On Deck?. If being called out on only doing “that little bit” leaves you feeling shamed, … oh never mind
Rules rules rules! I’ve with you on this. It’s not like we live in a large interwoven society where what one person does impacts another. OHA, CDC… pshaw! No one’s going to tell this freedom loving kitty what to do!
I’m discouraged to see that most of us will find one article that seems to support what we already want to believe and consider that the final word on the subject, as if we know everything there is to know about it. And, when it came time to think of protecting others more vulnerable than ourselves, most Portland cyclists choose to do the absolute minimum required by law and routinely choose their own comfort over trying to minimize risk to others. Even if the risk to others is quite minimal, I find that minimizing that potential risk is more important to me than my absolute comfort. Can I say for certain I am saving the world? Of course not. Do I believe any of the science is complete and decided? Nope. So for me, wearing a mask outdoors is the clear choice.
Realizing that I am in a vanishing minority on this point has certainly accelerated my isolation and alienation from those around me. C’est la vie. Ou la mort.
I absolutely agree with your point above: “even if the risk to others is quite minimal, [you] find minimizing that potential risk is more important […]”. It’s not entirely clear to me why folks get hung up on the personal choice to not wear a mask.
My military issue gas mask barely works at .135 micron, your various PC diapers just fuel this nonsense.
What’s a PC diaper?
Limiting contact is the clear way to minimize the spread, meaning staying home unless it’s for necessary travel (work, dr. appointment, groceries). Outdoor exercise is a luxury putting others at risk, mask or no mask.
I use a mask to make other people comfortable when I am around them
Not as a solo bike rider or walk or whatever. Around people . Simple as that.
I doubt my pullover stretch bicycle hoodie works, but people seem to be more at ease.
Whatever works. This pandemic is not about You….
I like that. You are showing respect for the other, and their children. A mask is no guarantee of safety, but it shows you care. Also it IS a political statement, that this society, starting at the top, can buy nukes, but not cheap, effective masks.
You’re right, it is the new helmet debate. Complete with fake “study” that gets disseminated and believed. The original fake “study” about helmets took a few years to become permeated in the culture but this new one about virus transmission has travelled quickly.
I wonder if there should be a law against scaring people without evidence.
no mask unless i’m actually in lingering proximity to people – that means not on a bike
I’m avoiding the most crowded trails, and not wearing a mask while riding. I can’t really ride at any level of exertion without my glasses fogging up (I have tried several kinds), and I haven’t heard there’s a significant risk of transmitting the virus under most outdoor conditions.
If this virus were as contagious as, say measles (which I believe once infected spectators in the stands watching a sporting event where one of the players had it), then I’d wear a mask – or, more likely, we’d be prohibited from exercising outdoors. But this virus – even the supposedly more contagious strain that entered the East Coast from Europe – is nowhere near as transmissible as that.
One word: Hypoxia. Add to that a balmy 75/80F temperature + glasses and good luck with staying upright on a bike. This is why there’s always 2 surgeons in an operating room, or 2 pilots in a plane. Not enough oxygen = brain blips and makes bad decisions. I get headaches & dizzy 15 min after wearing a mask, any mask. Have to spend another 15min breathing in deeply before I feel safe to drive. So no mask for me, sorry. Now, if the respective business can provide a full-on oxygen machine, then yes, I will patronize any business requiring masks. Otherwise Amazon from now on…
I am on the wear a mask side. I solo ride and always wear a mask to protect others, not necessarily myself because it is not a N-95 mask. Also yesterday (5/21/2020) if anyone did ride the Marine Drive bike path, there was a big crowd of people, 2-3 pop up awnings over the path and what looked to be like some sort of medical testing going on? Does anyone else know what that was about?