Are You Wearing That Mask?

Covid-19:  Are masks effective?

A funny thing happened on the way to the transmitter.  Sounds like the title of a bad musical but it's become a little challenging.

Covid-19 has brought a number of challenging rules and orders for doing business.  One, for me, calls for self-quarantine in certain situations upon returning to my home state.  Hard to do business on the install or repair side unless you don't leave your city or county or state or whatever regulated area you're in. 

One of the questionable items we're all facing is that of masks.  Of course, at the transmitter sites, a lot of us use masks anyway, hoping to prevent Hantavirus, carried by those cute mice curled up under coil L2 in the ATU at tower 3.

OK.  We're somewhat used to that.  Even working alone at transmitter sites.  (not including Mickey and Minnie) But what about in-studio.  Many of us are working alone in studios and at remote locations.  Masks are nonetheless required by many local jurisdictions.  Further, masks are de rigueur by station management.   Yet the jury's still out on their effectiveness.

Roger W. Koops has a really good look at the evidence.  His article in the American Institute for Economic Research looks at a number of facets of the modes of transmission and of the virus' composition, itself. 

There is no political point here.  I'm just offering the article for reading and thought.  And there's no spoiler alert...you just need to take a look.

How are stations coping?  Some have a real laissez-faire approach.  Tantamount to, "Whatever."  Folks come and go, pass one another freely and it's basically life as usual..  Others limit the number of people in the studios, then they wash down all surfaces after each show.  Nearly all that I have worked with in the last months have either removed the windscreens from their mics or handed out personal windscreens to each on-air person.  As for pop filters?  Everywhere I've been, the pop filters are gone.

 

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