> But let’s not pretend that many of the precautions and policies weren’t performative. Mask mandates were always dumb. Most people didn’t wear effective masks and many didn’t cover their noses.

We have specific evidence that not masking and not distancing caused superspreader events. Before there were too many cases, contact tracing backwards showed that specific parties, weddings, etc. were responsible for accelerating the early spread above baseline.

Thus, the burden of proof is on the "anti-mask, anti-distancing" people to prove that they aren't worse than the alternative--doubly so given the post hoc analyses available due to Norway and Sweden.

I didn’t say that properly worn N95 masks don’t work. I said it was stupid to have a mask mandate when most people wore ineffective cloth masks and even then didn’t cover their nose. I said it was equally dumb to require masks on airplanes and then everyone take them off at the same time while eating.