There are many people who cannot wear masks. Covering their mouth and nose triggers and retraumatises them. I don't think I need to go into the details as to why this can happen.
There is also the fact that many people cannot breathe well with masks on, whether this is because of physical issues like asthma, or mental health issues like PTSD. They are all valid reasons not to wear a mask. Please watch the latest video by barrister Tracey O'Mahony on ridiculing the disabled. It is illegal in Ireland to discriminate against anyone who cannot wear a mask. Know that you can legally exempt yourself, check out Tracey's video here on how to do that.
I also believe that people who do not want to wear masks have that right. Masks are a medical intervention and there should always be choice whether to consent to, or decline, any medical intervention, in any decent and democratic society.
"The" science is not settled on this matter because there is no such thing as "the" science. That implies consensus, and there is no consensus or agreement on whether masks work. Let's be honest, any science that goes against the one accepted narrative is disparaged and censored. Censorship is always part and parcel of any tyranny.
What has really shocked me is the shaming, criticising, bullying, ridiculing, emotional blackmailing and manipulating of people who do not wear masks and calling them "anti-maskers". People have been refused service in shops etc for not wearing masks when they have exemptions. This has happened to me and it was extremely upsetting. This is illegal under Disability and Equality Acts in many countries, and people are taking cases.
https://disabilityrights.org.uk write that "The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has written to supermarkets warning them that they should not be discriminating against disabled people unable to wear face covering". You can also contact the EHCR with any complaint.
I have seen and heard people in the mental health field express disdain for those who don't wear masks because they say they are not protecting others. Without any empathy or understanding as to why people don't/can't wear masks. How on earth is this a trauma informed approach?
It really beggars belief. It is adding to the abuse and gaslighting that is making people question themselves and their sanity.
For the first 4-5 months of the pandemic, we were told not to wear masks, then they were mandated in many countries. This constant changing of goalposts has been employed many times during the last year and it is a typical abusive tactic. The goalposts will never be reached, no matter what you do. The most obvious example being "This is the new normal until a vaccine arrives". The vaccine has arrived and yet because they only treat symptoms, do not confer immunity and do not prevent transmission, so lockdowns, masks and social distancing etc. have to continue.
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-6817
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-124394/v1
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577
https://search.mercola.com/results.aspx?q=masks#stq=masks
https://www.technocracy.news/masks-are-neither-effective-nor-safe-a-summary-of-the-science/
