Who would call the Nordic nations third world, dictatorial, underdeveloped, scientifically ignorant, and/or irrationally arrogant?
Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc, have blacklisted anti-mask wearing advocates, be they doctors, scientists, or the general public who believe they are not only ineffective but unhealthy. So have the leaders of many nations and executive order-wielding politicians who have imposed strict mask wearing dictates on much of the world’s population.
Virtually absent in the western media is the news that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland all agree there is no proof that wearing masks is effective in slowing the virus spread. According to a YouGov poll, only 5 to 10 percent of respondents in those nations said they wear masks in public venues.
This compares to an overwhelming majority of citizens worldwide (70 to 80 percent) who wear masks regularly and/or want their governments to make mask wearing a forced mandate, including France, Spain, India, Malaysia, Israel, Turkey, and the U.S. (“Land of the Free, Home of the Brave”?).
When asked if he would start recommending public mask wearing, Sweden’s chief epidemiologist Dr. Anders Tegnell responded he hadn’t seen any “proof that they are effective.”
Dutch Treat
Last Wednesday, Dutch Minister for Medical Care, Tamara van Ark, told citizens they did not have to wear face masks. Ms. Van Arc said, “Because from a medical perspective there is no proven effectiveness of masks, the Cabinet has decided there will be no national obligation for wearing non-medical masks.”
Following up on this, Jaap van Dissel, Director of the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, pointed to data showing wearing masks incorrectly likely increases the chance of infecting others as those people have a false sense of protection.
TRENDPOST: It should be noted that from the beginning of the virus outbreak, the Dutch instituted a relatively soft lockdown, with shops remaining open and cycling and walking outdoors promoted. While not keeping their society quite as open as the Swedes, the Dutch government, as in Sweden, advised citizens to be “intelligent” and make common sense “voluntary” decisions to stay protected.
Meanwhile, European countries such as France, Spain, and Italy, where citizens were heavily fined and monitored by police to prevent any outdoor activities other than for essential services, are not only suffering the economic and social consequences of hard lockdowns, they are not showing signs of being successful at keeping the virus from spreading.
