[HacktionLab] mask tolerance

[sean]

I'm sure you don't mean it this way, but that does come across as rather
passive-aggressive.

I'm not sure it's reasonable to demand evidence from individuals about
their personal health choices, or to dictate how other people should
communicate. If someone feels safer wearing a mask or wants a window open
for health reasons, I think the reasonable response is simply to respect
that where possible.

There may be some uncertainty around the evidence, but there is certainly
evidence that masks, particularly well-fitting respirators, can reduce the
risk of respiratory infection. In any case, the proposed wording isn't
asking everyone to wear a mask; it's simply asking people to respect the
wishes of those who choose to do so.

If someone doesn't want to interact with somebody wearing a mask, that's
their choice, but I don't think that needs to become a requirement for the
person wearing it to justify their decision.

On Fri, 18 Sep 2026, 14:55 mark, <mark at aktivix.org> wrote:

> Hi Nick,
>
> This is an interesting question.
>
> Wearing a mask, or doing anything that makes it harder to read a
> person's non-verbal communication, is not a neutral act. It impedes
> interactions. That might be necessary, but I would suggest that there
> needs to be consideration given to whether wearing a mask actually makes
> anyone safer. If it doesn't, then it's a bad idea.
>
> Last time I looked, the available clinical evidence suggested that
> wearing medically certified respirators reduced the risk of acquiring
> respiratory infections, while wearing anything else on your face might
> slightly reduce the risk of you transmitting an infection, but doesn't
> reduce your risk of acquiring one.
>
> There may be new evidence available since I last looked though. So maybe
> a way ahead would be to ask the person making this request to show us
> the peer-reviewed scientific publications showing how their mask wearing
> changes their likely health outcomes.
>
> Cheers,
> Mark
>
>
> On 18/09/2026 11:44, Nick Sellen wrote:
> > Hey! I'd like to make an amendment to the hacktionlab safe spaces policy
> > and the best way seems to be to have a post it here for feedback. It
> > came about as I've been organising the event for this year, and trying
> > to make it accessible for some people it might otherwise not be...
> >
> > The current policy is this one: https://hacktionlab.org/index.php?
> > title=Safe_Spaces_policy <https://hacktionlab.org/index.php?
> > title=Safe_Spaces_policy> which is from back in 2017. The proposal is to
> > add one extra line on the Safe Spaces policy document stating:
> >
> > *"If people wish to wear a mask or open a window for health reasons
> > please respect their wishes"*
> >
> > So, I'm asking for any feedback, which could be an objection, an
> > improvement, or something else!
> >
> > As the event is coming up quite soon, I'd like to conclude this by next
> > monday.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Nick
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > HacktionLab at lists.aktivix.org
> > https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/hacktionlab
>
>
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