And this totally makes sense for people who are in known dangerous conditions and are relying on the mask operating at peak performance.
Lots of people are in the situation of thinking of an N95 mask as an “upgrade” compared to a surgical or cloth mask for grocery shopping, etc. Early in the pandemic there was this line of thinking as if an N95 mask was 100% useless if it didn’t form a perfect seal. This is obviously untrue, and it’s clearly a step up from a surgical mask even with some minor facial hair! How much of a step up is a totally different question and like you touched on it’s quite possible that it’s not worth the extra hassle and discomfort.
Lots of people are in the situation of thinking of an N95 mask as an “upgrade” compared to a surgical or cloth mask for grocery shopping, etc. Early in the pandemic there was this line of thinking as if an N95 mask was 100% useless if it didn’t form a perfect seal. This is obviously untrue, and it’s clearly a step up from a surgical mask even with some minor facial hair! How much of a step up is a totally different question and like you touched on it’s quite possible that it’s not worth the extra hassle and discomfort.