Coronavirus

[Jer]

I went into town today (English town) and was pleased to see everyone but one person wearing face masks in shops. Our special friendship with the USA does not seem to apply to this.

Yeah. My best guess is that the U.S. associates face masks most strongly with Old West villains and bank robbers, and when you combine that with pride, selfishness, and the new era of “alternative facts” where people try to roll their own objective reality based on “common sense” and what feels “right”, you get this kind of garbage as a result.

I’m pleased to see that the most deluded are about to learn that facts are things that continue to be true even when you stop believing in them — unfortunately the rest of the country has to pay the price for their foolishness too.

If these bozos were only risking their own health I wouldn’t care — it would just be natural selection at work. But they’re risking everyone else’s health and economic well-being, which makes it infuriating.

 

[Black Abyss Babe]

We've officially been told that "any face covering is sufficient for this purpose" right? So I got one of these:

 

[GhostofCain]

I am tempted to get a “Kick out the Tories” mask, although currently I am wearing a black one (it makes me look slimmer).

 

[Black Wizard]

I hope you were wearing one, wiz.

I've always been very in favour of masks. I put it on as I crossed the threshold and removed it as soon as I left the building.

the last week or so whenever I've been down the shops it seems the majority are wearing masks, just wondering how much of a difference it would have made if we'd done it from the start

I think we could have probably avoided lock-downs and the subsequent economic catastrophe with a combination of asking people to wear face masks and observe social distancing back in February.

Perhaps, but it's very easy to be an expert on this with the benefit of hindsight. None of the Western countries planned for anything like this. It was all for influenza pandemics but this is worse. Western countries didn't get hit badly by the original SARS outbreak so didn't plan accordingly.

Perhaps we could have avoided the thousands and thousands of deaths by taking more decisive action earlier, but I'm sure all large events would have been cancelled anyway with pubs and nightclubs still told to close. We should also bear in mind that this virus seems to have arrived in Europe by Christmas before China bothered to tell the world about it.

Lots of lessons to be learned for next time at least.

 

[Night Prowler]

I put it on as I crossed the threshold and removed it as soon as I left the building.

Good job

 

[srfc]

Perhaps, but it's very easy to be an expert on this with the benefit of hindsight.

Agreed, and while I agree with ghost of cain that if we'd have done it in February we'd be better off, I can't see the numbers that are wearing masks now ever having agreed to that in February. People are wearing them now, IMO, because we've had 5 months of this shit, now we know it's the real deal and we realise that we have to get the finger out and collectively do whatever it takes to get back to normal, we were too naive for that in February. There's still a significant percentage of the population not taking it seriously now.

 

[Black Wizard]

Don't forget that the evidence behind masks was very weak at the time. A lot of people rushed into buying masks because they thought a mask would protect them but there was no evidence to support that in February and that's still the case. It took a couple of months for the evidence that a mask protects the environment from the wearer to surface. By then most of Europe had been in lockdown anyway and by the time governments started making masks mandatory there was no longer enough virus circulating for there to be a big impact.

In hindsight it might have been a good idea for governments to at least advise people to wear masks in February even without sufficient evidence. However, that probably would have been in vain as many people would have ignored the advice if there was no evidence to back it up.

 

[Black Abyss Babe]

In hindsight it might have been a good idea for governments to at least advise people to wear masks in February even without sufficient evidence. However, that probably would have been in vain as many people would have ignored the advice if there was no evidence to back it up.

There was also the issue that there weren't really enough masks to go round at that point, and the amount of panic buying going on was stupid enough already. Remember not being able to get any hand sanitiser or bog roll?

 

[Black Wizard]

Remember not being able to get any hand sanitiser or bog roll?

Like it was yesterday.

 

[Brigantium]

I've heard a few people say they're 'stocking up' on just about everything, anticipating a winter of lockdown. Even though shops that sell food and essentials never actually closed.

I'm going to have to make masks. I have bought ones. The big shapeless ones slide up my face into my eyes. The stretchy fitted ones are much better, but I doubt they could stop a bluebottle let alone mitigate against cough droplets.

 

[Night Prowler]

Masks definitely help at least a little and because it's such a low nuisance thing, I don't see why you shouldn't be wearing them at least in closed quarters at all times (apart from arguments like "IT'S A HOAX, IT'S TAKING AWAY MAH FREEDOM, I DON'T WANNA BE MUZZLED"). Obviously not at home, but in buses and in shops.

 

[Magnus]

Second wave is coming. that's for sure!

And so is Sargent D, and we're on his list.

Spoiler

 

[Black Wizard]

in buses and in shops.

Public transport and shops are the only places where they should be necessary. I've been seeing people wearing them when walking around the park by themselves or alone in their own cars.

 

[LooseCannon]

Public transport and shops are the only places where they should be necessary. I've been seeing people wearing them when walking around the park by themselves or alone in their own cars.

Anywhere you can't distance. So if you're in a park and there's too many people, or a queue outside, etc. It doesn't hurt to wear one, so why not?

 

[Night Prowler]

If it's a crowded park and you're in the endangered category (super old, or with chronic diseases), it wouldn't hurt to wear them even when walking around in the park. I've been making grandpa wear a mask everywhere he goes as he's 86.

Wearing them alone in your car is stupid, yeah. Just take it off and sanitize your hands.

I hate masks as much as anyone else, they're suffocating, and I have to take off my glasses as they get foggy within 5 seconds when I put on the mask. But it's still low nuisance.

 

[Black Wizard]

Anywhere you can't distance. So if you're in a park and there's too many people, or a queue outside, etc. It doesn't hurt to wear one, so why not?

If you're in a queue then everyone should be 2m apart and nobody should be going to any places where it's too busy to stick to that 2m distance.

If it's a crowded park and you're in the endangered category (super old, or with chronic diseases), it wouldn't hurt to wear them even when walking around in the park

Irrelevant. Masks do not protect the wearer. They protect the environment from the wearer.

 

[GhostofCain]

Agreed, and while I agree with ghost of cain that if we'd have done it in February we'd be better off, I can't see the numbers that are wearing masks now ever having agreed to that in February. People are wearing them now, IMO, because we've had 5 months of this shit, now we know it's the real deal and we realise that we have to get the finger out and collectively do whatever it takes to get back to normal, we were too naive for that in February. There's still a significant percentage of the population not taking it seriously now.

I think it was probably a mix of naivety and western hubris/arrogance (this would never happen to us, that chaos in Italy was to be expected, etc.). The confusing advices from WHO regarding masks has not helped either.

 

[LooseCannon]

I hate masks as much as anyone else, they're suffocating, and I have to take off my glasses as they get foggy within 5 seconds when I put on the mask. But it's still low nuisance.

No problem with them. I think the "masks are suffocating" thing is one of the silliest things I've ever seen. Doctors work 12 hour emergency medicine shifts wearing a mask and they're breathing just fine. I wear a mask from the moment I leave my car to the moment I get back in it, and I am not a very fit person, but I feel just fine.

As for the glasses, get something to pinch it down around your nose to direct your exhale down. Easy fix. I believe they are making masks with a bit of metal for it now.

If you're in a queue then everyone should be 2m apart and nobody should be going to any places where it's too busy to stick to that 2m distance.

Unfortunately even in a queue people jump queues, walk in places they shouldn't, etc. You should be ready for anything.

Irrelevant. Masks do not protect the wearer. They protect the environment from the wearer.

They provide very little protection for the wearer unless they are a N95 mask. Still, it can't hurt to wear them, and if it helps even a tiny bit, you might as well.

The confusing advices from WHO regarding masks has not helped either.

The big fear, from what I have gathered speaking to actual epidemiologists who work at Health Canada, is that the public would deluge N95-quality masks. At the time, WHO and other health agencies weren't sure if non-N95 masks would be useful at all, and they were worried that the public would, well, do what they did for TP and people working in hospitals would not have PPE. Research showed within 6 weeks that cloth/non-N95 masks reduce the spread and it was less than 2 weeks after that when updated guidances were issued.

 

[Lamia020281]

Sorry for being this blunt, but I do think masks are very very uncomfortable to use, and a big nuisance, and I don't like other people telling me that's not the case. People should of course wear them if it's obligatory, or if they want to. If they're made obligatory here, I will wear them too, but it's likely I'll limit my comings and goings so I can minimise mask use to some extent at least.

 

[MindRuler]

A woman without a mouthmask kicked several customers in a store in Belgium.
She was politely asked to wear a mouthmask which is obligatory, she refused and became aggressive towards staff and other customers.