Masks??

[Stokie katie]

Hi there!

Im very confused so your help/knowledge would be most appreciated!

As someone with Diabetes 2 should I be wearing a mask when going out?? I havent been outside dor 7 weeks but am hoping now weve got the R number down I may venture out once lockdown is over!

Also, i love to travel has anyone got any info about what the new normal will look like for flying/ cruising ?

Thank you!

 

[Robin]

There hasn’t been a decision on masks in the Uk as yet. A I see it, there are several points to be considered.
Masks may help stop droplets of the virus spreading from someone who is infected but isn’t quarantined because they haven’t felt any symptoms.
But.
People may try and buy masks that should be going to NHS staff, rather than making their own
It may give people a false sense of invulnerability, so they forget about social distancing, and keeping apart from others is the most important thing,
When Boris did the daily briefing back on Monday, he was asked about masks, and his answer was that he wouldn’t rule them out if they helped people feel confident about going out. In other words, he doesn’t think they’ll make a difference, but the public may feel happier if they’re told to wear them.

I dont think anyone knows what will happen to flights and cruises yet. It doesn’t just depend on what the UK decides, but on what rules any country you may be visiting have introduced. Some countries insist on 2 weeks quarantine for anyone visiting, which would make a holiday there rather tedious if you had to stay in a hostel for the first 2 weeks. Other countries are keeping their borders closed for the time being, so you wouldn’t be allowed in at all. Others may open, but you may find all restaurants and museums etc still closed, so not much point if that’s what you look for in a holiday.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Stokie katie

The main benefit of a mask, or any non-surgical face covering like a scarf or neckerchief is that it stops YOU spreading the virus to OTHERS, rather than it stops you catching the virus yourself.

There are cross contamination risks with wearing face coverings, of course, and while there is talk of considering recommending face coverings for people using busy public transport as the phased return to work begins, there are usually many caveats and provisos mentioned. Not least what I have witnessed in supermarkets which is that some people with a flimsy, ill fitting mask on seem to believe themselves utterly immune from infection, and no longer feel the need to keep 2m away from others, nor worry about endlessly repositioning their ill fitting mask with hands (gloved or not) what have been touching everything and anything!

I’ve decided against wearing a face covering for the time being. Handwashing and 2m+ distance seem better options to me.

 

[Stitch147]

It's been happening a lot at work where people wearing a mask think it's ok to no longer social distance!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

It's been happening a lot at work where people wearing a mask think it's ok to no longer social distance!

 

[brisr949]

Ive noticed it too on my very occasional need to go out, someone even leaned right over my shoulder to grab something off a supermarket shelf.
On another point, people keep saying dont use masks as the frontline workers need them most but surely they're not buying theirs from ebay or alike, they will have a supply chain in place so i can't see how us getting a couple off the bay will affect that.
Adam.

 

[Stitch147]

Ive noticed it too on my very occasional need to go out, someone even leaned right over my shoulder to grab something off a supermarket shelf.
On another point, people keep saying dont use masks as the frontline workers need them most but surely they're not buying theirs from ebay or alike, they will have a supply chain in place so i can't see how us getting a couple off the bay will affect that.
Adam.

Try working in a supermarket and trying to fill the shelves with people leaning across you!
I've got a friend that makes cloth ones, so if I have to wear one I'll get her to make me one, I know it will be Disney material!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

On another point, people keep saying dont use masks as the frontline workers need them most but surely they're not buying theirs from ebay or alike

Ah... but where are the EBay sellers getting them from?

If the advice comes in suggesting the public should wear face coverings I would just be using any form of 2 layers of cotton. And then wash and rewear 🙂

 

[Lindarose]

I wear a mask at work and really hope it helps in some way as social distancing just isn’t possible either on the ward or around the hospital corridors and lifts etc. But we do our best. My daughter has made me and hubby a brilliant face mask. And we are putting a vacuum cleaner filter inside. I’ll try to send a pic but not sure it will work!

 

[Ditto]

Went to Aldi yesterday and the only one wearing a mask was me which I had to take off halfway round as I couldn't breathe! That's a turn up for the books... I think masks are good in reminding people to keep their distance and the fact that there's a pandemic on because I think peoples are getting complacent and forgetting including me. They are selling packets of six (I think) masks for approx. £3 in Quality Save.

 

[grovesy]

I have made some cloth ones in case we have to wear when lock down finishes.

 

[Eddy Edson]

Cruises: Here in Oz, 20%+ of infections and some large proporton of deaths have been amongst people who got it on cruise ships.

Not getting me on one of those floating petri dishes!

But the weird thing is, apparently the cruise lines are seeing large numbers of people wanting to make bookings for whenever the industry starts up again. Mindboggling!

What's the attraction anyway? Being cooped up on a boat with strangers having to form conga-lines and play desk-tennis or whatever it is people do on those things always seemed to me like a punishment you'd get after you died if you were a fairly bad person but not actually evil. (I think I saw that in Lloyd Bridges movie or something when I was a kid.)

Actually, I suppose the answer probably has something to do with fornication.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

What's the attraction anyway?

It's a holiday you can (or could) take if you weren't especially mobile. You get a chance to see (coastal towns, in small doses) a variety of countries, and you get plentiful food while you're traveling. I can see the appeal (though it doesn't appeal much to me), but I wouldn't bet on the cruise industry surviving at anything like its current size (even ignoring infections (and they're pretty careful about trying to control infections), cruise ships are pretty horrible to the environment).

 

[trophywench]

I know friends of mine have enjoyed it because they enjoyed visiting different places in comfort, had such a huge choice of food and evening activities, plus Madame likes showing all her posh frocks off of course. She is about the only one of my friends that has never owned either a tent or any variety of other camping equipment.

 

[Eddy Edson]

I know friends of mine have enjoyed it because they enjoyed visiting different places in comfort, had such a huge choice of food and evening activities, plus Madame likes showing all her posh frocks off of course. She is about the only one of my friends that has never owned either a tent or any variety of other camping equipment.

I'm not much of a camper but I'd rather go camping than be stuck on a boat.

 

[Becka]

A lot of people just go on holiday to somewhere where they then spend most every day laying on a beach or around a pool. How is that any different to doing it on a boat? Plus on a cruise you get to see a lot of different places and have various entertainments provided. I can certainly see why it is an attraction, even though neither of those appeal to me.

On masks, another risk in recommending them is people have to take them on and off properly otherwise they end up touching your face and undermining the benefit. Also, having something on your face that you keep needing to adjust for comfort risks increased face touching.

And I saw a report on Sky News where an aviation expert said around 40% of the world's airlines could go under by the summer. Which seems a conservative estimate as in March a lot of reports talked about all airlines being bankrupt by the end of May.

Here the multi-billionaire tax-exile Richard Branson is threatening to abandon his airline, putting a lot of people out of work, if British tax-payers do not give him millions of pounds. It is very difficult to phrase that in a way which sounds impartial! And only a few months ago Warren Buffett, the fourth richest person in the world, bought a lot of airline shares whilst they were cheap due to the start of the crisis the U.S., yet sold them yesterday for a loss showing his lack of confidence in the industry bouncing back.

Obviously people will still want and need to fly, but it is expected that it will be much more expensive to do so in the future. With fewer options in terms of airlines and destinations.

 

[Eddy Edson]

Obviously people will still want and need to fly, but it is expected that it will be much more expensive to do so in the future. With fewer options in terms of airlines and destinations.

My guess is that's probably true.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

On masks, another risk in recommending them is people have to take them on and off properly otherwise they end up touching your face and undermining the benefit. Also, having something on your face that you keep needing to adjust for comfort risks increased face touching.

The argument for masks for everyone is that it would reduce the spread, with each mask protecting everyone apart from the mask-wearer.

So the arguments about taking masks on and off and adjusting them aren't that relevant, though it does increase the risks to people wearing masks (since we're expecting some transfer from surfaces too). So overall are masks a win? I've honestly no idea, though my guess would be that in at least some situations (like public transport where people are in enclosed spaces, breathing) it would be a win. Adding some training (on how to put on and take off masks) and perhaps some attention to design (maybe one can make a mask that's easier to adjust without touching your nose, mouth, or eyes) would help reduce the risks of mask wearing.

 

[mikeyB]

Actually, the transfer from surfaces is likely to be close to zero. The viral load is so minimal compared to the real risk of person to person transfer. A few viruses are a piece of cake for even a shabby immune system - it happens every day of our lives.

 

[Thebearcametoo]

I’m of the opinion that wearing masks indoors in places like shops is a good thing for helping stop spread. If everyone does it it helps stop you catching it too. 2 layers of tightly woven fabric is best (think cotton bedding or quilting fabric) and if you can add a layer of kitchen roll or vacuum filter in between then even better. But we’re not aiming for perfection and being able to breathe is important so for some people a stretch fabric or looser weave scarf multilayered may be better. Either have it on or off not pulled down over your chin while you talk and then pulled up again just because touching it lots makes it more likely that you’ll spread germs onto it and activities like talking are when you most need it on. Cloth masks are probably only good for an hour or so before they need to be changed so it’s really not useful to try and wear one all day at work.