Wot no mask?

[Pina]

I started shielding in March, I am asthmatic as well as diabetic, and this virus terrified me. Last week I thought I would take a trip to the supermarket with hubby, bless him he's been doing all the shopping on his own. We both wore masks, and gloves..... I couldn't believe what I was seeing.... no one wearing masks.... we saw 3 other people in this huge Tesco's Do people think its gone away? I was so annoyed, even the staff weren't wearing them. G

 

[PhoebeC]

From what I have read masks only stop you spreading if you’ve got it, doesn’t stop you getting it. And unless it is full PPE that the nhs use then it’s not really effective against you catching it.
From my point of view I know I’ve not had it, unless I had no symptoms.
I’ve not bought a mask yet, not sure if I will. I just avoid contact with people as best I can.
As with all of the guidelines it’s all personal choice, and actually not many of us are in the position to have all the facts or no how on it.

 

[grovesy]

Well you now have to wear one if you visit a Hospital or GP surgery, and my Chiropractor also requires.

 

[Stitch147]

I work in a supermarket and don't wear a mask whilst in work. We were offered face visors but wearing one for a 7 1/2 hour shift is not comfy at all. We're restricting the number of shoppers in store (no more than 40 where I work) and advising them about social distancing. There are 2 members of staff who are diabetic where I work, myself and 1 other who is a type 1. We make sure that we stay away from anywhere in store that customers are condensed. As I'm the Fire, Health and Safety officer for the store I've had to write a risk assessment for the store. I personally carry a mask with me if I am going to other smaller shops.

 

[Docb]

Hi Pina. If you had seen me in the Tesco, I would not have been wearing a mask because I have yet to see any evidence that wearing a mask would carry any benefit.

When you wear protective equipment to prevent contamination you have to assume it is effective and worthwhile. This means that once it has been worn you have to treat it as contaminated. Masks should be changed frequently, and always changed if the wearer has been into an area considered hazardous, handled with extreme care after use and disposed of accordingly. You also need to train yourself not to touch the mask when you have it on. You have to have a discernable risk of contamination in order to make all those procedures worthwhile.

Your better strategy for shopping is to be organised so you minimise your time in the shop, only pick up things you want to purchase, be patient and courteous so that you keep your distance from other shoppers and pay by contactless card.

 

[Becka]

From what I have read masks only stop you spreading if you’ve got it, doesn’t stop you getting it. And unless it is full PPE that the nhs use then it’s not really effective against you catching it.

On average symptoms show five days after being infected, but usually between two and fourteen days. A person becomes infectious in the few days before symptoms show, and are most infectious a day or two before.

So you would only find out you have been spreading the virus once it is too late to do anything about it, that is why the advice is to wear a mask. As you say not to protect you but to protect everyone else. By extension you are then protected by everyone else following the advice.

 

[Inka]

“WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that "in light of evolving evidence, the WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments".

WHO changed its guidance to recommend the wearing of masks. They also said that those over 60 or/and with underlying health conditions should wear them more strictly.

They’re to help prevent the spread of the virus in the community mainly, and, as Becky said, the benefit is reciprocal. We wear them to protect others, others wear them to protect us.

I think most supermarkets are a risk because of the warehouse-like lack of ventilation, so I’d wear a mask in them. The face visors are good too and I prefer shops where the checkout staff are wearing them.

 

[MarkGeordie]

There’s no legal requirement to wear one in a supermarket so therefore they are not doing anything wrong to be fair.

I don’t wear one when shopping either. Only on public transport as required and will be to hospital appointments as requested.

As you say supermarket staff don’t even wear them.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I find the topic of masks interesting whenever it comes up. The actual wearing of one always seems to come with a feeling of self-protection - even when people know that isn’t the case, it seems impossibly counter-intuitive that the wearer doesn’t get direct protection benefit.

I think it may have been helpful for the government to issue more concrete guidance earlier on for widespread wearing in public, but they decided against it.

As has been mentioned, the protection is for others, not for yourself... but in my mind that acts as a deterrant to me wearing one. The people I need to be wearing masks in a supermarket are the ones engaged in high risk activities (like the ones gathering in large mixed-household groups drinking in the sunshine) and they aren’t wearing them.

I am being careful with handwashing and distancing by at least 2m (including in supermarkets, often waiting for a large enough gap in the aisle ahead where someone is pondering their choice, while people push past me), so I suppose I believe myself to be low risk of asymptomatically carrying the virus - which makes me feel that my wearing of a mask would be pretty pointless.

It doesn’t protect me... and I do not believe I have anything to spread because of the other measures I am taking.

I would definitely wear one wherever it was mandatory... and I always would have.

It’s a personal thing - and people have to do what they think is right... but ensure they do not to take any extra distancing risks because they feel safer wearing one.

 

[Inka]

That’s very true @everydayupsanddowns and I too feel I’m very low risk of having the virus, but I suppose I feel that me wearing a mask might encourage others to wear one and protect me. It’s interesting that mask-wearing in non-Covid times is more acceptable in some countries than others - as an act of courtesy and for community good.

As for the people engaging in high-risk activities and not social distancing, there’s no answer to that really

 

[Sally71]

Thank you @everydayupsanddowns , you have summed up exactly how I feel, I didn’t know how to write it though without sounding like I’m being completely insensitive! I have been going to the supermarket twice a week, don’t wear a mask, but do everything I possibly can to follow the social distancing rules, and I haven’t had so much as a cold since lockdown started (normally I get loads of those) so I think the social distancing works pretty well.

Having said that though, I'm not in any rush to go out shopping for anything other than food and basic essentials when it's so easy to buy them online, yes I’ve missed going to the cinema but am not in any hurry to do that yet either, I understand that people can’t be cooped up forever and we need to get the economy going again but can’t help feeling it's a bit too soon. I have no intention of going anywhere near anywhere crowded if I can possibly avoid it and I don’t see the attraction of sitting on beaches even when we aren’t in a pandemic! Those are the people who are really stupid and inconsiderate

The next tricky thing will be when my daughter gets called into hospital to talk about pump replacement. Obviously we will have to wear masks then; the big dilemma is how to get there. I don’t really want to use public transport if I can help it, but car parking at the hospital is almost impossible unless your appointment is before 9 in the morning!

 

[Eddy Edson]

On average symptoms show five days after being infected, but usually between two and fourteen days. A person becomes infectious in the few days before symptoms show, and are most infectious a day or two before.

So you would only find out you have been spreading the virus once it is too late to do anything about it, that is why the advice is to wear a mask. As you say not to protect you but to protect everyone else. By extension you are then protected by everyone else following the advice.

Absolutely, and there seems to be a growing body of evidence that general wearing of simple masks can be very effective for cutting down transmission in areas with a lot of community spread.

Where I am, there isn't any community spread, but if it ramps up I'll start wearing one. Chances are it would be mandatory or at any rate weird not to wear one, if it gets to that point.

 

[Pine Marten]

I wear a mask when shopping at the supermarket or at our corner shop. We live in a densely populated and diverse area of north London, and many people don't bother with masks or social distancing at all, which makes me feel uncomfortable. We also get groups of men hanging around on street corners and around the many cafes, which can be intimidating at the best of times, let alone these days.

So I prefer to wear one just to feel I'm doing something...

 

[Becka]

It doesn’t protect me... and I do not believe I have anything to spread because of the other measures I am taking.

Unfortunately that is what a lot of people think. And that is why the U.K. is still reporting daily deaths in three digits on weekdays, there were 149 yesterday out of 419 in Europe (including all of Russia). Distancing helps reduce risk, washing helps reduce risk, not touching you face helps reduce risk. None of which eliminates risk. You can still catch it, and you can still spread it.

 

[Becka]

WHO changed its guidance to recommend the wearing of masks. They also said that those over 60 or/and with underlying health conditions should wear them more strictly.

How do you wear a mask more strictly?

 

[trophywench]

How do you wear a mask more strictly?

LOL - but I daresay in this context they mean 'not only when you go on public transport or to a medical appointment'.

I had the entirely frivolous thought that should you have an accident and break something - or have a hypo, so the ambulance carts you off to A&E - are they going to stick a mask on you before scraping you up and delivering you there?

 

[Alannah]

My view is similar to @Inka - I am very unlikely to have the virus as I am have mainly been at home and social distance etc when out. I know this, but no-one else seeing me outside does. Just walking down the street I don't think requires a mask, but anywhere indoors with people from outside your household should, so inside supermarket, on public transport and so on. If everyone wore them correctly, transmission would go down.

 

[Pine Marten]

Like Alannah, I'm unlikely to have/get it, although I do keep thinking of the day earlier on in the year (before lockdown) when I felt very strange, very tired and just not 'right'. It only lasted 24 hours but I have wondered whether this was something of the virus... probably not in all likelihood, but who knows? There is so much conflicting info around (including all the dodgy conspiracy theories about it!) that I certainly can't say.

 

[Inka]

How do you wear a mask more strictly?

Sorry was in a hurry - ie be more strict about when and where you wear it.

 

[PhoebeC]

LOL - but I daresay in this context they mean 'not only when you go on public transport or to a medical appointment'.

I had the entirely frivolous thought that should you have an accident and break something - or have a hypo, so the ambulance carts you off to A&E - are they going to stick a mask on you before scraping you up and delivering you there?

Yes. My friends child needed to go to A&E a few weeks back and you can’t go in without as mask, even the toddler and only one parent could be with her