Covid 19 - Lift all restrictions?

Look from a business point of view the longer Face Coverings are mandatory the more we sell.

Personally I am uncomfortable with the idea of them being mandatory for the foreseeable future.

Secondly unless they are worn correctly they are next to useless.

I may be wrong but some of those (not just on GN) saying that under no circumstance should the government continue - as things get better - to insist on people wearing simple faces masks in some circumstances seem to be those who would happily have agreed to the banning of face coverings a few years ago.

One rule for them it appears and another for those ...

MayBee70

So is that supposed to be a valid argument for people not wearing them?

No, just wanted to share my observations.

So is that supposed to be a valid argument for people not wearing them?

I have just come home from a large inside Shopping Centre, and I did take a lot of notice of mask wearing to be honest it was an eye opener!!!

I would say only 50% (and that is being generous) of folks had their mask over their noses, many had them under their chin especially when using their mobile phones. On one occasion I moved away from a couple who’s masks were under their chin and positively grimy !

No, masks aren't just a safety blanket. There is scientific evidence behind wearing them, if you care to read it.

I think this all goes back to the WHO saying initially that masks wouldn’t help. Once people hear something that they want to believe it’s difficult to persuade them otherwise. I’m sure that mask wearing wasn’t recommended here because there weren’t masks available anyway. I spent ages trying to buy masks with no success but as soon as the government said that masks needed to be worn I was inundated with adverts for them.I’m sure various manufacturers were advised by the government to start making them as an announcement was going to be made. And yes, it is all down to viral load. Who knows how many more people would have died if mask wearing hadn’t been advised and mandated in some circumstances.

I refuse to join in with the idea that masks can be fashion accessories. They are mandatory in some instances here in the UK so as such, for me, are just that ... a scientific (supposedly - not all scientists agree either) necessity but hopefully - only in the shortest term from now.

Look at Texas and Florida! Maskless, enjoying life safely without them. Even Biden and Kamala Harris have ditched wearing them now!

I think some people regard wearing them as a sort of safety blanket and feel they want to wear them for a long time yet. To feel they are ‘doing something’. As we all know, control (of something if we can) gives us confidence (even if, in my opinion regarding masks) it’s misplaced.

We all have different takes on risk factors. I’ll ditch my pharmacy bought shop ones as soon as I can.

GrannyGravy13

I am not arguing with you growstuff but an ineffective face covering worn incorrectly is as much use as a chocolate teapot.

If you Google some respected organisations, there's quite a lot of information about face masks for Covid.

I still don't go out much, so I haven't really experienced how people wear masks. On my rare trips out, most people do seem to wear them and are wearing them properly. However, I believe you that some people don't.

Masks for Covid don't need to be as effective as those needed when treating a highly infectious bacterial condition or to stop vulnerable people being exposed to bacteria. They don't need to stop every single molecule from entering the body either.

We now know that viral load has an effect. The main purpose of masks in Covid is to stop the projection of virus-laden droplets at face height. If the droplets drop to the ground, they will very quickly become ineffective. Viruses can't reproduce without a host (unlike bacteria). So anything which reduces the projection of the droplets into an enclosed environment will be helpful. I agree with you that single layer masks without any form of filter and face shields worn on their own aren't much use, nor are ones worn on the chin!

It's all about risk. Unless we lock people up in individual cells, it's impossible to stop transmission completely. I sincerely hope we don't go back into any form of lockdown, but it seems a no-brainer to try and reduce risk wherever possible. Wearing a mask and keeping one's distance unless there are genuine reasons to do otherwise seems a responsible and sensible thing to do.

I agree with the OP.

Oh sorry just presumed you may not have been as things are opening up not shutting

I am very much in England!

That doesn’t sound fun Jane presume you are not in England

It looks very unlikely where I live. They are shutting things again!

We aren’t wearing them now except if you go to a GP or hospital or on public transport.

This is probably where we will end up in a few years. The idea that nothing will change is a very strange one. An example would be the war. The position of women in society changed, the inclusiveness of society changed, even the way we ran our economy changed. There may be some who think this will not go on long enough to change things but Thatcher managed to use the short period of her war against the unions to bring about another change in how we run our economy and, historically, that was very short and directly affected very few people.

I do worry (seriously) about some people's mental health when we see the extreme high they are on. This sort of distortion tends to make people see out of proportion in a positive direction, disregarding any warning signs - I've seen it and it isn't fun for those around them.

I have dozens of masks that I made, different colours and patterns just for a bit of light hearted relief. I got the pattern from a doctor at one of the hospitals online and you wash them every time you wear them. We aren’t wearing them now except if you go to a GP or hospital or on public transport.

If they had 15 positive tests here we would all be masked up and isolating again! How different it is.

Rosie1959 I'm now looking at a way to get a black or pink V2 SHEMA97 mask for the summer. Good test info on these ones - seem to be as good as the Cambridge- arguably better. They are used by athletes.

Unfortunately they seem to currently only be on sale in America and Canada so there would be hefty import costs. I'm thinking about it though...

Thanks for the tip Notspagetti is being hot that is the worst bit.

GrannyGravy13

MayBee70

So you do agree that the wearing of masks reduces the spread of the virus then. But it’s no point customers wearing them because they haven’t been trained how to wear them correctly?

A home made face covering, not fitted or worn correctly (examples of this can be seen on every High St and on every shop) sorry not convinced.

PPE grade mask, fitted and worn correctly and changed frequently, yes.

Like I said up thread with 35+ years procuring and selling PPE, I have my own opinion.

Well, I wear a medical grade mask on the rare occasion that I go to a shop and, imo so should everyone else. But they don’t. In some countries masks were handed out in supermarkets which made sense to me but here it was ages before people were told to wear masks.

I am not arguing with you growstuff but an ineffective face covering worn incorrectly is as much use as a chocolate teapot.

rosie1959 and Maizie
I'm using a Cambridge pro mask with my glasses and they don't fog up when the mask is on correctly.

They are a bit on the warm side in the summer but I like mine a lot and one by one friends and family have now got them too.

It does have a valve but it opens downwards rather than in all directions as other valves, and the valve itself only opens under pressure, so if you were running for example. If you are living somewhere where you aren't allowed a valve you can deactivate it.

It wasn't the cheapest option but I trust it.

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/travel-holidays-news-green-amber-list-covid-tests-vaccine/

I am not actually moaning but stating that I do not like them I find them totally pointless in many situations especially wearing them for a minute whilst being seated at a table
Hopefully in June this will become obsolete and those who wish to can carry on

GrannyGravy13

growstuff our company supplies PPE for many different circumstances, ranging from asbestos extraction, chemical hazards and surgical/medical.

Exactly! Serious stuff, but there are various articles explaining that masks for reducing Covid transmission don't need to be so efficient. That's the mistake the WHO made at the start.