Should masks be worn by all food handlers in the future?

I’d quite like to see it in some food shops, where the food is not going to be cooked before being eaten-pies, freshly made sandwiches, cooked meats etc.
I’m so used to wearing one in work, it will feel strange without it and the children will stop mentioning my smiley eyes. All the same I’ll be glad when I don’t need one.
Next winter I’ll probably wear one in crowded places just in case it might mean another year free from colds and flu.

Absolutely !! Why not ?? Personally I’d still wear them on crowded public transport - tubes and packed buses ew !!

Perhaps a solution to the money handling thing is to keep the cashless rule that most places have ,using cards only. So much easier with contactless payment. I think wearing a mask in a steamy kitchen all day would be a nightmare.

Ellianne

Here

Sushi Daily will have different rules to Waitrose own counters by the way.

PS Sometimes while shopping I have to pull my mask down in order to blow my nose. I use washable hankies as I always have. This has never made me or anyone else ill in normal circumstances.

Wearing a mask makes my nose itch and run. I wear one when shopping and did for a hospital visit but that's all. Unless there's a pandemic in progress I don't think we should have to wear them. A lot of human interaction is lost when faces are behind masks, which is a serious loss.

Gosh, Monica, you are certainly on a roll today. I have read and digested every word and salute your levelheadedness and positive attitude to life in general. Sound common sense with lots of practicalities thrown in. So sad your husband (therefore you) was put through the mill but glad he survived the awfulness. Keep it coming (please?!)

Agree with Monica and others, I have always wore a mask, sanitized my hands and used wipes on my shopping.
Today was the 1st day we just put shopping away without wiping it.
I dont think people preparing food in hot kitchens should have too wear masks either, it would make them very uncomfortable and in the heat if the kitchen could make them feel I'll.

My son in law is a driving instructor. he is working 10 hour days because everyone wants lessons now. Impossible to wear a mask all day in a hot sweaty car. he asks his pupils, but they all say they aren't bothered if he doesnt wear a mask.

No, masks are not pointless, I an constantly coughing and sneezing and the first time I shopped in lock down I had a sneezing fit in the supermarket, first I sneezed into my sleeve and spent the rst of the shop trying to make sure that that did not brush against anything, then that left my nose y runny so I had to fossick for a hankie, use it and find somewhere to place it so it would be seen to be uncontainating and then I had to find my hand sanitiser and use it.

The following week, it was all contained within the mask and my shopping was so much easier. I also wore rubber gloves so that if I did needto blow my nose, I could just peel my gloves off inside out and put another pair on.

I hate wearing masks, most people probably do, but I believe that they are far from pointless. I live in one of the most densely populated places in the world, and people here took it upon themselves to wear masks right from the very beginning of Covid. Unlike in the UK, where it took a long time to convince people they should wear them, by which time tens of thousands of people had already needlessly died. We have had very few cases/deaths here, but I dread to think how the virus would've spread, especially being such a densely populated place, if people hadn't been wearing masks.

Lucca very anti lockdown. And I hate the absolutely pointless masks

>Maizie* DH's problem is relevant bcause he was in hospital when the 2nd wave of COVID was ramping up so biosecurity in the hospital was very high indeed. Despite that he still managed to pick up an infection, or rather the bacteria was transferred into his body. The point I was making was contained in the last sentence of that post.

Masks are not some magic talisman that protect from all infection. A lot of people give the impression that they think masks can fulfill that purpose that as long as you wear a mask, all will be well and no more is needed.

M0nica ..... The voice of sense. I agree completely.

Lucca I agreed with Biscuitmuncher. I was wearing a mask and gloves from the second week of the lockdown and wore both until about a month ago when I stopped wearing gloves. I still wear a mask at all times when in shops or other places where we are told to.

I fully supported lockdown as do all my family and we have obeyed the rules.

I fail to see why deciding not to wear a mask as soon as we are told that we no longer need one is a sign that we either were even mildly anti-lockdown or other than fully supportive of government instructions

Perhaps you could explain why you think stopping wearing masks when we are given permission to do so could mean we were anti-lockdown - and no, I am not Anti-Vax nor do I support any other conspiracy theory. Throughout lockdown I have been a model citizen.

I prefer food that hasn't been handled much - or can be washed. At 15 I had a Saturday job in a grocers where the staff never, ever, washed their hands - even after using the loo!

Biscuitmuncher

I'm not wearing them shopping after the restrictions end

Explain your objection? Were you also anti lockdown ?

M0nica

Hospital staff did not wear masks all the time before COVID. surgeons only wore them in theatre, although at times, that might be for quite a time.

Last November masks did not stop DH getting an infection (not COVID) when in hospital for heart surgery. Where the infection was based - the surgical incision and the lung that was deflated during the operation - suggests that he picked the infection up in the operating theatre. It came close to killing him and required three extra operations over 2 weeks to ensure recovery.

Masks are not some magic talisman that protect from all infection.

I can't see how your DH's infection is relevant to a discussion on mask wearing, MOnica unless it was an airborne infection passed on by one of the theatre staff with a poorly fitting mask.

I don't think that anyone is claiming that masks protect from all infection, are they? Masks prevent you from spreading your respiratory diseases on to all and sundry.

Hospital staff did not wear masks all the time before COVID. surgeons only wore them in theatre, although at times, that might be for quite a time.

Last November masks did not stop DH getting an infection (not COVID) when in hospital for heart surgery. Where the infection was based - the surgical incision and the lung that was deflated during the operation - suggests that he picked the infection up in the operating theatre. It came close to killing him and required three extra operations over 2 weeks to ensure recovery.

Masks are not some magic talisman that protect from all infection.

Me, neither.

I'm not wearing them shopping after the restrictions end

Agree with Chestnut that many people have to wear masks all or most of the day. Think of surgeons performing complex surgery, they will wear a mask for several hours at a time. I’ve no problem with waiters or shop assistants who are handling food wearing a mask, seems like a good idea really.

I saw that they should be changed every four hours if being worn all day. Seems somewhat more reasonable than every 15 minutes.
I agree with what Varian said.

love0c

I certainly would not want to wear one all day so I certainly would not vote for someone else to.

No-one wants to wear one all day but there are many people who have to, so why are food workers any different? Hospital staff have to wear them all the time amongst others.

Only if they wear the disposable surgical ones and change them regularly, donning and doffing them without touching the front of the mask and washing hands before and after. They become ineffective when slightly damp, we have to change them every 15 minutes if possible although probably every 30 minutes would be reasonable in that environment.