So - now masks protect the wearer?

Biscuitmuncher, why not think it through for yourself, it is not rocket science and doesn't require a PhD in chemistry.

And here are some on the protection of the wearer:
scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=2020&q=face+covering+protect+wearer+from+covid&btnG=

Please just go and read a few research studies.
Mask wearing does reduce the spread.

Lots of articles here:
scholar.google.com/scholar?as_ylo=2020&q=covid+and+mask+use&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

Well there’s one thing you can believe is 100% fact.. they don’t work at all if you don’t wear them.

There's no way on this earth am I wearing the bloody things outside! They don't work, they do work! Who do you believe!

Lucca

Ex D you seem to be anti most precauctions . Didn’t you have a thread doubting the efficacy of the vaccine ? I’m still wondering what you suggest should happen ?? No vaccine ? No masks ?

And answer came there none.

If you wash your hands a lot, you can end up with them red and sore. Wearing gloves and washing them is better for your skin. Wearing gloves and not washing them or throwing them away doesn't stop the infection. They are not magic wands.

I only mentioned gloves after reading numerous articles saying they are not a good idea Of course the virus can be transferred by touch but cant see the difference gloves make

rosie1959 It is wearing the mask that lessens infection. Having it round your neck, under your nose, across your forehead, in your pocket or left at home doesn't work.

Gloves are fine if you use the hand sanitiser as you would with bare hands. In fact I use far more sanitiser when I am wearing gloves than I do when not wearing them..

If the disease cannot be transferred by touch, why from day one have we been told to wash our hands frequently and use the hand sanitiser every time we go into a shop or return home. The supermarkets wipe down the handles of trolleys, shops wipe surfaces, shop assistants wear gloves. In fact the whole marketing of antiseptic wipes is based on the dangers of transfer by touch.

Even to day the government I have seen government adverts banging on on the subject.

Hopefully if it’s now said that masks also protect the wearer it might encourage more of the “I’m alright Jack” section of the population to wear it.

Sadly, too many folk are only interested in taking action if it’s for their own benefit.

At the start of the pandemic the WHO didn’t seem to say anything that hadn’t had double blind trials/been peer reviewed etc. Even things such as wearing masks where doing so couldn’t possibly do any harm and might just do some good. But pandemic response doesn’t have time to wait for all of that: the exception being the vaccines that have been tested thoroughly. People wore masks during the Spanish flu pandemic: doctors and nurses wear masks to avoid getting infected or infecting people. So where did the idea that wearing masks wouldn’t work come from. Didn’t help that the WHO didn’t acknowledge that the virus was airborne in some way either and it then took ages to persuade people otherwise.

Ex D you seem to be anti most precauctions . Didn’t you have a thread doubting the efficacy of the vaccine ? I’m still wondering what you suggest should happen ?? No vaccine ? No masks ?

I often wonder if wearing a mask prevents infection why have we got so many cases
Gloves are a no no and not recommended at all unless you change them everytime you touch something Coronavirus does not enter through the skin

Even more powerful with the image!!!...?

Casdon

Here’s a rationale, which I thought was quite powerful.

Very powerful....??

Perhaps the OP could explain why the government would bother putting out propaganda to make sure we all wear masks, if there wasn't a very good reason?

All that hassle, all that police involvement to make us do something pointless during a pandemic

I think it's the opposite other countries were using masks a lot earlier that the UK. Johnson hates the idea of masks.

You ask "How can we be sure this isn't a load of propaganda to make sure we all wear masks?" Yes, it is meant to persuade us to wear them. It is also true. The two are not either/or, they are and/and.

So what possible reason could the experts and the government have for putting out "propaganda to make sure we all wear masks"

The only sensible reason that comes to mind is that masks are going to make fewer people succumb to the virus. We then just need to decide whether that a sinister reason, which should make us instantly and automatically do the opposite?, or is it a good reason, which should convince us to wear the damn thing and get protection for ourselves and for others? The is really only one answer, isn't there?

It has been clear since day 1 of the first lockdown that a mask both protects you and protects others. I find it unbelievable that others cannot work that out for themselves as well.

I have worn masks - and disposable gloves - wherever I an out and expected to touch anything, right from the start. As a precaution I always have a pair in my pocket.

I also wear them to protect myself from people like the OP, Those people constantly looking for the tiniest reasons to object to every sensible precaution we are asked to take, for no reason I can see other than a desire to be different or difficult. They are far more dangerous than those that blatantly break the law, because one cannot trust them.

Does it matter? For goodness sake, just wear the damned thing!

Well I’ve always thought that was the case anyway! We wear them outside now in busy areas, but not when walking in quiet areas where we hardly meet anybody else.

Love the positive responses on this thread. Just wear a mask. Great picture Casdon.
Lots of effort has been made to make it easier to wear a mask if you find it difficult. e.g. the plastic frame that holds the mask away from your face has made it easier for some.
Since most of the droplets come from our mouths, perhaps those who find wearing masks difficult for whatever reason or simply refuse to wear them, could compromise by not talking e.g when out shopping.

Who was it who said when the facts change, I change my mind or opinion ?? Lets face it viruses mutate and evolve constantly.