Wonderful News - No more face masks

Heads in hands in disbelief I should think.

My son said it was like a business meeting not going too well so the sakes manager just blurts out “ok we’ll give you 20% discount !”

???

What worries me more than anything is going back to a situation where I feel ridiculed and sniggered at for wearing a mask. I wasn’t being paranoid about it, either, because my daughter felt the same. As a scout leader she insisted on the children wearing masks on the scout bus when they had trips out and that prevented some children ( and herself) from catching covid when one child was found to be positive after a day out. Everything is so much easier when it’s mandated. It isn’t as if it’s stopping anyone from doing anything. And, when people compare covid deaths to flu deaths, look at how few flu deaths there were as a direct result of covid restrictions.

MayBee70 if you want to wear a mask then do it. It’s nobody’s business but your own. Perhaps consider like Growstuff a FFP2 mask then it won’t matter what everyone else is doing because it will actually protect you

Pepper59

I never understand folk who say masks do nothing. Why are surgeons in operating theatres wearing them for hours on end then?

Agree 100%

Lilacchaser.
Could you answer this?

My face masks will be used until I feel confident enough not to wear them.

rosie1959

MayBee70 if you want to wear a mask then do it. It’s nobody’s business but your own. Perhaps consider like Growstuff a FFP2 mask then it won’t matter what everyone else is doing because it will actually protect you

I have been wearing these for nearly a year. They've protected me from contracting covid several times when I've been working 121, sitting directly next to students who have later that day tested positive for covid.

I don't think they're foolproof but they work a lot better than the standard blue masks. They also stand away from your nose and mouth so it's easier to talk and fit tightly around your face so no flapping open.

I also invested in a FFP2 mask - as it's also adjustable, it fits my face well and I find my glasses don't steam up the same way they tended to do with the disposable ones.

Gagajo it does seem the logical answer as their protection rate is I believe around 95% if worn correctly.
The government are not suddenly going to change their mind masks will go
I have considered one but as I actually have Covid at this moment so picking up some extra antibodies I will stick with the blue surgical if I feel the need. But although I am old I am not vunerable as such

Repeated studies have demonstrated that masks reduce the spread. Over 100,000 cases reported today. Where's the science for saying now's a good time to reduce mitigation?

Snowberry As I've said, three times now on this thread, will somebody please sensibly explain to me how so many surgeons, doctors, nurses, etc, etc are off work with covid if their facemasks are so effective?

This may seem barmy ……..
but you raise a good point Lilac . Could the virus infect us through our ears?
We have not been asked to cover them, and they are another “orifice” into our bodies?

TillyTrotter

This may seem barmy ……..
but you raise a good point Lilac . Could the virus infect us through our ears?
We have not been asked to cover them, and they are another “orifice” into our bodies?

I rather like those furry ear muffs, they'd do the job!

Josieann

TillyTrotter

This may seem barmy ……..
but you raise a good point Lilac . Could the virus infect us through our ears?
We have not been asked to cover them, and they are another “orifice” into our bodies?

I rather like those furry ear muffs, they'd do the job!

Speak up please, I can't hear you!!

LilacChaser

Snowberry As I've said, three times now on this thread, will somebody please sensibly explain to me how so many surgeons, doctors, nurses, etc, etc are off work with covid if their facemasks are so effective?

Two surgeons we've seen recently were wearing their masks over their mouths only, they had slipped down and didn't cover their noses.
One kept pushing his back up and then touching things eg pens etc.

In the middle of surgery? Don't think so.

Kali2

In the middle of surgery? Don't think so.

Obviously not!! ???
They were consultations.
If it was the middle of surgery I hope either DH or I would have been out cold under anaesthetic!

One did carry out a small procedure though. I had my eyes shut tight during that so I don't know where the mask was.

Josieann

TillyTrotter

This may seem barmy ……..
but you raise a good point Lilac . Could the virus infect us through our ears?
We have not been asked to cover them, and they are another “orifice” into our bodies?

I rather like those furry ear muffs, they'd do the job!

Yes, it's possible that Covid can infect people through ears, but unlikely. That's because the surface of the outer ear canal acts as a protective barrier like skin, whereas the tissues lining the surface of the nose, mouth, and eyes are mucous membranes (, which are an easier way for SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, to enter.

LilacChaser

Snowberry As I've said, three times now on this thread, will somebody please sensibly explain to me how so many surgeons, doctors, nurses, etc, etc are off work with covid if their facemasks are so effective?

Because masks aren't 100% effective. Medics are much more likely than the average person to be exposed to infected people. That doesn't mean that masks don't have any effect.

LilacChaser

Snowberry As I've said, three times now on this thread, will somebody please sensibly explain to me how so many surgeons, doctors, nurses, etc, etc are off work with covid if their facemasks are so effective?

It’s to do with viral load , LilacChaser.
If you are exposed to infection -and potentially a high one, as medical professionals are generally in close proximity to their patients- over a continuous period, such as 12 our shifts, day in, day out, your chances of catching the virus are many times higher than, for instance being on a bus or half an hour or in a shop for 15 minutes.
You also seem to ignore the fact that surgeons in particular wear masks to avoid breathing germs or viruses on to their patients and thereby maintaining a sterile atmosphere.

You also seem to ignore the fact that surgeons in particular wear masks to avoid breathing germs or viruses on to their patients and thereby maintaining a sterile atmosphere

I don't know if the surgeon adjusted her mask before she got closer to me; as I said, my eyes were shut.

She was so lovely, I didn't mention it but perhaps I should have done.

LilacChaser

Snowberry As I've said, three times now on this thread, will somebody please sensibly explain to me how so many surgeons, doctors, nurses, etc, etc are off work with covid if their facemasks are so effective?

Because they do have lives outwith their work! Doctors, nurses, hospital staff - they all still have to do normal everyday things like shopping, commuting to and from their work, maybe playing sports, socialising etc. They're not cooped up in a hospital or medical centre 24/7.

MayBeMaw You also seem to ignore the fact that surgeons in particular wear masks to avoid breathing germs or viruses on to their patients and thereby maintaining a sterile atmosphere.

Then why, if all patients are wearing masks, and the doctors, etc are wearing them to prevent breathing germs or viruses on their patients, are all these patients catching covid in hospitals? If their facemask are oh, so effective?

From other patients perhaps?