Seriously worried about this requirement from school

[Acdcccc]

Just got this message from my DC school off the back of local council stipulations and am really concerned.

I have no issue wearing a mask so please don't lump me in with the anti - mask brigade but this instruction seems really short sighted.

My immediate thought is when a kid removes their mask it is more than likely going to be damp and placing this damp cloth in a zip lock bag for an undefined period of time is bound to multiply bacteria on said mask.

What kind of impact is this likely to have on kids health?

[Doccomplaint]

Just send as many bags as masks and wash them every night?

[TheChineseChicken]

Do you mean bacteria or coronavirus? I don’t think having a mask on for, say, 30 minutes then putting it in a bag is going to riddle it with bacteria

[Acdcccc]

Even though its This is for all kids over 5 but let's face it kids aren't the best when it comes to hygiene so even if they don't thouch the mask itself there will be some bacteria on their little faces as it is which will then be transferred to the mask which will not have a chance to dry out after use on the bus ride to school.

This is then placed in a zip lock back door the school day and worn again on the ride home. This does not sound like a good idea.

I agree with pp, I will be sending my DC with multiple clean masks and give them strict instructions not to use the masks in the bag but am i overthinking this? are kids over 5

[Beebityboo]

If I send my DD (not sure yet) she will have to get a 40 minute bus ride to school so I am sending her with 5 masks, 2 for the bus rides and three for during the school day. Putting the 5 masks in the front pocket of her bag with 5 sandwich bags. When she takes one off she puts it in a sandwich bag then puts on a clean one. Once she gets home wash all 5 masks and do the same the next day.

[Acdcccc]

@Beebityboo

If I send my DD (not sure yet) she will have to get a 40 minute bus ride to school so I am sending her with 5 masks, 2 for the bus rides and three for during the school day. Putting the 5 masks in the front pocket of her bag with 5 sandwich bags. When she takes one off she puts it in a sandwich bag then puts on a clean one. Once she gets home wash all 5 masks and do the same the next day.

See that's a sensible approach

I just worry many parents aren't going to be as methodical as we will and heaven knows what health outcomes this will have on these poor kids

[MoreListeningLessChatting]

@Acdcccc

I agree with you. Think of the increased bacteria/virus and other infections from constantly taking mask off/touching/spreading/ and reusing over and over again..... Not very well thought out is masks in school - wait to see the masks littering the corridors/the grimy grey masks that have been re worn numerous times because some parents cannot afford the £2 a packet for a few disposables... or doing the constant rewashing... some masks will be pretty filthy and then handled and spread around - yuck

No masks please

[BillywilliamV]

They are their germs that they are breathing into the mask, germs that thrive in the respiratory environment might survive on a damp mask but they aren't going to multiply.
You need to be wary of other peoples' masks if you need to be wary of anything,.. but personally I think the whole business is a crock of shit anyway.

[JS87]

I wouldn't worry. I doubt any of those bacteria are pathogenic. Everything is covered in millions of bacteria all the time including your face and hands. Generally bacteria are good for us and even if they do multiply in damp conditions there will have been loads in dry conditions anyway.
My son has a habit which means he touches the sole of his shoe when out walking then puts his fingers in his mouth. He hasn't been ill yet.

[AldiAisleofCrap]

Surely no parent is stupid enough not to realise that the mask their child wears in the morning, should not be the same mask that is worn after school. The bag is to store the mask in until they get home!

[ChaChaCha2012]

Surely no parent is stupid enough not to realise that the mask their child wears in the morning, should not be the same mask that is worn after school.

Many parents cannot afford multiple masks.

[Baaaahhhhh]

And this is exactly why masks on school children don't work effectively, which is why the "science" is conflicted. Masks protect those around you from aerosol droplets, but you need to handle them with "clinical" care in order for them to be effective for touch transmitted infection control.

It is, in my personal opinion, bonkers to have to provide 5 masks and 5 plastic bags every day, I am hoping the 5 plastic bags are washed and re-used too. Also the advice to wash all clothes every day. Come winter will everyone be washing outdoor coats every day, let alone dry cleanable suits and skirts, of course they won't.

[Beebityboo]

Yes maybe a cloth washable bag would be better on reflection. Then I could just bung it all in the wash in one go when she gets in.
I hate that she will have to wear a mask for such a long bus ride, she has Aspergers and wears glasses too so the whole thing is going to be a massive struggle for her .

[itsgettingweird]

So dont use the same mask for journey to school and home

You were always meant to bag a worn one and use a clean one next time. Place that in another bag and wash or hot iron before wearing again.

[cologne4711]

My ds will need 3 masks daily, one for the bus journey in each direction and then one for any time he needs one on in college, though they've not said they need them on in the corridors etc yet.

I'll need to keep handwashing them and hope that they dry in time for when they are next needed. However, he's only in for 3 days next week and then is off again for two weeks and back to virtual lessons. After that he may be in full-time. Or not.

[chandellina]

what's wrong with wearing same one in the morning and after school? What are the chances the virus would be on the mask, survive on the mask, and be transmitted to the child? The much higher risk is having no protection against first-order aerosol spray. I'm not expecting my son at secondary to have a fresh one for each time he ventures into the hall.

[NoSquirrels]

@AldiAisleofCrap

Surely no parent is stupid enough not to realise that the mask their child wears in the morning, should not be the same mask that is worn after school. The bag is to store the mask in until they get home!

Of course lots of people will let their kids re-use masks.

1) They might not be able to afford multiple masks
2) They might not stop to consider any risks from re-using a mask (or genuinely not understand any risks, this does not make them 'stupid')
3) They might not care much about micromanaging their children - particularly older teens
4) They might re-use masks themselves

I think it's pretty likely many people would interpret that request as one mask per day in a bag.

[Absolutelylush]

Five masks a day? Nooo. How many people are going to do that - children or parents?

[Absolutelylush]

My dc need a mask for the journey to and from school and it never occurred to me they would need more than one mask or a bag to put it in.

[Wnikat]

The bacteria from their moist wet mouths then goes on to a mask and then goes into a bag and then goes back into their mouths? How will this harm them?

[MilkRunningOutAgain]

I can’t see either of my teens using 5 masks a day in rotation and carefully bagging and returning them home for washing! I don’t think my teens are unusual kids either. Nor am I as a parent worried about this. I’m planning on giving them 2 each at the start of the week and having a few spares at home to hand out when they lose them.

[poshme]

Masks are worn to protect other people.

If a child wears a mask on the bus to school, they breathe their own 'germs' onto it. Put in bag, later put on face for journey home. Where they put their own 'germs' back onto their own face.

Why on earth would they need multiple masks?

[BunsyGirl]

What’s the alternative...shove it at the bottom of their dirty school bag?! I put all my masks in separate resealable plastic bags until they are used. If I only wear a mask for 5 mins (eg to pop into a shop) I rewear it. If I have it on longer (eg a trip to the hairdressers), I wash before using it again.

[Roswellconspiracy]

End if day we haven't unless you afe health care been trained in how to use them properly.

Not only will disposable masks be chucked everywhere as opoossd to brought home or disposed of properly, reusable masks arent all that cheap depending on what ones you have

So not only will parents struggle with financing any of it whether u choose reusable or disposable, having seen some of the correct usage instructions it seems almost like a full fine job in itself fo keep up let alone enforce.

Time probably better spent on maintenance/cleaning

[Acdcccc]

I'm a layman so don't have any scientific experience, as many may have deduced by now so please bear with me 🤣

What is the possibility of mould groth on these masks or other pathogens?

[BlusteryShowers]

I'm not much of an eco warrior, but I do feel awful about all the plastic bags and disposable things that are needed for this.