To wonder how wearing a mask several times a day will work or be safe?

[Lookingforastronauts]

So I'm in Scotland, and as of Monday in high schools, pupils will be expected to wear as mask anywhere indoors apart from in class. Currently my child wears one in the morning on the bus, and another one in the afternoon. Because obviously putting a previously used one on that's been in their bag for 6+ hours is not a great idea. I think sometimes they forget and just wear the same one but I have explained to them the importance of it, given them a clean washable bag to keep them in, and they go straight in the machine when they come home.

My question is mostly for other Scottish High School parents. Am I being unreasonable to think this is a bad idea? That most kids will just wear one all through the day and that this is a risk factor in itself? With 4 "movements" and 2 journeys, that's at least 6 masks. How are most of these kids going to keep track of what's used or not?

Sanitize hands when taking them off/putting them on or if you touch it to adjust it.

Keep in a bag in between times

Make sure it's on the right way round

Keep a spare in your bag in case it gets lost

Wash at the end of the day

(Unless you've been told to use different ones for transport and then in school)

It's for catching your own germs/aerosols, and frankly I don't care about my own, so I use the same one, and so will my DC's. Hand wash in soapy warm water (not boil washed) at the end of the day, I am also not going to put on a washing machine for a couple of face masks.

I think most will be wearing the same one all week, let alone all day. Whether that matters, I'm not sure. It certainly does according to the public health information but then originally, that said there was no benefit of wearing one for periods longer than 15 min.

Another disingenuous thread masquerading as asking a question about masks
You don't like them
We get it

I'm actually fine with masks. I'm just not fine with the lack of guidance for the safe use of them. As this thread highlight ignorance is rife.

The mask becomes warm and moist, it's not your germs that are the problem but the pathogens that will stick and breed on the outside of the mask. It's the outside that's dirty not the inside. So it goes into school bags and in pockets and no amount of handsanitising before or after class will prevent these multiplying germs from being left on surfaces.

So wind your neck in hobnob

Also re trashing the environment, you can buy or make washable ones.

It is your own germs you're supposed to be bothered about as its designed to stop covid being passed from you to others. What sort of amount of deadly, breeding pathogens are you expecting from wearing it for short periods of time in a school day?

I think it's a great idea. I hope the schools have been given guidance for wearing/removing/storing but I don't know.
I have a teenager and he has a mask in his bag everyday (he goes to a shop at lunch) I was putting it in a bag but now using a small Tupperware container to make it easier to put on and off. I will probably stick a spare disposable one in now too.

@Lookingforastronauts

I'm actually fine with masks. I'm just not fine with the lack of guidance for the safe use of them. As this thread highlight ignorance is rife.

The mask becomes warm and moist, it's not your germs that are the problem but the pathogens that will stick and breed on the outside of the mask. It's the outside that's dirty not the inside. So it goes into school bags and in pockets and no amount of handsanitising before or after class will prevent these multiplying germs from being left on surfaces.

There is plenty of guidance , actually but the people who think masks in schools is a great idea don't seem to know or care what it is. Guidance for schools here, including a link detailing correct use, which will be practically impossible to achieve in schools.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education

It's strange how people fixate one element of these precautions without concern for how it will be done and if it will actually help or even make things worse. If clean hands are important, children handling dirty masks several times a day is surely a big problem indeed?

The wearing of masks by children appeases some of the hysterical but in reality the benefits are little

Well we will what the benefits are (or aren't) as time goes on, won't we?

OP I think you are right on what the benefit of correctly worn and handled masks is. This seems to be a potentially harmful policy.

The only germs on the masks are the ones the wearer put there; the wearer is already carrying those germs so no extra risk to the wearer from wearing them mask repeatedly without a wash.

I taught in secondary schools for twelve years. Kids will:

*Not have a clean mask everyday
*Steal each others
*Ping them at each other / teachers
*Refuse to put them on
*Refuse to take them off
*Write rude words on them
*Draw dicks on them
*Use them as an excuse to bully others for wearing an uncool type / not wearing / wearing in a way deemed uncool
*Use the anonymity created to bully younger / more vulnerable kids without being identifiable
*Use the anonymity created to carry out some pretty serious antisocial behaviour on the journey to & from school.

So very glad I'm not teaching this year. It's going to be a disaster.

Oh and swap classes! Just thought of that one. Lots of hilarious fun going into the wrong classroom with your mates because the teachers can't see who you are at the door.

Ping them at each other / teachers
Refuse to put them on
Refuse to take them off
Write rude words on them
Draw dicks on them

None of these ones would be a problem for me as they would be ejected from my class, and at the discretion of management returned home to mum and dad to deal with.

@Rainuntilseptember

Ping them at each other / teachers Refuse to put them on Refuse to take them off Write rude words on them Draw dicks on them

None of these ones would be a problem for me as they would be ejected from my class, and at the discretion of management returned home to mum and dad to deal with.

Lucky you. You work in a school with stronger behaviour management than many I worked in.

Have to admit I'd love to see how the schools who have been committed to the Paul Dix restorative justice "let's all sit and talk about how we feel" behaviour model over the last few years will deal with this. Will they suddenly find that they can enforce rules? The culture shift from "let's talk about how we can make the school work for you" to "do what I say, now, or get out" will be a significant one in a lot of places.

Right, I honestly don’t get this. Why are parents saying that they are packing 2-3 masks and kids are putting them in bags and wearing one for the bus, one for the day, another one for the bus home etc etc?
The mask is to protect others- it does not protect you!!! If you are in a crowded place the only thing you are doing by wearing a mask is stopping YOUR breath and coughs getting on to someone else! If someone isn’t wearing a mask and coughs near you, your mask won’t protect you!!
Wearing one mask all week is fine as long as it’s dry!!? Why are you boil washing it? To get your own germs out? Why? Everything you are wearing has your own germs? Do you change them 3 times a day? People are going absolutely bonkers and just not applying common sense!

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito completely agree. Masks will be a huge distraction and I really agree with the bullying. So easy to say hateful things behind a mask as no one will know who it is. In some schools, teachers will spend many many hours on mask rules

Right, I honestly don’t get this. Why are parents saying that they are packing 2-3 masks and kids are putting them in bags and wearing one for the bus, one for the day, another one for the bus home etc etc?

Because they've bought into the utter paranoia and don't give a fuck about the environment these kids, whom Covid is not going to kill bar very rare cases, will have to live in.

@Time2change2

Right, I honestly don’t get this. Why are parents saying that they are packing 2-3 masks and kids are putting them in bags and wearing one for the bus, one for the day, another one for the bus home etc etc? The mask is to protect others- it does not protect you!!! If you are in a crowded place the only thing you are doing by wearing a mask is stopping YOUR breath and coughs getting on to someone else! If someone isn’t wearing a mask and coughs near you, your mask won’t protect you!! Wearing one mask all week is fine as long as it’s dry!!? Why are you boil washing it? To get your own germs out? Why? Everything you are wearing has your own germs? Do you change them 3 times a day? People are going absolutely bonkers and just not applying common sense!

If someone with Covid coughs on your mask, and then you repeatedly touch the front of your mask and rewear it many times without washing it you are increasing your risk of being infected. You need to be sanitising hands before and after you touch your mask and you need to change it regularly.

@Time2change2

Right, I honestly don’t get this. Why are parents saying that they are packing 2-3 masks and kids are putting them in bags and wearing one for the bus, one for the day, another one for the bus home etc etc? The mask is to protect others- it does not protect you!!! If you are in a crowded place the only thing you are doing by wearing a mask is stopping YOUR breath and coughs getting on to someone else! If someone isn’t wearing a mask and coughs near you, your mask won’t protect you!! Wearing one mask all week is fine as long as it’s dry!!? Why are you boil washing it? To get your own germs out? Why? Everything you are wearing has your own germs? Do you change them 3 times a day? People are going absolutely bonkers and just not applying common sense!

Because if you do think there's a chance your child has (asymptomatic) Covid, if they wear the same mask over and over they will end up touching the mask, transferring the virus to their hands, and then to surfaces or directly other people (kids are NOT going to not touch each other).

If you don't think there's a chance of your child having Covid, they are wearing a breeding ground for bacteria over their face over and over, creating a potential for all sorts of bacterial infections.

It's pantomime theatre safety. It's a farce.

The thought of the kids in my class removing their mask and putting It on their desk or something before putting it back on before the next break...yuck. ‘Whose mask is this lying on the floor? I don’t particularly want to pick it up...but no ones claiming it...’ Our uniform has no pockets so I don’t know where they would put them when removed. Thankfully I’m primary (but y6 so some 11 year olds) - praying this nonsense isn’t in Introduced in primary schools.

No chance most parents are sending in a fresh mask each day, let alone enough for a fresh one each wear. One or two to last the week I’d imagine.

Wearing a mask is pointless unless, you fit correctly and only wear once (by wear once, I mean you cannot remove a mask and then put it back on 5 minutes later)

If someone with Covid coughs on your mask, and then you repeatedly touch the front of your mask and rewear it many times without washing it you are increasing your risk of being infected. You need to be sanitising hands before and after you touch your mask and you need to change it regularly.

That's why the entire thing is a farce and may actually be worse than no mask at all. They're not going to go round fucking sanitising their hands all the time - my son used to do that with his OCD, it drove him insane, literally. The risk to even teenagers is low. The idea they're going to go round changing the damn things several times a day and pouring 60%+ rubbing alcohol on their hands is ridiculous and stupid. I've told mine to just sling it round their necks and if asked pick it up (they're using neck gaiters) because it's all so stupid.