So we should wear masks

[alloutoffucks]

Initially we were told that masks were a waste of time. Now we are told that masks do provide some benefit.

T shirt and tea towel materials provide the best balance between breathability and effectiveness.

smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/

What @Menora said is spot on.

I am coming round to the idea that if everyone wore simple home made cloth masks this would prevent us all spreading such a high volume of droplets.

I found this warning on using HEPA filter bags:

Nobody should be buying proper masks now, they should be reserved for front line workers.

Just said on press conference that they do not need to be worn.

It has just been very clearly stated on the daily press conference that there is no evidence to recommend the general public wear a mask

Yes because the daily press conference is known for its facts....

Masks or a piece of cloth over your nose and mouth doesn't protect you so much as the people around you. This is in case you have it, but are not showing (many) symptoms. It stops the spread at the wearer.

The thing is, in other countries they either promoted or not discouraged people from wearing masks much earlier on before the discussion even started here. There are some benefits for stopping the wearer transmitting some of their own viruses to others. So if everyone wears them, then transmission should reduce by something. Something is better than nothing.
Even if you reduce transmission of normal colds, flu etc, at least our bodies don’t have to deal with fighting other infections on top of Coronavirus.
You simply can’t buy any kind of mask in the UK now. I saw something on Amazon but I think they’d come from China. It didn’t appear to be quite as genuine.
If you have something, use it. Find out how to use it properly. Why wait until more people wear them. We are still transmitting the virus, we need to try and reduce this transmission rate since weeks ago.
As regards South Korea, they have different protocols but their schools were closed because it coincided with the local school holiday time so it made sense to overlap the two and extend the closure on the back of holiday.

They can say it as "clearly" as they like. It contradicts all the medical evidence from experts around the globe.

The UK experts also clearly said a ban on public gatherings would have no effect, that school closures would be counterproductive, that herd immunity was the goal (and then that it wasn't), that we had enough PPE etc etc

If you are still trusting the press conference political briefings you must be naive

@Pebbles574 I came on to post the same link as you did, and plan to wear a long-sleeved t-shirt folded in half over my nose and mouth with the sleeves tied around the back of my head. That's 4 layers of material, and quite soft and comfortable to wear (although no sealing round the nose). Then wash it after every trip outside.

I think the key thing as a PP said is reducing the viral load as that can be what overwhelms otherwise healthy people, IMHO.

Here is the link for ease of reference (DIY masks)
smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/

We are wearing them outside and while shopping as I think its still better than nothing. 👍🏿👍🏿

I've been wearing masks for weeks now, bought back in January but left off wearing for a bit.

I've noticed a few things while wearing:

• I definitely touch my face less. I'm aware of the mask on it all the time so it stops me doing it.
• other people give me a wide berth. This is good. I want other people to give me a wide berth.
• I have encountered some open hostility, although only one person actually shouted at me because I was wearing one. She was a bit tapped anyway I think.
• it makes me feel a bit calmer. Not complacent, not invincible, not that I'm never going to get the virus but just a bit calmer during this stressful time. I think because putting it on is a tangible physical act, same as handwashing.
• I know that if I am unwittingly carrying this virus I am less likely to pass it on to others. This also makes me feel less anxious.

So all in all it's been a positive experience. I will continue to wear.

Also forgot to add that mine is reusable/washable so just need to change filters at each use but can wash it at 90 degrees and its good to be used for ever (or till the end of corona)

surely the staff in supermarkets should be wearing them too...

The problem is most people are incorrectly wearing PPE. Wearing gloves to the supermarket is helping the spread as far as I can see. Touching your face, touching your phone, touching the trolley, picking your shopping off the shelf, driving home. The sheer amount of glove changing I do at work accompanied with soap and water basic hand washing is what helps prevent spread

@RNlife

Wearing gloves to the supermarket is not a bad idea so long as you do it right. I.e. you put them on as you go in and then throw them in the bin as you leave and don't re use them.

Wearing gloves and washing your hands with them on is also a good idea too and is useful for protecting your hands from soap. I say this from someone who works in a school and has to wash their hands all the time. At one point my hands were red raw and highly irritated so now I wear gloves more often but wash those instead as well as washing my hands when I take them off or put them on.

Wholeheartedly agree. The problem is everyone I see is doing it wrong but not only that potentially aiding the spread as they’re doing it horribly wrong.

Wearing as mask making you feel better isn’t proven to actually reduce your risk if there are other risks involved

PP is right. Wearing gloves all the time during your normal activities won’t help you could be making it unintentionally worse. Wearing a mask over and over might not help at all. It might make you feel better but that doesn’t mean it is actually better or benefitting you. This thread already had one symptomatic person posting they are going out wearing a mask as they deem it safe. If everyone did this, the point of isolation would quickly fall apart. We are not in South Korea. We live in a country where B&Q will be rammed tomorrow and by Sunday the beaches will be filled up. Do you really think everyone in the U.K. is responsible enough to wear, care for and dispose of their PPE in a way that doesn’t put more people at risk? The fact is HCP are the ones who know how to wear and use PPE, not Joe Public

I work in primary care. PPE is not worn to walk around your office or clinic room between patients or going to the shops. It’s worn in high risk situations then disposed of and everything is kept clean. Washing your hands and cleaning equipment and social distancing is important.

You shouldn’t need to be wearing a mask for people to stay 2m away from you. We already know we should be doing that - mask or not

Do you really think everyone in the U.K. is responsible enough to wear, care for and dispose of their PPE in a way that doesn’t put more people at risk? The fact is HCP are the ones who know how to wear and use PPE, not Joe Public

I intend to make cloth masks for myself and my family. What should I do to ensure I don't put more people at risk?

Anyone have a link of where I can buy decent masks online?

I have been saying this for weeks and was shouted down by people ignorantly following the propoganda spouted to disguise the criminal inadequacies of our PPE provision.

The correct masks work. I'm a fomer nurse and wss based at one of our leading hospitals for infectious diseases. Dont listen to the Government who have been out of step with everyone else since this began.

So they may only be marginally useful, but that's still better than nothing.

Whenever this comes up there are people who seem quite bothered by the very idea of someone else wearing a mask. An edgy hostility as though it were somehow personally offensive. Is it because they didn't think to buy any?

Well for the individual it is ideal that you never catch the virus so you would be looking at a respirator mask but on a population level it is about getting the R0 (transmission rate) as low as possible, preferably below 1. However any reduction reduces the need for ventilators.

Surgical masks and presumably better cloth masks reduce exposure 6 fold. Lots of staff are wearing these up and down the country working on covid wards and not getting sick so they have some effect. Obviously some staff do get ill because they are not perfect, but also perhaps because they are not wearing them outwith these areas and asymptomatic staff and patients may be passing the virus on.

We are looking at a year plus of disruption to our country. Why would we not try this? The sooner we start the sooner we will get the evidence base as to wether it is being effective. I think most of the population are willing to do what it takes.

"It has just been very clearly stated on the daily press conference that there is no evidence to recommend the general public wear a mask"

And yet not five hours later the CDC in the US is now recommending the use of cloth masks in supermarkets and other spaces where proper social distancing is problematic. It's almost as if you can't trust political briefings to tell you the truth - fancy that.