Are you wearing gloves and mask to the supermarket?

[Afternooninthepark]

I’m avoiding going as much as possible but had to go yesterday and noticed that a lot more people were wearing gloves and/or masks, more so than when I went three weeks ago.
I wore disposable gloves as I find they remind me not to touch my face. I wash my hands as soon as I get home and wash or wipe down the shopping. Other than that I don’t suppose there is much more I can do?

Scarce

I don't understand the contamination argument as to why you shouldn't wear gloves. The same would apply to not wearing gloves either. Basically, if there are germs on something and you touch it and the touch something else, then those germs will spread regardless of whether you're wearing gloves or not.

Where gloves help though is stopping cross contamination from one area to another. i.e. you go shopping, put gloves on as you enter and throw them in the bin as you leave. You then put on another pair before you get in your car and throw them away as you're entering your home etc.

You've stopped germs coming in and you've stopped germs from leaving.

If they weren't effective then HCPs wouldn't wear them, now would they?

I also wear a FFP3 mask as pictured and wipe down my shopping when I get home.

I'm also frequently washing my hands, staying home and social distancing.

They way I see it, every measure you take has an effect on transmission and therefore reduces the spread of the virus and how likely you are of contracting it.

Mask as pictured.

No. Used hand gel before going in supermarket, and after. Washed hands when came home, sprayed shopping bags (but not shopping) with zoflora & left to dry. Washing fruit & veg thoroughly before use. No mask.

There is no evidence that it makes any difference

Of course there is.

yy marp I wriggle the gloves off so I don't touch the steering wheel.

No neither.

Absolutely not and I don’t wash my shopping either

Mask, but not gloves. I just wash my hands when I get home, and sanitise doors etc. It is a pollution mask with particle filter that I already had.

No, and I don't wash my shopping either.

Everything gets put away as normal and I wash my hands afterwards.

In my town (in Kent), I’d say 70% plus of those in my Tesco were wearing gloves and/or mask.

Would be interested to know if others have been seeing the same elsewhere?

I wear mask and gloves. I work in microbiology and know what people carry on their hands, so the gloves are for my peace of mind.

Mask wearers are in a tiny minority in my supermarket. Glove wearing is more common, maybe half.

Well I personally hate anything covering my face! So mask would be uncomfortable for me .What about the staff that are there 40 hours or 20 hours a week? Gloves are only really for a one touch thing anyway(say going to a Cashpoint for example).As soon as you have touched something, and not changed the gloves you are no longer sterile surely?

Yes, yes and I also (you can laugh) carry a bucket and a bottle of warm water and some soap in the boot. When I get home I make up a bleach solution and dip everything before it comes in my house, including the bags.

Here's what I do.

Pack bags, bucket, dettol spray, warm water and soap into boot.

Drive to supermarket

Leave phone in car. Phone is a vector.

Whilst in car, mask and glove up. Car keys in pocket, contactless card in pocket

Enter supermarket with bags, shop and bag up.

(here is where it gets tricky)

Then, I load the bags of shopping into the car, return the trolley, and CAREFULLY bin the gloves.

Walk back to the car. Dettol spray boot handle and shopping bag outsides, contactless card and car keys..

Pour warm water into bucket, thoroughly soap hands and arms.

Remove mask, dettol spray outside of mask.

Soap hands again, and face.

Drive home, walk into house, wash hands, prepare bucket of bleach solution (20ml per 5 l), take it out to front garden along with other, already clean bags. Wear home gloves.

Unpack bags, dipping every item in bleach solution, and without rinsing pack into clean bags. Porous items (cereal boxes) get wiped with bleachy cloth.

All used bags get dipped and packed together.

Go inside, wash hands and face (bleach splashes).

Then back outside, bring everything in, pat dry but don't rinse, put away.

This may seem extreme. I don't care.

Gloves and masks don't work WHEN PEOPLE DON'T USE THEM PROPERLY. Otherwise they work better than not having them.

Whilst we all completely agree healthcare workers should be fully kitted with PPE (and the company I'm at donated a lot), people buying a few face masks off Amazon, eBay etc. are not the problem as to the shortage and shouldn't be vilified in my view. They are generally not the same grade and if there's such a surplus for everyone else to buy, why isn't the govt doing so.

If you're outraged at the lack of provision for the NHS I'd write an email to your MP.

@RandomName80

Manchester here. I shop at Tesco between 21:00 - 22:00 fortnightly now just before closing.

I'd say the amount of people wearing masks and gloves has increased over the last month or so.

In fact I can remember the first time I saw someone wearing a mask in public for the first time. It was a little girl at the dentist's back in February. I guess she was high risk.

As for supermarkets. It started out with people wearing gloves and then progressed to people wearing gloves and masks. Most people who wear masks wear the blue/white surgical masks but I've seen some people wearing the white FFP1/2 masks too.

I personally wear a FFP3 mask with large filters. I had the foresight to buy one from Tool Station back in late January.

I'd say it's about 60/40 in favour of people wearing masks now when I shop, but that just might be the night crowd. I tend to believe that people who shop late on at night are more sensible in that they've thought it through more... i.e. it's late at night so less people will be there and no queues etc. If those people are willing to do that then they're probably more likely to wear a mask.

Equally, those who queue up for hours in the morning are probably less likely to wear a mask and since I don't go at that time I can't observe what they're doing.

I don’t, also don’t have any anti bac gel, I don’t wash my shopping, I just wash my hands after touching/putting it away. Pretty sure I have had the virus so I guess I’m not as worried as others may be.

The very vast majority of people wearing gloves are using and disposing of them entirely incorrectly due to not having proper understanding of cross infection control and glove usage. In fact, incorrect glove usage is probably raising risk

There is some evidence that correct mask usage could assist but, again, most people aren’t using and disposing masks properly.

PPE should really be supplied to those who need it the most and can use it correctly - ie HCPs

No I don't wear them. I've heard NHS saying they are pointless and they don't use them either (not true for all, but just those I know)
So for me, I'd rather wash hands and leave gloves for NHS staff and other key workers.

@Gobbolinothewitchscat

The NHS isn't getting their PPE from B&Q.

This isn't a either or situation. NHS HCPs can use government provided PPE while Joe Public can go to DIY stores and buy dust masks or order things off Amazon.

The mask I use is a basic filter one from B&Q I had anyway and the gloves are non-latex ones I’ve had a while for a hobby/dyeing my hair/light cleaning.
The NHS would not welcome my mask and gloves as they are either used or not up to standard for use on a ward. For 30 mins round a supermarket in conjunction with Dettol wipes (again, that I have had since last year) they cut my risk to an acceptable level. The mask is more of a warning to keep the fuck out of my way round here, as virtually no one even wears gloves yet. I expect they will in a couple of weeks when the fancy new morgue tent for the county starts to get some use.

Am a practice manager so understand perfectly well where PPE comes from thanks. There is such a thing as supply chains. Where do you think B&Q get their PPE from to sell on?

We can’t get NHS urgent care dental centres open as a lack of PPE now. It’s not just FFP3 masks but includes gloves. NHSE has been promising delivery for weeks but nothing has arrived.

If the people using their gloves incorrectly donated them to their local hospital, it would make a significant difference. We have donated surgical masks and gloves to the local hospital as can’t work at the moment. There is a shortage in secondary care which I assume you are aware of?

Now the question is whether they can be resupplied to us via NHSE to let us reopen along with the additional PPE we need. The knock on effect is huge and maybe everyone complaining about toothache might reflect on that before incorrectly wearing their gloves to the local supermarket and then failing to dispose of them properly as clinical waste.

I would say about 50/60 % were wearing gloves and/or masks but noticed not one member of staff were wearing anything, it was a Lidl not sure if other supermarket staff are wearing any protection but definitely not in my local Lidl.

@Gobbolinothewitchscat

The government have said repeatedly that they have more than enough PPE to go around. It's just the logistics of transporting it to where it needs to be.

The fact I bought my gloves and mask back in January isn't going to affect how the government ships medical supplies around the country. They've had months to prepare.

If I could have the foresight to buy things back in January with the limited information available at the time, then I'm sure a government with all their intelligence services would have had far more warning.

Don't shift the blame on the lack of PPE for the NHS onto responsible members of the public. That's on the government.

As others have said, masks bought off Amazon or from B&Q are hardly going to be up to medical grade standard anyway.