AIBU - face masks need to be for health and social care staff not the general public

[pigoons]

I am getting increasingly cross with the calls by people (Sadiq Khan and others) that people should have to wear face masks when venturing out in public.

WTF? There is a chronic shortage of PPE for those who need it i.e. frontline health and social care workers etc. Why insist members of the public then need to source mask for limited health gain?

Not to mention the difficulty of sourcing and the cost of buying masks currently - quick search is showing £56 for box of 50 disposable face masks (prior to covid these retailed for £7.99). And don't get me started on home made cloth masks - these have been proven pretty pointless.

World is indeed mad

[PureedSocksAndPants]

I’m happy to wear a mask and have made some.

[Branster]

If they are available for sale, people will buy them. The procurement sections from the NHS have access to the same channels as Joe Blogs as well as the official channels. And trusts are employing a lot resources in finding the correct equipment, passed the 12th hour, because they were ill equipped and also missed out on placing orders with the EU which will take a while to get anyway. They are contacting UK based manufacturers themselves whilst waiting for the government to get a move on. But it’s not as simple as finding the materials, you need to find the assembly points as well to make the masks and gowns and everything else. Independed sports groups and schools are passing on all the equipment they have. Nobody is holding on to the specialist equipment and not many individuals would have it in the first place. But what Joe Blogs is buying is not what the NHS needs. Nothing would make me happier than to give our basic DIY masks (1/person in our household, that’s all we have) to a key worker but they would be of no use to them. Transport companies, the police, supermarkets, delivery companies- they should all buy the simple basic face masks for their workers or give them an allowance to source these themselves as they should be wearing them as well. We should all be wearing them, whatever we can find. Everybody should be educated on how to use them. The scant supplies from Amazon are ridiculously priced and usually have long delays probably because they come from China. I haven’t looked on eBay, but Groupon and Wowcher have the basic stuff at reasonable prices. Only found this out the other day but I don’t know how decent a quality they are. Making your own appears to be easy and they’d be hand made fabric ones on Etsy.
This is the sort of stuff people are asking for, not PPE hospital grade equipment. We’re talking about make do standard here. The basic disposable ones would be the most convenient option but that’s for future planning.
I can see that, not long from now, we will all have to wear something when in public in most countries.

[Daria10]

The government is a joke. Every country that succesfully managed to keep this whole thing under control have asked the general public to wear masks. Look at Czech Republic for example.
Yes, even the home-made cotton ones are safer and can offer more protection than nothing.

It's absolutely amazing to see how many people defend this government and its total lack of action.

Do we really think that other people are stupid and only these British politicians are smart?! Let's look at the numbers before going on about: ohh, we don't need to wear masks, we don't need to isolate etc.

[Daria10]

@Branster well said!

[LilacTree1]

bluebeck where did you find those please?

[OliviaPopeRules]

What the CMO said yesterday is part of the reason they haven't asked people to wear widely is because they are worried that it takes masks out of circulation not for NHS workers but health workers in poorer countries who might not have the same level of mask so might only have access to the basic type of mask.
But as many people have said you can make your own fairly easy so this is what people should be encouraged to do or sell to other people rather than the more medical grade masks.

[MyHipsDontLieUnfortunately]

I bought some from ebay in January. It didn't occur to me that the UK would be so inadequately prepared that there wouldn't be enough for HCPs. That's not going to stop me from keeping them rather than handing them over. My stash would last an hour in my local community hospital but it'll do me a while at school, assuming I'll have to go back without any PPE provision made on my behalf.

Lots could have been manufactured between January and March, if only someone had noticed there was a pandemic approaching. Who knows why we're now relying on school technology departments to make visors.

[LilacTree1]

“ What the CMO said yesterday is part of the reason they haven't asked people to wear widely is because they are worried that it takes masks out of circulation not for NHS workers but health workers in poorer countries who might not have the same level of mask so might only have access to the basic type of mask.”

Those pale blue and white masks I see people wearing, they’re not medical grade are they?

[Hoggleludo]

My mum had made masks for people

She had a lady rings her up and just bawl. She worked in a care home and no one would give them anything. My mum said I'll make

[Hoggleludo]

Sorry. Pressed too fast

Mum said I'll try and make you some. Don't know how good they'll be.

The woman didn't stop crying for an hour......there are some incredibly desperate people out there

Right now my mother is making 1000s of bags for nhs staff. So you put your uniform in them and put them straight in the wash.

Might not work. But at least she's being proactive.

[HoldMyLobster]

Mumsnet is the only place where I still see people trying to insist that masks cannot and should not be worn by the general public.

Everyone else is either making them, buying them from someone locally, or just wrapping a scarf/bandana round their face.

[Foghead]

It makes total sense that everyone should be encouraged to wear a mask. Even a cotton home made one.
This way, we all protect each other and infection rates stay low.
It’s easy to find lots of research that says even homemade cotton masks provide a fair bit of protection.
I don’t get why people get annoyed about mask wearing when there’s proof that they are fairly effective.

[cologne4711]

My DH, DM and I have been using running buffs as masks in the supermarket/shops. They're not perfect and wouldn't work in a care or medical context, but I think they definitely help to reduce the risk of transmission to or from us when in a confined space.

[Xenia]

There is an argument they are more not less dangerous to health of the general public by the way.

[cologne4711]

Wrap around sunglasses probably aren't a bad idea, either.

[cologne4711]

If you wear them for too long they get damp and then may trap germs. But for a few minutes in the supermarket, it seems fine. Public transport may be a more difficult issue as you may be on a train for quite some time.

[LilacTree1]

“ Public transport may be a more difficult issue as you may be on a train for quite some time.”

1 hr 30 mins each way for me.

[LilacTree1]

The other thing that shocked me a bit with a mock up mask is that stops you from seeing so well, people like me are going to fall down escalators.

[pigoons]

But there is no evidence that cloth masks actually do much to stop transmission.

I thought some of the arguments are that they can make matters worse as people don't use them properly, don't wash them properly, touch their faces more, leave them lying about when they are covered in the virus, s etc

[LilacTree1]

I’m seeing a lot of discarded masks in the street

I wonder if that will happen on the tube too.

[Darcydashwood]

I’ve just ordered some cotton ones from Etsy for us. I’d rather have them than not and I’d be amazed if they didn’t become recommended at some point ahead of lockdown being lifted given the fact the figures from abroad do seem to show they have an effect.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Some,professor of infectious diseases type person just said on the news that even a T-shirt/cloth type mask will help prevent the spread.

I can’t fathom why we’re not being told to wear them.

[Cornettoninja]

Any mask your average Joe can source can be sourced just as easily by the NHS. It’s a discussion worth having because NHS purchasing has been ludicrous for forever but I’m pretty confident in saying that the masks being purchased privately were never going to be purchased by the NHS.

I acknowledge the pitfalls of incorrect mask usage but I’m not convinced it’s not a tool we should all be using alongside hand washing and everything else we’re currently doing. In countries with recent experience with SARS rate their usage and I’m inclined to take note of their experience.

[bluebeck]

I got mine from Amazon (sorry but ethics have gone out the window a bit!)

Haven't arrived yet. I am dyspraxic and hadn't thought about how I would be at risk from falling down escalators etc - it's a dead cert

[NotEverythingIsBlackandwhite]

@Annarosez

There isn't actually a proper shortage, the government have just been inadequate in their response to the crisis and not purchased the proper PPE.
USA have a shortage and lots of problems are caused by China who provide most of our PPE.
Italy had shortages.
Spain had shortages to the extent that their govt faces legal action against them by medics.
There is a worldwide shortage of PPE.

www.itv.com/news/2020-04-13/some-hospitals-facing-gown-shortages-health-boss-says/

www.google.com/amp/s/www.politico.eu/article/downing-street-uk-did-not-miss-out-by-opting-out-of-eu-ppe-bulk-order/amp/