Face coverings recommended in Scotland, what do we think?

[Noworrieshere]

Scotland's First Minister is recommending face coverings are used in enclosed public spaces.
I was at the post office today and both staff members were wearing masks. I felt a bit guilty actually that I wasn't wearing anything and was just breathing all over them so I think I will wear a scarf over my face from now on. Not sure I'm going so far as to make an actual mask yet, I've got an antibacterial buff thing, I'll wear that.

I am not in Scotland but already wear a cloth face covering when I go to the supermarket (not outside). If I went on a train I would wear it too.

When I was out in my local town centre on Monday I saw quite a few people wearing masks and face coverings. Though some were obviously medical grade which made me hoik my judgey pants up a bit. That said, they might have had them for ages or have an underlying condition. But most were home-made or a scarf/snood.

Though some were obviously medical grade which made me hoik my judgey pants up a bit. That said, they might have had them for ages or have an underlying condition

Please don’t judge.

We have medical grade masks for work ( not related to health care ) so we all have some unsealed ones at home or in our car. So we can still use them.

They are not suitable for healthcare settings because the packaging is already open.

One colleague wears them when he and his partner have to go out because she has terminal cancer.

At lockdown we gave all our unopened PPE To the local hospital, who were short. We also helped them ship some PPE from abroad through our work contacts.

To me, logically, if everyone is in a face mask then surely there is some benefit. And, no, of course they don't replace all the other measures, they're just one more element.

Problem is the government couldn't say this because of the lack of them for NHS workers and they couldn't risk the public buying them up. They now can't say outright that it might be a good idea to start wearing them as they can't make it obvious to the public that they lied all along (although many see through this anyway). This is why Nicola Sturgeon said (3 times?) the evidence is weak and downplayed it - to avoid accusations of withholding information. Why mention it now if the evidence of the benefit is weak though? If it is weak then it has been weak all along and if people didn't need them weeks ago because of this surely they don't need them now either.

The reports I've read from various doctors aren't weak. Who to believe though.

Then of course the government probably held back as they might believe vast swathes of people aren't that clever and despite instructions on how to wear them wouldn't get it right, probably making it potentially worse - touching things in supermarkets for example then their mask. So the government might have held back because of that too.

I also think we owe this out of respect to all the key workers not just in NHS to keep us going, eg supermarket, transport staff etc.

Clapping is is one thing, but let's be a bit more proactive and show it as well.

Eh I don't really get wearing a face-mask as a mark of respect? I'll wear it because it may reduce infection levels and because by wearing it we might be able to get the country running again more quickly.

Respect the health of people who work a whole day in the supermarket - so they don't breathe other people's germs all day.

Absolutely correct. She is doing things very different from rest of uk. England is aiming for 100000 tests by end of month. Scotland aiming for 3,500. But it’s okay, we’ll have a scarf over our face to protect others.
Increase testing and we’ll have a better idea of the prevalence.

Look on the bright side: never again will some dick yell out 'cheer up might never happen.'

I wouldn't recommend using a scarf if you have to keep re-adjusting as the material that was previously on the outside which may have someone else's germs on will then end up right over your face.

I am going to order a couple of the fabric masks from Etsy and give them ago. We had a small supply of disposables DH was given at work (not NHS /medical) which I've been wearing for shopping.

For me the scarf is the lesser of two evils. There's no way I'm wearing anything pulled tight across my face so a loose scarf is about the best I could manage and I'd be fiddling with that all the time. I'd rather not go out to be honest.

There is a lot of very good scientific evidence that masks are very effective.
Not for protecting the wearer , but for preventing the spread of droplets from the wearer to the environment, ie protecting others.
As far as I can see , the only reason for not recommending them is the worry that it will lead to a run on surgical masks which are already in short supply. There is no need for this, any mask is better than nothing.
Look at the transmission rates in countries which have a mask wearing ethos
Surely if it improves things even a little it’s a no brainer if it reduces R and gets us back up and running quicker .

It's only a recommendation, not a law and it's a perfectly sensible one.
Regarding testing, yes ramped up testing is important but 100,00 per the end of the month (tomorrow) isn't feasible given only half of that is being managed right now.
Testing in Scotland should obviously be relevant to the much smaller population size.

I was in the co-op this morning too and no-one was wearing a mask. I brought a scarf with me but didn't wear it once I'd looked in the window and seen no-one else doing it.
I'm going to practise with it in front of the mirror for next time tough.
I really feel like we have to try every small thing if we are ever going to get out of this mess.

Nearlyoldenoughtowearpurple, YYY to that and the more people wear them the lower the risk of transmission.

Masks will be far more comfortable than scarves to wear when the weather gets warmer.

The British Medical Association has been campaigning for wide use of masks.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA) council, told The Telegraph it was "common sense" that a "barrier" offers some degree of protection.

"The Government must pursue all avenues of reducing the spread of infection," he said.

"This includes asking the public to wear face coverings to cover mouths and noses when people leave home for essential reasons."

The FT also produced a graph.

Good graph - of course it's unlikely to be the only reason behind the different rates - but useful to illustrate the point.

I really can't understand why people wouldn't wear a mask. Sure it's a bit uncomfortable, but if it helps reduce infection rates and means we can start easing back on the restrictions then it's a no brainier surely ?

Sensible advice in keeping with many other countries. Im not a fan of hers either.

You don't wear masks to protect yourselves. You wear masks to protect others.

www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/dont-wear-mask-yourself/610336/

We have been doing it here in the US for a while now. It feels strange at first, but it's fine.

Boris just mentioned "face coverings" - surprise, surprise! Not!

@lizzie1970a, remember how Boris ridiculed burkas? It's funny now he is coming round to face covering

The facemask I made for myself is a cross b/w a close fitting facemask and a slightly looser burka

Can people stop comparing face masks to face coverings warn by religious groups. When I wear a face mask it is to protect myself and others, not because some teaching/book tells me I have to in order to oppress me.