What a surprise "wear face coverings"

[BruceAndNosh]

As above

@Sarcelle

I think that's a nice thing to do, just for the wellbeing of supermarket staff as much as anything.

A homemade cotton mask is not disposable. I get that the filters (even paper ones) will need to go in the general waste properly double bagged up. I plan to put my filters in double bagged pet poo bags that eventually decompose.

I don't sew either (despite the username). However I have, over the last few weeks taught myself to make simple fabric face masks because it seemed to me to be ineviable that we would end up having to wear them.
There are hundreds of youtube videos showing how to make them in all different styles and sizes.
The difficulty is getting elastic (and wire for the nose if you want it) because lots of people have been making them in readiness for this recommendation. It's now scarce and over priced.

This feels like one of those things where the British are gonna laugh and say how stupid it is for a few weeks before switching to "why did we take so long to mandate this, every other country did it weeks ago, our government is so shit" etc.

It seems to be getting lost but A FACE COVERING IS NOT THE SAME THING AS A MASK.

It just means cover your face, a scarf, snood, pull you shirt up.

what @bellini said

So if we all wear them, sensibly, in enclosed spaces like shops, we'll all protect each other.

I can go with that.

The NHS has plenty of sub-standard masks to spare (Ironic)

*Face coverings reduce transmission from asymptomatic carriers. You could be shedding the virus unknowingly through breathing and talking, especially in enclosed spaces. They do not protect the wearer.

It stands to reason then that if you refuse to wear a mask you’re probably a selfish fucker*

Agree 100%

A bandanna is just a triangle of fabric, you can cut one from a pillowcase, you don't need to be able to sew.

Cut a square of fabric about 22" on each side, fold it into a triangle, tie it on.

Bold fail there!

I got a mask in the chemists a few weeks ago
They were under the counter and sold singularly (wrapped and sealed of course but not a packet of them)

It seems to be getting lost but A FACE COVERING IS NOT THE SAME THING AS A MASK.

And the face coverings don't have to be single use. Just wash them in the machine if you want to use them. And nobody's going to be arresting people who don't comply. Some stores might set their own policies but you are free to shop there with a face covering, or not.

I want to see the ‘science’.

So if we all wear them, sensibly, in enclosed spaces like shops, we'll all protect each other

It's strange how many people don't seem to understand this, despite understanding that social distancing is important not just to protect ourselves, but because the entire population doing these things reduces the spread. But when it comes to masks people are like "but it only stops me spreading it so much not me getting it, and I don't have it! So it's pointless!"

duhhh

Etsy has a lot of reasonably priced elastic in stock.

I think we should be really focusing now on protecting the shop workers, bus drivers and the many others who have worked all through this.

So face coverings it is. Preferably washable and reusable.

WoollyMollyMonkey

I don't really get the "it encourages people to touch their face" argument either. If that was a real problem, then surgeons and doctors wouldn't use them either, would they? Oh wait, they do because they just get told/taught about the importance of not constantly touching them and readjusting them, but that's something we can't teach the general public because... what?... It's too complex so only doctors can understand it?

Seems like it would be more sensible to just tell people how to put them on and not fiddle with them than just to say oh fuck it lets not use them at all.

Lol, pp have nailed it.

I can't wear a mask because (reason)!

Where will I get a mask?

Who will look after my children when I'm imprisoned for not having a mask?

Why didn't they make me do this a month ago?

Ad infinitum... Bojo himself could swing past our windows on a zipwire and fling us a mask handsewn to our measurements by Tom Hardy and MNers would call it a plot by the government to steal our home decor ideas.

Here's some science about masks;
''[in a test] the surgical mask performed best, capturing 97% of the 1-micron bacteria. Yet every single material filtered out at least 50% of particles. The top performers were the vacuum cleaner bag (95%), the dish cloth (“tea towel” in the UK! 83%), the cotton blend shirt fabric (74%), and the 100% cotton shirt (69%).''

smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/?rel=1

It might say face coverings but you can guarantee there'll be a few thousand people who are special and need ffp2 and ffp3 for their own special reasons and a guaranteed few hundred people willing to steal from hospitals or mug community care workers of theirs to sell to aforementioned special people.

Not to mention the fact that they are unsafe unless you've been trained in how to fit and wear them properly. It's almost impossible not to touch them to readjust them or try yo make them comfortable. Even I do it when it comes loose around the bridge of my nose or it steams my glasses up and but I'm in a care setting where I can immediately change my gloves, wash my hands and put on fresh gloves.

It's dangerous advise to give and we can't really be compared to cultures who are used to wearing them and therefore have plenty of stock and tend to touch them less frequently.

Well most people knew this was necessary. It was only on MN I was seeing it being asserted as fact that they were not necessary, that we were all too stupid to use them properly anyway etc. Even saw a poster say they would choose to pay fines rather than wear them. I ordered fabric masks and replaceable filters a few days before lockdown. Etsy have loads of people making them to order if you are struggling to get them.

I hope the government now starts putting out public information ads and posters asking people to start making and wearing face coverings as they did to ask people to stay home.

Ad infinitum... Bojo himself could swing past our windows on a zipwire and fling us a mask handsewn to our measurements by Tom Hardy and MNers would call it a plot by the government to steal our home decor ideas

BJ just said "a cloth face coverings... does not mean medical face masks... those must be reserved for those who need them"