I'm really scared. Not allowed to wear a mask at work

[LavenderLilacTree]

It's just to vent really as I know there is no way round it.

I am really scared. I am a TA and when all the pupils are back in school we aren't allowed to wear face masks or any PPE. Social distancing is not going to happen.

The government have said only go back to work if it's safe and you can ensure social distancing, well it's not going to be safe for me. Government say to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces but teachers and TAs are not allowed to.

I am scared. I am in my 40s and have 3 children in Yr 8, Yr 7 and Yr 5 . I know it's a 3% chance of dying but to me that's not an insignificant risk. I would never take part in any activity that had a 3% chance of dying.

I just feel like the government doesn't value my life. This is a deadly virus that KILLS, i want to wear a mask. My life matters to me, my husband and my children.

It's scary at work at the moment but we only have 4- 7 kids in. When we have a full school it's going to be impossible to stay 2 meters apart so therefore you feel I should at least be able to wear a mask.

I love my job and the children at school but I don't want to give my life for it. I just think I should be able to have some form of protection. It's like my life doesn't matter.

@pfrench have you looked at the data - teaching and educational professionals have their own set.

Caring profession is those dealing with personal serivces the elderly population, those and transport workers have been massively let down by PPE

That data is hard to navigate. How many teachers or teaching staff have contracted the disease at work?

We can never be sure where anyone contracts the virus. There are a number of teachers who have died but as a group, we have not necessarily been in school everyday and have been in with a very reduced number of both adults and children. We have been able to spend significant periods of time out doors. This will change when we are back formally. The science is horrifying.

@FrippEnos

What has been put in place and for what age groups ?

The dangers are also not your job, but your ethnicity, your bmi, and your underlying health conditions. It isnt.being a transport worker that puts you in danger, it is the profile of that transport worker, your housing conditions, your pre covid working conditions (driving all.day, sitting in a ticket office all day) that.might put you at risk. It isnt just about masks.

We all need something like a head pod with filters and a speaker in it .

Someone design one

Unless it’s a full in respirator mask (ffp3) with a eye shield that is fit tested and then checked as you put it on the mask isn’t protecting you it’s protecting everyone else from you coughing out the virus....you are encouraged to wear one in a shop so you don’t give others the virus not so they don’t give it to you. Would be better to put the masks on the kids.....

A number of posters suggesting that since a mask may not protect you it’s not worth wearing. But the point is that it’s a mutual benefit approach, you wear a mask to protect the people around you, they wear one to protect you. It’s been done elsewhere for years, Hong Kong for example, without it being a big deal, and, at some point was a new thing that people got used to seeing. I really find it hard to think that children wouldn’t be able to cope, and there are many commercial masks available with cheerful patterns and designs to choose from. Also, it’s now being recommended that people wear face coverings when out and about, on transport etc so children will be seeing them worn in a variety of places, I’ve already seen a number of children wearing them too.

You should discuss this with a union rep, if you’re not in a union, join one now. This is a health and safety issue and an important one. It also potentially protects vulnerable children or children who may have underlying health conditions not yet diagnosed that put them at risk: after all it is just as possible that you could have C-19 at some point and be passing it to them, or them in turn to vulnerable family members. A friend’s son has a genetic heart condition that wasn’t detected until he was 12.

And as many have stated wearing a mask does cut down the possibility of fluids being in direct contact with your nose/mouth. And as for not being a special case, why are there so many on this site obsessed with the race to the bottom? All workers should be able to protect themselves and be obliged to protect others. A mask in this context is a more than reasonable request. The only context, that comes to mind, in which it might be a substantive issue is working with children with a hearing disability who may need to lip-read. In addition, many teachers have worn face coverings for years in a variety of educational settings, nuns, some Muslim women, for example, and there is no sense that that is a problem – except for those who may be prejudiced in some way. So, stand up for what feels right for you OP.

We have a supplier in another country and they are very busy producing screens of various types and pods for restaurants.

Still only about trying to reduce risk

SusieOwl4

Masks for all ages.
Reduced class sizes.
Rearranging of classrooms.
Social distancing measures put in place.
Temperature taking at the start and end of the day.
Social distancing on transport in to and from school.
Access systems around schools.
disinfecting classrooms/entire school everyday.
Desks having dividers on them and the same in canteen areas.
Canteens social distancing.
Pupils eating meals that are brought to the classrooms.
All classrooms, access points and bathrooms kitted out with equipment.

Just to name a few.

Your chances as a 40 year old dying from COVID are roughly 1 in 12,000 or 0.008%. But as Nettle points others factors are also important: male or female, BMI, underlying health conditions, ethnicity etc.
Regarding the face mask my understanding from what I've read is that face masks in schools will not be obligatory (trying to enforce this with school children would be impossible) but should you choose to wear one then you can. Lastly please remember there is a lot of panic and scaremongering going on so please look after your mental as well as your physical health.

I think teaching the children outside as much as possible would also be a good move.

I would like to add something that I haven't seen mentioned in the comments I've read. But I'm a key worker and been working the majority of lockdown as a lighting engineer (mostly lamppost repairs, maintenance and emergency works) so risk assessments and method statements are a big part of my job.

I'm not sure who exactly to speak to but there must be a teaching board or some sort of council who covers health and safety in your workplace. But I would reach out to them, request a copy of an up to date method statement with what changes have been made to protect you and the pupils from Corona virus. Give it a read and see what has actually been put in place, I imagine there will be a few things introduced such as social distancing, perhaps staggered breaks/hallway access, it should also state what ppe is advised or not acceptable.

I'm positive they wouldn't be against you wearing ppe, but there may be rules such as what type of facemask for example, they might expect a clear face shield so your face is visible to students (especially with disabilities or learning/mental disorders)

If you are unhappy with anything in the method statements, you can request a risk assessment to be done with different aspects that you arent happy with (distance between pupils in class or layout of buildings to prevent contact and especially enquire about cleanliness such as cleaning stations in classrooms and chemicals to clean equipment)
And if you report things you aren't happy with they are entitled to look into it and see if there are better options to ensure safety of you and the pupils.

Sorry for the long post but I wanted to squeeze as much advice as possible as I've had to go through so much paperwork and extra health and safety to protect myself from the public and them from me to ensure I don't bring anything home to my pregnant partner and her high risk mother.

OP masks are for people infected to not spread.

After 30 minutes or more the mask actually is the perfect host or place for bacteria to breed. So if it had gotten in you are more likely to get a higher viral load.

Just be proactive. Dont pick kids up, dont stand too close and just be smart.

But what about the stats before lockdown, Fripennos?

A lot of the people who have died contracted the disease before lockdown. What proportion of them were teachers in comparison?

Nuns and.muslim women in schools do not.cover their lower faces.
Being able to see adults when they are talking using their whole.face not just their eyes is incredibly.important for.children who learning to speak and communicate, we all lipread as well as hear to some extent, we.gauge tone by facial expressions.
Unless a mask is used in the correct way ie not touched by mistake, you might as well just.keep up with the handwashing. A school is not.a medical setting, children are not presumed to be sick in the way a lot of.people in an hospital or gp might be.
You are as likely to contract covid in a supermarket full of random infected people who you dont know touching products on shelves. All around are small risks and we cannot eliminate them except to LIVE WELL if that is in our power, and maximise our immune systems.

1dayatatime
Regarding the face mask my understanding from what I've read is that face masks in schools will not be obligatory

Current guidance is that they shouldn't be worn in schools.

(trying to enforce this with school children would be impossible

It would be possible if parents, teachers and SLT got behind it.

They do it in other countries, so even though it would be a cultural shift it would be possible.

Nettleskeins

I hate to point this out to you but its not just about the children getting it.

OP have you tried wearing a mask for long? I have to wear one at work and I take it off at every opportunity, it's horrible! Even a cotton one, I can only bear for half an hour or so, the surgical ones are hot and scratchy and a proper FP3 one made me feel like I couldn't breathe. I find myself constantly touching them, moving them about, taking them off to drink my coffee! I'm pretty sure I'm totally negating any good it should be doing...
Distancing is more important than masks and I agree that will be very hard in a school setting, I totally sympathise with your concerns. However, none of these measure were to prevent you from ever catching the virus, it was all to slow the spread not magically make it go away. The death rate isn't 3% either, as others have said and certainly not for a 40 year old woman.

People talk about "unless a mask is used correctly". I watched a video on putting them on and off. I've worn mine to the supermarket a few times and I put up with the itchy face. I tie my hair back. I have enough spares to switch at break and lunch. It's not rocket surgery.

I understand your concerns. The risk might be minuscule of dying, but it's also possible to catch the virus and get very unwell with it. I've had what are almost certainly COVID-19 symptoms (not tested), and I've had them for over 2 months. The worst appears to be over but the recovery is really slow. It really bugs me when posters are dismissive of the risks, because they are real.

A lot of us are concerned about the risks when schools open again. I'm not so worried so much about my DD1 (11) when she goes back, as the risk to kids do appear to be very small and she's very healthy. But I can understand the concerns of teachers and TAs and other staff, as kids do find social distancing hard, especially kids in Reception and year 1! And adults can be infectious without realising it too.

My main concern is my DH actually, as he has asthma so is vulnerable. I'm probably not at risk anymore, as I'm appear to have had it already (although it would have been reassuring to have had the confirmation of a test!).

"teachers in Germany are teaching half size classes and not wearing masks. Nor are the children."

No, some children and some staff here choose to wear masks
It's optional

My son goes to a specialist school l. I droppped him off today and all the staff are in masks.

Facemasks will never be appropriate for young children as they will not remove them properly and that will increase the risk. This is in the guidance.

Some.cleaning products such as bleach can exacerbate asthma and breathing problems for example, it isnt as simple as nuking viruses on surfaces in a non hospital setting. Basic hygiene is very important against lots of childhood illnesses and d v etc, but the level you would.have to go to eliminate risk would probably have negative repercussions. It is like trying to stop virus laden dust blowing in from the street...how could you possibly stop every grain of dust except by living in a deeply damaging hermetically sealed pod.

@nellodee If wearing a make to protect yourself so at least an ffp2 but better and ffp3 used correctly means fit tested where the seal of the mask is checked using a special solution. In hospital each individual putting on is “spotted” where someone watches you to make sure you do it correctly each time. If you wear the same mask more than once which your post suggests then you need to ensure you are taking it off without touching the front and then leaving for 72hrs or otherwise decontaminating it all without touching the front and ensuring the front touches nothing else. If you are using a surgical mask do not a respirator some evidence shows that once it gets damp from your expirations then it increases rather than reduces viral transmission.

If you are taking about a mask worn to protect others from you then put it on and take it off however you want.