Face coverings need to be mandatory if we want to lower the infection rate

[Redolent]

80-90% of people need to be wearing them for them to have a significant impact in lowering transmission of coronavirus. Once you’re down to 30-40% of people wearing them, there’s almost no benefit - according to modellers at UC Berkeley.

Study here: www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/05/masks-covid-19-infections-would-plummet-new-study-says

It almost seems like there’s a campaign against them as most mask posts on here attract very, very angry, nasty comments within minutes.

@FliesandPies

Again sorry I don’t have the evidence to hand, but from what I recall it’s through droplets eg talking in confined spaces.

Yes

Well,.judging by my most recent supermarket trip the people wearing masks have also given up on social distancing, so I do think they give people a false sense of security.

So tired of all the blokey and whiney comments in UK anti-masks. Every mumsnet post about mask invokes massive anger from anti-mask protestors. If UK was doing ok against covid I could understand it, but we have the most covid deaths in the world right now after USA.

I've noticed this, and I really don't understand it. Don't people want to do what they can to reduce transmission to others? So much of this was happening in the early days here, DD2 and I were both infected with COVID-19 (I'm still not right weeks later, and we almost certainly caught it from someone who was asymptomatic at the time.

We've had over 34,000 official deaths now, the actual total will be far higher due to the lack of testing in this country.

I don't think it would be a bad idea to make them compulsory, but then you have the problem that as soon as the government enforces it, everyone panics, rushes to bulk buy and stockpile any way they can, you can only really buy them online so then there'll be weeks of waiting for them to arrive and in the meantime people that haven't managed to get any are too scared to go out without one in case they get into trouble.

Obviously, some can make their own or wear a scarf, although not so much fun as the weather warms up.

It almost seems like there’s a campaign against them as most mask posts on here attract very, very angry, nasty comments within minutes.

So where are all these nasty comments? Not seeing any here.

The government guidance says some people shouldn't wear them so making them compulsory and enforcing it will be difficult.

There's no real consensus. Wearing masks might help. But with what? If we are to build herd immunity, assuming that can happen naturally without a vaccine, then it could be argued that we need the virus to be transmitted. Equally, some scientists believe that it may simply burn itself out (as Spanish Flu did) but that can only happen if enough people have had it.

The problem is that even the experts don't know what is the best thing to do, so going around screaming about making things mandatory without knowing whether they do more harm than good is pointless. Everyone wearing masks might prolong the life of the pandemic and make it worse. Nobody, absolutely nobody, knows. It's all best guesses and crossed fingers until we have enough knowledge - or a vaccine.

One of the big problems with making masks compulsory, as pointed out earlier, will be the cleaning. Scrupulous people will clean their masks scrupulously but others will probably end up wearing grubby, contaminated things that are no help at all.

If they make them mandatory then they will have to let school staff wear them at work. And potentially children over a certain age too. I get the impression both the government and a large number of parents don't want us to do that.

I currently wear one to the supermarket and would be more than happy to wear one in school.

And there's the potential for increased shoplifting, mugging etc

@Moondust001

So you’re questioning the lack of consensus on face masks, but you’re willing to build a strategy around an unproven concept - ‘herd immunity’ through natural infection? That’s madness. Not least because the latest research states that that those who are infected with Covid mildly do NOT create a strong antibody response, so that they can continue to get infected by and transmit the virus,

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.13.092619v1

Much cited research article that was out a couple of days ago.

Moondust001

There's no real consensus. Wearing masks might help. But with what?

Some scientists have suggested it may reduce the dose you get.

If we are to build herd immunity, assuming that can happen naturally without a vaccine, then it could be argued that we need the virus to be transmitted.

The problem is nobody is totally sure whether herd immunity will work.

The problem is that even the experts don't know what is the best thing to do, so going around screaming about making things mandatory without knowing whether they do more harm than good is pointless. Everyone wearing masks might prolong the life of the pandemic and make it worse. Nobody, absolutely nobody, knows. It's all best guesses and crossed fingers until we have enough knowledge - or a vaccine.

Wearing masks and other measures buy us a bit of time. New Zealand has basically extinguished the virus from the shores. This may not be possible now in the UK anymore though of course. At least they have a little time to think now if they want to reopen their borders.

@Littlescottiedog

Agreed on the opposition to masks in schools, but IMO that’s all the more reason to have them. The parents that don’t want them won’t send their children in, which is surely a positive. And teachers would feel and almost certainly be a lot safer. They’re mandatory in schools in Germany. Would he interesting to see how they’re getting along.

How does mandatory work for those that have conditions that would make wearing them impossible or unsafe?

In some countries, there are exemptions - for people with PTSD, autism disorders etc...

We when working work in the nhs (clinically) . But take them off as soon as it’s our break to go to the canteen or staff room. To be honest by that point I need to have them off for a while for a breather. Also there is the obvious issue of eating/drinking.

Just look at the countries who are wearing masks and look at their death rate. The numbers should speak for themselves. I'm really not sure why people have to be convinced.

Whilst I know I'd get a doctor's letter (has already been suggested by both my psychiatrist and my GP if needed), I still wouldn't be able to leave the house because I don't want the wider world knowing my diagnosis and what happened to me. I'm struggling enough to the point that I was offered an inpatient bed two weeks ago already and if lockdown becomes relaxed but masks are mandatory my life is over. That's why people like me are so against them.

I have severe claustrophobia and the thought of a mask makes me panic, so if they were compulsory I just wouldn’t leave the house. That’s not to say I don’t think others should wear them though.
My only concern in schools is that it would be impossible to teach young children effectively with mouths covered, especially with phonics etc. Our EYFS and year 1 teachers have said they won’t be able to teach effectively if they are forced to wear masks.

I still wouldn't be able to leave the house because I don't want the wider world knowing my diagnosis and what happened to me.

Why would the whole world need to know your diagnosis? I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be hard to create a card for non-mask-wearers to put in their wallets saying "I cannot wear a mask for legitimate reasons" or a tag they could put round their necks and whip out if anyone were to question them.

People in other countries are managing.

We're at the stage in my US state of opening up gradually - you can get a haircut, see your doctor for non-emergency appointments, get your eyes tested, go to shops for non-essentials. Restaurants start opening for dine-in business tomorrow.

To do all of those things you're expected to wear a mask - it's just seen as part of the reopening process. Personal responsibility for not spreading the virus is a big part of being able to have the things back that we lost due to lockdown.

People are perfectly capable of wearing masks and still appreciating the importance of hand-washing, social distancing, etc. They realise that if you don't do them, then we end up back in lockdown.

I saw a mother (not wearing a mask) at the supermarket fix her daughters mask by putting her fingers on the inside of the mask and pull it over her nose.

If people are going to use masks and it be in the slightly bit effective we’re going to have to seriously educate the public on what they do and how they work because from what I’ve seen it’s pomp and show.