Why are people not wearing masks?

[FergusComeLately]

I’m queuing inside my local supermarket, I’ve see one other person wearing a mask.

Does it not make sense to just TRY to protect other people and try and keep infection rates down. Even a scarf wound round your face?!

I think they should be compulsory when you are inside. Is it the PPE shortage which is preventing Boris from making it so?

Talk to me about masks!

patient.info/news-and-features/covid-19-do-you-need-to-wear-a-mask-to-avoid-coronavirus

Talks about the reasoning, the precautions needed, how to wear safely if you must, and more.

www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/Cloth-face-masks-in-case-shortage-surgical-masks-respirators2020-03-26.pdf

This is from the European Centre for Disease Control. It's aimed at hospital staff about what to do if there is no PPE. Talks about cloth masks and this advice was also shared with the UK and hasn't been updated since March. Hence I follow what my medical people say.

The Government isn't going to make face coverings compulsory.
The Government did not make handwashing compulsory
The Government did not make the 2m rule compulsory
The Government did not make shielding compulsory for the clinically very vulnerable
They didn't even make the go out as seldom as necessary compulsory
All the advice is advisory
The Government has told us how to make and wear a face covering www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering

@canigooutyet , here's the update for you www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/using-face-masks-community-reducing-covid-19-transmission updated 8th April

Thanks @PestymcPestFace

Quick glance over it, will read it in detail later. But again, none medical ones less effective, have very low filter proficiency. And at the bottom, no established standards for none-medical face masks use as a means of source control or personal protections.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51205344

Wear they are suggested to be worn, and a list of people who are advised against wearing them.

Don't wear in schools, offices, some shops etc,

Why are people not going out dressed in goggles and a full suit of armour, which is sprayed with bleach before entering any public building? You know it makes sense.

Very few masks in evidence in supermarket today and little respect of social distancing among those not.

@YouKnowWho but wearing gloves incorrectly is increasing your risk. And hand sanitiser is not in short supply. You can get it pretty easily now...

Why are people not going out dressed in goggles and a full suit of armour, which is sprayed with bleach before entering any public building? You know it makes sense.

Quite right.

@majesticallyawkward they probably do. But I am not wearing them incorrectly. Thanks for checking.

Because I don't want to and I'm not going to. HTH

From the Masks4All campaign, signed by a shitload of academics in public health, medicine, epidemiology etc:

People are most infectious in the initial period of infection, when it is common to have few or no symptoms

Cloth masks obstruct a high portion of the droplets from the mouth and nose that spread the virus

Non-medical masks have been effective in reducing transmission of coronavirus

Cloth masks can be washed in soapy water and re-used

Places and time periods where mask usage is required or widespread have been shown to substantially lower community transmission

Public mask wearing is most effective at stopping spread of the virus when the vast majority of the public uses masks.

We used to allow smoking in offices and on the bus etc and then we realised infringing some people's liberty to smoke in public spaces was worth it to save their lives and the lives of others.

For those struggling with glasses steaming up, worth looking at Pretty Handy Girl website. She has a pattern with a bendable nose using pipe cleaners or those flat wires that close packaged rolls etc. Fits better and so helps with the steaming up.

Lego. We will never change these people's minds. Best to lobby govt to make it mandatory

I'm a nurse and I'm currently nursing covid+ patients. If anyone is likely to be unknowingly carrying the virus it's me. So I wear a mask when I get petrol and go shopping to protect others.

I have a cotton one that I line with a thin sanitary towel, stops the glasses steaming up problem.

Some people on this thread are horrible. I can't believe the selfishness, but I guess that contributes to why we have the second worse death rate in the world. It's all so sad.

Any chance of a link to this letter and the shot ton of whoever signed?

I went onto the site. Couldn’t find any scientific evidence on there.

I agree some people on this thread have been nasty. But it’s also good the hear people’s reasons either way, just shame people cannot do it without insults.
.
But hopefully research continues around this especially with it now getting warmer and people sweating.

And if people want to go and lobby the government you can do this yourself. Someone may have already started. Cannot remember the name of the gov site you do it on. Get enough people to sign and well.

And the 4.5 million is just one group of people who cannot wear them.

Mask4All are in no way independent experts - look at who founded it and the companies they work for
masks4all.co/about-us/

Germany many states haven’t made it compulsory including Berlin. Some states issue fines, some dont. The of course like here, some buildings you don’t even have to wear one.

The bits I looked at didn’t mention the serious questions about when they get wet.

And if they were accepted as fact by government as that site claims then, all the schools and offices around the world would require them.

Some people on this thread are horrible. I can't believe the selfishness, but I guess that contributes to why we have the second worse death rate in the world. It's all so sad.

Selfish is the word that we use when we don't approve of what someone's doing - otherwise it's self-interest.

I have an extremely strong sense that the slow march towards a masked society is grossly disproportionate to the threat, so I will fight it as long as I can.

As I've said before, if coronavirus posed some kind of existential threat I would be on board (for example I make 'green' decisions that cost money and time and comfort that I don't have to make, based on my judgements about the threat that not doing this poses, including human life).

If you want to wear a mask because you think it's the socially responsible thing to do, go right ahead, but you'd be wrong to assume that you actually are.

I have an extremely strong sense that the slow march towards a masked society is grossly disproportionate to the threat, so I will fight it as long as I can.

My life is over if masks become compulsory everywhere as I can't wear and given the behaviour of lots of people, despite having no issue getting a medical letter, I wouldn't be able to leave the house/access medical care/schooling for my children. I hate the way it's being pushed as a sign of respect with no regard for those unable to wear the stupid things and their reasons, not to mention the lack of dialogue about those different reasons.

My big fear is that once they are mandatory, they will stay mandatory, leaving me no option but suicide. Punished once again because I was raped but because my death certificate won't say covid, it doesn't matter.

Most people are being kind and respectful of each other's position. I believe masks in many contexts can do more harm than good. However I respect the rights of others to choose to wear them.

I just got back from my weekly supermarket trip and there was a mixture of people wearing them and not which seems fair enough to me. I didn't put mine on. I would obviously wear one if it became the law in certain places although if some supermarkets chose to make them mandatory and others did not I would shop in a supermarket where it was not compulsory.

They won’t become mandatory. Please don’t worry. I went shopping last Thursday and hardly anyone had one on - the previous week, I was very much in the minority. Many people I’ve seen out and about have them propped on their chins, which shows they are getting fed up - shortly, those people will get bored and stop wearing them.

The hot weather we are having has caused a significant drop in the amount of mask wearers I am seeing in Birmingham. Has anyone else noticed this?

Might not be anything to do with the sun.
Could be they are on a break from their open planned office with 20 people and though eh?

Could be they are looking into the evidence for either side. And even science that says yea also has however. Well at least legit ones do anyway.

It’s the basis of research to present all evidence.
Then it’s up to you how you follow it. Key words, up to you.

If they present their evidence and started shouting at everyone you have to do this otherwise you are whatever negative word. They would be told various versions of go fuck yourself by most.

Meanwhile ... England seems to have current highest rate of death / 1 m population in the world.