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!

For the same reason I don't always wear a bike helmet, or pants

It is highly unlikely I have Covid 19 atm. In two weeks time I will be in close contact with small children for several hours a day and won't be wearing a mask.

I'm courteous and keep my distance from others in supermarkets.

ragged It was either Witty or Valance that said they can help to stop you spreading it to others. And they're kinda the people I'd trust.

Masks 😂😂, please the idea of ending lockdown is to allow us to catch the virus now that it’s proven remarkable of killing so few people and build immunity (of course don’t expect this to be disclosed on the BBC) and the NHS is performing like a health service again.

Did any of you see the article in the news in the States where a man was wearing one in his car and he crashed it as he'd been knocked out! Was taking in CO2 and not enough O2 due to the mask.

Because I live rurally in a very low risk area, and am hardly ever within 2m of anyone outside of my household. If ever.

https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1435 This has a link to some studies.

It’s time to encourage people to wear face masks as a precautionary measure on the grounds that we have little to lose and potentially something to gain, say experts in The BMJ today.
Professor Trisha Greenhalgh at the University of Oxford and colleagues say despite limited evidence, masks “could have a substantial impact on transmission with a relatively small impact on social and economic life.”

They conclude that it is time to act without waiting for randomised controlled trial evidence.
“Masks are simple, cheap, and potentially effective,” they write. “We believe that, worn outside the home in situations where meeting others is likely (for example, shopping, public transport), they could have a substantial impact on transmission with a relatively small impact on social and economic life.”

So I agree there is limited peer reviewed studies but the advice is to use them where possible not wait for more studies.

They aren't compulsory here - SW France - but the shops reserve the right to refuse admittance if you're not wearing one.

An ordinary one makes my glasses dig up but one with metal across the nose area which you can mould reduces that a lot. I am practicing wearing mine when I go into shops. I won't need one for work though as I am a teacher and we have been told not to wear them.

Masks for all? The science says yes.
www.fast.ai/2020/04/13/masks-summary

What's the best material for fabric face coverings?
www.teriberry.com/?fbclid=IwAR2-WRpXO-cjBcsTmUGDStYxayjoQYAYvq3BIXNlUPpCGTg_MLSzce-peqk

The sciency stuff for the above link
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.0c03252

Basically a fabric face covering catches the little bits of spittle that you release when speaking and breathing, we may not be as bad as Roy Hattersley but we all leak a bit.

The problem with coronavirus is that 40% of people with it have no symptoms and therefore no clue that they are infectious. Research has also shown that people are infectious for a few days before they develop symptoms.

Add wearing a mask to social distancing and hand washing and we could really bring down the number of cases.

I'm waiting for mine to arrive from Amazon. I' m terrible at making things so I ordered some instead.
I do think masks should be worn more frequently in the UK, but that means making them readily available, in shops, health centres, public libraries when open, etc etc. Obviously the really good medical ones should be kept for people that need them.

Because I'm claustrophobic and having my face covered like that is my worst nightmare. I cannot put my head under bed covers, I never have a scarf over my face, no matter how cold the weather is, and I absolutely will not be wearing a mask. If this makes me selfish then I am sorry but I cannot do it.

I am and so are most people now around here

They should be mandatory like in Germany. Large fines for non-compliance in enclosed public places.

If they want them to be mandatory then they need to provide them for everybody

Because they're sold out everywhere

I think a few just don't like to wear them and maybe genuinely , find them too claustrophobic etc but for most people I think it is this.
blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/masks-and-emasculation-why-some-men-refuse-to-take-safety-precautions/

I know this is about men but the ' masculinity' argument about not showing weakness applies to quite a few women as well. I thnk it is mostly just being embarrassed as wearing a mask seems to make people see you as weak and frightened . In the far East it is seen as a person being considerate and polite, not as being weak.

Scientist

@PestymcPestFace making it crystal clear 👏🏻

Because almost no one knows how to wear them properly so it's pointless. If you aren't putting it on, wearing it and then taking it off properly there is very little benefit.

It offers no protection to the wearer so I suspect most people see it as pointless if they don't believe they could be infected.

@ragged

Evidence here:

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

But 80-90% of people need to wear them. So this incompetent government needs to mandate them.

If anyone has link to a study that shows the mask mainly stops the doesn't-know-they-are-contagious wearer from shedding virus, then please post. None of the links so far were collecting original data to answer that question.

sorry, Xpost, I've seen that vanity article. I dont' understand what Beta is, something to do with reducing transmission. But Beta seems to reduce transmission both to healthy people and from sick people.

I just want to see a study using original experiment or real people that shows masks are best worn by the sick person & not so important if the well person wears it.

Headunderthecovers Thanks for the article, I thought these were really useful, and cover the difference in research findings related to masking for health professionals versus masking for the public:

Masks help stop the spread of coronavirus – the science is simple and I’m one of 100 experts urging governors to require public mask-wearing
theconversation.com/masks-help-stop-the-spread-of-coronavirus-the-science-is-simple-and-im-one-of-100-experts-urging-governors-to-require-public-mask-wearing-138507

The Face Mask Debate Reveals a Scientific Double Standard
No one complained about the lack of evidence for 20-second hand-washing. So why did we treat face masks differently?
www.wired.com/story/the-face-mask-debate-reveals-a-scientific-double-standard/

Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings, Especially in Areas of Significant Community-Based Transmission
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html

www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/an-open-letter-from-scientists-across-the-globe-calling-for-use-of-fabric-masks-to-prevent-covid-19/article31584902.ece

Wearing face masks in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic: altruism and solidarity
www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30918-1/fulltext

Researchers Offer Evidence That Cloth Masks Can Prevent Spread of COVID-19
radio.wosu.org/post/researchers-offer-evidence-cloth-masks-can-prevent-spread-covid-19#stream/0

Because some people are thick and nobody can tell them what to do :)

I stopped being surprised at how selfish the British public can be when we got another Conservative government.