Well, well, well face masks mandatory on public transport now

[Cherryghost]

It's now mandatory to wear face mask on public transport with exceptions for disability, young children etc.
This should have been done ages ago.
They also admitting face masks offers some protection

Lives do not depend on homespun face coverings

Yes they do. A face covering will prevent water droplets in your breath from being transmitted through the air. So you’re less likely to transmit any virus if you’re infected. Of course, they’re not 100% effective, and I’m sure there remain a level of risk of some percolate through or round the side, but neither are seat belts 100%, or any of the other myriad of safety measures designed to reduce risk.

Also, if face coverings are so completely useless, perhaps none of us shouldn’t have bothered covering our mouths when coughing in the past, and just sprayed it over people... because, you know, a tissue doesn’t stop any of that and is completely useless in preventing any exhaled droplets!

none of us “should” have bothered not “shouldn’t”

Mascotte please explain why its a ridiculous analogy. If you go for an operation - as I did earlier this year - I expected my surgeon and all the nurses to wear face masks to protect me from infection. Why would I not wear a mask to protect others if I expect health professionals to protect me from infection? Surely the same principle applies? Whats different? Is it that I don't give a fuck about my impact on others during a pandemic - thats just the responsibility of health and care workers?

I've actually read the science 🤷‍♀️

But I know loads of you are desperate to wear pointless and unhygienic face coverings, so crack on

@Mascotte

I've actually read the science 🤷‍♀️

Oh really, when did ‘the science‘ publish his magnum opus? Is his book available on Amazon?

Here's some : www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-review-of-evidence-on-face-masks-and-face-coverings-by-the-royal-society-delve-initiative/

I read lots of different studies to inform what I thought

scheffsm I understand you fear that once our government gets to take an inch, they'll assume a mile.

Our handling of Brexit, then Covid suggests the government can feel pretty confident in their ability to manipulate us: we've been pretty docile so far- and, I mean look at the lengths BoJo has gone to, to protect his manipulator-in-chief! And has achieved that!

I expect wearing face masks in public will become compulsory before long, but we'll all go 'OK!', as not wearing one, say strolling alone through a meadow, will label you a killer.

However, where we are now, suggests wearing masks will be useful against Covid. But our compliance, yes, will be noted and used against us down the line.

Mascotte's done reading, everyone.

Stand down.

😂

And some washing and drying info www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wash-cloth-face-coverings.html

Thanks, @Miljea, glad my efforts are appreciated

Pound to a penny, those who object to wearing face coverings on public transport (apart from perhaps those who have health or anxiety issues) are same who objected to seat belt laws, drink driving laws and smoking in public premises laws, for infringing their freedoms!

I’m glad much of the country has more sense than these libertarians who only delay and undermine our freedom to get back to normal.... If the country were made up mainly of the likes of @Mascotte, the rest of the world - as it gradually returned to normality - would be looking on in horror, bemusement and pity at Covid-ridden Britain - it’s economy in free fall as it’s quarantined from the rest of the world with its continuing stream of infection and death - as its people wail “at least no one makes me wear a mask!” as they “heroically”
shunned all pleas for social distancing.

🙄 that's bollocks. It's not unreasonable to object to pointless and unfounded laws.

I understand you fear that once our government gets to take an inch, they'll assume a mile.

Not sure why you think that I fear the government taking an inch and assuming a mile. I was not saying this at all. I don't believe that they will keep the measures in place forever but a lot of people on this thread seem to think they will.
I was quoting the EU country I live in - measures are being relaxed all the time.
But here there have been rumblings of discontent from the public even though people were very compliant at first. It has now reached a tipping point and they really can't police it anymore. Also our number of new cases is nearly 0 so people decided for themselves not to bother with facemasks.

The same will happen in the Uk. They will not be able to police it after a while BUT I do think that the facemasks can be effective in reducing transmission and therefore people should comply as far as possible (medical reasons excepted) FOR NOW. If things look like the government is becoming too controlling people will take matters in to their own hands.

Another handbrake turn by the government. Who knows what the truth is anymore? Not so long ago they were vehemently denying that wearing a face covering or mask provided any real benefit unless it was a high quality medical grade filteration one. Now suddenly wearing a face covering is mandatory in public transport. So they have either been lying to us for the last couple of months or have decided to pander to public pressure, hard to tell which one it is.

Our problem is that our government were caught with its pants down.

They did not have the PPE as it was deemed too expensive to stockpile, after the 2016 government-sponsored exercise to examine our readiness for a pandemic, suggested.

So, in the early weeks of All This; HCPs were 'going in' with no PPE whatsoever. As management had been fed the line that 'it's just flu, relax!' and fed that down.

As a HCP, it was 10-14 days in (with management erstwhile telling us PPE in 'non-symptomatic people' wasn't needed; remember, early days, before national supplies were decimated) before they went....

'Actually, chaps, wear PPE; here's some!'

The reason our government haven't suggested/mandated face coverings, let alone FFP2 or 3, is because They Don't Have Enough.

Which is why there are no Public Health Advisory Messages on telly telling us how to wear them correctly.

@Runnerduck34 they are pandering to public pressure. They've so effectively scared the shit out of people that they now need to pander to get people out again.

Mascotte given you've done the reading can you please explain why, when you have an operation, the whole surgery team wear masks. And please assure us that if you were having an operation you'd be really happy for no one to wear a mask or gloves. Given you know better than medical practice?

“It’s against my religion to cover my face” Should work nicely...it does the other way round.

(Freedom is my religion)

scheffsm sorry, I'm actually agreeing with you!

I want to see face mask wearing in the short term, then the government take control of taking them off, rather than the government doing 🤷🏻‍♀️ because we all start refusing to comply.

But we're being told to wear them now, now that eBay can meet our demand for them . Not because science has reached this point!

@Bouledeneige yes, happily, those are surgical masks which provide protection to the wearer and those around them. They are totally different to a "face covering". It was really interesting reading, though easy to mock me, but I wanted to know.

There are different grades of surgical masks too, providing different protections.

And procedures about how to apply, wear and dispose of them.

And if you are going to wear a face covering supposedly to help you need to observe scrupulous hygiene. Some cloth face coverings made some transmission worse in studies.

Mascotte there are really 2 forms of hospital grade face mask. It's not that hard.

'Surgeon's' and 'Ebola'.

The 'face- covering' thing, works with SD. You sneeze/cough; your snood stops droplets reaching me, 2m away.

Ideally, we'd all have access to surgeon's masks; the 'I don't give my respiratory infection to you' mask. Maybe some don't care?

The other FFP3, are 'I don't give my respiratory infection to you; I won't get yours'.

As already mentioned, weeks ago I suggested that 'the answer' was FFP3 for all. For now.

That thread didn't go well... 😂