Face coverings mandatory in public

[AnxiousAlpaca]

So it would look likely that the government are about to announce the mandatory wearing of masks in all enclosed public spaces. Apart from schools however, where Covid will know not to infect you

well, that's me not going to the shops - i'll stick to buying stuff online

Some European rules here about face covers...
DD has a trip in France at end of July. I hope it goes ahead.

(I can tell I'm feeling uptight about all this because I couldn't finish my supper.)

I think the masks are really creepy, I hate them. Babies and young children will be scared. I understand their need in medical settings though.

The ever increasing obsession with masks as they become ever less necessary is just odd, like people need a comfort blanket of rules as others are rolled back.

I feel really relieved. Wish they’d done this earlier.

Make them compulsory in schools. Why does everyone else get protection but not teachers, TAs, cooks admin staff etc They are in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces with poor handwashing facilities and no social distancing.
And yes children do get COVID and do pass it on.

Where is the proof that handwashing reduces transmission?

Soap is very good-

Why does soap work so well on the new coronavirus and, indeed, most viruses? Because it is a self-assembled nanoparticle in which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer.
Soap dissolves the fat membrane, and the virus falls apart like a house of cards and “dies,” or rather, it becomes inactive as viruses aren’t really alive. Viruses can be active outside the body for hours, even days.

We know the virus is broken down by soap but there's little evidence to support touch transmission

but there's little evidence to support touch transmission

Oh well it’s up to you seems an easy thing to do.

Japan seems to be doing well wonder if hygiene and masks have impact

How do they test touch transmission anyway?

For those saying they should be used in schools - do you expect all children to wear them all day? Even young children? Reception etc? Do you honestly think that would work?
I thought it had been shown that wearing a mask provides some protection for others, but not to you - therefore if children can't/won't wear masks, teachers etc wearing them would be pointless.
What is happening in other countries with children in school? Are they wearing them? I thought I remember reading they weren't being used in Danish schools.

Purple children in Germany are (primary included), not sure if it’s optional however.

I think it would be hard to stop fiddling etc

The evidence says this is the right thing. Sad to think how many lives cod have been saved and how much quicker or lesser lockdown could have been if we had done this from the start.

There may well be people saying they won't go out if they have to wear a mask in indoor public places but I am sure their numbers will be replaced by those who would feel safer going to shops knowing everyone around them has to be wearing a mask and even those who for reasons best known to themselves call them muzzles may have to get used to the idea.

We do need to look at finding masks that allow lip reading though, especially is this could be for a good few months, maybe even a year or two.

The ever increasing obsession with masks as they become ever less necessary is just odd, like people need a comfort blanket of rules as others are rolled back.

This. They spent so long telling us they didn’t help when the virus was rife and twats were cramming into shops buying bog roll and now they’re compulsory when tiny numbers of people in the community have it? I smell shite. Even through my face mask.

Sad to think how many lives cod have been saved and how much quicker or lesser lockdown could have been if we had done this from the start.

Well exactly

Why not then when our idiot PM was shaking hands with CV patients and his moronic deputy CMO defended the Cheltenham festival going ahead? And I don’t buy the bullshit about now “knowing more about how it’s spread” they’ve known since well before lockdown it’s spread by respiratory droplets.

Relieved we are finally moving towards this here in England. Particularly with the public health warning issued in my city today. Carlisle's been a hot-spot all along, figures finally improve then as soon as everything opens up we have an increase in cases. Even if a small increase as yet it's concerning.

Widespread mask wearing could prevent another lockdown here. I've been wearing mine for a few weeks now in the supermarket, has been brilliant to see Nicola Sturgeon setting an example in her lovely tartan masks, finally Boris wears one in public today. We need to normalise face coverings for the foreseeable.

How would we have got 66 million masks back in March? That's presuming everyone only wears the one mask day after day?

I would definitely be happy if they do this. I wear mine in any shop I go into as I am pregnant but I am aware that others not wearing it makes mine redundant. To me its like making everyone buy seat bests; you do it for yourself, but also those around you [in the car].

I am also a teacher. I want to see them in secondary schools. I don't know why myself and my colleagues should be in contact with 300 kids a week without any PPE at all, but I went to Next last week and they had perspex screens, visors, masks and hand sanitizer. It apparently doesnt matter if I get coronavirus in work as long as my 15 year old students saw my lips move (FYI, out of the 300 students I teach, none of them have hearing difficulties, before the 'but's start).

@MarshaBradyo Speaking of Japan.

www.arabnews.jp/en/japan/article_17455/

Cold face masks sold via vending machines in Japan
18 May 2020

YAMANOBE, Yamagata Pref.: Cold face masks are being sold via vending machines in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Yamagata, at a time when demand for regular face masks remains high in the country amid the new coronavirus outbreak.

The cloth face mask with two pockets to put an ice pack in each of them is priced at 1,300 yen. The product, which comes with four ice packs, are available for purchase at two vending machines in the prefecture or via the internet.

The mask is manufactured by four sewing companies in the prefecture.

"I think the cold mask would be useful to prevent not only coronavirus infection but also heatstroke," said Katsuyuki Goto, managing director at a knitting company in the town of Yamanobe, Yamagata, that developed the product.

The company started selling usual face masks via vending machines in March after its sales of knit products declined partly due to cancellations of exhibitions amid the pandemic.

In late April, the company started placing advertisement flags saying: "Now offering cold face masks," after finding out that the masks happened to be cooled as they were sold via vending machines for cold drinks.

The flags helped boost mask sales and led the company to come up with the idea of creating the face mask that stays cold longer.

The product was developed through a lot of trial and error, according to the company.

"It would be great if we can make social contributions, even only slightly, by offering various choices of face masks," Goto said

BBC are reporting that this is being seriously considered by Government Coronavirus: No 10 considering mandatory face masks in shops in England www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53365062

but there's little evidence to support touch transmission

Most of the evidence supports touch transmission as the primary method of infection;

www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/study-tells-remarkable-story-about-covid-19-s-deadly-rampage-through-south-african

I just can't bear them and I don't think there is enough evidence to support them becoming mandatory. I think they are awful.

If they become mandatory in schools then I will be homeschooling my 4 year old.

I also won't be going shopping while they're mandatory, but I suppose I can just continue to shop online.

How would we have got 66 million masks back in March?

It’s not a mask they’re advising. It’s a face covering . A bandana or scarf is sufficient.

Legoandloldolls - it wouldn't have had to be masks, we would make do with whatever scarfs or other face coverings we could get until there were enough masks.

I'm glad lockdown has brought case numbers down but if we want to avoid them going back up as we step out of it then it seems a sensible approach to follow the Japanese example of masks and avoiding the 3 Cs.

There are so many fabric masks around now, washable, better than throwing them each time

I've made one but it is horrible to wear.

Won't want to wear it at work and how often do you need to wash it