How long will we need to wear face masks for?

[Dualipa]

Just wondering when people think wearing face masks will ease?

March next year

@LizzieMacQueen

I hope that for too long. Can't help thinking of this.

Agree with you.

As short a time as possible. They are bloody awful and I'm only wearing one because I'll be fined if I don't.

I don't think they make a blind bit of difference in the grand scheme of things. Social distance is the important bit, not masks. And as most people round here seem to think that you only cover your mouth not your nose, they are completely pointless. Plus of course infection rates are plummeting in the community so the chances of you actually having something you might pass on are miniscule.

If you do insist on wearing disposable masks - please dispose of them IN THE BIN not on the ground. People are pigs around dropping litter.

I THINK I read in the official document that the law is in place for a year but I may be completely wrong

I don't think it will ever ease permanently, but will try to be controlled. I lived in Taiwan in the past and people there have been wearing them for many many years in enclosed spaces, although they weren't mandated.

@Socialdistancing

I THINK I read in the official document that the law is in place for a year but I may be completely wrong

I’ve read this too.

Not too long I hope. I can't find one I can cope with and whilst it's sort of okay when dh is wfh as he's doing all the shopping, he's starting to get frustrated with me and the situation.

I think the the mask rule is to prevent a rising in cases now that shops are open more than trying to push cases down faster, so I think they will be around until we have very low numbers/ vaccine available. Maybe in the new year at the earliest at a guess.

As long as it is seen as a benefit I suppose.

I honestly don't understand the anger of some people for having to wear them. If there is something small that you can do, as an otherwise health person, to lower the risk for someone else who is more vulnerable, why wouldn't you?

I genuinely believe most of the uproar is because people just get their backs up that they have been told to do something.

I hope until next spring at least, we need to do everything possible over winter we can to keep everyone safe.

I know this might sound ridiculous but I would feel a lot better about wearing one if we had been given some idea of for how long. I really don't want mask wearing to become the norm.

@OLGADEEPOLGA

I know this might sound ridiculous but I would feel a lot better about wearing one if we had been given some idea of for how long. I really don't want mask wearing to become the norm.

I don't think it will. It'll go the same way as the so called lockdown. As the weeks went on, less bothered with it, so I can see masks going the same way. The Police aren't going to enforce it anyway.

Devon and Cornwall Police have already come out and said they are going to do nothing about enforcing it.

I know this might sound ridiculous but I would feel a lot better about wearing one if we had been given some idea of for how long completely agree- same with lockdown, first we were just trying to slow the curve, then it was the R rate, then it was a guessing game. I like to know the end goal considering Covid won’t disappear

I don't think they make a blind bit of difference in the grand scheme of things

Watched a thing today which said they attribute the fact the virus didn't get a hold in certain countries was down to masks.

I think they clearly make a difference, they don't mean we don't need distancing or handwashing, but they add to that.

I think it will be all through the winter at least. I just can't imagine the politics of them changing their mind again pre/during the winter, but can imagine a "now we're finishing winter and COVID + flu cases are dropping, we can stop the mandated wearing of masks" kind of statement.

Next spring, obviously I have no idea, like everybody else it’s all guesswork but I think we will have a fairly normal summer 2021 with precautions in winter 2021/22 before it burns itself out. Fingers crossed!

For a while I hope as we’ve just shelled out £££s on them. I was impressed that 100% of people at Tesco earlier were wearing one.

There are a lot of keyboard warrior types who say they won’t wear one but I do think if you can’t wear one you should at least wear a visor instead.

Why ask this? No one knows. The answers are going to depend on how optimistic or pessimistic people are.

I don’t like the Far East practice of wandering around with them as a matter of course so the sooner they are gone the better.

@IloveJKRowling

This report says that for countries that introduced general mask wearing within 15 to 30 days of the first coronavirus case, the mortality is vastly, vastly reduced. Those countries have done so much better in general (with presumably lower economic damage too) (fig 16)

institute.global/policy/learning-live-alongside-covid-19

If we want the economy and life to get back to anything approaching normal the easiest way to achieve it is for everyone to wear masks.

Or alternatively it might have been best to introduce them in February instead of half arsed measures months later.

I guess until the flu jabs in Oct/Nov.

I think retail sales will collapse so they will be phased out. So keep them for supermarkets perhaps but small shops that rely on people leisure shopping will want them gone ASAP

In Waitrose earlier and everyone was wearing one. Witnessed fellow shopper tell another shopper to wear hers properly - she then pulled it on over her nose 😂

Haha at those saying “I’ve spent lots of money so I hope we will need them for a long time”

Offred wasn't wearing that face covering over her nose as it was a garment designed to hide the sewn up mouths of the handmaids in Washington DC. She wore hers out of respect when visiting. It's all about silencing women.

Personally I think masks will be made optional in September when schools go back by the government. Otherwise they will have to provide teachers with them and they don't want to pay for them.

It is sensible that we take precautions whilst in a pandemic. It doesn’t matter how much people have spent on masks just so long as they are worn.

I hope that all those women who don’t wash their hands after going to the loo get called out on that as well.

I THINK I read in the official document that the law is in place for a year but I may be completely wrong

This is true. The law has been set up to be in place for a year, as have the laws on things like pavement tables for pubs etc.