Number of masks needed for a school day

[MyMagicStars]

Considering this question as DD4 goes into her PGCE year! How many would masks your DC need for travelling around the site on an average school day? DS4 calculates that for many, bus to school, to form, to first lesson, to second lesson, to break, from break, to third lesson, to lunch, to fourth, to final class and then on the bus home means that some DC could end up needing 11 masks. Obviously disposable ones are bad for the planet, and also, how will DC store so many?
I’m very pro-mask, but realise many DC will reuse used ones, possibly making the risk worse- how would/will your DC prepare?

Ehmmm, 1? And maybe a spare?

Dh is thinking 4. (He’s a teacher teaching a high risk subject)

Travel to school
Morning
After lunch
Travel home

Ds will probably have two per day at college for travel there and back.

Dd is thinking 2 as she drives to college but will wear them for some classes.

DS will be taking one.

Surely they'll just have one screwed up one that they keep in their pocket? Really can't see anyone buying 220 per month!

I’m not sure which country or part of the U.K. you’re in OP? At the moment masks aren’t recommended in school for pupils in England (I think this is wrong). I suspect that this will soon change.

If we follow the same policy as Scotland and require masks in “communal areas“ then several masks could be required as you say. In a way it would be simpler to keep the masks on for lessons, maybe just taking them off for a break outside and then again for lunch.

One, apart from the school bus journey, which is over half an hour, DC will only be wearing it for a few minutes between classes. And maybe 10mins at lunch if they go to a shop. DC currently owns 4 face coverings, which I think will be sufficient to allow time for washing and drying.

One.

I’m always careful to put a clean one on, but if BoJo brings in wearing them to move between classes, I can see kids reusing them. I said 11 because of needing to remove them for lessons (along Scottish guidelines). With 8 children at school at one point (KS5-KS1) we would have been washing endlessly!

DD Currently not expected to wear them around school so 1 for on the way there, 1 on the way back

If they increase this to 'all transitions in school' then assuming the dc stay in class and the teachers move -2 more for break and lunch

There is no way dc are going to be managing this without multiple uses of the same mask

I work in a special school -all my class are exempt due to severe ASD and I have no idea at this point how they will react to seeing them being worn in school although 1 parent has informed me that her DC attacks her when she wears one

Might take one for staff meetings although they are going to be socially distanced

If it becomes a requirement in England then DS will just have one a day to use when moving between lessons. DD will need three as she’ll be using public transport to get to and from school.

I think a disposable mask lasts 2-3 hours so for my DD I'd break it down to:

Reg, lesson 1 & 2
Lesson 3 & 4
Reg, lesson 5

Knowing how her school are about uniform they'll probably have to buy ones to match the school colours!

the purpose of a mask is to protect other people, not the wearer. There is no reason not to reuse your own mask. Sanitise hands after changing it.

Getting them to have one isn't going to be easy! 4 is better if travelling by bus (travel each way then one for morning one for afternoon) but they need at least 2 sets so they can be washed ... at £5 each that's £40 per child.

I admit I'm using a mask I acquired in June, admittedly not often as I favour scarves but nobody is going to supply adequate masks to make them effective, well very few. Hand washing and staying off when sick are the key things to do

If they require masks my daughter will bring two which I will wash before the next use.

One!

They need one, then either wash it over night, or throw it away and get a new one.

@Comefromaway - what constitutes a 'high risk subject'?

My 3 secondary aged dc all walk/bike to school so I was thinking 2 masks each, one for morning and one for afternoon. Potentially they would have to reuse each one a couple of times if only wearing for transitions but I imagine that's quite low risk? I'll give them a bag to put the 'dirty' ones in, then wash the whole lot each night - they dry really quickly.

One and a spare, you don't need more than that!
We've got reusable ones - just wash on a night ready for next morning.

Most will have 1 and I doubt many will get a daily wash...

Lordy! We have been told children to wear clean uniform every day and already parents are saying that won't happen. I can not see many children/teens using multiple clean masks a day.

It is totally unrealistic. They will be dropped on the the floors of the loos and picked up and used [vomit] And probably shared.

One. I take one reusable one with me when I go to the high street - it goes on for the post office, off for outside, on again for Tesco etc.

In between it goes into a zip lock bag.

DS has been doing the same since the end of lockdown - he keeps the bag in his pocket. He sanitises his hands to put the mask on, same again to take it off. Zip locks the bag and makes sure he puts it 'outside facing out' so the inner bit is folded in the middle.

He'll take one and a spare (in case it goes missing) every day to school as his school has said they need a mask in case a teacher requests they wear one or if an 'incident' occurs. Not sure what the incident will be but we'll leave that to the school.

One and give it a rinse under the tap every now and again. Like I do with mine.

My son's school wants the children to wear masks when moving between classrooms, and on the school bus. The school have recommended they have a clean one each day, and have also stated that there is no need to wash uniform any more frequently than before. So that's what we'll be doing.

The purpose of a face covering/cotton mask is so that when you're spraying it when you're saying it, the mask catches the majority of it and reduces the chance of infection. She needs one mask per day and a wee purse to pop it in to keep it clean when not wearing it and a bottle of hand santisier to use after touching it.