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?

I honestly think one per day is fine. A school is not a healthcare setting.

If everyone else is wearing masks, the outside of your mask is unlikely to be contaminated (any more than all your other possessions are - you don't have to wash your jumper every time you take it off).

If the inside of the mask is contaminated, that's from the wearer and they can't reinfect themselves.

If you wash your hands regularly, you're no more likely to infect yourself using the same mask all day than you would be not using one - but you are less likely to infect others.

In another interested in what 'teaching a high risk subject' means?!

I think in a way making masks mandatory in schools will make things worse. No one is going to wear a new mask every time they should, they will be screwed up in pockets and bags. I have a reusable mask that spends most of its time in my handbag as I don't want to forget it! Its really bad for the environment and expensive to be getting through several masks a day.

I'm sending mine with 3 reusables each. Morning, afternoon and a spare.
We have a lot of masks.

One. Scrunched up in pocket or in bag when not in use. Utterly pointless.

2 reusable ones

We are in Ireland.
My 3 teens will be required to wear masks at all times while in their school building.

They will have a bag with hand sanitizer, wipes and 3 or 4 cloth masks. A separate bag for used masks.
I will be washing 12 masks plus whatever many DH, primary age DS and I use during the day each night. So probably 18-20 masks per day.
I have been buying and wearing cloth masks for months so I probably have the 40 or so we need to allow one set to be drying while the others are being worn.
The plain black ones the teens want to wear to school cost €2 most places. Though I do have some prettier more expensive ones for myself which the teens avoid.

In the UAE where masks will be compulsory from next week when the kids go back. Planning on sending in 4 per day (resuables).

They will probably sell out by end of week with panic buying for schools!

"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"

Eh? Surgeons use them 7 hr long ops. They dont dispose of them after a few hours. What twaddle. Weve used the same mask on at least 10 occasions.

DS will have one cloth face cover, that we might wash once a half term. Might.

@lljkk you’re joking right about not washing it? Whether you believe in covid or conspiracy theories, surely not washing or changing at least daily a grubby mask your child is inhaling through is just wrong?

@Inniu you'll be washing 18-20 masks a day? Why? Why are you using so many?

I've been away for a few days and needed mine occasionally (picking up chippy, popping in to shops) and just used the same one. It probably totaled about 1-1.5 hours wearing altogether max.
If I was to wear one in a school, I would take 2. Probably only need one but if it felt sweaty I'd change it throughout the day.

[quote bravefox]@Comefromaway - what constitutes a 'high risk subject'?[/quote]
Performing arts, specifically singing. The research just pre-peer review released shows only a small increase in droplet spread between speaking and singing but the risk rapidly increases with volume and duration. A 1:1 lesson in a small practise room and an ensembke class of 15 singing a loud musical theatre sing present more risks than a sedentary maths lesson.

Hoping the ‘once a half term’ is a joke! Local high school here has made a request for all masks to be... navy blue! As a mother to identical twins... good luck identifying children in identical uniform with half their faces covered!

My whole family are affected. Ds will be studying a Btec in music, dd a diploma in musical theatre and dh teaching singing in a school and college.

One. Which no doubt will be ina ball in his pocket.

I think we’ve found a replacement for the “how often do you wash towels” threads

Needed - none.

Required - 1

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

This. And it’ll be therefore pointless and perhaps worse...

but hey!! It’ll make us all feel that school’s a really safe place won’t it!

@tootyfruitypickle

If we’re wanting clean clothes each day they would need to drop uniforms, even if I washed nightly (not a chance) it wouldn’t dry in time to be used eod.

I was thinking about this before, I've bought DS 5 shirts 5 trousers but only 1 blazer. Its more likely to be his blazer that carries any germs about leaning on desk to desk, lesson to lesson 5x a day. Yet I can't wash his blazer daily nor can I afford to buy multiple of them either.

I live and teach in a country where masks in school have been compulsory since June.
Pretty much every kid (mine included) has 1 washable mask that they wear every day, with a spare at home. Then they have 2-3 paper masks in their school bags just in case of loss or breakage during the school day.

We need to differentiate between masks used as PPE and face coverings used to protect others. If you want PPE masks (as healthcare workers need) you can’t re use and you need to think about safely donning and doffing. No one is suggesting that jn schools / shops / public transport. It’s about covering your face to reduce risk of spreading virus should you be infected. So reusing is fine. You aren’t aiming to eliminate risk either, just to significantly reduce.

I’m planning on blasting the blazers with the steam iron every evening.

@Yetiyoga
If you wear cloth masks they get too damp to be effective after 3-4 hours so it is recommended to change. They also feel uncomfortable if they get very damp. The school recommend 3-4 masks per day.
3 of the kids have to wear them at school.
Myself , DH and DS who is not required to wear a mask at school wear them if we are going in to shops, cafes or transport.
I wouldn’t wear one in the morning and the same one again in the afternoon. I just pop them in a “used masks basket when I get in the door at home before I was my hands and then use a fresh one later.

I’m a teacher and will be taking 6 face coverings to school everyday, one for each lesson.

DD and I had a bit of a production line going and we made at least 80.

School is also providing disposable masks and visors. I’m not sure how visors will work with reading glasses. I will soon find out.