“Covid marshals to be introduced”

[Funkypolar]

To enforce social distancing.

No doubt they will find many volunteers on Mumsnet!

@LovelyIssues

The Karen's of the world will be out in force

The Karen's what or who? Are you a greengrocer?

Using the name 'Karen' as a label for a stereotype is so childish. I've known plenty of Karens who really do not fit that bill.

@LovelyIssues

The Karen's of the world will be out in force

Can we stop with this misogynistic nonsense, please?

Yes the sooner this stupid phrase ends the better.

It irritates me as much as the recent over use of the word "thing" ie "Is that a thing now?"

Smh at the shrinking of the vocabulary of the nation...

So many people have lost...their jo....their business....their home! Their relationship....their familymembers.....lets not squabble over milk. Let hold the government and China! ...responsible for this to ransom. If you list your business, sue the government! I had an offer of the Salvation army delivering food to me....it eas going to be an elderly gentleman doing this???? I declined and went shopping myself once every 10 days or so. Just kept away from everyone as I was told. Hope you are all well and havent suffered loss of any kind. X

And you don't need to use an apostrophe for that plural! It's 'Karens' for a group of people with that name. You've just made it a possessive or a contraction.

I don't have a clue what's really going on and it bugs me because I can't take a position on this - I don't know what I think, and that's an uncomfortable experience.

For context: I've been reading all the old original dystopian novels (just for kicks, not because of the pandemic). I've never trusted the media or government. So I could fall through a conspiracist's trap door. But I've never followed weird theories and I'm a scientist by training and trade.

This situation has me stumped. I simply cannot fathom what's going on. I keep thinking I just need to wait for the evidence, but for how long, and what damage will have been done in the meantime?

Agreed Dudsville. I find the current situation deeply concerning, and I would love to see the evidence used to determine policy published.
For example, I do grudgingly wear a face mask, but I think I would feel a lot less grudging if the appropriate studies this rule is based on were made available so that they could be scrutinised by others.

Or maybe they have been, but I haven't found them.

Pubs and restaurants here in Sydney have to have a Covid Marshall, it works well. They make sure everyone scans the QR code or uses whatever sign in system they are using, ensure social distancing (with humour), help other staff clean tables between sittings. Not sure why it is seen as such a big deal - anything that means I can go out occasionally and feel safe is good for me.

People on here don’t want to hear this. They want to moan and whinge and compare this to living under Hitlers rule. You’re spoiling all their fun with your sensible post. 🤣

Indeed, indeed

"I'm think I would feel a lot less grudging if the appropriate studies this rule is based on were made available so that they could be scrutinised by others"

If you type "academic studies benefits facemasks" into google you will find plenty. Also 'background government advice facemasks'

And you might be interested in this:

royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/set-c/set-c-facemasks.pdf?la=en-GB&hash=A22A87CB28F7D6AD9BD93BBCBFC2BB24 which has an impressively long reference list at the end, many items of which are readily available online

the number of ^reviews^ of the evidence on masks published in the last three months – fifteen to our knowledge. Yet, the number of published trials on the effects of masks in Covid-19 transmission is – so far – zero.
Prof.C.Heneghen in newspaper recently.

The review quoted above states

Cloth face coverings are effective in reducing source virus transmission, i.e., outward protection of others, when they are of ^optimal material and construction (high grade cotton, hybrid and multilayer) and fitted correctly ^ and for source protection of the wearer.

Also

2.1 Background and existing knowledge: health care settings of surgical masks and respirators.
Current knowledge on the

effectiveness of face masks to
prevent virus transmission from COVID-19, SARS, MERS and H1N1 is mostly limited to studies of surgical masks and N95 respirators. The
majority of existing studies are conducted in health care settings and focus on protection of the mask

wearer as opposed to wearing a mask for the protection of others. This distinction is vital since mask wearing for the general public occurs in non-clinical situations (home, public transport, shops, restaurants) and involves both protection of oneself but also others. Surgical masks and N95 respirators were included in the most recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Lancet. Based on 29 studies, the authors concluded that the use of both N95 respirators and surgical masks (including similar reusable masks) were associated with large reductions in virus
transmission. In this meta-analysis, they also found that mask wearing in non-health care settings is protective and statistically significant (RR=0.56, CI 0.40-0.79). There were, however, some concerns about this study including difficulty in separating effects of different types of PPE (masks, eye protection), potential confounders and the transferability of results to community settings. Another meta-analysis found that medical masks provided similar protection to N95 respirators in protecting against viral respiratory infections in healthcare settings. We emphasise that the majority of studies have been conducted in health care settings and there are therefore caveats in the ability to transfer results directly to community settings

Not much scientigic evidence there for Joe Public with their single layer masks that are not fitted to their faces properly.
Hell it even states on mask packets that this is a "fashion mask" and will not stop transmission of viruses."

@Funkypolar

Oh I can imagine people in high vis jackets coming round knocking on the door...

This is what I'm imagining 😟

Not much scientigic evidence there for Joe Public with their single layer masks that are not fitted to their faces properly.
Hell it even states on mask packets that this is a "fashion mask" and will not stop transmission of viruses.

Willow2017 I think it would be obvious to most people if they are simply slapping on a lace mask - and yes, I've seen them - that's not going to make any difference whatsoever. Single-layer masks are not much use. Three-layers are better and the evidence is there.