AIBU for thinking people wearing masks are the ones spreading the virus?

[Georgeoftheinternet]

I was at the supermarket today and no one was following the 2 metre social distancing guidelines. Masks give people a false sense of security and people become lax.

Putting a bit of gel on your hands doesn’t remove all the germs, your mask isn’t PPE (check out HSE website) and neither are gloves.

If this virus was so bad, why aren’t supermarket workers who see hundreds of people a day most at risk of dying.

Even with a mask you should be at least 1m away from strangers. And that's the minimum, not the target.

So yes, I agree it's possible that there are people who should be more diligent

But wearing masks is a good thing - research from France shows that even where they don't 'work' fully, the viral load passed on is lower than if unmasked. And the severity of the disease is related to the infective dose (why HCPs were getting it severely).

So imperfect distancing in a mask is riskier that proper distancing in a mask, but will still have a worthwhile effect.

More problematic is the unmasked who come within 2m - both risky and no diminution of dose

I wear a face covering whenever I'm supposed to, and sometimes even when I'm not (between shops in the town centre for example) - and guess what? I still stay 2m away from people if at all possible, and if it's literally not possible (for example when someone insists on entering a narrow aisle I would have been out of in a moment, and I can't turn back because of other people), I turn away from them and hold my breath while they pass. Wearing a face covering does not automatically turn you into a dick.

I found people not wearing masks a lot more irresponsible and in your face than the ones who do wear masks to be honest. It's the ones who are mask-free who pushed their way in queues, don't leave enough distance etc.

Most people don't want to give it to other people, and don't want to catch it. Being in the supermarket since the removal of one-way systems makes it tricky, but we all try our best, and masks help with minimising viral load.

If this virus was so bad, why aren’t supermarket workers who see hundreds of people a day most at risk of dying

It's not that simple. Clearly if we compared a supermarket worker to an equivalently healthy individual working from home it would be highly likely that the supermarket worker was significantly more at risk

If this virus was so bad, why aren’t supermarket workers who see hundreds of people a day most at risk of dying

You've cracked it, OP. This is all a massive, world-wide conspiracy.

I'd roll my eyes but I'm really fed up at the lack of critical thinking skills this pandemic has highlighted. Masks can be useful. If this virus was so bad - please think about the 61,000 + extra people who has died from this.

*have died

@HerdyGerdy

If this virus was so bad, why aren’t supermarket workers who see hundreds of people a day most at risk of dying

You've cracked it, OP. This is all a massive, world-wide conspiracy.

I'd roll my eyes but I'm really fed up at the lack of critical thinking skills this pandemic has highlighted. Masks can be useful. If this virus was so bad - please think about the 61,000 + extra people who has died from this.

Thats only in the UK. Our death rate is at 230,000. OP has been hanging around too many y conspiracy theorists

In priority order..

Space

Face

Hands

They all have varying impacts in varying conditions, but keeping as far away from potential infection risks makes the most difference.

@HerdyGerdy 46,229 is the official figure. And so what, same amount died from the flu yearly.

Saw my friend who wears a masks put on her instagram how she was with her friend at the bar. Both unnecessary and no
Social distancing.

Antivaxxers & antimaskers are now one & the same.

Your last paragraph doesn’t seem to follow from the rest of your post, so I don’t understand your point?

Anyway, YABU for thinking that people in masks are spreading the virus. No one Covid prevention measure is 100% effective, which is why having a combination of measures (mask wearing, social distancing, hand washing etc) is important.

I find people stay away from me when I wear a mask.

@UserX

Antivaxxers & antimaskers are now one & the same.

Oh so simple isn't it?

You go on believing it - and every other stereotype you can find. On the other hand, I who have volunteered for an early vaccine will also go on believing that bits of cloth, residing in pockets or bags between uses. Not fitting correctly and frequently being handled, won't make an iota of difference. (Unless, as many wear them incorrectly, it is a negative one)

Still, you are entitled to your view as I am to mine (and yes I obey the law and where one where legally mandated)

The thing with staying 2m away though, it's for a length of time, so if you walk past someone in the supermarket, mask or no mask, you're at such a low risk to catch anything compared to standing having a close conversation for 15 mins or longer, mask or no mask. So people will lean next to you to pick stuff up, otherwise we would all just be standing totally still in supermarkets waiting for someone else move!

The virus is spreading from close contact indoors and in small unventilated spaces. Masks will help a bit. But we need to keep our physical distance from people.

Yes, YABU. Spend a few hours educating yourself.

. Masks give people a false sense of security and people become lax.
Absolutely I was really annoyed yesterday about the lack of social distancing and the actual blatant disregard for person space . I don't want to go back to the days of queuing outside to get in shops but if shops can't or won't encourage social distancing and people think oh the mask is protecting me or actually don't give a shit about distancing then the benefits of the mask is low .
It's been done to death this debate but like someone else said it's hands face space not one of them .

God, another poster with a room temperature IQ.

When the zombies come for our brains you'll have nothing to fear.

@AlternativePerspective

Have reported and asked for this to be moved to the COVID topic.

Go and spout your conspiracy theorist claptrap over there....

As for comparing to the flu, so you think deaths from the flu are ok then? Bear in mind that one of the reasons why we don’t lock down every winter is because there is a flu vaccine. Newsflash, people will still die from COVID even when there is a vaccine, just as they now die from flu. But the difference will be that once there is a vaccine we won’t have to lock down the country.

Oh and, I am a flu survivor. Thanks to the flu my next port of call will be the heart transplant list. So if you think it’s not that bad then you can fuck off.

Absolutely no need and v rude , it's not a conspiracy theory to suggest masks aren't working if people don't SD too . If you don't like the thread move on don't come on and swear at someone . People are allowed different opinions you know . If you disagree you explain why

[quote Georgeoftheinternet]@HerdyGerdy 46,229 is the official figure. And so what, same amount died from the flu yearly.

Saw my friend who wears a masks put on her instagram how she was with her friend at the bar. Both unnecessary and no
Social distancing.[/quote]
I'm not sure where you get your figures from, but the office for national statistics comes up with a startlingly different number.
see your erroneous claptrap here OPwww.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsduetocoronaviruscovid19comparedwithdeathsfrominfluenzaandpneumoniaenglandandwales/deathsoccurringbetween1januaryand31august2020#death-occurrences-due-to-covid-19-influenza-and-pneumonia

Sorry the link is so long!

I think one of the reasons people don't socially distance now as much as they did in the spring is that it was all new then. To some degree, we've all got on with living without abject terror, just living as normally as possible now.

As masks are not worn correctly I do believe they spread the virus. People reuse dirty ones, drop them on floor, pop them in their pockets, touch them with dirty hands etc.

I work in a supermarket and not a single one of us has been off sick yet (100+ staff).
There are so many filty points that are never wiped down (handles, buttons, doors) plus we carry handsets and phones which and touch our masks. I do wonder why we aren't dropping like flies