quick poll - have you experienced mask wearing for periods of 4+ hours a day?

[peridito]

I'm just interested to know how many people actually do this and how they find it .

In the summer I wore one continuously for several hours while travelling and it was pretty grim . How public facing workers and secondary school staff/pupils would, and do ,cope I don't know .

Yeah, I often wear one for about 8-9 hours at a time (with short breaks outside away from people). It's doable - I just wear a disposal surgical mask - don't have to wear the full PPE.

No biggie - in these times, we do what we need to do to protect others.

Yep. Agree you forget you have them on after a while.

I know I’m not the only person at work whose had them on at home for a while after coming back from shopping because they’ve forgotten they are wearing one.

I wear one when I go into the office - so two full days a week - it was horrible at first but I think I've got used to it. I've found changing masks at break times helps, and also the style and fabric make a big difference.

I do feel for anyone in a medical setting because I know their gear is pretty brutal.

I’m a GP and wear one for seeing patients face to face. I try to space the face to face appointments out through the day though for both their sake and mine, so not usually wearing one for more than 15 minutes at a time at work and I’m glad as I do find I get slightly breathless if talking to someone for a while in a mask at work (maybe due to my asthma).

My 13 year old son is at a local grammar school where they decided after an early outbreak of COVID on returning to school that all the kids would just have to wear masks the whole time unless eating or drinking. He and all his friends are totally used to it now and they forget they are wearing them, I have to remind him to take it off when he gets home as he just forgets it’s there. I don’t believe compliance is a huge issue at that school as I see them all milling around after school chatting to each other outside with masks still on. But I suspect it very much depends on the school and the area. I was slightly surprised none of the parents objected to this being imposed against government guidance (not that I felt they should I hasten to add!) but the area means it is primarily second generation immigrants attending the school and maybe that makes a difference to people’s attitudes to mask-wearing, if it’s normal in their home country perhaps.

Yeah we have been told to wear them while teaching (secondary). It's absolutely fine for me, don't mind at all.

Yes.

At work I wear a surgical mask or FFP2 mask all day from 8.30am to 6pm with a 30 min lunch break and 2 15 min coffee breaks.

So do the other 50 people I work with of all ages.

It isn't a problem at all. I don't understand why anyone (without exemption or other reason like related prior trauma) has such a big issue with it TBH.

At most it's mildly inconvenient and a bit itchy after several hours until taken off.

@peridito

I really take my hat off to those wearing them for hours .

People do say you get used to it .I found the glasses steaming up and the fact that the mask got so wet really difficult .

I'm just thinking about compliance by secondary school age pupils .

You should really be changing masks before they get wet.

When wearing from 8.30-6pm we change ours at each break so four times during the day.

We're on our feet all day and talking so travelling should be easier.

@AnyFucker

Yes. An FFP3 mask. If you only wear a thin "surgical" one that actually lets a relatively large amount of fresh air to circulate you have no idea how bad that is.

Totally agree with this!

We use FFP2 / surgical.

I have a reusable FFP3 at home and wouldn't want to wear that for more than an hour!

Feel for anyone that does as they have to be very tight to be air sealed...

I did at work whilst heavily pregnant before I finished for mat leave. It was horrible.

Yeah around 9-10 hrs most days at work with half hour lunch. And then nipping in & out of the shops, I keep it on til back in the car cos it keeps my face warm!!
I'd to take decongestant for first few days but now used to it & don't notice if on or off unless I'm lifting my coffee!

Yes, at work and for travel although it really varies from week to week. Also when I go into uni (I'm doing a masters but most of it is online of course).

On a normal day it'll be 2-3h on public transport, and 2-3h at work because some of it is public facing and working with other groups of people. The rest of the time I'm on my own so no need to wear one. So I'd say on average, 5h a day. Sometimes more if I'm working off site and it's somewhere that requires a mask all day long.

But I still travel a lot for work, even if it's less than we used to. So I'm regularly on 8-10h journeys that include a mixture of planes and trains, most of them to countries where masks are compulsory outside as well, so it's longer than that by the time you've reached the hotel room.

You really do get used to it. It took me about a week of 5-6h a day to be completely comfortable. I imagine it's harder to get so used to them if you only need to put it on for the odd bus trip into town, or going to the shop twice a week.

I wear one all day in school, absolutely fine to wear and wouldn’t want to do my job without one. I’d much prefer if students would wear one in lessons too.

People will need to have pop out breaks to take them off and if they introduce it in school then again every jour they will need mask breaks.

I wear an ffp2 for stints of several hours at a time - NHS. Luckily my office is my own so can remove when at my desk. You do get used to it a bit, although I'm a little hard of hearing and end up asking people to repeat themselves a lot. And my chin is spotty now.

Yes, at work so 8hrs a day. No issues with it but where I live masks have been compulsory since April so we are used to them.

Yes, just a ‘civilian’ type one all day once week while volunteering. Not a problem, and I’m a glasses wearer.

@PandemicPavolova

People will need to have pop out breaks to take them off and if they introduce it in school then again every jour they will need mask breaks.

Why would you need breaks? Of course they're welcome, but I've done more than one 10h+ trip which goes like: bus-train-2h at airport-3h flight-2h layover-3h flight-taxi, and the only time you take it off is for a quick bite and drinks. But a drink is like 20 seconds because you can't just take a coffee break and your mask off, when you're on a plane.

I'd say schools and most workplaces will provide a lunch break of some sorts, so most people do get a 15/20 min break. But it's perfectly possible to do 4/8/12 hours with a mask on. Uncomfortable, but possible.

Yes. I didn't mind it really except it hurt behind my ears by the second day

I wear one for my 8 hour shift with 1/2 hour break you get used to it in the end

I wear one the whole time at work, except when eating or drinking (secondary school - we are allowed to wear masks to teach in if we want to. Kids are fine with it.). Mine are standard cotton ones from a high street shop. It’s fine, except I get spots and red patches on my skin and struggle when walking down stairs as I can’t easily see where my feet are.

Yes, hospitality, so sometimes for a long hot 9 hour shift. We’re now on furlough till March though, so it will be a welcome break.

Another nurse we wear them for 11.5 hours obs 2 breaks and maybe a 15 tea break have done since April/may time and in summer it’s awful our ward has no ventilation weren’t allowed Fans it’s hard I’m quite overweight so being on my feet I was struggling a lot makes you think. Here s3-s6 wear them all day minus breaks at school my son manages fine.

No

Probably about 2.5 hours max on the odd occasion but usually less than 30 minutes if in a supermarket or something

Yes

Dd 14 wears hers for 8 hours a day at school and travelling to and from school. She's worried about me.