No masks after 19th July - Hoo-blardy-Ray!!!!!

[TeddingtonTrashbag]

As reported in the DM.
So happy if it’s true.

For the love of God, someone direct me to a study that says getting a bit of dirty paper out of my handbag and sticking it on my face when I go to Sainsbury's, is helping anyone.

@sadperson16

For the love of God, someone direct me to a study that says getting a bit of dirty paper out of my handbag and sticking it on my face when I go to Sainsbury's, is helping anyone.

As soon as you direct us to a guideline asking people to stick a bit of dirty paper on their face?

If you meant masks, it's easy to google

plenty of studies are available

@sadperson16

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-07-08-oxford-covid-19-study-face-masks-and-coverings-work-act-now

Here - but I’d say it’s up to the individual to ensure they are keeping their mask in a reasonable state.

I would suggest that reluctance to wear a mask may have more to do with their psychological reactance (this extract is from early on in the pandemic) -

For example, every parent knows that when you tell a child to do something, they seem almost biologically predisposed to doing the exact opposite thing. “Don’t run by the pool!” you shout. “Maybe I should try that…” they think. In short, when someone tells you how to behave, you feel your liberty threatened and “lash out” not only by ignoring the advice but by leaning into behavior that goes against what is being suggested. And while more work is needed to understand cultural differences in this domain, it seems possible that in countries like the U.S. that champion personal freedom as a virtue, people might be more predisposed to reactance behaviors than others.

In many instances, reactance is a quirk of human behavior that is simply frustrating or annoying, and sometimes even amusing. However, right now, reactance is deadly. The advice coming from public health experts to wash our hands, stay indoors, cancel even small-group events, and stay six to nine feet away from others (especially those who are sick) is based on a combination of science and an abundance of caution about a deadly virus we still don’t know a great deal about. So our desire to “push back” against this sound guidance is driving us toward behaviors that will strengthen the public health tsunami that is just around the corner.

Although that applies the other way - that lack of reactance has destroyed our rights and liberties and that is more important than increased health risk.

Staff shouldn't be 'answering back' at mask exempt people

I wasn't talking about those who are exempt, but you knew that

@Xenia I think when you lose your life - whether it’s to Covid, or your health is severely compromised due to the knock on effects on the NHS - you have no freedom or your health is compromised.
I think the majority are willing to sacrifice or take precautions so others can live - or to ensure that the NHS can cater for the health of our nation.
Without restrictions, the infection would have been out of control - and potentially hundreds of thousands more would have lost any right to freedom as they would no longer been alive. Our NHS potentially could have collapsed and this would have impacted the health of young and old.

@Ginandfantalemon

And I don't know why they keep saying 'we will just have to live with it like we do the flu', because we dont wear masks and social distance for the flu. What they should say is 'we will just have to live with it like they did with ebola/bubonic plague/smallpox/TB.

The mortality rate of those contracting Covid in the UK is now 0.1% thanks to vaccines. That is in line with seasonal flu averages.

I hope that Covid makes people more aware of how to reduce the spread of viruses and the hand washing, staying at home when sick (vs soldiering on into the office etc) will stay for flu.

If you go to many parts of Asia mask wearing is more common as a result of SARS outbreaks.

@Flaxmeadow

Staff shouldn't be 'answering back' at mask exempt people

I wasn't talking about those who are exempt, but you knew that

Here's the post you quoted. About mask exempt people.

Clear
and implementable guidelines can help increase compliance,
and bring communities closer to the goal of reducing and ultimately stopping the spread of COVID-19

But we haven't had any of that have we?

Here's the post you quoted. About mask exempt people.

I didn't quote those posts. What on earth are you on about now?

@Lalalablahblahblah

And actually thinking about it if they're going to go that far who even says 5 years would be the end of it???

Took 10 years to get the vaccines worldwide for smallpox. This will be quicker but it's not going to be 'the end of it' until the vaccination program has gone everywhere.

@Flaxmeadow

Here's the post you quoted. About mask exempt people.

I didn't quote those posts. What on earth are you on about now?

Yes you did

What are you in about? I didn't quote the posts you said I did

I'm so tired of these meaningless inane circular arguments and your obsessive pick pick pick with a fine needle at my posts TheVampiresWife

@Flaxmeadow

What are you in about? I didn't quote the posts you said I did

I'm so tired of these meaningless inane circular arguments and your obsessive pick pick pick with a fine needle at my posts TheVampiresWife

Back atcha, FM. For some reason in the past 24 hours you've suddenly decided that you're going to take exception to everything I say, to the point of calling me delusional when I've spoken about the abuse mask exempt people get on another thread.

And you did quote that post. You can see the part you quoted quite clearly, as can everyone else.

No I did not quote the image you posted at Today 12:48

You then posted more confusing, totally irrelevant, images

So what is your point TheVampiresWife

@Flaxmeadow

No I did not quote the image you posted at Today 12:48

You then posted more confusing, totally irrelevant, images

So what is your point TheVampiresWife

I posted the same image with the part you quoted highlighted, and your post with the quote highlighted.

Now, let's stop derailing this thread shall we?

How does a mask control the spread of Covid? No its doesn't.
Possibly in the early stages, not now.

Its just stupidity and clinging to some token or tallisman.....Ive got my mask so I'm doing my bit

It will be nice to not have a panic attack every time I'm wearing one but we've been told by our employer that they will be keeping the mask requirement for another year yet even if the guidelines stipulate otherwise so I'm not looking forward to that

@Lucidas

You would have to be incredibly dense to be unvaccinated (aka collateral damage) as we go into the next stage of reopening. We’ll probably be at 50k cases a day by 19th July, with a variant that’s far more transmissible, and levels of social mixing (nightclubs etc) not seen since before last the pandemic.

Reopening makes sense domestically, but I wonder how other countries will view the UK when it becomes even more of a delta festering ground.

I agree with you entirely @Lucidas

@Mummabear89

It will be nice to not have a panic attack every time I'm wearing one but we've been told by our employer that they will be keeping the mask requirement for another year yet even if the guidelines stipulate otherwise so I'm not looking forward to that

If you have a panic attack every time you wear one I'd say that qualifies you as exempt. Unless you work in certain healthcare settings your employer has to respect this.

Sorry you're having such a hard time

[quote Firstbornunicorn]@Lucidas incredibly dense…or maybe pregnant, like me? Or under 16? Or so immunocompromised that you can’t have the vaccine?

Sorry to be “collateral damage”.[/quote]
I totally agree with what you have said.... Pure ignorance

Will still wear mine. We will be in lock down again before we know it.

@Hornbill123456789: "right now, reactance is deadly."

I think you're overstating that, like by about a million times.

"The advice [...] is based on a combination of science"

Yeah, it is. A bit.

"and an abundance of caution"

True. Although really a ton more it is about politics, control, and what happens when you basically have no guiding strategy.

"about a deadly virus we still don’t know a great deal about."

It would have been true to say that at the start, like pre-2020. But since basically end of Q1 2020, we've known really quite a lot about the virus. Very little more recent research has taught us that we wouldn't have expected of any other cold or flu virus. It's mostly been confirmatory studies.

If you still think it's a deadly virus, you're either selectively reporting or have totally swallowed the government's fear campaign. You're also ignoring all the vaccine news since basically December.

But apart from that, all good. :-)