Non mask wearers

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I’ve been generally observing in recent weeks since 19th July (and before too really) and the majority of people I see with no mask are men. I noticed for a while in the pandemic that in petrol stations it was men with no masks on, so got me noticing when I am out. Does this seem the same to you?
I am just interested, is this a general view or me being sexist (hope not). I wonder if men feel like they ‘look stupid’ in a mask so less likely to wear one?

I wear a mask, and DS21 does too - in double jabbed, he's single jabbed but is fairly risk averse and also doesn't want other people to feel uncomfortable. In fact, he reminds me about putting a mask on or taking one with me. I have noticed though that it seems evenly split between men and women where I live in the non mask stakes.

If someone with covid sneezes or coughs near you the airborne droplets will be released into your eyes, your hair, your clothes and everything you are touching. Short of wearing a hazmat suits you will be largely vulnerable at that moment and for many minutes afterwards. The most likely way to catch it is from someone you are close to, in a home or hospital setting with or without a mask. I am sorry to tell you this, but the mask is not going to save you or anyone. It might slightly minimise the risk, but beyond that it is useless and used as a psychological reminder to keep a distance.

Nope, that's not good information.

Yes the virus is airborne and yes droplets containg the virus can collect on surfaces, but the virus is also in the air from people breathing it out into the air and it can stay in the air for a considerable amount of time, even after the infected person has left the room. Someone can breathe this in

Not a perfect example but think of a chain smoker sat in an unventilated room alone for half an hour. That person leaves, but the cigarette smoke they have breathed out stays lingering in the air for some time. The air, and smoke, they have breathed out is from the lungs. People entering the same room after them, even after they have left, will be breathing it in

I'm a woman and I make my decisions on a day to day basis dependent on circumstances. For instance, after spending an evening maskless in a packed nightclub, I wore one on the bus to work. But if I've been nowhere risky or I've tested I don't usually bother. An exception might be if other people in prolonged close proximity to me were wearing them, as I'd think my not doing do might make them nervous.

....so wearing a mask will reduce the amount of virus being breathed out

@stepupandbecounted

Really very scary that you feel a little scrap of fashion material is going to make any difference to you.

If someone with covid sneezes or coughs near you the airborne droplets will be released into your eyes, your hair, your clothes and everything you are touching. Short of wearing a hazmat suits you will be largely vulnerable at that moment and for many minutes afterwards. The most likely way to catch it is from someone you are close to, in a home or hospital setting with or without a mask. I am sorry to tell you this, but the mask is not going to save you or anyone. It might slightly minimise the risk, but beyond that it is useless and used as a psychological reminder to keep a distance.

You can keep wearing one, but please don't believe they stop covid, if that were truly the case many millions would not have died, and we would have had zero cases in the middle of a lockdown when everyone was masked for everything.

It might slightly minimise the risk

bingo, you've got it

You're failing to take in or accept any information that doesn't fit with your narrow and deeply flawed view, yet you say you feel sorry for other posters. Are you for real @stepupandbecounted? What is it you want to be counted as?

How in Gods name does wearing a bit of cloth, reduce the amount of potentially Covid infected air that is being breathed out?
Please ???? Where does the air go?

@sadperson16

How in Gods name does wearing a bit of cloth, reduce the amount of potentially Covid infected air that is being breathed out? Please ???? Where does the air go?

It catches tiny droplets of water. The air passes through.

@sadperson16 The air goes... through the mask. The droplets go... into the mask. Not all droplets will be captured unless it's a high spec medical mask, but enough to make a difference on the likelihood of infecting someone else - and enough to reduce viral load if you're the mask wearer. We've known since early on that initial viral load can make a big difference to how serious the infection is, so reduced viral load is obviously a good thing.

@hamstersarse

I’m just amazed people are still wearing them at all.

Why are they?

Because I'm CEV, don't know if the vaccine worked and want to protect myself. So yes, still wearing a FFP2 mask Me wearing that makes no difference to anyone elses life so judge away

Because I'm CEV, don't know if the vaccine worked and want to protect myself. So yes, still wearing a FFP2 mask
Me wearing that makes no difference to anyone elses life so judge away

Completely sensible, and this seems to me to be the way forward. Those who are worried for any reason should wear a mask of the correct grade. Those who aren't should revert to business as usual.

Our local Director of Public Health has asked us to all continue to wear them in busy enclosed spaces and on public transport (we are a hot spot). They make a difference; washing hands makes a difference, and ventilation makes a difference. These differences all add up to reduced transmission.

Personally, I'm not judging but I choose not to wear one to and to avoid crowds.

@MurielSpriggs

Because I'm CEV, don't know if the vaccine worked and want to protect myself. So yes, still wearing a FFP2 mask Me wearing that makes no difference to anyone elses life so judge away

Completely sensible, and this seems to me to be the way forward. Those who are worried for any reason should wear a mask of the correct grade. Those who aren't should revert to business as usual.

so the CEV are protecting the don't cares, and the don't cares are infecting the CEV?

I don't think that is a very good system, though it may be what we currently are faced with.

Ideally we would all be protecting each other, in risky situations indoors.

Otherwise, vulnerable people will effectively be cut off from the rest of society because it isn't safe for them.

Is that how you want it to be?

Masks are highly effective of keeping the tiny droplets on peoples breath from entering the surrounding air. You can see in this video just how much they cut down the vapour, hardly any escapes the mask.

yes, masks are maybe 25% effective if we all use them and with other mitigations, add up to helping a lot?

@MurielSpriggs

Because I'm CEV, don't know if the vaccine worked and want to protect myself. So yes, still wearing a FFP2 mask Me wearing that makes no difference to anyone elses life so judge away

Completely sensible, and this seems to me to be the way forward. Those who are worried for any reason should wear a mask of the correct grade. Those who aren't should revert to business as usual.

I'm at the point where I honestly don't care what others do now, except I will ask people to back up if they're too close. If you don't want to wear a mask it's fine and no issue but I object to people standing breathing on top of me!

[quote 2X4B523P]Masks are highly effective of keeping the tiny droplets on peoples breath from entering the surrounding air. You can see in this video just how much they cut down the vapour, hardly any escapes the mask.

[/quote] I’m really not convinced that my two layers of cotton with a gap at the side as the elastic is loose so it’s not pulling on my piercing is really going to make that much difference!

Hi there @herecomesthsun

The vulnerable protect themselves by wearing a mask of the correct grade. The evidence for the efficacy of this for the wearer is very strong (much stronger than the evidence for the benefits of lower grade masks for preventing spread to others).

There is some residual risk (to all of us) but I'm happy to take it. I'd agree that anyone who wants to reduce risk to themselves as close to zero as possible will need to live a sequestered life.

@Neverrains

They do in many East Asian countries?

This is a bit of a myth. I have lived in a couple of East Asian countries. While some (not all, by any means) people wear them when they have symptoms of a cold, they’re really not worn as standard in indoor or crowded places, for example.

They were very commonly,being worn in Japan, especially in Tokyo, when we visited in summer 2019. I assume it was due to traffic pollution maybe as the city was very busy.

I've been masking up since freedom day. At the start quite a lot of people were wearing them. I went into town earlier today and it's definitely dropped off.

Won't be bothering anymore. Cases are dropping here rapidly, the hospitals aren't overwhelmed, and I've never been convinced about deaths 'with covid' as opposed to 'from covid'. People die from all sorts of things all the time.

I have friends from Japan, and also from Hong Kong.

It's partly for pollution, but it's absolutely also for infection control. It's to protect others - out of courtesy when you're sick.

Japan has some cool masks. I like the ones with built in fans, and I really want the voice translator one.

They even have them for pets in Japan.
www.japantrends.com/animal-face-masks-protecting-health-pets-coronavirus-pandemic/

“ It's to protect others - out of courtesy when you're sick.”

When you’re actually sick, as opposed to all the time including when you’re not ill at all? There is quite a big difference.

I work with lots of people from different south East Asian countries, the blasé and blanket “they all do it over there” comments I have seen on here are far from accurate.

During the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic - when people can be unknowingly infectious, even the dogs and cats mask up...

a little while after the Covid-19 epidemic hit Japan, products like the Nyanmen Cat Face Shield appeared in the market – and can be bought globally via Japan Trend Shop. Pretty simple in its concept — i.e., a (now) standard transparent face shield but smaller and with a strap to fit the cat’s neck — it promises to protect your feline roommate from the coronavirus

The Wan-chan Dog Face Mask (also available for international delivery at Japan Trend Shop) comes in two models for dogs with short or long muzzles and in three sizes (small, medium, and large). These washable cloth masks will fit most small, medium, or biggish dogs and protect them from airborne particles, bacteria included.

I mean, you can find all sorts of shit available for sale on the internet. Doesn’t mean anyone buys it.