Push for masks to be reintroduced

[GerardusMercator]

Over the last few days I've noticed a big push in media to get masks back on the agenda. A brief foray into twitter and flick through a few Covid threads here, and I've seen all the old pandemic era versions of 'it's no hardship to mask'/ your selfish if you don't want to mask etc start to creep back in.

How many of you are-

1. Still masking now
2. Will mask if it becomes guidance
3. Will mask if it becomes law
4. Will not mask again under any circumstances

I really struggled with masks and don't believe they make a great deal of difference (covid theatre) so would be somewhere between a 3 and 4.

You're going to have to publish links to these studies if you want anyone to take them seriously btw.

An extremely reluctant and begrudging 3 here.

In fact, I'll be exempt. I have some breathing issues anyway, and find masks extremely difficult to breathe through. I'll use my exemption if it ever becomes mandatory again to wear a mask.

Mask police can bugger off too.

@SirMingeALot …Or that England had mask laws at the time we had a huge Omicron wave this time last year, actually. It's not a matter of opinion that China has mask laws and spiralling covid rates at present…

It’s unlikely to be a coincidence that our huge Omicron wave coincided with all our kids being at school together with no mitigation measures (in primary schools) and before vaccines were available for children.

Omicron spread through my DCs school very quickly last January. A couple had tested positive on the Monday (parents mentioned in class WhatsApp group) and pretty much everyone else in the year had tested positive and was off school by the end of the week.

scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?q=mask+effectiveness+covid&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart#d=gs_qabs&t=1673030734435&u=%23p%3DFCkOYgWysKcJ

A link to google scholar isn't cutting it either.

Tell you what. Find me a study that demonstrates efficacy of masks in real life (not lab) for omicron and then we can have a proper discussion.

Just one

I mean a quick Google search has given me - well all - news articles/science articles saying they provide protection. So it’s clearly the ‘niche’ fringe science that’s saying otherwise….favoured by the conspiracy types.

Just point me to the one study that indicates what I've specified above.

Nope you scroll across Google scholar and there’s about 10 studies…

The real life data comparing rates under mask mandates and without is pretty clear, in fairness.

Link one here, that's all I'm asking

Interestingly, Omicron waves have also taken place in areas where children were masked in schools. New York, for example. China did used to be the example of the sort of restriction needed to prevent it from spreading through the population like wildfire, ie a lot more than mask laws and restrictions in schools, but we don't even have that now.

I’ve got other things to think about than being a judgemental twat

The absolute irony.

The amount of twatty judgment levelled at those not wearing masks - including those who were exempt for very good reasons - when they were mandatory was eye watering.

As was the abuse, the threats and even physical attacks, all of which were no doubt carried out by lovely non judgemental people who care about the wellbeing of the vulnerable. And many of whom will have been encouraged to be twats by articles like this one.

Have a look at this thread, from one if the researchers specialising in covid etc… (she has written many research articles on it).
you’ll find plenty if references on studies done in real situation.

Link here

However, I’d like to point out that IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE VIRUS IS when you talk about masks. Whether it’s omicron or delta, the efficiency will be the same because it physically stops the virus. Unlike vaccines that are more specific. That’s also why masks also fir the flu, RSV and a number if other viruses.

However, I’d like to point out that IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE VIRUS IS when you talk about masks. Whether it’s omicron or delta, the efficiency will be the same because it physically stops the virus.

Nope, that's not true. Some strains are more easily transmitted than others and therefore better able to be contained by masks.

im cooking dinner so will look at the thread later. I do note, however, the first example is extremely partisan. There are many counter examples that show a completely different story. So it's not filling me with confidence , but I will look at it in more detail.

I mean why would every doctors surgery, health centre, newspaper article, pharmacy etc etc across the land advise you that they provide protection if they dont!! Or if the consensus of scientific advice said otherwise. Oh hang on because it’s all a big conspiracy….

No, not because it's a conspiracy theory and that is such a weak way to dismiss people pretending that ooh you believe in conspiracy theories and think the earth is flat.

People changed during the pandemic. I'll be kind and say fear did that but whatever, people changed. They latched onto masks as being this magical talisman that could keep them "safe". Lots of people, like yourself, are unwilling to let get of that. In addition it is very visible to others to be seen in a mask. It says look I'm doing something, I am keeping you SAFE 🙄 That's why it persists.

Yes yes, conspiracy theorist. We're all racist as well, sure. What's next on the bingo card

I mean why would every doctors surgery, health centre, newspaper article, pharmacy etc etc across the land advise you that they provide protection if they dont!!

First of all that isn't true and second of all, wanting to feel like they're doing something or being seen to do something have obviously been important drivers in the pandemic.

Is that very hard to process? I wouldn't have thought so.

I agree that the immediate visibility of masks has been key to their popularity. They so obviously speak to 'doing something', even if that 'something' is pointless.

Apparently they don't have any real effect. I didn't wear them the first time unless the shops refused to let me in without one, and I never got Covid.

I remember being told on here to suck up the mask wear as it was only for Covid and only temporary i remember people being told they were conspiracy theorists when they said they would try to bring masks back a. every winter and b. for flu.

It was only in the news yesterday that labour were wanting much more restrictions

Again? So im guessing it will follow the same trajectory as last time and a while afterwards they will gaslight and deny it again like last time. Cunts.

I’m certainly not a natural rebel and am generally very compliant and law abiding. I went along quite happily with the original edicts about Covid because, within reason, I trusted what the government told me, that the experts were doing their best and I assumed they generally knew what they were doing. I accepted that we were all on a steep learning curve as we had never experienced a crisis like the pandemic in modern times and that the reports coming out of China were actually terrifying.

However, after the initial panic and overreaction - and I include myself in this - common sense starts to kick in and you start asking yourself questions because some things don’t appear to make sense. For example why, despite lockdown, was my neighbour who flies executive jets busier than ever transporting the great and good to sunny destinations to meet other great and goods? Why politicians/advisors who were telling us how this was the biggest threat we have faced since WW2 were still visiting their second homes whilst the rest of us couldn’t visit dying relatives? Why BJ, Whitty, Vallence et al all walked into the daily update presentations right behind each other, yet stood 2 metres apart at their lecturns? Why it was ok to visit your mistress - without even wearing a mask - and I assume do what consenting adults do but two women get fined for having a coffee on a park bench? And then we find out whilst telling us we couldn’t meet up for Christmas with our loved ones, they were getting pi$$ed in their offices! The fact the Great Barrington Declaration (that was compiled by other experts) and was a potential way out of this mess was deliberately squashed and discredited - not because it was wrong, because it didn’t suit the government narrative - admitted fully by the way by Matt Hancock! I could go on and on.

And now people wonder why I personally don’t trust government statistics on masks, infection rates, vaccine success etc etc. Because they’ve lied and lied and lied. Nothing to do with New Work Order, The Great Reset, micro chips in our bodies and all that claptrap. Simply because of greed. Our world wide politicians hijacked Covid, made it political and exploited it for power and juicy fat contracts and they’re no doubt laughing at what gullible mugs the public are. All they need to do is when public concern starts to wane is crank up the fear and potential of a new variant and off we go again!

That sort of decision should NEVER be a political decision. But a H&S one.

I mean if one has no issue getting covid, so be it.
But to accept covid just now means overwhelming an overstretched NHS, one that has been decimated by the Tories. And that means people die.
They die in ambulances. They die due to the lack of access to care/treatment.

I mean if you want to make a political choice against Labour to potentially see a family members dying in A&E etc… so be it.But I’m pretty sure you’d be devastated if someone close died and you knew they could have been saved if a bed had been available.