Has the Scottish Govt produced any evidence of the effectiveness of face-coverings?

[Seeingadistance]

I do not believe that face-coverings make the slightest bit of difference to the spread of Covid 19. But, I am legally obliged to wear something - anything - over my mouth and nose wherever the Scottish Government decides I should.

I've had a look at the coverage of last week's announcement that face-coverings are to stay for a while longer, but the only reason I could see being given was that it would be "prudent"!

Can anyone here point me to an evidential basis for the Scottish Government's decision?

Yesterday I had a lovely wander round Asda sans mask - exchanging conspiratorial glances with others who had the audacity to expose their face to the world.

Pah, evidence? Who needs evidence??

Do as Mammy Nicola tells you, there's a good girl.

Why does the Government need to 'produce' evidence to support any of their policies? The scientific community produce the evidence, and the Government act on the advice based on such evidence.

There is an abundance of evidence that masks work. Just as there is evidence that vaccines work, and anti-viral drugs work. But surely you don't expect the government to commission their own novel study to prove what the scientific community already knows?

A nice summary of the evidence:
Facemasks: What the data say

Also you do realise that most countries required people to wear masks at some point during the pandemic, don't you? Including the UK government.

Or is it only the Scottish government's policy that you think needs to produce its own novel evidence to support it?

There is lots of evidence out there to support face masks do work

Currently it is estimated that 1:14 people in Scotland have Covid. 1:20 in massless England. Does anyone seriously think that wearing face masks is helping? How much worse do they think things will get? If it was a dangerous strain then I’m all for face masks, but the current lengths gone to to try to prevent people from getting a mild cold is utterly ridiculous.

Not that I have seen
Heard Swinbot on the radio this week
He was asked about evidence and he just said they thought face masks would help
Fuckwit

Medical grade masks may reduce spread. Dirty fabric rags - not so much, but don't cost the SG anything.

Or blue disposables like the ones I have and which live in my handbag for weeks to be used only briefly on trips into the supermarket.

In a word no, there isn’t any. Masks and vaccines really shouldn’t be put in the same bracket and it does vaccines (hugely beneficial effect in keeping deaths/serious illness down in the vulnerable) a serious disservice. Real world use for most of us (reusing poorly fitting cloth or paper masks) makes such a tiny difference it becomes almost negligible with highly infectious strains like omicron. Even ‘proper’ masks like some European countries mandated have done sweet FA to stop spread this time around with large spikes almost everywhere. A recent large peer reviewed study showed essentially no difference with all these various measures.

They’ve all but admitted that masks remaining is symbolic, to remind people of the pandemic and hope it alters their behaviour accordingly. The current spike, happening despite masks remember, will peak (probably in weeks as susceptible people run out) and masks will have fuck all to do with it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nicola tries to claim it was her ‘prudence’ that did it though, and a fraction will lap that up.

Yesterday I had a lovely wander round Asda sans mask - exchanging conspiratorial glances with others who had the audacity to expose their face to the world

I'm so bored with the daring mnetters who don't wear a mask for one visit to the shops and then can't wait to tell everyone on scotsnet.

No one gives a rats arse. So save your conspiratorial glances at other non mask wearer, no one is actually noticing you and your big brave walk round asda.

They do not have any evidence that they work, because there is none and it’s now generally accepted that they do not affect anything. The recent study in The Lancet showed that none of the restrictions in fact made any difference.

And hello, @ssd! 😃

@ssd

Yesterday I had a lovely wander round Asda sans mask - exchanging conspiratorial glances with others who had the audacity to expose their face to the world

I'm so bored with the daring mnetters who don't wear a mask for one visit to the shops and then can't wait to tell everyone on scotsnet.

No one gives a rats arse. So save your conspiratorial glances at other non mask wearer, no one is actually noticing you and your big brave walk round asda.

Me too. Ffs. Some people don't know they're born.

I have covid atm. Wearing masks didn’t keep me ‘safe.’

Though I am perfectly ‘safe.’

The government may not , but I understand there are a raft of peer reviewed scientific papers showing the effectiveness of masks against covid , including ones in "real world" conditions

I hate masks , I can't see ( glasses ) or hear. ( lip read a lot ) with them but I still use them

The blue disposable ones literally say on the box that they offer no protection against Covid-19. We're in Emperor's New Clothes territory.

Well said @ssd

@ssd

Yesterday I had a lovely wander round Asda sans mask - exchanging conspiratorial glances with others who had the audacity to expose their face to the world

I'm so bored with the daring mnetters who don't wear a mask for one visit to the shops and then can't wait to tell everyone on scotsnet.

No one gives a rats arse. So save your conspiratorial glances at other non mask wearer, no one is actually noticing you and your big brave walk round asda.

Quite.

Well said ssd.
Not wearing a mask doesn't make you edgy or a rebel and boasting about it just makes you look like a tit.

[quote orzoisorange]"There is very good evidence that face masks in the general population don't help us..."
twitter.com/FreedomPodcast1/status/1505480961051537411

"Face masks are not a good idea for the average member of the public..."
twitter.com/FreedomPodcast1/status/1505489292851920900[/quote]
Freedom Podcast?

Okayyyyy

I prefer science myself. If you Google "The Lancet" and "efficacy of face masks and other mitigations" you'll find many articles (peer-reviewed and science based) exposing the lies perpetrated in the pits of the internet by thick conspiracy theorists like those behind the "freedom podcast" (you do know the Freedom Podcast has some fringe lunatic religious crackpot behind it right?)

Apologies to those I provoked into giving a rat’s arse about my enjoyment of a maskless stroll round a supermarket for the first time in almost 2 years. You’re right - those wouldn’t have been conspiratorial glances, just the novelty of seeing a fellow shopper’s face.

And to those who don’t think it matters whether there’s evidence that this is necessary - if we are being required, by law, to do or not to do something so basic as expose our faces to each other, then it does very much matter!

@Malteser71

I have covid atm. Wearing masks didn’t keep me ‘safe.’

Though I am perfectly ‘safe.’

Me too. Have narrowed down where I caught it to either 2 bus rides in Edinburgh last week (bus quiet, everyone wearing masks) or my shift in the charity shop the following day where we all wear masks. Although 2 of my colleagues wear cloth ones.

I do think that Sturgeon is keeping masks as a reminder that there is still covid around rather than out of any belief they make a blind bit of difference. And so that she can make a big statement that she's getting rid of them, just before the May council elections.

@PAFMO, what does it matter who posted this link to Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Jason Leitch telling us face masks don't work?

Here is the exact same video posted by the Scotland Tonight Twitter page, the programme it first appeared on.

Do you have an issue with it this time?
twitter.com/ScotlandTonight/status/1245793603269668866

And here is precisely the same video of Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries that I linked to, posted by Good Morning Britain rather than Freedom Podcast.
twitter.com/GMB/status/1253243963701694465