Maybe I'm utterly selfish then as I see the mask issue slightly differently.
I see both benefits and drawbacks.
If a person puts on a mask incorrectly or doesn't sanitise their hands before doing so - ie goes to SM, touches trolley handle or anything outside of shop and then puts mask on after touching mask body, they can potentially infect themselves. Or at school the kids takes off the mask and stores it incorrectly in their bag/pocket before wearing it again etc.
If a person constantly touches and readjusts a mask by the mask area while wearing it, the person may then contaminate any area they touch.
If a person takes off a mask incorrectly and doesn't sanitise their hands before doing anything else, they can contaminate any thing they touch and potentially infect themselves.
People (IMO - and in general) who wear masks appear less likely to distance.
I'm not sure those points make me self-obsessed, ignorant or a peddler of fake news.
So it's a balance. I would guess that the science is saying that on balance the pros outweigh the cons - but they didn't see it that way initially (or maybe they did, but the gov ignored that advice maybe as we didn't have enough PPE?). But as wearing a mask does not do me any harm and may have benefits to others, then I'll do as the gov says.
Agree with @BobTheGardener, but it is only one part of the strategy: HANDS, FACE SPACE. If the other parts are ignored then the benefits largely disappear. @steveTu is also correct, but maybe over thinking a bit ???
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
I'm interested to see how Morrisons are going to enforce the wearing of masks. They've always had a wear your mask rule. They handed masks out to people on the first lockdown but the people who were 'exempt' simply said 'we're exempt' and were let in. Ask at customer services for a lanyard to excuse you from wearing a mask and you got one,no questions asked. When they noticed the world and his wife were asking for the lanyards they took them away for a while then asked you to fill in a form then they gave you one.
We were told that it was company policy not to ask people why they weren't wearing a mask but to serve them regardless.
People who wore masks would take them off once at the checkout,specially on self scan,complaining of being unable to breathe.
Well done to Morrisons if,and it's a big if, they are now going to enforce the mask wearing. They didn't do it while i was there no matter how much i said it was unsafe.
Personally, i don't think they can or will succeed,they're more interested in playing to the public's feeling to increase their sales.
My routine is to always wear my mask (mandatory here to enter any shop or supermarket) When I go to the supermarket I always use the sanitiser by plastering my hands with it then rubbing my hands all over the trolley handles then grab some more sanitser on my hands and rub that in well and do the same on the way out. When I've loaded everything in the car and I'm sitting at the wheel I use my own sanitiser before proceeding. When I arrive home I get the fairy liquid ( other brands available) out and give my hands a good wash. I know it may be a bit excessive but it works for me.
When this all started I used to get some strange looks standing in Waitrose car park with a bucket, bottle of water, fairy liquid and a towel washing my hands lol.. just couldn't get sanitiser at the time.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
@Loxley Don't worry - I'm not about to get hung up on Boris's exercise regime. There is really nothing new on the "Don't do as I do - Do as I say ". Just seems a tad stupid to set an explicit mileage limit ( as per Tier 4 ) and then not keep to it yourself. Bike or car makes no difference - travelling beyond the "accepted" mileage and risking the ire of a Police Officer and possible fines applies to everyone - fluffy blonde or not
Unfortunately it does not. Johnson sanctioned his mate... what was his name ... Ah.. yes that's it Dominic something or other to jolly off to a castle to test his eyesight.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
Can somebody help me out, please, because I still haven’t grasped the rationale behind the advice on mask wearing.
Here I am not talking about wearing one outside the house - I do that fastidiously, except I am almost completely isolating now. What still baffles me are the frequent postings about the follies of touching the mask and the need to remove it using the ear straps and then to sanitise it after use.
Scenario One: I have the virus but don’t realise it. If so, touching the mask makes no difference to me because I am already infected. Of course the mask might reduce my chances of spreading the disease but I am not talking about wearing a mask, I totally accept that, but rather about the protocols regarding adjusting, removing and sanitising it.
I can see the argument might be that if an infected person touches his or her saturated mask then the fingers will be a bed of viruses. You touch a door handle or card payment keys and the person after you cops it. Unfortunately the rational approach here is not to wear a mask at all because it could do more harm than good.
Scenario Two: I don’t have the virus but I am in an environment where those around me might have it. The mask helps prevent me from inhaling infected droplets so, again, wear the mask. But how does touching the mask aggravate the situation? Aren’t those infected droplets equally likely to land on my face, my hair, my glasses, my coat etc. Am I not to touch those either? Am I to disinfect my coat as soon as I get home? As I say, I really don’t go out at all now since the more virulent strain was identified but when I did go out there was almost always a gap of at least a week between outings. I thought the virus died after about three days so why the extra need to steam the mask or run it through the washing machine? Nobody steam cleans their hands after they get home!
So, can somebody kindly point out to me where my commentary is flawed? I’m sure it is because the advice is constantly iterated but I want to understand it.
Scenario 1: Your fingers become a secondary source of infection but your breath is still the primary source. So it is rational to wear the mask, you are limiting the primary source and are doing more good than harm. Remember also that the mantra is Hands, Face, Space so you will be applying sanitiser/washing your hands as often as necessary.
Scenario2: You might not be steam cleaning your hands but see scenario1 - sanitising/washing them often. Advice has always been to try to avoid touching your face as much as possible, mask or not, as that is where the virus enters - mouth, nose, eyes. As for cleaning the mask - well it will be contaminated by lots of other nasties as well as coronavirus, some of which survive longer than 3 days so it is sensible to clean it as soon as possible.
The possibility of infection from surfaces may be much less than has been estimated. A report in the Lancet from July 2020 comments that many studies so far have used much higher concentrations of virus in tests than would occur in real world exposure giving longer survival times (several days) and thus greater opportunity for infection. The Lancet report suggested that the window for infection for real world droplet concentration may only be an hour or two on normal surfaces. But why take the chance? Just do the Hands, Face, Space thing.
Thanks for your comments @steephill but I think you’re just making a case for mask wearing which I have no qualms about. My question was about the perils of touching the mask and the need to sanitise it so religiously. You comment that a mask might be infected with all sorts of unpleasant things besides Covid so wash it. But I have spent nearly 70 years of my life without any mask protection at all inhaling whatever might be in the air and coped perfectly well.
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'Dead Cat' strategy'
@steveTu is also correct, but maybe over thinking a bit ???
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
When I arrive home I get the fairy liquid ( other brands available) out and give my hands a good wash.
I know it may be a bit excessive but it works for me.
When this all started I used to get some strange looks standing in Waitrose car park with a bucket, bottle of water, fairy liquid and a towel washing my hands lol.. just couldn't get sanitiser at the time.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
Here I am not talking about wearing one outside the house - I do that fastidiously, except I am almost completely isolating now. What still baffles me are the frequent postings about the follies of touching the mask and the need to remove it using the ear straps and then to sanitise it after use.
Scenario One: I have the virus but don’t realise it. If so, touching the mask makes no difference to me because I am already infected. Of course the mask might reduce my chances of spreading the disease but I am not talking about wearing a mask, I totally accept that, but rather about the protocols regarding adjusting, removing and sanitising it.
I can see the argument might be that if an infected person touches his or her saturated mask then the fingers will be a bed of viruses. You touch a door handle or card payment keys and the person after you cops it. Unfortunately the rational approach here is not to wear a mask at all because it could do more harm than good.
Scenario Two: I don’t have the virus but I am in an environment where those around me might have it. The mask helps prevent me from inhaling infected droplets so, again, wear the mask. But how does touching the mask aggravate the situation? Aren’t those infected droplets equally likely to land on my face, my hair, my glasses, my coat etc. Am I not to touch those either? Am I to disinfect my coat as soon as I get home? As I say, I really don’t go out at all now since the more virulent strain was identified but when I did go out there was almost always a gap of at least a week between outings. I thought the virus died after about three days so why the extra need to steam the mask or run it through the washing machine? Nobody steam cleans their hands after they get home!
So, can somebody kindly point out to me where my commentary is flawed? I’m sure it is because the advice is constantly iterated but I want to understand it.
the benefits for the wearer are much less obvious.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border