Coronavirus 2019-2020 thread (no unsubstantiated rumours!)

inside
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

:

“I’m confident that while it may have some impact on readiness, it will not affect our ability to conduct our national security missions both at home and abroad,” he said.


doesn't sound terribly reassuring
 

zgx09t

Junior Member
Registered Member
When you're around someone who is sneezing and coughing, those droplets aren't steering towards your mouth and nose. If you're in range, your eyes are exposed too. You have residue on your skin and clothes that you'll be touching and then when you take off that mask, you're touching your face near your mouth, nose, and eyes more than someone who doesn't have a mask because people are adjusting those masks while wearing them.

I understand where your concerns are coming from.
Of course, a simple face mask is not a substitute for a bio hazmat suit.
It has its own limits and proper use. As long as someone is using it properly within its designed limit, I wouldn't see an issue.
 

AssassinsMace

Lieutenant General
I understand where your concerns are coming from.
Of course, a simple face mask is not a substitute for a bio hazmat suit.
It has its own limits and proper use. As long as someone is using it properly within its designed limit, I wouldn't see an issue.

Well it is an issue because there's a shortage which is affecting healthcare. Healthcare workers are more exposed but they also have others helping them to protect them such as removing exposed protective gear for them. If they get sick, the less of them there are to then help each other. That means the more likely they'll be removing gear on their own thus increasing their exposure. What I've been talking about are the odds. Healthcare workers have higher odds at being exposed. Civilians that just buy masks for themselves and their family just as a precaution, their odds are low. It gets worse if the outbreak gets worse and just wearing masks are not going to help that. Even with asymptotic people, I bet most people that wear masks are going to take it off when they're about to sneeze or cough so their masks aren't doing anything. If people are that scared of exposure, why are they going out in public? The only way a civilian that goes out in public can protect themselves is to wear a hazmat suit and then have someone at home when they get back wearing protective gear while spraying them down with disinfectant and removing their gear and then someone will have to do it for them. Other than that a civilian has virtually the same chances of being exposed as with someone not wearing a mask. Just taking precautions that don't require wearing a mask are better.
 

zgx09t

Junior Member
Registered Member
Well it is an issue because there's a shortage which is affecting healthcare. Healthcare workers are more exposed but they also have others helping them to protect them such as removing exposed protective gear for them. If they get sick, the less of them there are to then help each other. That means the more likely they'll be removing gear on their own thus increasing their exposure. What I've been talking about are the odds. Healthcare workers have higher odds at being exposed. Civilians that just buy masks for themselves and their family just as a precaution, their odds are low. It gets worse if the outbreak gets worse and just wearing masks are not going to help that. Even with asymptotic people, I bet most people that wear masks are going to take it off when they're about to sneeze or cough so their masks aren't doing anything. If people are that scared of exposure, why are they going out in public? The only way a civilian that goes out in public can protect themselves is to wear a hazmat suit and then have someone at home when they get back wearing protective gear while spraying them down with disinfectant and removing their gear and then someone will have to do it for them. Other than that a civilian has virtually the same chances of being exposed as with someone not wearing a mask. Just taking precautions that don't require wearing a mask are better.

I totally agree front line workers and patients in hospitals and sick at home and their families get the priority. Staying at home right now is a very sensible thing to do to flatten the curve.
What I'm trying to say here is practical matters that "if" someone has to use a face mask regardless, not the hypothetical extreme ideal world where everybody has the bio hazmat suit and don't need to go out at all for extended period of time.
With or without face mask, what's reasonable and practical is up to each person's knowledge, judgement and circumstances.
You have to balance out risks and benefits and make a call on the odds. I don't mind people not using masks, at the same time don't take exceptions to those who do ware, especially when they have underlying health issues.

It's a gradient of grey, not black and white.
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
If you bought masks on Amazon and they're being delivered from China to the UK, then it's not Amazon that is the seller.
It's a private 3rd party seller like on Ebay.

I've heard of numerous mask packages arriving fairly quickly from China to the UK recently.
Small Businesses linked to Amazon often store their inventory at Amazon wearhouses. When you order from them Amazon takes these products from storage and transports them.
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
My opinion is that regular people should wear normal masks while N95 masks should be reserved for the frontline health workers.
What has caused problems with Masks is that the US had regulatory walls. The M95 mask is used in construction. As such M95 masks of identical construction and makers were available. However regulations prohibited them from being used by healthcare workers.
 
Last edited:

vincent

Grumpy Old Man
Staff member
Moderator - World Affairs
Well it is an issue because there's a shortage which is affecting healthcare. Healthcare workers are more exposed but they also have others helping them to protect them such as removing exposed protective gear for them. If they get sick, the less of them there are to then help each other. That means the more likely they'll be removing gear on their own thus increasing their exposure.

have you try to donate face masks to a hospital? The most likely case is they will reject your donation because they will only accept certain brand and model. If I have a bunch of masks that are Chinese standard, no hospitals will take them, so me wearing my stash isn’t starving healthcare workers of their masks.
Us civilians have to go out to buy groceries and daily necessities
 
Top