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Conflicting advice - masks

HSSS said:
This is exactly why they are useful and why homemade masks still offer protection - to people around the wearer who may be a or pre symptomatic but still able to spread it. No shortages using home made ones either.
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yes.
Youtube is now swarming with DIY mask making tutorials, and there are plenty of articles and discussions showing that even just 2 layers of Tshirt or pillowcase material makes a significant difference.

I particularly like the tutorial using a cotton handkerchief and elastic bands. No sewing, glueing or other phaff.


Anyone able to source meltblown BFE99, N95 or N99polypropylene cloth (clue: ebay is your friend) can easily add filters that work down to 1 or 2 microns.

just sayin’

haven’t actually started the Brunneria Mask Production Line yet, but have got as far as wondering where Mr B hid those monogrammed hankies he was given by his brother as a joke back in 2008...

Ed. for typo
 
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HSSS said:
This is exactly why they are useful and why homemade masks still offer protection - to people around the wearer who may be a or pre symptomatic but still able to spread it. No shortages using home made ones either.
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I'm wondering if a goldfish bowl over the head may do the trick!!!

I'm pretty sure protecting the eyes in some way would help as well.
 
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I have a clear full face visor (from b&q last year I would add : not medical nor bought during this panic) that I wore shopping this week. I felt simultaneously quite a plonker and safer. This was paired with a natty headscarf around the edges and base creating my own bubble. It kept my hands off my face too. I’m also hoping it hid my identity. It may not stop all airborne droplets lurking but it stopped some of them and any being projected my way.

Surprisingly I got nothing like the looks I expected other than from my mortified teenagers. Gloves were disposed of safely (oh how i hate using disposable plastics) on leaving the store, hands sanitised then mask, hands and scarf washed in hot soapy dettol water as soon as I returned home.

There were a lot of people with self fashioned face coverings/ medical masks and gloves. There were a lot treating it as a normal shopping trip paying no heed to 2m distance either. I’m sticking to cash and carry store as much as possible. Less choice but far fewer humans to encounter.
 

This has my vote for Post of Day. No, Post of the Week.
I feel it is very important that you post a pic of your full regalia, so that we can all look and learn.
 
Brunneria said:
This has my vote for Post of Day. No, Post of the Week.
I feel it is very important that you post a pic of your full regalia, so that we can all look and learn.
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I agree.

" I’m also hoping it hid my identity."

That cheered me up no end!

I really now want to visit Sainsbury looking like Dustin Hoffman in Outbreak!
 
Have you been mis-sold PPE?



Thought I’d get husbeast to take the air filter off his big V-Twin and make me one of these...

 
I like the picture of the lady with the vegan mask.
The Tesco bags are all being used by nurses and doctors so good luck in getting one of those.
 
Oh and what ever you may use masks gloves or what ever you must be sure to dispose of your fomites properly.
 
Max68 said:
I really now want to visit Sainsbury looking like Dustin Hoffman in Outbreak!
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That’s surprisingly close to the look I sported. I will need to locate my emergency rain Mac and wellies to finish the ensemble.

I will also be looking out for my pic on these montages in future. In order not to give unfair advantage to forum members with second hand pics I’ll decline to post the selfie I did I deed take to memorialise the moment.
 
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If I do go out in the near future I think I may wear my shemagh tactical style and hope not to get mistaken for either a terrorist or member of the SAS.
 
JohnEGreen said:
If I do go out in the near future I think I may wear my shemagh tactical style and hope not to get mistaken for either a terrorist or member of the SAS.
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I’ve got a few of those knocking about, essential biker wear! Mine are all purple though
 
Perhaps burka wearers had the right idea all along. But how will banks know when they are being held up?

From NEJM Journal Watch:

"COVID-19 Update: Ineffective Surgical Masks / WHO Guidance on Masks
By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

Surgical and cotton face masks appear ineffective for blocking SARS-CoV-2 when COVID-19 patients cough, according to a small study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Four patients with COVID-19 in South Korea coughed onto petri dishes about 20 cm (8 inches) away while not wearing a mask, then wearing a surgical mask, then a cotton mask, and then no mask again. Researchers measured viral load in the petri dishes and also from swabs taken from the outside and inside of the masks.

For three patients, the petri dishes had detectable virus when surgical masks were worn, and for two patients, petri dishes were also positive when cotton masks were worn. Additionally, for all patients, the outer surface of both masks was positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the inner surface didn't always have detectable virus).

In related news, the World Health Organization has issued new guidance on using face masks during COVID-19. The group emphasizes that "the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, and other measures should also be adopted," such as hand hygiene and physical distancing. The WHO notes that medical masks should be reserved for healthcare workers and for people with symptoms, as well as caregivers in the same room as an infected person. It also offers advice on safe mask removal: untie it from behind (don't touch the front) and wash your hands immediately after disposal."
 
By those results what possible use would the mask be to a healthcare worker that would not apply to you or I.
 
JohnEGreen said:
That's good but when this is all over just don't try doing it in a bank.
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It would have to be over two years ago since I went into a bricks and mortar branch of my bank where we shop, it was closed down along with the main branch in the cbd. I believe the only branch still open id in the other main shopping centre near the cbd.

Plenty of their Redi ATM's with no bank fees about though.
 
There seems to be an interesting double standard about wearing masks. Making sure the right people get masks is critical, I get that, I'm not a moron . . . . usually. When we were told wash your hands more often, we did that, not a murmur, when we were told to keep 6ft away from others, no problem for most of us. Wear a mask? The great debate started.

Last night I heard someone saying that a recent study by the University of East Anglia has stated that wearing masks isn't necessary. You can read the report at https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/-/face-masks-could-protect-vulnerable-people-against-coronavirus. They admit that they haven't tried it with Covid 19 and I wonder if the size of the virus makes a difference, in which case it's bigger than Ebola when everyone was told to wear a mask. I'll quote part of it:

“People who wore masks, usually surgical grade, were less likely to get respiratory symptoms from casual exposure in the community. Something like a sneeze or cough near you would become less likely to cause infection. It’s a small reduction in risk, but might be very important to especially vulnerable people.


“Wearing masks at home also seemed to reduce the odds of well housemates become ill. The risk reduction was greatest, a 19 per cent reduction, if both an ill person and their well contacts wore masks.

It goes onto say:

'it is difficult to wear masks correctly for many hours over many days. They can be uncomfortable, hot, cause skin reactions or simply feel anti-social. Masks also need to be disposed of correctly to prevent transmission.

“And of course, wearing a mask interferes with things like sleep, eating and brushing teeth. It’s impossible to keep them on all the time.

All of which are probably true but it's almost as if they don't want you to wear a mask. If there is a possibility that my chances of spreading or getting the virus are in any way reduced by wearing a mask, and there are several other papers saying exactly that, including one from Wuhan, the I'll just have to look a berk and wear a mask. I have to do a shop once a week, and I go at 07:00 when it's relatively quiet, but surprised that the staff have been told they CAN'T wear a mask. I'm not happy about that and may have to choose a supermarket wear they do have masks and shields around the tills.
 
And of course it is necessary to consider viral load the higher the viral load you are exposed to the worse the situation is I will continue to wear mask and gloves no matter how marginal the benefit of that is, it's still better than no mask or gloves just ask the people at the sharp end of the NHS whether they need PPE or not.
 
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