Covid and Work, Covid Advice and General Chat

[Fairygodmother]

There are serious rumbles from the NEU.

https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/close-schools-national-lockdown

 

[Yellredder]

I’m in a college in a Tier 3. Covid’s rife and I feel unsafe. Visually we look like we’re doing everything we should - but there’s precious little communication about whether you’ve come into contact with someone who’s positive, no isolating, no deep cleans. As part of my job I go into the local community and I’ve been to places where you’d struggle to realise that Covid has actually happened. I can’t understand why my local Tier 1 college has taken PHE advice to do virtual open events, yet our Principal insists on us having face to face open events. Most of us are resigned to getting it at some point. Only one from my small team has thus far.

 

[Max68]

If they do impose a 'lockdown' in England it won't work because the schools and universities etc will still be open.

I notice Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are not included.

The press thingy has been moved to 5pm.

Once again we are denied the data of where infections are occurring. When were shops and restaurants allowed to open again? June wasn't it, I might be wrong? So that's four months. Schools, Colleges and Universities opened properly again in September and infections have been rising since mid/late September. Maybe a lockdown without including schools and colleges but still showing a high rate of infections might wake the government up!

 

[hankjam]

<snipped>

The press thingy has been moved to 5pm.

and that seems to have passed without an appearence of the PM......

 

[Robinredbreast]

Looks like the Covid briefing will not be at 4, or 5pm, but probably after 6pm. Talks happening now on the BBC says a lock down could be on Thursday for a month, lets wait and see.....................

 

[Robinredbreast]

and that seems to have passed without an appearence of the PM......

They are probably still have a big discussion on what to do and when to do it, if I could be a fly on those walls

 

[Member496333]

They are probably still have a big discussion on what to do and when to do it, if I could be a fly on those walls

Or they're still waiting for the script writer to finish up. Sorry, I mean the speech writer.

 

[hankjam]

This shows some interesting trends. I live in NE Fife, part of Fife, which is a quite diverse county...
Compared to others in the Central belt...

https://covid19.scottishtecharmy.org/

 

[HSSS]

In other news, whilst on errands today I saw a lady wearing an ingenious face mask/visor or whatever you want to call it.

Being transparent, facial expressions are clear, and the item itself is quite vaulted, for comfort. Apparently, if one wears glasses, they don't steam up, whilst sporting this.

The lady wearing it works with deaf children, and finds, for obvious reasons, they can still lipread through it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/XINMINGREN-Face_Shields-Transparent_Face_Mask-Face_Shield-Lightweight/dp/B08KR9BMXJ/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=clear+face+shield+visor+XINMINGREN&qid=1604154087&sr=8-10&th=1

Isn’t this defeating the purpose of containing the exhaled breath? The spacers that hold it away from the face and prevent glasses steaming up also allow air to exit and enter. It might work for droplets but not aerosols. Much the same as visors.

 

[Jbicheno]

They are probably still have a big discussion on what to do and when to do it, if I could be a fly on those walls

I reckon they were waiting for the England v Italy rugby game to finish.

 

[Tannith]

@Tannith you seem to have the impression that all people who do not wear masks are doing it on purpose or to be selfish however you need to accept that not everyone can wear them - my friend has COPD and wore one to her local shop but her breathing was so bad by the time she got there that the shop staff told her to take it off - she now has a Lanyard. My sister has asthma and tries to wear a mask but finds that, sometimes, she can’t. She doesn’t have a lanyard so may come across as not wearing one for selfish reasons. I don’t like wearing them but do so where I have to but not when it’s my choice whether to or not.

I know that only too well. I have COPD myself, and struggle to breathe if I wear a mask for more than a few minutes. I have to reduce my level of movement in order to get enough air. But I still wear one if I have to go outside the house eg to post a letter.

 

[DCUKMod]

Isn’t this defeating the purpose of containing the exhaled breath? The spacers that hold it away from the face and prevent glasses steaming up also allow air to exit and enter. It might work for droplets but not aerosols. Much the same as visors.

It's not my place to police how or what people choose to use as their face covering, however, there could be a school of thought suggesting that at least some of those electing to use such as those could otherwise be in the group declaring themselves exempt. Indeed, the lady wearing the thing suggested her mother lives with COPD and finds more usual masks too restrictive on her already laboured breathing, but finds she can tolerate those acrylic masks for her already very limited period outdoors and shopping.

Life is full of compromises, and whilst I, and others, may choose differently, I feel it is important people have the right to choose, based on the same evidence as the rest of us, what steps they take.

For the avoidance of doubt, I do wear facemasks when in enclosed environments and respect others' space, but if I see behaviour that wouldn't be to my choosing, I avoid that person, or environment.

 

[HSSS]

It's not my place to police how or what people choose to use as their face covering, however, there could be a school of thought suggesting that at least some of those electing to use such as those could otherwise be in the group declaring themselves exempt. Indeed, the lady wearing the thing suggested her mother lives with COPD and finds more usual masks too restrictive on her already laboured breathing, but finds she can tolerate those acrylic masks for her already very limited period outdoors and shopping.

Life is full of compromises, and whilst I, and others, may choose differently, I feel it is important people have the right to choose, based on the same evidence as the rest of us, what steps they take.

For the avoidance of doubt, I do wear facemasks when in enclosed environments and respect others' space, but if I see behaviour that wouldn't be to my choosing, I avoid that person, or environment.

Also for the avoidance of doubt I wasn’t policing people’s choices either. I was simply pointing out it’s limitations. Agreed a mask like this or a visor is an alternative, for those genuinely unable to wear a more fitted or cloth mask, which at least offers some protection. My mother is one who cannot wear a mask for more than a few minutes but does wear a visor if she has the rare need to be in such a place for longer.

 

[Fairygodmother]

I fear I’ve mutated and become a worn, elderly, vulnerable, old fashioned record about masks. They’re to protect others. I’ve not seen my friend who finds wearing one difficult since early February. I really wouldn’t be able to work in a place where masks aren’t mandatory now. It’s very very sad.

 

[Jbicheno]

Some masks do offer protection to the wearer. FFP2, FFP3 and N19. However, these are single use and are not recommended for more than 8 hours so would be expensive.
Even after an O H report and having contacted my employer and Union the silence is deafening. I’m not sure where I stand now, a new personal risk assessment was requested by O H for me from my employer but I haven’t received one or had any communication. I’m due to return to work tomorrow. I’ve no idea now, what I should do.

 

[Fairygodmother]

Some masks do offer protection to the wearer. FFP2, FFP3 and N19. However, these are single use and are not recommended for more than 8 hours so would be expensive.
Even after an O H report and having contacted my employer and Union the silence is deafening. I’m not sure where I stand now, a new personal risk assessment was requested by O H for me from my employer but I haven’t received one or had any communication. I’m due to return to work tomorrow. I’ve no idea now, what I should do.

I bought some FFP3 masks that last for five uses and therefore I can quarantine them and use them again. They’re ventilated and I wear a surgical mask over them so that others are protected while I can still breathe easily. I do this if I know I’ll be in an enclosed space where people won’t all be wearing masks properly, or wearing them at all.

 

[Max68]

Some masks do offer protection to the wearer. FFP2, FFP3 and N19. However, these are single use and are not recommended for more than 8 hours so would be expensive.

I did buy 5 of the FFP3 Face Mask (R) , which means reusable, on this site, a couple of months ago but they seem to not be doing them at the moment. So you can get reusable ones, but it did cost me £50 for 5. How long you are meant to wear them for I don't know but it stated until they lost their shape etc.

https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/hygiene-face-mask-ffp3-n95

 

[Fairygodmother]

I did buy 5 of the FFP3 Face Mask (R) , which means reusable, on this site, a couple of months ago but they seem to not be doing them at the moment. So you can get reusable ones, but it did cost me £50 for 5. How long you are meant to wear them for I don't know but it stated until they lost their shape etc.

https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/hygiene-face-mask-ffp3-n95

Mine said for 5 uses, but to be absolutely honest I’ve lost count. I’ve not used them much. They have an outing if I need to go shopping, which I didn’t during the last lockdown. I’ll use them in the next couple of days when we stock up on one or two things, like chocolate and coffee, and veg, if there’s any left on the shelves.
Our younger daughter’s hoping she’ll be able to work online, but no word about it yet. Our son-in-law and our older daughter have no option but to go to work, in schools. Hello anxiety my old friend . . .

 

[ert]

I've had the first injection on the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine trial and have reacted quite badly to it over the last 40 hours. I'm buying an antibody test just to be sure I didn't get the saline, even though my symptoms strongly support I didn't. I get the second injection 3 weeks after the first which early trials support will boost my t-cells. But it does mean, fingers crossed, I will be returning to teaching in the classroom very soon.
https://www.testingforall.org/product/covid-19-home-antibody-test/

 

[Jbicheno]

I did the antibody test a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, I was negative. My son however, was positive. We can pinpoint when he had Covid 19 as it was before lockdown. He lost his sense of taste and smell and that was before it was a symptom. One evening he was sitting next to me eating a roast dinner and said he couldn’t taste a thing or smell his dinner. I thought he had a blocked nose but he didn’t.
Obviously, I didn’t catch it, don’t know how as he was sitting right next to me, living at home, using all the same taps, surfaces etc. I was washing his clothes, clearing his plates etc just normally as we all were before this became a thing.