# Face masks



## Buddy Bradley (Mar 12, 2020)

Do you have one? Have you tried to order any? Are there actually any in the country available for the general public? And is there any point?

Amazon's search results seem to suggest that people are buying regular surgical masks, which I wouldn't have thought are effective against viruses, or rip-off/scam bike masks that do nothing either.


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## High Voltage (Mar 12, 2020)

No
No
Maybe
No


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## BigTom (Mar 12, 2020)

Yes. I have a pack of 3 respirator masks I bought about 6 months ago when I had some mould to clean up.

No

I would look in places like B&Q, screwfix, wickes etc. for N95 filtration masks. I wonder if many people will just be looking for the surgical masks and won't think about DIY masks.

There is a point in wearing these - they help stop you touching your face, stop you spreading the illness through coughs/sneezes and if the filters are good enough, reduce your likelyhood of being infected. Obviously not a cure all type thing but seems worth doing at some point, I'm not sure what that point is though. Once we go on lockdown I'll wear a mask if/when I need to go outside. I'm taking them with me to an event this weekend but won't wear them unless govt. starts advising people to do so.


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## quimcunx (Mar 12, 2020)

Our govt downplays their usefulness.  Asian countries advise their use generally.  

My brother, a microbiologist, said last night they probably help a bit but it's academic as they're like hens teeth.


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## Buddy Bradley (Mar 12, 2020)

BigTom said:


> I would look in places like B&Q, screwfix, wickes etc. for N95 filtration masks.


Literally everywhere is out of stock, it seems.


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## 8ball (Mar 12, 2020)

quimcunx said:


> Our govt downplays their usefulness.  Asian countries advice their use generally.
> 
> My brother, a microbiologist, said last night they probably help a bit but it's academic as they're like hens teeth.



Good summing up.
I think a big part of the benefit for a lot of people will just be that it will remind you how often you unconsciously touch your face.


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## JimW (Mar 12, 2020)

I've got one (DIY dust mask type) that I wear when i go out more to look the part than expecting it to protect me as it's been re-used since it started here months back. As I understand the advice it's also more to protect others if you turn out to have it without realising due to being non-symptomatic and it would also help there. Hang it out in the sunshine to refresh when not in use.


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## quimcunx (Mar 12, 2020)

8ball said:


> Good summing up.
> I think a big part of the benefit for a lot of people will just be that it will remind you how often you unconsciously touch your face.



Exactly what he said, that and preventing saliva or mucus droplets.  I wore a DIY one I so happened to have on the tube this morning.  Not pleasant to wear and I avidly avoided eye contact with anyone.


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## BigTom (Mar 12, 2020)

8ball said:


> Good summing up.
> I think a big part of the benefit for a lot of people will just be that it will remind you how often you unconsciously touch your face.



I've never been so aware of little itches and stuff on may face, and how often I touch my face until the last couple of days. I'm fairly well trained from having really bad hay fever and needing to not rub my eyes during grass pollenation season but it's still difficult to notice and stop.


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## rubbershoes (Mar 12, 2020)

Saw someone in London wearing one,windows closed whilst driving with no one else in the car and the


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## Lazy Llama (Mar 12, 2020)

Mrs Llama bought some of these a while back.





						3M™ Aura™ Disposable Respirator 9312+ SP
					






					www.3m.co.uk
				



I've not been out much so haven't worn one in public yet.


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## 8ball (Mar 12, 2020)

So is it common in London for Westerners to be walking about with masks?
Up here I've only seen SE Asians so far.


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## Fruitloop (Mar 12, 2020)

Yeah, I've got an N95 DIY one with replaceable filters (from sanding) and a respro techno from when I used to cycle commute. Have been wearing both on the train 'cos it's a pit of disease at the best of times.

(eta: not at the same time obvs)


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## quimcunx (Mar 12, 2020)

8ball said:


> So is it common in London for Westerners to be walking about with masks?
> Up here I've only seen SE Asians so far.



No.  A handful are it seems.  I saw someone come out of Brixton tube just before I went in this morning.  I felt very conspicuous.  Luckily the tube seems to be getting a little quieter day on day.


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## Yu_Gi_Oh (Mar 12, 2020)

I bought some every time I saw them in South Korea, so we still have... some. Not as many as I'd like, but some. I also got some additional filter papers you can put in to refresh old masks. I'm wearing mine if I go into a shop or something. I feel quite awkward about it, but now is the time to mask up.


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## lizzieloo (Mar 12, 2020)

Don't order any, frontline workers need them more than you


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## Badgers (Mar 12, 2020)

No


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## Marty1 (Mar 12, 2020)

No but am prepared to wear a green fluorescent Altern-8 mask if required


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## mr steev (Mar 13, 2020)

My local Indian supermarket were giving them out free to customers the other day. Not to everyone I noticed. I do shop in there several times a week though.

I've seen 3 people (westerners) wearing masks in Wolverhampton. 2 school girls (separate occasions) and a woman walking round Asda.


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## keybored (Mar 13, 2020)

I've got something like this knocking around but I would rather risk infection that walk around wearing it in public, unless everyone else does first.


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## keybored (Mar 13, 2020)

Screwfix getting tough on touts.


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## Yu_Gi_Oh (Mar 13, 2020)

lizzieloo said:


> Don't order any, frontline workers need them more than you



Are frontline workers allowed to use masks from B&Q or Screwfix? I just ask because at the outbreak of the virus in China, we were trying to source masks overseas to send to frontline workers, and they couldn't accept the type we could source, being as they weren't medical grade.


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## lizzieloo (Mar 13, 2020)

Yu_Gi_Oh said:


> Are frontline workers allowed to use masks from B&Q or Screwfix? I just ask because at the outbreak of the virus in China, we were trying to source masks overseas to send to frontline workers, and they couldn't accept the type we could source, being as they weren't medical grade.



No but it was in the media about the shortage of ppe for frontline health workers in February. 

The stuff sold it screwfix etc is also needed by other folk trying to get on with their jobs. The manufacturers don't just make an endless supply. When I have to go into an old dilapidated building, where pigeons and god knows what else has been living in for years, to do a floorplan, I need a mask.


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## Boudicca (Mar 13, 2020)

I have a couple of pound shop ones in the cupboard somewhere.  

I've been looking for tutorials on how to make your own.  A good one has a 'filter made out of non-woven faric which you can change daily.  









						Make Your Own Fabric Face Mask - Xobon
					






					xobonmag.com
				




There's also an interesting one made out of kitchen paper and tissue which has been tested as 90% effective as a surgcal mask.



I understand that they can't protect from corona, but I do think they could help with this face touching thing.


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## weepiper (Mar 13, 2020)

Haven't seen anyone wearing any mask in Edinburgh so far.


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## Marty1 (Mar 13, 2020)

Only saw one person wearing a face mask and that was when I was delivering to a student campus before the coronavirus started.


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## Reno (Mar 13, 2020)

Considering the general health advice, wouldn't gloves be more useful ? I now use disposable gloves at work, I occasionally have to gather coffee cups and glasses clients use when I have a clean up. I was considering wearing them on public transport but felt self-conscious. In Berlin you have a push a button to open train doors and it's noticeable how many people hold out for someone to touch the button first.


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## lizzieloo (Mar 13, 2020)

You'd need a new pair after every doorknob, button press etc. Better to just wash your hands.


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## wiskey (Mar 13, 2020)

My a&e department has been told there's a 4 week delay on getting new masks.

So far I've only seen Chinese people wearing paper masks out shopping/in the uni library etc.


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## elbows (Mar 13, 2020)

lizzieloo said:


> You'd need a new pair after every doorknob, button press etc. Better to just wash your hands.



Yes. Although a potential advantage of gloves is if they help you to stop touching your face.


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## Reno (Mar 13, 2020)

lizzieloo said:


> You'd need a new pair after every doorknob, button press etc. Better to just wash your hands.


For a commute on public transport, I'd wear one pair for the journey. And as elbows said, you'd be far more conscious about touching your face and other things you may contaminate while wearing rubber gloves.

Just went to my supermarket for a bit of light panic buying (no toilet paper, but non-perishable food and cat food) and all the staff there wore rubber gloves, which I think is sensible.


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## 8ball (Mar 13, 2020)

keybored said:


> I've got something like this knocking around but I would rather risk infection that walk around wearing it in public, unless everyone else does first.
> 
> 
> View attachment 201481



You need the coat as well to complete the look:


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## keybored (Mar 13, 2020)

8ball said:


> You need the coat as well to complete the look:View attachment 201518


Well I've got the hair...


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## chilango (Mar 13, 2020)

A significant rise in the wearing of masks on campus today.

Still seems confined to students from East Asia though.


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## Jackhand (Mar 15, 2020)

Yes.
No.
Maybe.
I bought this type of mask last week, but I am not sure whether it can help to protect myself from the coronavirus, when I go outside.


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## weltweit (Mar 15, 2020)

I still haven't seen face-masks, either in the shops or on people's faces. 

I do live in the sticks though. 

We're hard in them their sticks!!!


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## campanula (Mar 15, 2020)

I have a roll of horticultural fleece and a Darth Vader black plastic thing (left by one of the offspring). Doubt I would wear it to my local Tesco. In truth, my main avoidance tactic seems to be holding my breath whilst I rush around for milk and poking the chip and pin digits with a handy cable knitting needle.
Am considering going feral in Norfolk.


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## Boudicca (Mar 23, 2020)

An inventor  friend of mine has just made this.  Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.


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## Aladdin (Mar 23, 2020)

This is pretty ingenious too.


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## treelover (Mar 23, 2020)

Some chinese shops here are giving them away as their market has largely gone home.


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## tony.c (Mar 23, 2020)




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## Marty1 (Mar 23, 2020)

Wrong thread


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## tony.c (Mar 24, 2020)




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## editor (Apr 7, 2020)

Some good info here:









						What to Know If You're Wearing a Cloth Mask in Public
					

The CDC now recommends “cloth face coverings” to slow the spread of COVID-19. As we’ve discussed before, there are pros and cons to cloth masks, and some organizations are still on the fence about whether it’s worthwhile to convince everyone to wear them. The WHO, for example, has yet to provide...




					vitals.lifehacker.com


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## Sprocket. (Apr 7, 2020)

I asked one of the nurses if it was any advantage in me wearing a face mask. She said it is always good to err on the side of caution, but one of the biggest advantages was they stop you touching your face.


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## muscovyduck (Apr 7, 2020)

People around here have started wearing them, they seem to think it means it's safe to go out and act as normal

Eta: people are selling ones made out of fun patterned material and they don't look like they fit very well or do much.


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## Sprocket. (Apr 7, 2020)

muscovyduck said:


> People around here have started wearing them, they seem to think it means it's safe to go out and act as normal
> 
> Eta: people are selling ones made out of fun patterned material and they don't look like they fit very well or do much.


There seems to be plenty of masks slipping lately!


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## Sprocket. (Apr 7, 2020)

Not you muscovyduck.


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## frogwoman (Apr 7, 2020)

I cover my face when I go out and for me it's a reminder that I can't just act as normal?


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## tony.c (Apr 7, 2020)

I bought one online before the lockdown, after seeing people wearing them in other parts of the world. I know they probably don't do that much to protect the wearer, but might help to prevent the wearer transmitting non-symptomatic virus.
I haven't been out since the lockdown so I haven't worn it yet, but I'm running out of food so I'll have to go to shop soon and will wear it then. I'd think it would be reassuring for any shopworkers I might come near.
I think it's also a way of showing solidarity, one reason why a lot of people in SE Asia wear them.


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## Yossarian (Apr 7, 2020)

The CDC in the US is now recommending people wear cloth face masks when they're in public - seems to be partly a way of reserving supplies of proper masks for health care workers, and partly a way of overcoming strong cultural resistance to wearing surgical masks in public . Nobody wants to look like a patient, but tell them they can walk around looking like bank robbers and they'll probably be a lot more likely to comply.


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## editor (Apr 7, 2020)

Neat


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## Orang Utan (Apr 29, 2020)

JCRT are doing some fit as fuck masks, though they’ll take a while to get here:








						Face Masks
					

Face Masks




					www.jc-rt.com


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## Kanda (May 8, 2020)

Just interested if people in UK are wearing Facemasks when oot and aboot...


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## quimcunx (May 8, 2020)

I put one on before going into shops then usually keep it on until I get home.


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## weltweit (May 8, 2020)

Almost none at the supermarket last evening, SW England. 

I haven't got one myself.


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## gentlegreen (May 8, 2020)

In shops - the only time I get close to people and it seems like the least I can do to reassure staff I'm not breathing crap all over them and the stock.
At present it's just a tubular scarf doubled-up.
I also flush my throat and nose, scrub up and then use gel as I leave.


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## oryx (May 8, 2020)

Kanda said:


> Just interested if people in UK are wearing Facemasks when oot and aboot...


Generally, no. A few people are but not many, in my area (S. London) at least.


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## Mation (May 8, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> I also flush my throat and nose


How? 

I do sometimes. Depends which shop I'm going to.


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## Kevbad the Bad (May 8, 2020)

In shops, yes. That’s the only time I get close to anyone, apart from immediate family. I still feel a bit of a twat, though, at the moment, but I suspect I’ll get used to it.


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## gentlegreen (May 8, 2020)

Mation said:


> How?
> 
> I do sometimes. Depends which shop I'm going to.


Just handfuls of water up the nostrils- the thing they advise you don't do because of brain-eating amoebas ... 

I always do that when I'm within a week of having any kind of lurgy.


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## platinumsage (May 8, 2020)

No because I'm not going out at times or places where other people are about.


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## maomao (May 8, 2020)

If I'm going to a local shop I wear it for the whole trip. When I had to walk five miles to Screwfix and back I just put it on at the last minute. I would wear it in busy public areas outside but there currently aren't any. At least not near me.


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## dessiato (May 8, 2020)

I always do but I'm not in he UK


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## quimcunx (May 8, 2020)

oryx said:


> Generally, no. A few people are but not many, in my area (S. London) at least.



50/50 here I would say. On main roads near shops anyway. Not so much on residential streets.


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## Orang Utan (May 8, 2020)

Yes, though my glasses steam up if I stop moving


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## xenon (May 8, 2020)

At present, no. Haven't got one. Not using a scarf. Not spending any significant time in doors with anyone. Not using the busses and only going into small shops once, / twice a week. I spose you should put one on as well if you're receiving deliveries.


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## cyril_smear (May 8, 2020)

I had one of the basic ones and tried wearing it once but being a big fat 25 year heavy smoker I had to take it off as couldn't breathe.


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## wayward bob (May 8, 2020)

if they make them mandatory in shops/enclosed areas i'll wear one. but as it is i only go out for exercise and i'd sweat my tits off, so no, not currently.


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## cyril_smear (May 8, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> if they make them mandatory in shops/enclosed areas i'll wear one. but as it is i only go out for exercise and i'd sweat my tits off, so no, not currently.



I thought the advice was that they don't actually protect you but may protect you from infecting others?


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## kalidarkone (May 8, 2020)

Yes when going shopping. To protect others.


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## xenon (May 8, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> I thought the advice was that they don't actually protect you but may protect you from infecting others?



For the non FP3 or whatever they're called, type yes. If you're in close quarters to someone infected, the FP3 type along with gown, gloves etc can help protect you as well.


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## nogojones (May 8, 2020)

Mation said:


> I do sometimes. Depends which shop I'm going to.


Which shops do you wear them in? Just the ones you're banned from?


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## Chilli.s (May 8, 2020)

Where does one purchase such an accessory? I've not been out for weeks and am out of touch with the latest trends.


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## wayward bob (May 8, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> I thought the advice was that they don't actually protect you but may protect you from infecting others?


i keep 2m away from other people when i'm exercising. those who choose not to keep to it from me deserve all the germs


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## Orang Utan (May 8, 2020)

Chilli.s said:


> Where does one purchase such an accessory? I've not been out for weeks and am out of touch with the latest trends.


I got mine from overseas, but there’s loads online


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## weepiper (May 8, 2020)

quimcunx said:


> I put one on before going into shops then usually keep it on until I get home.


This.


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## Superdupastupor (May 8, 2020)

Teaching with mask to students about 3m distantance, also with masks. In the corridor of an abandoded faculty.

kinda weird kinda works.

The middle syllables of vowel sounds seem much more aff


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## MrSki (May 8, 2020)

I wear one when in the queue for Sainsbury's but take it off as soon as I am away from other peeps.


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## Boudicca (May 8, 2020)

Very rarely.  Which is a little ironic as I have made at least 70 of the damn things.

I try to shop at large supermarkets when they are the least busy and a mask isn't necessary.  I do wear one in Lidl and in the loose food shop (they require it), but not on the 10 minute walk to the shopsv - I put it on when I get there.


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## quimcunx (May 8, 2020)

Chilli.s said:


> Where does one purchase such an accessory? I've not been out for weeks and am out of touch with the latest trends.



I got mine at my local costcutter. You can buy them online or you can make one yourself.  Or sweet talk Boudicca


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## Mation (May 8, 2020)

nogojones said:


> Which shops do you wear them in? Just the ones you're banned from?


Why would I have been banned from any shops? I think you must be confusing me with someone you've imagined or someone (else) you've seen.


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## Ax^ (May 8, 2020)

nope 


forced to wear one at work because someone who spent 6 weeks off want them on their return

not i spend all fucking day touching my face moving the fucking thing about


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## cyril_smear (May 8, 2020)

nogojones said:


> Which shops do you wear them in? Just the ones you're banned from?



Here, I tell you what I've noticed is that all the security men are now at the super stores and all the express stores are sans security... I haven't paid for a bottle of Chainte in weeks.


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## Mation (May 8, 2020)

Boudicca said:


> Very rarely.  Which is a little ironic as I have made at least 70 of the damn things.
> 
> I try to shop at large supermarkets when they are the least busy and a mask isn't necessary.  I do wear one in Lidl and in the loose food shop (they require it), but not on the 10 minute walk to the shopsv - I put it on when I get there.


Just got myself some pipe cleaners and elastic. Now I need to go through my big crate of fabric bits and see what kind of bling I want on my face


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## Sasaferrato (May 8, 2020)

Not going anywhere to need one.


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## FridgeMagnet (May 8, 2020)

A fair number of people are doing the bandana-round-the-face thing around here but most aren't. I'm not.


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## miss direct (May 8, 2020)

I’m not in the uk but I wear a mask in any crowded area or when going into a shop or on public transport. That’s the law here though.


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## Mation (May 8, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Yes, though my glasses steam up if I stop moving


This was a problem with the first masks I got, to the point where I wouldn't wear them because I couldn't see anything. But they didn't have nose wire. 

Nose wire is good. You can get the mask all snug, so no/less steaming up.


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## Orang Utan (May 8, 2020)

Mation said:


> This was a problem with the first masks I got, to the point where I wouldn't wear them because I couldn't see anything. But they didn't have nose wire.
> 
> Nose wire is good. You can get the mask all snug, so no/less steaming up.


Do you know where I can get some from? They need to be pretty - can't be doing with white or black ones


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## Mation (May 8, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Do you know where I can get some from? They need to be pretty - can't be doing with white or black ones


Hardware shops, possibly. My local independent pound/tat shop has some. (Not pretty ones, though.)

Or making them; that's why I've just got some pipe cleaners. How much sewing this actually translates into remains to be seen, however.


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## The39thStep (May 8, 2020)

Compulsory in shops and on public transport here in Portugal. They make my glasses steam up a bit and when it’s hot in the afternoon end up sweating . They’ve just reduced the vat on them to 6%.


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## Orang Utan (May 8, 2020)

I can't make them, will need to order in.


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## wiskey (May 8, 2020)

No, I don't go anywhere that isn't my house or the local shop and I have to wear a frsm at work for the whole shift and hate it.


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## Orang Utan (May 8, 2020)

what's a frsm?


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## wiskey (May 8, 2020)

Fluid resistant surgical mask.... Blue paper ones


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## Orang Utan (May 8, 2020)

wiskey said:


> Fluid resistant surgical mask.... Blue paper ones


ah, i googled it and came up with Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine!


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## ffsear (May 8, 2020)

Kanda said:


> Just interested if people in UK are wearing Facemasks when oot and aboot...



How's it going mate! !


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## steveo87 (May 8, 2020)

I wear a cotton snood whenever I'm on public transport (which is every day for work), it's more that I think there'll definitely be a second bounce fairly soon, so I'm playing it safe.


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## editor (May 8, 2020)

I always take one out with me but only put it on when there's people nearby (i.e. not when I'm in the middle of an empty park).


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## krtek a houby (May 8, 2020)

Not in UK but wear it the moment we step outside, and all day at work.


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## Aladdin (May 8, 2020)

I have not been out since lockdown started at all..
But I have to go to the GP on Thursday and I will wear a mask for that. 
If a time comes when I have to or need to go out to a shop etc I will wear a mask and gloves.


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## The39thStep (May 8, 2020)

Getting one of these


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## The39thStep (May 8, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Do you know where I can get some from? They need to be pretty - can't be doing with white or black ones


Etsy has loads , not cheap but you'll stand out in a crowd


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## Epona (May 8, 2020)

Honestly I think wearing gloves is a mistake, give me a sec and I'll explain.

I spent some time in my job mentoring youngsters in painting and decorating, and a lot of them used to go "urgh I don't want to get paint on my hands" and would grab a pair of disposable gloves to wear.

What would invariably happen is that if they got paint on their bare hands, they would go wash it off before touching anything.  If they got it on disposable gloves, it ended up *everywhere* - walls, ceilings, floors, soft furnishings, their face, their hands when they were taking off their disposable gloves, around hand basins where they would wash their hands, and then there's a pair of contaminated gloves shitting up the inside of the bin for whoever has to deal with the rubbish.

Washing your hands regularly or using hand sanitiser if you are out and about is preferable.

(EDIT TO ADD: People who wear gloves in a surgical or medical setting are using 1 disposable pair in a very limited amount of space for a very limited amount of time to reduce physical contact for a particular reason - 1 operating theatre with 1 patient, or treating 1 patient on a ward within an environment that already has a protocol for barrier care and disposal of used items - they aren't wandering around the space equivalent of from home to Sainsbury's and back touching a load of stuff all over the place and spreading germs around).


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## ddraig (May 8, 2020)

Have worn one about 3/4 times, only when shopping and on way back as others have said
Got a homemade (partner has made some for NHS) one and cheap blue one from shop


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## Marty1 (May 8, 2020)

The top brass at my Amazon depot use those face screen thingies - probs just to show their status as Amazon underlings just have the disposable face masks they give us drivers.


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## purves grundy (May 8, 2020)

Back in March I was the only one on the Bangkok BTS train without a mask. Got some dirty looks 😉


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## Yossarian (May 8, 2020)

I wear a mask or bandana in shops or anywhere else where I'm likely to be within 2 meters of anybody, but not when walking down mostly deserted streets. But even in big shops, mask-wearers seem to be in the minority, which is just weird at this point - the contrast between places where mask-wearing is almost universal, like Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam, etc. and the places where the pandemic is still raging seems clear enough.


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## SheilaNaGig (May 9, 2020)

I think it's only a matter of time before we're using nasal filters.









						Nasal plugs for preventing respiratory infections - PubMed
					

Nasal plugs were made from an N-95 respirator, surgical mask or a cotton ball and inserted into the nares of volunteer healthcare workers for 30 min. Initial and persistent respiratory resistance, choking sensation, and discomfort in the mouth and nose areas were recorded for the three different...




					pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov


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## SheilaNaGig (May 9, 2020)

SheilaNaGig said:


> I think it's only a matter of time before we're using nasal filters.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Like in Dune


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## FabricLiveBaby! (May 9, 2020)

It's been mandatory in Poland for 3 weeks now.


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## Nine Bob Note (May 9, 2020)

I saw one guy today wearing one across his chin. Not his nose and/or mouth, his chin. Anticipating having to speak to the people he was about to be in close contact with, presumably. One old girl last week had seemingly fashioned one herself from sellotape and bits of shredded carrier bag. And she'd carefully cut a mouthhole into the ensemble. She was wearing a false beard basically. A white plastic false beard. Made from a carrier bag.

Relax social distancing now! Yaaaaaaaayyyyyy!!!!!!!


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## Yu_Gi_Oh (May 9, 2020)

I wear an N95 mask if I'm indoors, like in a shop or taking the lift, but a surgical mask if I'm outside. You don't really have to wear a mask outside here at this point, especially if you're 2 meters away from other people, but almost everyone does. The majority of people just wear a surgical mask all the time now. N95's are less and less worn.


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## maomao (May 9, 2020)

Yu_Gi_Oh said:


> I wear an N95 mask if I'm indoors, like in a shop or taking the lift, but a surgical mask if I'm outside. You don't really have to wear a mask outside here at this point, especially if you're 2 meters away from other people, but almost everyone does. The majority of people just wear a surgical mask all the time now. N95's are less and less worn.


Best thing about n95 masks is you can't smell cigarette smoke. I'm thinking of wearing one outside forever.


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## Yu_Gi_Oh (May 9, 2020)

maomao said:


> Best thing about n95 masks is you can't smell cigarette smoke. I'm thinking of wearing one outside forever.



N95's were already pretty popular here in the winter when the AQI was high, before the pandemic, as I'm sure you know. They're certainly good for filtering more than just viruses.


----------



## cybershot (May 9, 2020)

With no idea how much these things were before, and knowing it’s probably going to become mandatory to wear one on public transport what ‘SHOULD’ the price of these things be?


----------



## Supine (May 9, 2020)

I was given a mask when I went to the doctors last week. I don’t use it yet but I’m ready for when the trains require it and I’m not the only person in the carriage.


----------



## rubbershoes (May 9, 2020)

No.  I've only been to the supermarket three times during lockdown and go right at the end of the day when there are no queues.

I'm the street it's easy to keep a decent distance as my village is small and the people are sensible.

I appreciate that masks are largely for the protection of others rather than my protection, but I'm fairly confident I don't have it and the south west hasnt had a large number of cases. The local hospital is beginning to open up to other non CV patients.

When lockdown relaxes and London comes down here on holiday, the infection rate is  likely to rise and a mask may become more appropriate.


----------



## krtek a houby (May 9, 2020)

cybershot said:


> With no idea how much these things were before, and knowing it’s probably going to become mandatory to wear one on public transport what ‘SHOULD’ the price of these things be?


Well, before all this, we'd pay the equivalent of 70p for a packet of 20 or 30. We sent away for a couple of better quality ones that cost than equivalent of £2.10 per mask.

A few months back, some entrepreneur got nicked for trying to flog masks at a vastly inflated price... But that kind to thing seems to be stopped...


----------



## cybershot (May 9, 2020)

krtek a houby said:


> Well, before all this, we'd pay the equivalent of 70p for a packet of 20 or 30. We sent away for a couple of better quality ones that cost than equivalent of £2.10 per mask.
> 
> A few months back, some entrepreneur got nicked for trying to flog masks at a vastly inflated price... But that kind to thing seems to be stopped...



Thanks. This helps.


----------



## Yossarian (May 9, 2020)

cybershot said:


> With no idea how much these things were before, and knowing it’s probably going to become mandatory to wear one on public transport what ‘SHOULD’ the price of these things be?



They should be free - idled factories should have been retooled and put to work many weeks ago, with workers on extremely good wages making masks to be delivered to every household in the land, and it would all have cost a fraction of what a longer lockdown would cost the country, but unfortunately this government doesn't seem to understand the concept of taking proactive measures.


----------



## krtek a houby (May 9, 2020)

cybershot said:


> Thanks. This helps.



That said, it all depends on the quality of said masks. I don't know what the masks are like  in the UK.

A family member has just made us some, complete with tea filters! See above...


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (May 9, 2020)

We also have this kind of mask, just in case.


----------



## Cid (May 9, 2020)

krtek a houby said:


> Well, before all this, we'd pay the equivalent of 70p for a packet of 20 or 30. We sent away for a couple of better quality ones that cost than equivalent of £2.10 per mask.
> 
> A few months back, some entrepreneur got nicked for trying to flog masks at a vastly inflated price... But that kind to thing seems to be stopped...



Yeah, £2-3 was normal for an n95 mask I think (proper one from 3M or similar), surgical style dunno.


----------



## Cid (May 9, 2020)

I'm not wearing one, but will probably start. Certainly getting quite common in Sheffield.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 9, 2020)

The N95s are hopeless for protecting others are they not ?
(certainly the ones like mine with a flapper valve.)


----------



## spanglechick (May 9, 2020)

The advice in the uk is not to purchase n95 masks at the moment, so that there is stock available for key workers.


----------



## bmd (May 9, 2020)

Mation said:


> How?



Shot blaster and some fine grit, obv.


----------



## quimcunx (May 9, 2020)

I paid a quid a mask for dentist style ones.


----------



## PursuedByBears (May 9, 2020)

Here masks are only really being worn by Chinese students, it's very rare to see anyone else in one.


----------



## Badgers (May 9, 2020)

Have been wearing those 'neck roll' things whenever entering shops etc. Better than nothing I feel.

Get home and sling them straight in the washing machine with tshirt. Have four of them so can rotate. 

Brought a couple of surgical (looking at least) masks from local Nisa but gave them to neighbours who are still working in logistics.


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (May 9, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> The N95s are hopeless for protecting others are they not ?
> (certainly the ones like mine with a flapper valve.)



The ones with the valve, for sure. N95's for sale here now don't have valves. There are a few styles of N95 too. Korean ones are a totally different shape and design to the ones I can get in China. N95 is just the filtration rating. It doesn't describe a style of mask as such.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (May 9, 2020)

This Texas nurse has apparently come up with a mask that performs better than an N95. She made the prototype in her time off from from the front line by trial and error, with air conditioning filters.

And the step-by-step process for making your own is linked in the article.









						This nurse didn't just create a replacement N95 mask—hers works better
					

As Tommye Austin made her way around the COVID-19 unit, she saw patients on ventilators fighting for each breath. She heard nurses, respiratory therapists and other workers talking about how anxious they were about being exposed to the coronavirus, and perhaps spreading it to their loved ones.




					medicalxpress.com


----------



## BCBlues (May 9, 2020)

I went out to buy a loaf at a local independent supermarket. The staff were wearing them so I felt a bit guilty until the manager came over and sold me 2 for £1.50. I only wear it when going into shops, which is very rare these days.


----------



## bmd (May 9, 2020)

It looks as though it's as much of a social barrier that stops people wearing them, than any idea about saving them for NHS staff and others or them not working. I bought some a few months ago because I liked the sense of social responsibility that is folded within them. I got the idea from seeing the Chinese people wearing them, who go to the language school near us. It seems as though it's a part of their sense of society, whereas we just don't seem to have the same levels of that in the UK.


----------



## krtek a houby (May 9, 2020)

bmd said:


> It looks as though it's as much of a social barrier that stops people wearing them, than any idea about saving them for NHS staff and others or them not working. I bought some a few months ago because I liked the sense of social responsibility that is folded within them. I got the idea from seeing the Chinese people wearing them, who go to the language school near us. It seems as though it's a part of their sense of society, whereas we just don't seem to have the same levels of that in the UK.



It's normal to see people wearing masks anytime of the year in Japan, especially during the flu season. But the first time I saw it, I was wondering what the story was.

Iirc, maybe ten years ago in the UK, there was worries about some kind of outbreak and I did notice folks wearing masks in London.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (May 9, 2020)

It’s a bit strange for me to see how swiftly things like wearing a mask have become normal.

I have a couple of single-use surgical masks that were given to me by the shop manager where I work. I’m hanging them in sunshine and reusing these judiciously, knowing they’re less effective each time.

I also have several home made masks of various designs, all with pockets for paper of some kind (for example Henry hoover filter paper), very kindly gifted to me by an Urbanite. I’m road testing them.

Plenty of people hereabouts using the single-use surgical masks but really badly (nose sticking out, huge beards apparent on all sides, around their chin while smoking, children being made to wear them and constantly tugging at them because they don’t fit etc). Also lots of people wearing gloves.

The litter in the street has changed from chicken shack boxes to surgical masks and hairdressing gloves. Pigeons are well pissed off, started coming into my garden to find what they can. And apparently street smarts is not the same as garden smarts because the neighbourhood cat who prowls my garden can’t get near the blackbirds or blue tits, but I have pigeon feathers all over the place.

My mother, who lives in Greece, tells me that they’re being advised to use a hot iron on their facemasks to re-use them. I don’t have an iron because I don’t need or use an iron. My mother is now insisting that I buy an iron. It is her new obsession.

Oh. Going back to my original point:

Even though there are plenty of people not wearing masks of any kind, I notice that my brain has already factored in “Is wearing a mask” as an option when I look at someone’s face, rather than “Person with a strong beard”.

Similarly (I think others have remarked on this already) the immediate feeling of concern and alarm when I’m watching telly and I see crowds or hand shaking or kissing and hugging.

The Before Times...


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (May 9, 2020)

BB1 has been making loads of them as part of a collective making stuff for Frimley Park Hospital and associates care homes. She has material to make two for me, if they are mandated in tomorrow’s announcement she’ll make them for me, but so far have not used one. The only place to wear one would be in Sainsbury’s as the queue and the shop are the only places I come close to others, so far no more than one in ten people there seem to bother though and none of the staff do.


----------



## Orang Utan (May 9, 2020)

Some fit ones here:








						Face Masks
					

Face Masks




					www.jc-rt.com


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (May 9, 2020)

Masks should be compulsory, says man feeling like twat because nobody else is wearing one
					

A MAN who feels like a right knobhead for being the only person in Asda wearing a mask has argued they should be made compulsory.




					www.thedailymash.co.uk
				




*A MAN who feels like a right knobhead for being the only person in Asda wearing a mask has argued they should be made compulsory. *

Martin Bishop did a full week’s shop wearing a face mask and came out furious at the irresponsibility of other shoppers who he suspects of sniggering at him.

Bishop said: “I’m not wearing this mask to protect myself. I’m wearing it to protect others should I be asymptomatically infected. So they should have the good grace not to act like I’m the weirdo.

“If everyone was wearing a mask not only would we be reducing the risk, but people wouldn’t flinch away from me when I appear round the corner of the cheese aisle looking like Immortan Joe from _Mad Max_.

“So Johnson should make masks compulsory from Monday. Either that or next time I go shopping I’m leaving my mask in the car and not telling the wife.”


----------



## wayward bob (May 9, 2020)

bmd said:


> I bought some a few months ago because I liked the sense of social responsibility that is folded within them.


i'm resisting them until compulsory because the only situation i've ever been in that involved wearing them is one i don't want to revisit without having a say in it :/

when they become normalised (which can only happen with legislation/"rules" i think) i'll get over myself, and make a batch for the giving out of. but not unless i have to.


----------



## Cid (May 9, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> The N95s are hopeless for protecting others are they not ?
> (certainly the ones like mine with a flapper valve.)



Yeah, you may be right. My proper mask would be worse than useless (it drips), I suppose that also happens to some extent with the smaller ones.


----------



## Kanda (May 18, 2020)

hehe....


----------



## dessiato (May 18, 2020)

The39thStep said:


> Compulsory in shops and on public transport here in Portugal. They make my glasses steam up a bit and when it’s hot in the afternoon end up sweating . They’ve just reduced the vat on them to 6%.


There's talk of them being made compulsory here. Currently it's only on public transport. 

The price has been fixed by the government at 1€. Local councils have been giving masks to everyone. We got four each. 

I went shopping today and was pleased to see the vast majority of people were wearing masks.


----------



## Marty1 (May 18, 2020)

The cloth/padded material masks keep your face warm - not good in this current warm weather for prolonged periods of used but will be good in the winter - though hopefully this pandemic will have fecked off by then.  Doesn’t help that the N95 cloth masks I got are also black colour which is bad in the sun.

The surgical disposable masks don’t heat your face up too much and are easier to breathe thru.


----------



## miss direct (May 18, 2020)

dessiato said:


> There's talk of them being made compulsory here. Currently it's only on public transport.
> 
> The price has been fixed by the government at 1€. Local councils have been giving masks to everyone. We got four each.
> 
> I went shopping today and was pleased to see the vast majority of people were wearing masks.


Wow, only 1tl here (11p)


----------



## The39thStep (May 18, 2020)

dessiato said:


> There's talk of them being made compulsory here. Currently it's only on public transport.
> 
> The price has been fixed by the government at 1€. Local councils have been giving masks to everyone. We got four each.
> 
> I went shopping today and was pleased to see the vast majority of people were wearing masks.


1 euro here as genrally well but I dont think the price is fixed as you can get them in some places for 90c and they've just dropped the VAT/IVA to 8%. Just spent a good hour at the small bar down the road from me, its a local farmers bar tbh, and first day of opening there was a good stream of locals, The owner put the mask on when serving people over 70  but he must be early 70s himself.


----------



## Kanda (May 19, 2020)

I got caught riding my scooter with my mask down around my neck the other day, was stopped and made to do 20 star jumps. The police and medical staff then checked my temperature and gave me a new mask 

They've been compulsory here since the beginning of March. Thailand has only had 55 deaths.


----------



## Kanda (May 19, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> The cloth/padded material masks keep your face warm - not good in this current warm weather for prolonged periods of used but will be good in the winter - though hopefully this pandemic will have fecked off by then.  Doesn’t help that the N95 cloth masks I got are also black colour which is bad in the sun.
> 
> The surgical disposable masks don’t heat your face up too much and are easier to breathe thru.



It's 34 degrees most days here and don't have a problem with them.


----------



## Aladdin (May 19, 2020)

Certain businesses were allowed open here yesterday. Garden centres and hardware shops. Social distance rules apply still. So people queued all around car parks with 6 feet between them, just to buy tins of paint to paint their whatever. 
There were video clips of these scenarios on the news. Many shop workers had face guards / visors on. I'm wondering will they be the next step for people? At least the face can be seen. Its so weird seeing people in masks. Not being able to see faces is something I find upsetting and unsettling. Specifically masks. The dr I went to see last week had a face shield on. At least I could see his face. 
If schools open and staff have to wear masks it's going to be very difficult to teach. Maybe face shields are the way to go. 
On another tack. A news presenter said on yesterdays news that the WHO has said masks are not suitable for children under the age of 13. I had not heard this before. I presume it's true? It will make classrooms that bit more exposed to the virus if primary school children cant wear masks. 
Bloody hell...this shit is getting to me.


----------



## marty21 (May 19, 2020)

Haven't worn one yet, as I'm working from home , I haven't used public transport since a bus journey on March 23rd. I haven't been to a supermarket since about a week before that. I have just got some (from ETSY ) and will use them if I have to use public transport.


----------



## Buddy Bradley (May 27, 2020)

Anyone else feel like this topic has fallen off the news cycle for some reason? Even this thread was down on page 4. Has mask-wearing stopped being a thing we're all contemplating suddenly?

I haven't seen anyone out and about wearing a mask, but that's a fairly limited perspective since I haven't left our village for weeks.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (May 27, 2020)

I don't wear one, but I'm only really 'out' to Tesco and feel I can maintain a decent social distance.  Too many cunts dispose of these things by dropping them in the supermarket car park.


----------



## quimcunx (May 27, 2020)

Buddy Bradley said:


> Anyone else feel like this topic has fallen off the news cycle for some reason? Even this thread was down on page 4. Has mask-wearing stopped being a thing we're all contemplating suddenly?
> 
> I haven't seen anyone out and about wearing a mask, but that's a fairly limited perspective since I haven't left our village for weeks.



I feel like they are being worn less or certainly not more than before easing lockdown. Just my perception obviously.  It should be more imo. Especially by people on buses etc.  I'm surprised how many people dont wear them on the buses I see going past, and I see a lot.


----------



## quimcunx (May 27, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> I don't wear one, but I'm only really 'out' to Tesco and feel I can maintain a decent social distance.  Too many cunts dispose of these things by dropping them in the supermarket car park.



Yours must be the only supermarket where everyone distances then.


----------



## quimcunx (May 27, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Certain businesses were allowed open here yesterday. Garden centres and hardware shops. Social distance rules apply still. So people queued all around car parks with 6 feet between them, just to buy tins of paint to paint their whatever.
> There were video clips of these scenarios on the news. Many shop workers had face guards / visors on. I'm wondering will they be the next step for people? At least the face can be seen. Its so weird seeing people in masks. Not being able to see faces is something I find upsetting and unsettling. Specifically masks. The dr I went to see last week had a face shield on. At least I could see his face.
> If schools open and staff have to wear masks it's going to be very difficult to teach. Maybe face shields are the way to go.
> On another tack. A news presenter said on yesterdays news that the WHO has said masks are not suitable for children under the age of 13. I had not heard this before. I presume it's true? It will make classrooms that bit more exposed to the virus if primary school children cant wear masks.
> Bloody hell...this shit is getting to me.



My understanding is that visors are meant to be in addition to masks not an alternative.


----------



## Doodler (May 27, 2020)

My town has a fair sized Chinese population, some of whom wore masks well before the pandemic. This always seemed odd as the air quality here is okay (at the time I assumed it was to do with pollution) but since many of them are students from China, perhaps it was an ingrained habit. Like some other people from abroad who buy huge quantities of bottled water as though tap water in general is not to be relied upon.

Now just about all the Chinese here wear face masks. Among the rest of townspeople it's not obvious there's a pattern to who tends to wear them and who doesn't apart from age. I wear one at work, almost no one else does.


----------



## Badgers (May 27, 2020)

Am still wearing a scarf/neck/wrap thing in every shop. It is hardly a big sacrifice to do this is it?

Went to Boots today and they had 50 masks for £20 so got a box. Mainly got them for my Ma but shared with neighbours and such.


----------



## Aladdin (May 27, 2020)

quimcunx said:


> My understanding is that visors are meant to be in addition to masks not an alternative.



I went to my dr 2 weeks ago and he wore a visor. No mask. The receptionsit wore a visor and no mask. But no patient would be seen without a mask..
Might be different in the UK.


----------



## Doodler (May 27, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Am still wearing a scarf/neck/wrap thing in every shop. It is hardly a big sacrifice to do this is it?



The amount of whining about this from commenters on newspaper websites is depressing.


----------



## The39thStep (May 27, 2020)

quimcunx said:


> My understanding is that visors are meant to be in addition to masks not an alternative.


Over here they are not in the case of shop/bar workers


----------



## weltweit (May 27, 2020)

I got my first one last week when I visited my GP. 

One isn't going to last me long though. :-/


----------



## kalidarkone (May 27, 2020)

quimcunx said:


> My understanding is that visors are meant to be in addition to masks not an alternative.


Yeah a visor on it's own is useless ime.


----------



## nyxx (May 27, 2020)

Worth checking this website out, 
They’re taking requests for cloth masks and also have a system for people who are making masks to supply them. 

I’ve made some for myself and friends / family,  if I can scale up at some point I’ll put some in. 









						Make Masks | Makemasks
					






					www.makemasks2020.org


----------



## Badgers (May 27, 2020)

Doodler said:


> The amount of whining about this from commenters on newspaper websites is depressing.


Really?


----------



## FridgeMagnet (May 27, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Am still wearing a scarf/neck/wrap thing in every shop. It is hardly a big sacrifice to do this is it?


No, but the only study I've seen on the efficacy of even cloth masks (let alone improvised ones) indicated that results were actually worse when used in a hospital.

ETA: BMJ summary of evidence relating to cloth masks. Obviously it's kind of hard to do a study on improvised masks, and hospitals are not the same environment as shops, transport etc.









						Covid-19: What is the evidence for cloth masks?
					

As the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised all Americans to wear cloth masks in public to prevent the spread of covid-19, The BMJ examines the evidence  People should wear cloth face coverings in public places where social distancing measures are “difficult to maintain,”...




					www.bmj.com
				




If I am ever forced to go on public transport in the near future I will be wearing a proper one, but even then that's an issue because half the people I see on buses don't have them anyway and I doubt that's going to improve. Dread to think what the tube is like.


----------



## Badgers (May 27, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> No, but the only study I've seen on the efficacy of even cloth masks (let alone improvised ones) indicated that results were actually worse when used in a hospital.
> 
> ETA: BMJ summary of evidence relating to cloth masks. Obviously it's kind of hard to do a study on improvised masks.
> 
> ...


My understanding of the science is that a scarf/wrap will not protect you but will protect others from you. Hence it is better to wear something than nothing. It is the least we can do without availability of proper masks.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (May 27, 2020)

Badgers said:


> My understanding of the science is that a scarf/wrap will not protect you but will protect others from you. Hence it is better to wear something than nothing. It is the least we can do without availability of proper masks.


Well, that's the theory. Evidence that it makes any difference is another thing.

Personally, in terms of the average person going to the shop or walking down the street, I'd say it's not going to do any harm but not make any significant difference - except to social perceptions of risk. That's really the main reason I'd wear one in public outside of high risk situations. Seeing people wearing masks reinforces the idea that yes the virus is still out there you idiots and you should pay attention to general details of avoiding transmission (even if in a small way).

In personal experience that's still a bit King Canute though. Some people wear masks, distance etc round here but so many don't that it's just pointless. You need really high compliance for this stuff. I do my best in general but it's more to make me feel better than because it is really going to make a difference to public health.


----------



## The39thStep (May 27, 2020)

weltweit said:


> I got my first one last week when I visited my GP.
> 
> One isn't going to last me long though. :-/


Etsy have some good washable ones . I bought two a month ago . Took two weeks to arrive from Greece of all places. This woman who works at one of the bars makes them and asked if I wanted her to make one for me , do t really need them but they are really good for 5 euro so ordered two .


----------



## Badgers (May 27, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Well, that's the theory. Evidence that it makes any difference is another thing.
> 
> Personally, in terms of the average person going to the shop or walking down the street, I'd say it's not going to do any harm but not make any significant difference - except to social perceptions of risk. That's really the main reason I'd wear one in public outside of high risk situations. Seeing people wearing masks reinforces the idea that yes the virus is still out there you idiots and you should pay attention to general details of avoiding transmission (even if in a small way).
> 
> In personal experience that's still a bit King Canute though. Some people wear masks, distance etc round here but so many don't that it's just pointless. You need really high compliance for this stuff. I do my best in general but it's more to make me feel better than because it is really going to make a difference to public health.


You have posted a few times stating face masks are a waste of time 

Not having a go but medical people I know say we should wear them. I am of the opinion that it is not a big sacrifice and the positives outweigh any 'selfish' negatives. 

Wear a mask/scarf in supermarkets or shops FFS. It is no sacrifice to you but might matter a lot to older or more vulnerable people. 

There are times to be pedantic and times to shut up. Lots of people read what you say so make an effort.


----------



## weltweit (May 27, 2020)

Badgers said:


> You have posted a few times stating face masks are a waste of time
> ..


Indeed Badgers .. 
They obviously aren't a waste of time or health & care service personnel wouldn't be wearing them.


----------



## Doodler (May 27, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Really?



It's a theme among some Mail website commenters along with gripes about those so-called scientists, what do they know.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (May 27, 2020)

Badgers said:


> You have posted a few times stating face masks are a waste of time
> 
> Not having a go but medical people I know say we should wear them. I am of the opinion that it is not a big sacrifice and the positives outweigh any 'selfish' negatives.
> 
> ...


You blatantly are having a go, telling me to shut up and make an effort (and I know medical people as well btw) but I don't mind. What I've posted is what I've found on the subject and what my opinions are. In fact if you read it I say it's probably a good idea to wear masks anyway even if there's no proof they make a difference.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (May 27, 2020)

Wearing a mask IF it's not effective is a waste of materials and adding to the rubbish mountain.  That's the ones that aren't just thrown down in the street.  Hopefully people are re-using (not sure they can be recycled).


----------



## Badgers (May 27, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> You blatantly are having a go, telling me to shut up and make an effort (and I know medical people as well btw) but I don't mind. What I've posted is what I've found on the subject and what my opinions are. In fact if you read it I say it's probably a good idea to wear masks anyway even if there's no proof they make a difference.


I am not having a go. You have pulled this up a few times and I have pointed it out. 

Don't bother with a mask or other recommended precautions if you feel you shouldn't. I choose to and recommend that others do because I feel it is no sacrifice for us and it 'could' protect others more vulnerable than us. 

I don't understand how it is a problem not to do this. Seems selfish to me but you know better...


----------



## Badgers (May 27, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> Wearing a mask IF it's not effective is a waste of materials and adding to the rubbish mountain.  That's the ones that aren't just thrown down in the street.  Hopefully people are re-using (not sure they can be recycled).


My mask/wraps are used for winter cycling/walking and washed. 

I have some surgical masks but I shared those with older neighbours and people who are vulnerable.


----------



## Badgers (May 27, 2020)

Do face masks work against the coronavirus and should you wear one?
					

The advice on widespread face mask use to protect against covid-19 varies wildly, but there is some evidence that they stop sick people spreading the virus




					www.newscientist.com


----------



## Kanda (May 28, 2020)

Masks have been compulsory here from the start. 55 deaths in the whole of the country. That's enough for me. (obviously other factors are involved)


----------



## Marty1 (May 28, 2020)

I may continue to wear my black cloth face mask in winter at work as it will keep my face warm.

Other than that, I hardly see anyone wearing one now on my daily travels.


----------



## sideboob (May 28, 2020)

Just got back from a scheduled hospital visit in rural Japan.  Various questions, temp. scan and madatory mask wearing required to enter.  All medical workers wearing goggles and masks in the building.      Stop at the supermarket on the way home, and although not mandatory, everyone was wearing a mask.  Scientifically proven effective or not, the masks seem to remind everyone to social distance.


----------



## miss direct (May 28, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Went to Boots today and they had 50 masks for £20 so got a box. Mainly got them for my Ma but shared with neighbours and such.


£20!!! Bloody hell, I’m definitely bringing a few boxes back with me. £6 for 50 here, the price has been capped by the government. 

I’m so used to wearing one and everyone else wearing one that I feel quite horrified seeing pictures from the uk with all the bare faces.


----------



## Ms Ordinary (May 28, 2020)

Just noticed there are 1000s of washable handmade cotton facemasks on ebay, I think quite a few people stuck at home have been sewing then out of bedsheets etc. It's like ebay has gone back in time & merged with etsy 

Going rate seems to have settled around £5 each, which doesn't seem too bad. If I wasn't already bodging my way through a few & posting off to friends & family, I'd get a few off there - you can see whether or not they follow the standard patterns & theres a chance you might be helping someone who needs the cash.

I'm only really wearing in shops now - out of respect for the people working in them mainly, if I had to use public transport I'd wear one then. I do always carry one or two if I'm out, even if I'm just out for a run, in case I end up somewhere I feel I should wear one.

Usage definitely seems to have dropped for people just walking around outside, which seems reasonable - AFAIK its clearer now than it used to be, that that's a low risk activity.


----------



## Reno (May 28, 2020)

In Germany masks have been mandatory in shops and on public transport for a few weeks now. Restaurants and beer gardens opened again a couple of weeks ago with strict distancing rules, staff have to wear masks, guests don't. I don't wear them where I'm not required to do so. I work at a reception where we now have plastic windows installed. Case numbers in Germany are so low that statistically its unlikely to come in contact with an infected person, especially in Berlin where there are fewer cases than in other parts of the country.


----------



## quimcunx (May 28, 2020)

Tbf even here I reckon I've had little chance of encountering someone with it during my walks or when nipping into small shops a fee minutes walk from my house for a few weeks.  You dont know though so a cautious approach is winning for me.


----------



## Ms Ordinary (May 28, 2020)

Reno said:


> In Germany masks have been mandatory in shops and on public transport for a few weeks now. Restaurants and beer gardens opened again a couple of weeks ago with strict distancing rules, staff have to wear masks, guests don't. I don't wear them where I'm not required to do so. I work at a reception where we now have plastic windows installed. Case numbers in Germany are so low that statistically its unlikely to come in contact with an infected person, especially in Berlin where there are fewer cases than in other parts of the country.



So they've been mandatory only since things started re-opening?

I feel like that's the way we should go here, if only as a constant reminder that re-opening doesn't mean it's gone away.

In general, it does feel to me, like the lack of usage here is a signifier that (top-down but unchallenged) we aren't taking it as seriously. Or have given up, either because people hope the worst has passed, or just feel powerless.


----------



## Yossarian (Jun 6, 2020)

After months of dithering and being cited by mask refuseniks, the World Health Organisation has belatedly decided to recommend mask-wearing.









						Coronavirus: WHO advises to wear masks in public areas
					

The World Health Organization changes its guidance saying masks can help stop the spread of the virus.



					www.bbc.com


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 6, 2020)

I was rather disappointed, living as I do in relatively enlightened part of Bristol where there were some very early-adopters,  to see very few masks being worn in small shops today - including the local organic deli ...
People seem to be surrendering to fate ..
Evr since this began, I have seen almost no masks being worn by the most vulnerable ..


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Jun 6, 2020)

When I wore a face mask in the UK back in early March I was treated with a great deal of hostility and contempt, so I'm not particularly surprised that people are now reluctant to wear them in shops.

Dunno if I've said this before, but we've all downgraded to surgical masks here now, since it feels so stable and safe. I still wear an N95 when I use the lift in my building. You never know who just coughed/sneezed in it and then got out


----------



## Badgers (Jun 6, 2020)

Yu_Gi_Oh said:


> When I wore a face mask in the UK back in early March I was treated with a great deal of hostility and contempt, so I'm not particularly surprised that people are now reluctant to wear them in shops.


Mandatory to have a 'face covering' on public transport (for now at least). I know they are annoying but at least all shop or public facing staff should be wearing them too. 

At a guess I would say about 5-10% of people are wearing them in shops I go in


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jun 6, 2020)

outdoors, no
in shops etc, yes

I'm WFH and am immunocompromised so am being encouraged to stay away/stay in the car etc. when shopping and Mrs A is doing most of it alone.


----------



## Voley (Jun 6, 2020)

I wear one if I go to the shops. Don't need one out in the countryside when I'm often the only person around for miles.

I've noticed that people who aren't bothering to socially distance put a bit more of an effort in if they clock that you're wearing a mask. Some odd psychological thing going on there that makes little sense but I'm pleased about.


----------



## Badgers (Jun 6, 2020)

Voley said:


> I wear one if I go to the shops. Don't need one out in the countryside when I'm often the only person around for miles.
> 
> I've noticed that people who aren't bothering to socially distance put a bit more of an effort in if they clock that you're wearing a mask. Some odd psychological thing going on there that makes little sense but I'm pleased about.


Yeah, I have found that too. Another good reason to wear a mask despite them being downplayed.

Does not seem to be any pattern in terms of demographic who are face covering or ate not. Young/old/whatever


----------



## Sprocket. (Jun 6, 2020)

I’ve found wearing a mask seems to make folk keep their distance but it’s even more when I need to use my walking stick as well.


----------



## belboid (Jun 6, 2020)

absolutely everyone wearing them on the BLM demo today


----------



## Badgers (Jun 6, 2020)

Sprocket. said:


> I’ve found wearing a mask seems to make folk keep their distance but it’s even more when I need to use my walking stick as well.


I need a walking stick. 
More of a want than a need to be honest.


----------



## miss direct (Jun 6, 2020)

I was pleased to see more people wearing them today. No-one stared at me in mine.


----------



## 8115 (Jun 6, 2020)

Suddenly saw loads of people wearing one today. I've bought a washable one in case I need to get the bus.


----------



## frogwoman (Jun 6, 2020)

I wear my wycombe wanderers one whenever I go out, my mum's ordered some surgical masks too.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jun 7, 2020)

Got a load of neck bandanas which are better for glasses wearers but they are too hot and claustrophobic. Nearly had a panic attack on my bike on the way home. weepiper was right on Twitter
If this carries on til the summer, I don’t know how people will cope


----------



## Pickman's model (Jun 7, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Got a load of neck bandanas which are better for glasses wearers but they are too hot and claustrophobic. Nearly had a panic attack on my bike on the way home. weepiper was right on Twitter
> If this carries on til the summer, I don’t know how people will cope


Similar to the recent weeks of hot weather I suppose


----------



## Pickman's model (Jun 7, 2020)

Badgers said:


> I need a walking stick.
> More of a want than a need to be honest.


You just want a heavy cudgel


----------



## Kanda (Jun 7, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Got a load of neck bandanas which are better for glasses wearers but they are too hot and claustrophobic. Nearly had a panic attack on my bike on the way home. weepiper was right on Twitter
> If this carries on til the summer, I don’t know how people will cope



Really?? It's been 30-36 degrees here for months and wearing a mask has been fine.


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Jun 7, 2020)

Kanda said:


> Really?? It's been 30-36 degrees here for months and wearing a mask has been fine.



I would really prefer not to wear a mask outside in the heat. I will and I do, but I'd rather not. 

Here, if you're outside and it's not crowded, it's socially acceptable to pull your mask down now.


----------



## Steel Icarus (Jun 8, 2020)

Friend of Mrs SI has made all four of us two masks each from material we sent her. Even if it's not the best protection we're gonna look great. My two are 1) cartoon pictures of masks and 2) white numbers on black background.

I don't imagine I'll be going anywhere until September but when I do I'll be wearing a facemask.


----------



## NoXion (Jun 8, 2020)

I ordered some cotton bandannas on the off chance that I might need to enter a building that isn't my home, or go where there could be people in close proximity. One each in black, green and red paisley patterns.

Is 22x22in/55x55cm a big enough size?


----------



## Marty1 (Jun 8, 2020)

My gf has just ordered a fancy patterned face mask after she made a massive faux pas in the chilled ready meal aisle of Sainsbury’s yesterday by letting out a massive sneeze 

The poor woman behind us looked mortified and made a swift evasive manoeuvre U-turn.


----------



## Marty1 (Jun 9, 2020)

Interesting article highlighting Portugal and their success with face masks (and clean hands).









						Clean hands and face masks: what the UK needs to learn quickly from Portugal
					

While Britain has been tangling itself in yellow tape, Portugal is back at work with simple but effective hygiene measures




					www.telegraph.co.uk
				




The39thStep


----------



## The39thStep (Jun 9, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Interesting article highlighting Portugal and their success with face masks (and clean hands).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


There's still some anxiety here but sensible caution is the new norm. Gel dispensers are everywhere as is tanles being sprayed and wiped down, no towels in toilets but loads of paper towels. The thing about putting the mask on to go to the toilets is pretty much 100% compliant.Bars and cafes are slowly getting numbers in with a mixture of people sitting in groups around a table or some just sitting socially distanced away. Beaches are now open but with guidance and an app that tries to tell you how full the beach is.   People mainly fist or elbow bump rather than shaking hands  and blow kisses rather than kiss on both cheeks. Main difference in Portugal was the early lockdown, track and trace and a large testing programme. Its also less crowded than England tbh .Lisbon still has a problem with number of new cases but this is partially understood by a very vigourous testing programme. Having said that the economic forecast for the next six months isn't good and for those without contracts lay offs have meant just the basic social security.Both the two left groups post up companies that have layed off workers or broken employment practises. However the govt are hopeful that its a shorter recession than the one caused by the EU in the mid/late 90s. The govt have said , and we'll have to wait and see if they deliver, that there is no going back to the austerity policies of that period .


----------



## Chilli.s (Jun 9, 2020)

I have finally got face masks so no longer rockin the cowboy look. Only been out about 5 times since early March anyway. Now armed with mask, gloves and hand sanitiser I feel I might brave it.


----------



## Petcha (Jun 11, 2020)

Can anyone recommend a good online vendor for these?

Nothing kinky (I did see someone rocking what looked like a modified gimp mask yesterday). But a little stylish.


----------



## xsunnysuex (Jun 11, 2020)

Petcha said:


> Can anyone recommend a good online vendor for these?
> 
> Nothing kinky (I did see someone rocking what looked like a modified gimp mask yesterday). But a little stylish.


I've purchased a few from Etsy.  Have quite a good choice.  Do take a few days to come though.  And I've purchased from a shop on facebook called Raggy Hounds. They came really fast.


----------



## purenarcotic (Jun 11, 2020)

They were selling packs of masks in the co-op yesterday. Five disposable single use per pack. Got myself a week’s supply. Going to see if work will let me claim mask costs back as an expense given it’s mandatory from Monday and I travel on public transport daily. I have been wearing a fabric mask but it is way too big for my face so has felt pointless and like I’m letting everything in / out through the massive gaps. I’ve dispensed with gloves and just sanitise regularly instead.


----------



## Badgers (Jun 11, 2020)

B&M had loads in stock of varying types this week. Boots have loads of surgical ones (50 for £30) and other smaller boxes. 

Company called Binge Designs have some really good ones online.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jun 11, 2020)

Petcha said:


> Can anyone recommend a good online vendor for these?
> 
> Nothing kinky (I did see someone rocking what looked like a modified gimp mask yesterday). But a little stylish.











						Face Masks
					

Face Masks




					www.jc-rt.com


----------



## Petcha (Jun 11, 2020)

purenarcotic said:


> They were selling packs of masks in the co-op yesterday. Five disposable single use per pack. Got myself a week’s supply. Going to see if work will let me claim mask costs back as an expense given it’s mandatory from Monday and I travel on public transport daily. I have been wearing a fabric mask but it is way too big for my face so has felt pointless and like I’m letting everything in / out through the massive gaps. I’ve dispensed with gloves and just sanitise regularly instead.



Scuse my ignorance here, but what counts as a 'single use'? One per day? One per bus journey?


----------



## Petcha (Jun 11, 2020)

Badgers said:


> B&M had loads in stock of varying types this week. Boots have loads of surgical ones (50 for £30) and other smaller boxes.
> 
> Company called Binge Designs have some really good ones online.



The binge ones are great. Ordered a few. Once again, scuse my ignorance and I can't be arsed googling this but how often do I need to wash them?


----------



## purenarcotic (Jun 11, 2020)

Petcha said:


> Scuse my ignorance here, but what counts as a 'single use'? One per day? One per bus journey?



I am interpreting it as one per journey. Which I would love to be proved wrong as it’s going to cost a fortune buying ten masks a week (more if more opens up and we start doing stuff). But each journey is a single use, surely.


----------



## Petcha (Jun 11, 2020)

I ordered two of these. That should keep the riffraff away.


----------



## Badgers (Jun 11, 2020)

Petcha said:


> The binge ones are great. Ordered a few. Once again, scuse my ignorance and I can't be arsed googling this but how often do I need to wash them?


You can 'air' them for a couple of days and should be fine. Should be machine washable too (Binge that is).

How often depends how and when you use to some degree. 

Have just been on a train and in a hospital so wore a few masks along the journey. Threw them all in the wash plus all my clothes (and had a shower) when I got in. Maybe overkill but hardly a big effort on my part is it.


----------



## Badgers (Jun 11, 2020)

purenarcotic said:


> I am interpreting it as one per journey. Which I would love to be proved wrong as it’s going to cost a fortune buying ten masks a week (more if more opens up and we start doing stuff). But each journey is a single use, surely.


Make sure you are taking them on and off correctly and they are less likely to be any risk. As said before the masks are more to protect others from you than you from them. Annoying when others don't care or can't be bothered but it is a small sacrifice given the circumstances.


----------



## sojourner (Jun 11, 2020)

Those Binge ones are well expensive!

I've got several handmade ones coming in the post. Some are Mexican day of the dead, one says 'I am a LERT', and the other has a skull and crossbones where the mouth is. 

I tried wearing the single use ones, but they are fucking horrible. My nose runs permanently under them, when I tie them I inevitably trap my eye bags (really attractive), and they're hot.


----------



## Petcha (Jun 11, 2020)

I know I seem to have a habit of derailing otherwise serious threads on here but is anyone else enjoying checking out peoples' eyes in a flirtatious manner. I'm sick I think. But I'm finding the facemask thing kind of hot.

Your trapped eye bag thing might be a showstopper mind you.


----------



## sojourner (Jun 11, 2020)

Just ordered a ravey smiley face one which will hopefully detract from said bags.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jun 11, 2020)

Gonna have to buy some of those masks from binge now that have the carpet pattern from the Overlook in The Shining


----------



## xsunnysuex (Jun 13, 2020)

I'm ready!  New Etsy purchase.


----------



## existentialist (Jun 13, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Wrong thread


You can tell quite easily - if you can post on it, it's probably the wrong thread


----------



## Marty1 (Jun 13, 2020)

existentialist said:


> You can tell quite easily - if you can post on it, it's probably the wrong thread



Are you trying to be facetious?

How endearing of you


----------



## Marty1 (Jun 13, 2020)

muscovyduck said:


> People around here have started wearing them, they seem to think it means it's safe to go out and act as normal
> 
> Eta: people are selling ones made out of fun patterned material and they don't look like they fit very well or do much.



Yeah - one of our delivery drivers (female) was sporting a fancy cloth patterned mask today but it looked a very poor fitting.  She did say that she bought it as a 2 pk for £5 from Asda so I guess you get what you pay for.

My black cloth masks cost £14 for 2 but are a very good fit plus I look like a fighter off Mortal Kombat


----------



## Orang Utan (Jun 13, 2020)

Or one of those coked up statue nonces in Whitehall


----------



## existentialist (Jun 13, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Are you trying to be facetious?
> 
> How endearing of you


I was trying to be unpleasant. If it came across as "facetious", I clearly fucked it up.


----------



## Bwark (Jun 14, 2020)

My local cheap shop are selling"fun" printed masks, I'm not sure I would trust them though


----------



## wemakeyousoundb (Jun 15, 2020)

keybored said:


> Screwfix getting tough on touts.
> 
> View attachment 201483


they were doing this even before lockdown.


----------



## keybored (Jun 15, 2020)

wemakeyousoundb said:


> they were doing this even before lockdown.


Look at the date on the post you quoted


----------



## wemakeyousoundb (Jun 15, 2020)

keybored said:


> Look at the date on the post you quoted


oh boy, I'll just hang my head in shame and shuffle out shamefully...


----------



## Badgers (Jun 17, 2020)

Might be useful for some 






						Protection Mask 3-Ply - Pack of (10) - UK Stock, Blue: Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care
					

Protection Mask 3-Ply - Pack of (10) - UK Stock, Blue: Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care



					www.amazon.co.uk


----------



## Roadkill (Jun 17, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Might be useful for some
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I've bought some of them.  I'm not getting on with them very well so far.  They tend to slip, I find, and the first time I wore one I found I was touching my face more than I normally would because of having to adjust the damn thing all the time, but doubtless I'll get used to them.

I'm not wearing a mask just to go out for a walk, but am now wearing them for shopping and will obviously do so when I have to start using public transport again, even though round here it looks as if the bus companies aren't even trying to enforce the rules.


----------



## chalkhorse (Jun 17, 2020)

This is a really sad question, but anyone got advice on how to stop fogging on glasses? Apart, obviously, from getting masks that are a better fit - easier said than done.


----------



## planetgeli (Jun 17, 2020)

chalkhorse said:


> This is a really sad question, but anyone got advice on how to stop fogging on glasses? Apart, obviously, from getting masks that are a better fit - easier said than done.



No but it's a real problem isn't it? That's not even a question. Yes, it's a pain in the arse. Well, eyes.


----------



## Kanda (Jun 17, 2020)

Yeah, fucks with my sunnies


----------



## Roadkill (Jun 17, 2020)

chalkhorse said:


> This is a really sad question, but anyone got advice on how to stop fogging on glasses? Apart, obviously, from getting masks that are a better fit - easier said than done.



I've found that too.  The first time I just ended up taking my glasses off and going without, but that's not an option for anyone who's severely short-sighted.  I've pretty much given up wearing contact lenses, but might have to start again now...


----------



## Tankus (Jun 17, 2020)

saw a vid ...cut the heel out of a sock then two holes around where the ankles would be, to make ear loops....cant say I've  tired  it myself ...but if in need ?


----------



## spanglechick (Jun 17, 2020)

the ones with a wire across the nose work better.


----------



## RoyReed (Jun 17, 2020)

chalkhorse said:


> This is a really sad question, but anyone got advice on how to stop fogging on glasses? Apart, obviously, from getting masks that are a better fit - easier said than done.


The mask needs to fit tightly across the top of your nose. Some have a metal strip that you can bend to the shape of your face. Some have a wire inside. The tighter the fit the less your glasses will steam up (and the harder it will be to breathe easily).


----------



## wayward bob (Jun 17, 2020)

looking at that pic i wonder if i'm the only one that can't get on with around-the-ear masks? i hand sewed a prototype (out of the bags that my bedlinen came in that i've never known what to do with) and have to run the elastics around the back for it to stay on.


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Jun 17, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> looking at that pic i wonder if i'm the only one that can't get on with around-the-ear masks? i hand sewed a prototype (out of the bags that my bedlinen came in that i've never known what to do with) and have to run the elastics around the back for it to stay on.



In South Korea, they sold N95 masks with long ear loops and a special clip which you used to fasten the loops at the back of your head.  







Wearing masks around your ears gets painful after a couple of hours.


----------



## Boudicca (Jun 17, 2020)

chalkhorse said:


> This is a really sad question, but anyone got advice on how to stop fogging on glasses? Apart, obviously, from getting masks that are a better fit - easier said than done.


Wasing up liquid apparently, rubbed on the glasses and then wiped off.


----------



## Boudicca (Jun 17, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> looking at that pic i wonder if i'm the only one that can't get on with around-the-ear masks? i hand sewed a prototype (out of the bags that my bedlinen came in that i've never known what to do with) and have to run the elastics around the back for it to stay on.



Some of the crafty people are crocheting 'ear savers' which are just small bands with a button sewn at each end.  Also can be made from fabric, 3D printed or cut on a Cricut machine.  A friend of mine has made over a 1000 hairbands, also with 2 buttons sewn on them.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jun 17, 2020)

Haven’t seen many that go round the ears. The ones I have have two straps - one goes round the back of your head, one goes over the top


----------



## chalkhorse (Jun 17, 2020)

RoyReed said:


> The mask needs to fit tightly across the top of your nose. Some have a metal strip that you can bend to the shape of your face. Some have a wire inside. The tighter the fit the less your glasses will steam up (and the harder it will be to breathe easily).


Yes, I was wearing one with a metal strip yesterday, and tried to get it snug around the nose but glasses still fogged up. A bit disabling, since I can't see at all without glasses. Washing up liquid sounds like a good tip.


----------



## crossthebreeze (Jun 17, 2020)

A folded tissue under the top of the mask helps stop glasses fogging (I've tried it with goggles and sunglasses)









						How To Wear Sickness Masks Without Fogging Up Your Glasses
					

If you wear glasses, like I sometimes do, you know that sickness masks fog them up right quick. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has tips on how to avoid that.




					kotaku.com


----------



## Badgers (Jun 27, 2020)

Amazon.co.uk: Buying Choices: Face Masks,Pack of 100 Masks Standard-Sealed Bag Protected Health-3 PLY Masks Blue


----------



## kalidarkone (Jun 27, 2020)

My friend has made me some masks and I also have some I bought all cotton and washable, some with alleged nano tech droplet resistance. I only where them in shops or indoor public spaces. However I'm definitely in the minority of people wearing them.


----------



## Marty1 (Jun 27, 2020)

RoyReed said:


> The mask needs to fit tightly across the top of your nose. Some have a metal strip that you can bend to the shape of your face. Some have a wire inside. The tighter the fit the less your glasses will steam up (and the harder it will be to breathe easily).
> 
> View attachment 218046



Judging by that photo the mask looks far too tight judging by your right ear.

The best way I’ve found to stop fogging (with my sunglasses) is to position glasses on top of the mask rather than behind - works perfectly every time.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 2, 2020)

tiny personal victory today, first trip out to the shop wearing a mask (given the nudging in scotland i figure it's only a matter of time before we get similar). 

was massively resistant at the outset for purely personal reasons. so at least that's out of the way :/


----------



## Sasaferrato (Jul 2, 2020)

I answered no, not because I'm against wearing a mask, but because I haven't been in a shop etc since the middle of March.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 5, 2020)

FDA Approves First-Ever Transparent Smart N99+ Mask That Sterilizes Itself - DesignTAXI.com
					

It works with Face ID!




					designtaxi.com


----------



## dessiato (Jul 5, 2020)

We are currently getting a hot spell. Temperatures are into the low 40s. I was pleasantly surprised to see most people are wearing masks in all the shops and in the street. Supermarkets and shops are restricting the number of people going in, and still insisting on hand sanitising, gloves and masks. Carrefour is still disinfecting all the trolleys after use. It helps with shopper (my) confidence.

It will be interesting when we go to the beach this week. Last time the compliance with mask/glove rules was very poor. These are also areas where they are struggling to keep infection rates low compared to my home town.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 6, 2020)

I've bought two lots of fabric facemasks, and discovered a slight problem - I think my face must be slightly bigger than average! Both types have the same problem - they're _just_ not quite big enough to reliably sit on my nose and under my chin.

I need a mask that's about 2cm deeper, top to bottom...so about 15-16cm. Anyone know if there's someone out there selling "plus size" masks?


----------



## planetgeli (Jul 6, 2020)

"We'll be happy to debate the efficacy of masks with you when this is all over and you come in to sell your dead grandmother's clothes. Masks required."
_-- sign in vintage clothing shop in Phoenix, Arizona_


----------



## 8ball (Jul 6, 2020)

Work gave me two ninja masks when I got in today.


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 6, 2020)

existentialist said:


> I've bought two lots of fabric facemasks, and discovered a slight problem - I think my face must be slightly bigger than average! Both types have the same problem - they're _just_ not quite big enough to reliably sit on my nose and under my chin.
> 
> I need a mask that's about 2cm deeper, top to bottom...so about 15-16cm. Anyone know if there's someone out there selling "plus size" masks?



These do various size mask up to XL.









						Custom Face Masks. Design Your Own Face Masks [2 or 4 Pack]
					

Create your own custom face mask featuring your own design, logo or text. Washable. 2 or 4 Pack. Handmade to order in the UK. Next day delivery.




					www.contrado.co.uk


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 6, 2020)

This is going to be my get up at work:

Might change the label to: 2 METRES DICKHEAD


----------



## platinumsage (Jul 6, 2020)

Badgers said:


> FDA Approves First-Ever Transparent Smart N99+ Mask That Sterilizes Itself - DesignTAXI.com
> 
> 
> It works with Face ID!
> ...



I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone started selling a mask that had an app.


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 6, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> This is going to be my get up at work:
> View attachment 221148
> Might change the label to: 2 METRES DICKHEAD



Cool mask - maybe the visor is overkill?


----------



## 8ball (Jul 6, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> This is going to be my get up at work:
> View attachment 221148
> Might change the label to: 2 METRES DICKHEAD



Are you shitting us, or is that actually it?


----------



## 8ball (Jul 6, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone started selling a mask that had an app.



Does it come with a Stillsuit?


----------



## existentialist (Jul 6, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> These do various size mask up to XL.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ah, that's useful. Thank you.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 6, 2020)

I want the FUCKTHETORIES design for work.

They sadly don't do one with Venom style teeth.


----------



## fishfinger (Jul 6, 2020)

8ball said:


> I want the FUCKTHETORIES design for work.
> 
> They sadly don't do one with Venom style teeth.


You can design your own one. Just upload the picture.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 6, 2020)

8ball said:


> Are you shitting us, or is that actually it?


That’s it. Could do with a cattle prod or a taser too


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 6, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Cool mask - maybe the visor is overkill?


No way. I don’t want to get spat on


----------



## platinumsage (Jul 6, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> No way. I don’t want to get spat on



Too right, when someone talks the little flecks of spittle land on your eyes. Safety glasses might do, but best not to trust your mask alone to deal with incoming droplets.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 6, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> Too right, when someone talks the little flecks of spittle land on your eyes. Safety glasses might do, but best not to trust your mask alone to deal with incoming droplets.


people are going to be yelling in my face when i tell them they won't be able to what they did before all of this, so it is definitely necessary IMO. It's not mandatory, it's optional, but I don't want to take any risks


----------



## thismoment (Jul 10, 2020)

Any recommendations for where to buy a black face mask online? I had a pack of the disposable ones but down to the last few. Had a look at amazon and Etsy but there are so many. Personal recommendations would be great.


----------



## weltweit (Jul 10, 2020)

thismoment said:


> Any recommendations for where to buy a black face mask online? I had a pack of the disposable ones but down to the last few. Had a look at amazon and Etsy but there are so many. Personal recommendations would be great.


I bought my masks from Etsy. They were a bit expensive but they are washable and reusable ..


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 11, 2020)

Finally the government here is advocating masks on public transport and indoors in confined areas where social distancing could be an issue.

But...schools and teachers are being told that there wont be masks for teachers and that social distancing of 1m let alone 2m will not be possible in classrooms and that there will be full reopening of schools to all students in late August.
But hey dont worry the government will hopefully employ panels of substitite teachers to throw at schools when teachers start getting sick and dying.


----------



## RubyToogood (Jul 11, 2020)

I still really haven't nailed the mask thing because glasses. They don't just mist up, they fall off,and so does the mask. Anyone found a style that works for them? I'm probably going to make my own reusable ones.


----------



## Griff (Jul 11, 2020)

Been on the tube and buses a few times with my tabby mask.


----------



## spanglechick (Jul 11, 2020)

RubyToogood said:


> I still really haven't nailed the mask thing because glasses. They don't just mist up, they fall off,and so does the mask. Anyone found a style that works for them? I'm probably going to make my own reusable ones.


The mask makes your glasses fall off? Is it coming up too high? Also - if the mask is coming off have you tried the ones where the elastic goes around the back of your head?


----------



## spanglechick (Jul 11, 2020)

I’ve bought a number of fabric masks from Etsy.  My best mask is (perhaps not coincidentally) the biggest. I have a huge head, and perhaps predictably this means I need XXL masks, just as I do with hats.  
This supersize mask is more comfy and also less steamy for my glasses.


----------



## RubyToogood (Jul 11, 2020)

spanglechick said:


> The mask makes your glasses fall off? Is it coming up too high? Also - if the mask is coming off have you tried the ones where the elastic goes around the back of your head?


I think my ears just can't hold both mask and glasses. I do get on better with things that go all the way round the back of the head.


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 11, 2020)

Got a black mask with a filter and nozzle . Its comfortable and doesnt make my face sweat like mad. 
I feel like I should dress in black though.. and feature in an apocalyptic movie. 
😁


----------



## Boudicca (Jul 11, 2020)

RubyToogood said:


> I still really haven't nailed the mask thing because glasses. They don't just mist up, they fall off,and so does the mask. Anyone found a style that works for them? I'm probably going to make my own reusable ones.


I could probably write a bit of an essay on this  - I now have a A4 file of all the different patterns I have made up.  

Popular patterns are Craft Passion, the Olsen, the 3D Box/Octagon masks.  I've been making a particularly fiddly mask for a local Facebook group but for friends and family, I mostly make a version of of the simple pleated mask.  Most people find it comfortable and it fits most people now that I sew channels for adjustable elastic.  I use Wilko garden wire for the nose wire, which is thin and may help with the glasses problem.  




If you join the Mask Makers UK Facebook page, they have the most popular versions in the files section.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 14, 2020)




----------



## Voley (Jul 14, 2020)

When I first got a mask I noticed that people who weren't socially distancing gave me a bit of a wider berth. I was wondering about the psychological effect of this - but I've now come to the conclusion that it's because the mask makes me look like Hannibal Lecter.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 14, 2020)

Can someone please explain why some folk go for gloves? dessiato mentioned earlier than they are compulsory in supermarkets in Spain, what is the difference between a clean hand and a gloved hand?


----------



## platinumsage (Jul 14, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Can someone please explain why some folk go for gloves? dessiato mentioned earlier than they are compulsory in supermarkets in Spain, what is the difference between a clean hand and a gloved hand?



This probably isn't a factor for most people who wear them, but a big advantage of a glove is that you can sanitise it with alcohol dozens of times without your skin falling off.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 14, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Can someone please explain why some folk go for gloves? dessiato mentioned earlier than they are compulsory in supermarkets in Spain, what is the difference between a clean hand and a gloved hand?


Not a lot of difference. Early advice did mention gloves would help but they do transmit the virus the same way as an ungloved hand will. If anything gloves are worst than a clean/sanitised hand because they make your interactions more clumsy so more 'contact' than an ungloved hand. 

Sanitise hands before shop/pub/public then after and don't touch face/fanny/cock/arse


----------



## existentialist (Jul 14, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Not a lot of difference. Early advice did mention gloves would help but they do transmit the virus the same way as an ungloved hand will. If anything gloves are worst than a clean/sanitised hand because they make your interactions more clumsy so more 'contact' than an ungloved hand.
> 
> Sanitise hands before shop/pub/public then after and don't touch face/fanny/cock/arse


And there's always - gasp - the soap and water option. I hear that some people have been washing their hands this way, in some cases, for YEARS


----------



## Mrs Miggins (Jul 14, 2020)

Badgers said:


> View attachment 222190


You know, I don't say things like this often but I really hope stupid twats like her end up getting the virus.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 14, 2020)

existentialist said:


> And there's always - gasp - the soap and water option. I hear that some people have been washing their hands this way, in some cases, for YEARS


Hopefully that goes without saying 

Always wash my hands (have done due to chef work since 14) before going out and immediately when coming home. 

If you are outside a shop/supermarket there is no sink or facilities so sanitiser is all you can do.


----------



## Mrs Miggins (Jul 14, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> This is going to be my get up at work:
> View attachment 221148
> Might change the label to: 2 METRES DICKHEAD


Given the job you do, I don't think that's overkill at all. You're face-to-face with members of the public all day. We're supposed to wear visors when we answer the door to patients as well. I haven't been doing because I make them stand back and have very little interaction with them but it's different for you. I do wear a mask though and I've got glasses.

Main thing is, wear what you feel safe wearing.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 14, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Hopefully that goes without saying
> 
> Always wash my hands (have done due to chef work since 14) before going out and immediately when coming home.
> 
> If you are outside a shop/supermarket there is no sink or facilities so sanitiser is all you can do.


Completely agree, but there are a lot of people out there who seem just not to get it - it's all "oh, but the sanitiser hurts my hands", on the basis that somehow soap and water couldn't _possibly_ be good enough...


----------



## Mrs Miggins (Jul 14, 2020)

existentialist said:


> Completely agree, but there are a lot of people out there who seem just not to get it - it's all "oh, but the sanitiser hurts my hands", on the basis that somehow soap and water couldn't _possibly_ be good enough...


There are a lot of people who just don't want to take the suggested precautions. Don't want to wash or sanitise their hands, don't want to wear a mask etc. like that ridiculous woman upthread there. They think it's something to game.

I hate hand sanitiser - awful sticky stuff- but I'm using it now cos I don't want to get sick or infect others. Wearing a mask all day is awful but I'm doing it for the same reasons.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 14, 2020)

existentialist said:


> Completely agree, but there are a lot of people out there who seem just not to get it - it's all "oh, but the sanitiser hurts my hands", on the basis that somehow soap and water couldn't _possibly_ be good enough...


Given that a lot of people voted Brexit I think the government should be legislating this. A lot of the British public are self serving morons. Sad to say


----------



## existentialist (Jul 14, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Given that a lot of people voted Brexit I think the government should be legislating this. A lot of the British public are self serving morons. Sad to say


Given that our government seems to be made up of people who think a lot like those who voted Brexit, I think we'd all be better off holding our breath rather than waiting for any kind of sensible legislative approach to this .

And, you know, if they'd actually handled it sensibly in the first place, rather than sending out confusing (and confused) messages, and continually failing to practice what they preach, we might not even have *needed* legislation. We're where we are right now thanks in very large part to the clumsy and chaotic approach that the people paid to lead us chose - yes, chose - to take.


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 14, 2020)

Mrs Miggins said:


> You know, I don't say things like this often but I really hope stupid twats like her end up getting the virus.


Not to mention that ordering girls seems likely to break several laws


----------



## Badgers (Jul 14, 2020)

Mrs Miggins said:


> I hate hand sanitiser - awful sticky stuff- but I'm using it now cos I don't want to get sick or infect others. Wearing a mask all day is awful but I'm doing it for the same reasons.


 

As I said above and before this small inconvenience is very very much the least we can do. 

Anyone not wearing a mask in busy places should be treated like a drink driver. 

I get that there was misinformation from our governcunt but there should never have been a grey area here. It angers me that people (and a few posters here tbf) have been arguing against masks


----------



## LDC (Jul 14, 2020)

The gloves thing is annoying, people wear them when they'd be much better off washing their hands. I think some people are quite confused, like they think the route is just touching it or something and then it goes through the skin. That or it's just psychological protection rather than any actual real protection.


----------



## Roadkill (Jul 14, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> The gloves thing is annoying, people wear them when they'd be much better off washing their hands. I think some people are quite confused, like they think the route is just touching it or something and then it goes through the skin. That or it's just psychological protection rather than any actual real protection.



Agreed, and that reflects a complete failure on the part of the British government to put out accurate information about how the virus is actually transmitted.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 14, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> The gloves thing is annoying, people wear them when they'd be much better off washing their hands. I think some people are quite confused, like they think the route is just touching it or something and then it goes through the skin. That or it's just psychological protection rather than any actual real protection.


And the trouble with psychological protection, in the absence of real protection, is that people then think they don't need to do any more about it, and a kind of complacency sets in: "I'm wearing gloves, nothing can touch me now", completely forgetting that the primary purpose of washing and PPE is to protect *others* from us, not the other way around...and that gloves and masks aren't some kind of magical amulet of protection.

And - again - I think some really clear messages from Government would have helped massively. Fuck it, they've got a whole "nudge unit" whose entire, and slightly sinister, purpose was to get public messaging out there and effective.


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 14, 2020)

existentialist said:


> And the trouble with psychological protection, in the absence of real protection, is that people then think they don't need to do any more about it, and a kind of complacency sets in: "I'm wearing gloves, nothing can touch me now", completely forgetting that the primary purpose of washing and PPE is to protect *others* from us, not the other way around...and that gloves and masks aren't some kind of magical amulet of protection.
> 
> And - again - I think some really clear messages from Government would have helped massively. Fuck it, they've got a whole "nudge unit" whose entire, and slightly sinister, purpose was to get public messaging out there and effective.


It's more of a nudge nudge unit under abdpj


----------



## Badgers (Jul 14, 2020)

existentialist said:


> really clear messages from Government


Ha ha ha ha ha


----------



## existentialist (Jul 14, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Ha ha ha ha ha


I'm an idealist, get over it!


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 14, 2020)

existentialist said:


> I'm an idealist, get over it!


as opposed to the nudge unit which should have an idea list


----------



## maomao (Jul 14, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> The gloves thing is annoying, people wear them when they'd be much better off washing their hands. I think some people are quite confused, like they think the route is just touching it or something and then it goes through the skin. That or it's just psychological protection rather than any actual real protection.


I was using gloves for shopping at the height of it all in April/May. Disposables. Clean pair for each shop and put in a bin and resanitise hands when I came out. It stopped me using my phone while I was in the shop and along with the mask made me more conscious about what my hands were touching. Also meant my hands were effectively completely cleaned between two shops, more reliably than that hand sanitiser stuff.

We were very paranoid/thorough though. My wife made me leave my clothes by the back door and get straight in the shower after every trip.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jul 14, 2020)

Pretty much nobody other than me is wearing a mask in shops around here. I did a count up on my last Lidl run and bike about town. Approximately one in fifty to sixty people wearing a mask. . . .but then, staggeringly, fifty percent of mask wearers were wearing them on the chin or around the neck.


----------



## Mrs Miggins (Jul 14, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> The gloves thing is annoying, people wear them when they'd be much better off washing their hands. I think some people are quite confused, like they think the route is just touching it or something and then it goes through the skin. That or it's just psychological protection rather than any actual real protection.


The gloves thing is annoying because it tends to make people think they can just touch anything and everything. They don't let you in the hospital wearing them. They make people take them off and sanitise their hands. I think washing your hands and being aware of what you are touching is a far better approach than gloves.

And I'm still highly amused (dismayed?) at the young lad serving at my local pharmacy counter who was wearing gloves but had one of the fingers cut out. Presumably so he could use his phone


----------



## Badgers (Jul 14, 2020)

maomao said:


> We were very paranoid/thorough though. My wife made me leave my clothes by the back door and get straight in the shower after every trip.


Did she have another motive?


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 14, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Did she have another motive?



You're thinking sexy times, but sadly it's just that maomao has savage BO.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 14, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> You're thinking sexy times, but sadly it's just that maomao has savage BO.


I had heard a rumour  but was hoping for a happier tale.


----------



## maomao (Jul 14, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> You're thinking sexy times, but sadly it's just that maomao has savage BO.


My wife actually objects to the smell of deodorant so I've spent four months not wearing any (helps with social distancing in shops too). Very paranoid about being smelly now as have a job interview this week.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 14, 2020)

maomao said:


> My wife actually objects to the smell of deodorant so I've spent four months not wearing any. Very paranoid about being smelly now as have a job interview this week.




Good luck with the interview.


----------



## maomao (Jul 14, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Good luck with the interview.


Thanks but I don't actually want the job.  (good interview practise though)


----------



## quimcunx (Jul 14, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> looking at that pic i wonder if i'm the only one that can't get on with around-the-ear masks? i hand sewed a prototype (out of the bags that my bedlinen came in that i've never known what to do with) and have to run the elastics around the back for it to stay on.



I saw someone use a paperclip to join the loops at the back.


----------



## Doodler (Jul 14, 2020)

Back to working in the Big Shed next week (part time), admittedly doing the cash office so not much contact with customers but relieved about the masks in shops rule. It is several weeks overdue imo but better late than never.

I see old men wandering inside shops without masks, them of all people. If you had a cartoon Covid virus with a speech bubble over its head, it'd be thinking "Right you old git, I'm having you." Half a dozen senior musketeers were all bunched up the other day in a Halfords queue - not something you see often - the queue wallah had to ask them all to space themselves out. Big chains ought to dish out free masks one per customer, they can afford to do so, but maybe an idea also to hand out cards with 'Fun Facts about ICU Delirium' just to ram the point home.


----------



## xsunnysuex (Jul 14, 2020)

😂😂


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 14, 2020)

I hadn't been, as very few people do around, and even fewer staff, partly because we are a low risk area, but mainly because people have been excellent in maintaining social distancing and sticking to the one way systems.

However, that has started to change, people have just started to get slack in the last week, and I see Tesco has stopped their queuing & one way systems, and removed all the social distancing markings from the floor.  

So, just yesterday I had decided I would start wearing one, just before the news today that they will be compulsory from next Friday anyway.









						Tesco shoppers fuming after huge changes made in store
					

The supermarket has removed its one way system as lockdown continues to ease




					www.kentlive.news


----------



## dessiato (Jul 14, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Can someone please explain why some folk go for gloves? dessiato mentioned earlier than they are compulsory in supermarkets in Spain, what is the difference between a clean hand and a gloved hand?


Under recent changes gloves are no longer obligatory in shops. However, you are obliged to sanitize your hands at the entrance.

Previously as you entered you were expected to sanitize then put on gloves which were provided FOC at the shop door.


----------



## LDC (Jul 14, 2020)

Roadkill said:


> Agreed, and that reflects a complete failure on the part of the British government to put out accurate information about how the virus is actually transmitted.



Yeah totally, but to be honest also a lack of common sense or inability of people to understand basic hygiene and infection stuff. Similar reasons to why some people wear the mask not covering their nose I expect.


----------



## Roadkill (Jul 14, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Yeah totally, but to be honest also a lack of common sense or inability of people to understand basic hygiene and infection stuff.



That too, but surely that makes it even more important for the government to provide accurate and timely public information!


----------



## RubyToogood (Jul 14, 2020)

Boudicca said:


> I could probably write a bit of an essay on this  - I now have a A4 file of all the different patterns I have made up.
> 
> Popular patterns are Craft Passion, the Olsen, the 3D Box/Octagon masks.  I've been making a particularly fiddly mask for a local Facebook group but for friends and family, I mostly make a version of of the simple pleated mask.  Most people find it comfortable and it fits most people now that I sew channels for adjustable elastic.  I use Wilko garden wire for the nose wire, which is thin and may help with the glasses problem.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the heads up. I made a reverse nose fold mask yesterday and I haven't worn it out yet but early indications are good. I made it with quilting cotton of which I have tons, and lined it with muslin for breathability, so it is quite light. I'm wondering if the muslin is really sufficient. I was toying with using some lightweight interfacing as a filter, but not sure about breathing in particles of that, specially the iron-on type.


----------



## LDC (Jul 14, 2020)

Roadkill said:


> That too, but surely that makes it even more important for the government to provide accurate and timely public information!



Indeed, but short of beaming it directly into people's heads there's always going to be some randomers out there!


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jul 14, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> I hadn't been, as very few people do around, and even fewer staff, partly because we are a low risk area, but mainly because people have been excellent in maintaining social distancing and sticking to the one way systems.
> 
> However, that has started to change, people have just started to get slack in the last week, and I see Tesco has stopped their queuing & one way systems, and removed all the social distancing markings from the floor.
> 
> ...



Yeah, my small local Tesco mini is now just letting in as many people as it can, and no one way system.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 14, 2020)

.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 14, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> The gloves thing is annoying, people wear them when they'd be much better off washing their hands. I think some people are quite confused, like they think the route is just touching it or something and then it goes through the skin. That or it's just psychological protection rather than any actual real protection.


I wear them cos they make me feel safer but also less likely to touch my face and bite my nails


----------



## Numbers (Jul 14, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> View attachment 222236View attachment 222237View attachment 222238
> View attachment 222239View attachment 222240


----------



## editor (Jul 14, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> View attachment 222236View attachment 222237View attachment 222238
> View attachment 222239View attachment 222240


Go Team That Must Not Be Mentioned!


----------



## thismoment (Jul 14, 2020)

Popped into shop,  this will be about the 5th time since lockdown. Sanitised hands outside shop then put my mask on. I was the only one wearing a mask except one of the workers.
I felt so anxious and am convinced that people were giving me odd looks. Aaah still feel anxious. In a way I found it easier back March/April/May/June when I just left the house for a short walk. I feel like I need to practice navigating the outdoors


----------



## ska invita (Jul 14, 2020)

sorry if already asked
-should they be washed?
-disposed of?
--how stored?
-after how long etc?
-im diligently not touching my face when out of house, so uncomfortable about putting what might be a dirty rag right up to my mouth and nose


----------



## Boudicca (Jul 14, 2020)

RubyToogood said:


> Thanks for the heads up. I made a reverse nose fold mask yesterday and I haven't worn it out yet but early indications are good. I made it with quilting cotton of which I have tons, and lined it with muslin for breathability, so it is quite light. I'm wondering if the muslin is really sufficient. I was toying with using some lightweight interfacing as a filter, but not sure about breathing in particles of that, specially the iron-on type.


Ah, the Passmore pleat, a recent technological advance in the art of mask making!

The filter is supposed to be non-woven, but the reality is that two layers of cotton is hard enough to breathe through, without adding a third one.  So I don't use a filter personally, although most of the masks I have made have a pocket for one.  I bought a 400 thread count sheet and use that as lining.


----------



## Chilli.s (Jul 14, 2020)

ska invita said:


> sorry if already asked
> -should they be washed?
> -disposed of?
> --how stored?
> ...


Ideally, wear once in a high risk area, then bag it and wash carefully at home in hot soapy water. I use a carrier bag thats days old and and clean, chuck the bag away after.  2 shops with a drive in between?, then 2 masks.


----------



## spanglechick (Jul 14, 2020)

I have about half a dozen masks and have been leaving the house around once a week.  My totally scientific method is to throw my used mask on the dashboard of my car when I get home, and leave the lurgy to die of old age.  Possibly something about sunlight.  
By the time I go out again I _scientifically_ believe the lurgy will be dead, but anyway I often wear a different mask. For reasons of accessorising.  

I’m aware this system may need tweaking if I start going out more than once a week.


----------



## Boudicca (Jul 14, 2020)

ska invita said:


> sorry if already asked
> -should they be washed?
> -disposed of?
> --how stored?
> ...


The lazy way is to have several and leave them untouched after use for enough time for the virus to die (72 hours?)

Cotton ones can be washed, high temperatures not necessary as long as soap is involved.

The safe way is to carry two ziplock plastic bags, one for used masks and one for clean ones.  You should change them regularly, particularly if you have been messing around with them too much or if they get damp.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 14, 2020)

spanglechick said:


> I have about half a dozen masks and have been leaving the house around once a week.  My totally scientific method is to throw my used mask on the dashboard of my car when I get home, and leave the lurgy to die of old age.  Possibly something about sunlight.
> By the time I go out again I _scientifically_ believe the lurgy will be dead, but anyway I often wear a different mask. For reasons of accessorising.
> 
> I’m aware this system may need tweaking if I start going out more than once a week.


It's about as safe a system as any. 
Or one mask a day, and hang it up on its respective hook when you get home, and it will be safe to wear again the following week


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

Saul Goodman said:


> It's about as safe a system as any.
> Or one mask a day, and hang it up on its respective hook when you get home, and it will be safe to wear again the following week



Who's paying for all these masks? It's all well and good if you can afford the rip off prices many shops are charging to buy a mask every day, but what if you're on a tight budget? Even using the method you suggest a quid a mask, 7 masks for the week, then people have to buy the kids masks; soon starts getting expensive.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> Who's paying for all these masks? It's all well and good if you can afford the rip off prices many shops are charging to buy a mask every day, but what if you're on a tight budget? Even using the method you suggest a quid a mask, 7 masks for the week, then people have to buy the kids masks; soon starts getting expensive.


The government should be posting out masks to every household. They managed it with proper gas masks 80 years ago but they can't afford a few cheap cloth ones now. It beggars belief.


----------



## LDC (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> Who's paying for all these masks? It's all well and good if you can afford the rip off prices many shops are charging to buy a mask every day, but what if you're on a tight budget? Even using the method you suggest a quid a mask, 7 masks for the week, then people have to buy the kids masks; soon starts getting expensive.



Make them, they're not supposed (or needed) to be of a medical grade. Simple to knock up, or buy a few and reuse them. I have 3 and just rotate them once worn by hanging them up for a few days after use at home. Between using and hanging them up I just put in my pocket or leave in a bag/on the car dash.

It's for use in shops, not ICU, not too fussed about being more careful than that.


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Make them, they're not supposed (or needed) to be of a medical grade. Simple to knock up, or buy a few and reuse them. I have 3 and just rotate them once worn by hanging them up for a few days after use at home. Between using and hanging them up I just put in my pocket or leave in a bag/on the car dash.
> 
> It's for use in shops, not ICU, not too fussed about being more careful than that.



Sorry for playing devils avocado but an 18 year old who lives alone knows how to make a face mask do they? You have to think about it from the aspect of all different corners of society. If we have to wear masks in shops then masks, individually packaged, along with hand sanitiser for after the packaging has been touched, should be provided on entry to the store.


----------



## LDC (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> Sorry for playing devils avocado but an 18 year old who lives alone knows how to make a face mask do they? You have to think about it from the aspect of all different corners of society. If we have to wear masks in shops then masks, individually packaged, along with hand sanitiser for after the packaging has been touched, should be provided on entry to the store.



Suspect some shops will be giving them out, at least at first. Buy a few cloth ones maybe, they're not expensive.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 14, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Suspect some shops will be giving them out, at least at first. Buy a few cloth ones maybe, they're not expensive.


They're only not expensive if you can afford them. For some people it might be a choice between wearing a mask or feeding their children.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> Sorry for playing devils avocado but an 18 year old who lives alone knows how to make a face mask do they?



There's plenty of videos on youtube, it's not hard. Besides, it doesn't have to be a mask, just a 'face covering'.

I got 4 washable/reusable cloth ones for just £6 inc. delivery.


----------



## ska invita (Jul 14, 2020)

They are giving them away for free in some major train stations btw


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> There's plenty of videos on youtube, it's not hard. Besides, it doesn't have to be a mask, just a 'face covering'.
> 
> I got 4 washable/reusable cloth ones for just £6 inc. delivery.



Ye I know. It's easy throw a tea towel and a laggy band round your head. 

I'm just thinking objectively.


----------



## platinumsage (Jul 14, 2020)

Even my mum has already managed to get some using the following methods, and she thinks the whole thing is a load of rubbish:


Free on a bus
By sending away a postal order in response to a magazine advert
From the chemist

If she has managed to stock up already, I think anyone can tbh.


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

Saul Goodman said:


> They're only not expensive if you can afford them. For some people it might be a choice between wearing a mask or feeding their children.



That's the point I was getting at. And as if single parents can just afford to start cutting up their clothes to make masks. If the government want people wearing masks then they need to provide them. If the onus is put on shops to start providing them then I wonder will the cost be passed back on to us anyway?


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 14, 2020)

The onus should be on the government or the shops to supply them, that way, aside from medical reasons, there's no excuse for not wearing one.


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 14, 2020)

Sorry but the masks are to prevent covid 19 spreading.

Also...and this is not directed at anyone here.. just from experience. I've heard neighbours giving out about buying masks. These are people who have jobs and money. I have said to them on occasion.. 
"Isn't it amazing how people dont walk around naked? Surely the government should be paying for all the clothes?"

Same people are buying shitloads of alcohol etc...and then saying they cant afford a mask for their kid and  "the government should pay for my face masks"
🙄

Priorities?


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 14, 2020)

My sixteen year old can make them, she’s been at the sewing machine all afternoon today making a load for when we go on holiday, she’s just come downstairs with a new one for me...


----------



## Mrs Miggins (Jul 14, 2020)

Are homemade cloth ones better or worse in terms of heat/condensation than disposable paper ones?


----------



## Numbers (Jul 14, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Sorry but the masks are to prevent covid 19 spreading.
> 
> Also...
> Isn't it amazing how people dont walk around naked? Surely the government should be paying for all their clothes?
> ...


Being quite assumptive there Sugar.  Not everyone drinks like you say, or at all, some people struggle to make ends meet with the basics like food/leccie etc.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 14, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Sorry but the masks are to prevent covid 19 spreading.
> 
> Also...
> Isn't it amazing how people dont walk around naked? Surely the government should be paying for all their clothes?
> ...


I don't have any kids, but I do have masks, which I buy myself, but not everyone can afford them


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 14, 2020)

Numbers said:


> Being quite assumptive there Sugar.  Not everyone drinks like you say, or at all, some people struggle to make ends meet with the basics like food/leccie etc.



I know. And I am struggling. But I still buy face masks. And will make them a priority as someone who is immumocompromised. I have done without other essentials in order to have masks.
And it really boils my piss that I have heard people going round giving out about having to buy a mask or wear a mask whilst in their designer tracksuits queueing up outside offlicences.


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 14, 2020)

Saul Goodman said:


> I don't have any kids, but I do have masks, which I buy myself, but not everyone can afford them



And I was not directing my post at you. 

But I see it all around me. Neighbours whining about having to buy a few masks while they have their drink fuelled house party.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 14, 2020)

Mrs Miggins said:


> Are homemade cloth ones better or worse in terms of heat/condensation than disposable paper ones?



Worse


----------



## Mrs Miggins (Jul 14, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Worse


Thought they might be. I'll stick with the paper ones then.


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Sorry but the masks are to prevent covid 19 spreading.
> 
> Also...
> Isn't it amazing how people dont walk around naked? Surely the government should be paying for all their clothes?
> ...



Just a rant, or aimed at somebody in perticular?


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Sorry but the masks are to prevent covid 19 spreading.
> 
> Also...
> Isn't it amazing how people dont walk around naked? Surely the government should be paying for all their clothes?
> ...



You're missing the point my friend. Those people who spend 80 quid a week on booze, I'm sure, will no doubt buy and use masks. Many people though can't afford to buy masks or 60 quids worth a week of booze either.


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> Just a rant, or aimed at somebody in perticular?



Just a rant. .

I've had  massive run in with neighbours who insisted on having a fucking house party fuelled with alcohol til 5am while my mum is lying in her bed literally dying in front of us.
Wouldnt mind only I had said to them how ill she is.
And the scumbags went ahead.  Not a fucking mask in sight. Selfish pricks.

Not having a good day.

But I am not ranting at anyone here.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 14, 2020)

Mrs Miggins said:


> Thought they might be. I'll stick with the paper ones then.



Bought 100 paper ones and they feel fairly comfy, but with four of us that is only 25 each and we’d soon get through those. I really dislike the throwaway nature of single use stuff, so a mixture of paper and cloth masks is how we’re going, depending on how long you need to wear it in a given situation.


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> I know. And I am struggling. But I still buy face masks. And will make them a priority as someone who is immumocompromised. I have done without other essentials in order to have masks.
> And it really boils my piss that I have heard people going round giving out about having to buy a mask or wear a mask whilst in their designer tracksuits queueing up outside offlicences.



On that note maybe the fact people are pissed off about having to buy masks now, four months and 40k+ dead later, is probably because it's too little too late.... There's a facebook meme going around ''wearing masks in shops 4 months into the pandemic is like bringing condoms to the baby shower''


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> On that note maybe the fact people are pissed off about having to buy masks now, four months and 40k+ dead later, is probably because it's too little too late.... There's a facebook meme going around ''wearing masks in shops 4 months into the pandemic is like bringing condoms to the baby shower''




Not really. We had managed to get the r rate well below 1 over here.
Now people are fucking that up by just being irresponsible. 
There is no way that hospitals will cope with a second wave. And masks will prevent transmission if used properly.

Anyway. I will leave it. I am not in the best form. 
Sorry for rant


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Just a rant. .
> 
> I've had  massive run in with neighbours who insisted on having a fucking house party fuelled with alcohol til 5am while my mum is lying in her bed literally dying in front of us.
> Wouldnt mind only I had said to them how ill she is.
> ...



Sorry to hear about your mother. 

People are really getting fed up with it all now, not that that excuses acting the idiot.


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> Sorry to hear about your mother.
> 
> People are really getting fed up with it all now, not that that excuses acting the idiot.



Thank you. I've had the hardest night of my life and its only going to get worse. 

It's fucking depressing how people are behaving.


----------



## Numbers (Jul 14, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Not really. We had managed to get the r rate well below 1 over here.
> Now people are fucking that up by just being irresponsible.
> There is no way that hospitals will cope with a second wave. And masks will prevent transmission if used properly.
> 
> ...


Rant away.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 14, 2020)

Apparently, a squirrel in Colorado has tested positive for the bubonic plague.
#endofdays


----------



## Argonia (Jul 14, 2020)

Yes, and some kid in Mongolia has just died from bubonic.

Bubonic plague: Teenage boy dies from 'Black Death' disease


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 14, 2020)

Argonia said:


> Yes, and some kid in Mongolia has just died from bubonic.
> 
> Bubonic plague: Teenage boy dies from 'Black Death' disease




Shit


----------



## existentialist (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> On that note maybe the fact people are pissed off about having to buy masks now, four months and 40k+ dead later, is probably because it's too little too late.... There's a facebook meme going around ''wearing masks in shops 4 months into the pandemic is like bringing condoms to the baby shower''


But at least bringing condoms to a baby shower might prevent or reduce the risk of a second wave of baby...


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

existentialist said:


> But at least bringing condoms to a baby shower might prevent or reduce the risk of a second wave of baby...


 surely being pregnant would prevent that? Hence, pointless as fuck haha


----------



## existentialist (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> surely being pregnant would prevent that? Hence, pointless as fuck haha


----------



## Steel Icarus (Jul 14, 2020)

Bubonic plague is still around, it's treatable with antibiotics.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 14, 2020)

S☼I said:


> Bubonic plague is still around, it's treatable with antibiotics.


If it's caught within the first 24 hours of symptoms appearing.


----------



## Mrs Miggins (Jul 14, 2020)

Argonia said:


> Yes, and some kid in Mongolia has just died from bubonic.
> 
> Bubonic plague: Teenage boy dies from 'Black Death' disease


Remind me....when are the giant murder hornets due to show up?


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

Mrs Miggins said:


> Remind me....when are the giant murder hornets due to show up?



it's the alien invasion first; murder hornets wipe out the aliens.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> Who's paying for all these masks? It's all well and good if you can afford the rip off prices many shops are charging to buy a mask every day, but what if you're on a tight budget?


any firm/tight woven cotton can be doubled (trebled)* and hand stitched in about 15 mins (2 side channels to contain elastic/lace ties, top and bottom hem if you're feeling fancy. an old pillowcase is ideal.

*doubled is very easy to breathe through ime, trebled is our official advice in wales but i already made mine double 🤷


----------



## Mrs Miggins (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> it's the alien invasion first; murder hornets wipe out the aliens.


Oh of course! Silly me


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> Sorry for playing devils avocado but an 18 year old who lives alone knows how to make a face mask do they? You have to think about it from the aspect of all different corners of society. If we have to wear masks in shops then masks, individually packaged, along with hand sanitiser for after the packaging has been touched, should be provided on entry to the store.


"disposable" masks are incredibly wasteful. much rather teach my 18 yo to sew than hope for plastic/paper masks from the powers that be.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 14, 2020)

Mrs Miggins said:


> Remind me....when are the giant murder hornets due to show up?


You'll know before they get there. farmerbarleymow will be at the front, banging his drum, leading them into battle.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> That's the point I was getting at. And as if single parents can just afford to start cutting up their clothes to make masks.


i dare you to find a parent (single or otherwise) with growing children who doesn't have access to reasonably significant quantities of outgrown/surplus clothing...


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> any firm/tight woven cotton can be doubled (trebled)* and hand stitched in about 15 mins (2 side channels to contain elastic/lace ties, top and bottom hem if you're feeling fancy. an old pillowcase is ideal.
> 
> *doubled is very easy to breathe through ime, trebled is our official advice in wales but i already made mine double 🤷


 
like i said, what 18 year old that lives alone, on benefits is gonna know how to do that?


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> like i said, what 18 year old that lives alone, on benefits is gonna know how to do that?


there is a thing called learning how to sew. it takes a needle and thread (c. £1 total). it might seem old fashioned but you never know when it might come in unexpectedly handy. learning resources are widely available on the internet.

most people can learn to hand sew in a spare evening.

i understand that not everyone has their evenings spare, maybe they could extrapolate...


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 14, 2020)

existentialist said:


> But at least bringing condoms to a baby shower might prevent or reduce the risk of a second wave of baby...



Your baby showers sound a lot more fun than ours


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> i dare you to find a parent (single or otherwise) with growing children who doesn't have access to reasonably significant quantities of outgrown/surplus clothing...



I'll take your word for it.


----------



## weltweit (Jul 14, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> "disposable" masks are incredibly wasteful. much rather teach my 18 yo to sew than hope for plastic/paper masks from the powers that be.


And they are probably going to end up in the sea somewhere ..


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> there is a thing called learning how to sew. it takes a needle and thread (c. £1 total). it might seem old fashioned but you never know when it might come in unexpectedly handy. learning resources are widely available on the internet.
> 
> most people can learn to hand sew in a spare evening.
> 
> i understand that not everyone has their evenings spare, maybe they could extrapolate...



I'll take your word for it.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> I'll take your word for it.



awesome, enjoy the sewing circle, can be surprisingly empowering


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> awesome, enjoy the sewing circle



Get a grip you bourgeois tosser.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> Get a grip you bourgeois tosser.


i have a fantastic grip on a needle and thread thanks. i think you'll find that makes me an _artisan_ tosser


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> i have a fantastic grip on a needle and thread thanks. i think you'll find that makes me an _artisan_ tosser



tosser either way.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Jul 14, 2020)

...


----------



## weepiper (Jul 14, 2020)

Being able to sew is bourgeois now


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> tosser either way.


srs? hand sewing is what? outmoded? beyond a teenager? beyond the working class? wasteful? impractical? impossibly coded female??

come the apocalypse  i won't be relying on the government of the day 3-d printing my ppe for me


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

weepiper said:


> Being able to sew is bourgeois now


i think it's the idea that giving people (/assisting people to acquire their own) skills is... err, i dunno. hopefully cyril_smear can enlighten us.


----------



## cyril_smear (Jul 14, 2020)

weepiper said:


> Being able to sew is bourgeois now



no, but assuming that people have the funds to buy the materials or have access to the internet is; well it's certainly a bit snotty anyway.


Makes no difference to me, I can quite easily make a face covering. I'll just use one of my wifes thongs over my face.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> no, but assuming that people have the funds to buy the materials or have access to the internet is; well it's certainly a bit snotty anyway.


literally pound shop/library. come on


----------



## DexterTCN (Jul 14, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> i think it's the idea that giving people (/assisting people to acquire their own) skills is... err, i dunno. hopefully cyril_smear can enlighten us.


He sounds like a face-mask flat-earther.  And thinks an 18-year old on benefits would have a house, in 2020.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

cyril_smear said:


> Makes no difference to me, I can quite easily make a face covering. I'll just use one of my wifes thongs over my face.





Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Good luck with the interview.


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 14, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Given that a lot of *people voted Brexit* I think the government should be legislating this. A lot of the *British public are self serving morons*. Sad to say





Well done you - you’ve managed to conflate Brexit with Covid!


----------



## existentialist (Jul 14, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Well done you - you’ve managed to conflate Brexit with Covid!


Hardly a challenge, given that the same bunch of clowns are in charge of both


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 14, 2020)

existentialist said:


> Hardly a challenge, given that the same bunch of clowns are in charge of both



Glad to see you’ve calmed down from your outburst on the America burning thread


----------



## existentialist (Jul 14, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Glad to see you’ve calmed down from your outburst on the America burning thread


You can fuck off, with your faux-provocative cross-thread wooden spoonery.


----------



## DexterTCN (Jul 14, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Glad to see you’ve calmed down from your outburst on the America burning thread


Don't mention other threads unless they do first mate.  Not allowed unless you're pointing out someone following you around.  Big nono.


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 14, 2020)

DexterTCN said:


> Don't mention other threads unless they do first mate.  Not allowed unless you're pointing out someone following you around.  Big nono.



Ah, ok - cheers


----------



## DexterTCN (Jul 14, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Ah, ok - cheers


I just like a fair fight


----------



## existentialist (Jul 14, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Ah, ok - cheers


I know your opportunities for cross-thread beef have been...limited lately , but I refuse to believe you didn't know that. Which is fine by me - you took a particularly pathetic example to try and do it with - but don't insult our intelligence by pretending to be so damn innocent.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 14, 2020)

DexterTCN said:


> I just like a fair fight


aw hun r u new here?


----------



## DexterTCN (Jul 14, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> aw hun r u new here?


Longer than you


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 14, 2020)

Dexter advising Marty about breaking the faq’s, an unholy alliance of stupid.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 14, 2020)

DexterTCN said:


> Don't mention other threads unless they do first mate.  Not allowed unless you're pointing out someone following you around.  Big nono.



That's fucking rich coming from you.


----------



## nyxx (Jul 14, 2020)

Chilli.s said:


> Ideally, wear once in a high risk area, then bag it and wash carefully at home in hot soapy water. I use a carrier bag thats days old and and clean, chuck the bag away after.  2 shops with a drive in between?, then 2 masks.



I don’t think you need to chuck the back away. You can just leave it unused for 3 days. In lab conditions the virus can be detected for up to 3 days on plastic, in non lab conditions it’ll probably break down faster if anything. 



cyril_smear said:


> On that note maybe the fact people are pissed off about having to buy masks now, four months and 40k+ dead later, is probably because it's too little too late.... There's a facebook meme going around ''wearing masks in shops 4 months into the pandemic is like bringing condoms to the baby shower''



it’ll still prevent more deaths if enough people start wearing them now. And it’ll mean some people who are immunocompromised might be able to venture outside again some day.


----------



## RubyToogood (Jul 14, 2020)

Boudicca said:


> Ah, the Passmore pleat, a recent technological advance in the art of mask making!
> 
> The filter is supposed to be non-woven, but the reality is that two layers of cotton is hard enough to breathe through, without adding a third one.  So I don't use a filter personally, although most of the masks I have made have a pocket for one.  I bought a 400 thread count sheet and use that as lining.


I think my personal position may be that there is a lot more protection in a mask that you wear because it's comfortable than in one that you don't, however super duper the protection. I mean you could use plasticised fabric and nothing would get through it at all but nobody would wear it.


----------



## MrSki (Jul 14, 2020)




----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 14, 2020)

I'm printing a mask now. It's designed to take 3M side filters. 



Just another 20 hours left to print.


----------



## quimcunx (Jul 15, 2020)

Mrs Miggins said:


> Remind me....when are the giant murder hornets due to show up?


----------



## Badgers (Jul 15, 2020)

Saul Goodman said:


> I'm printing a mask now. It's designed to take 3M side filters.
> 
> View attachment 222340
> 
> Just another 20 hours left to print.


Keep us posted on this


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 15, 2020)

So masks won’t be mandatory in offices or for restaurant staff. 

Just shops.

Some consistency would be nice.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 15, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> So masks won’t be mandatory in offices or for restaurant staff.
> 
> Just shops.
> 
> Some consistency would be nice.


Who need consistency when you've got token gestures and news management?


----------



## ska invita (Jul 15, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> So masks won’t be mandatory in offices or for restaurant staff.
> 
> Just shops.
> 
> Some consistency would be nice.


----------



## DexterTCN (Jul 15, 2020)

ska invita said:


>


That picture caused loads of hysteria and jokes on social media last night.


----------



## zahir (Jul 15, 2020)

Study comparing cloth masks and medical masks





__





						A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers | BMJ Open
					





					bmjopen.bmj.com
				





> This study is the first RCT of cloth masks, and the results caution against the use of cloth masks. This is an important finding to inform occupational health and safety. Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection. Further research is needed to inform the widespread use of cloth masks globally. However, as a precautionary measure, cloth masks should not be recommended for HCWs, particularly in high-risk situations, and guidelines need to be updated.


----------



## Teaboy (Jul 15, 2020)

Its probably quite obvious to anyone that has worn one that cloth masks are bit shit.  First time I wore one I sneezed and instinctively raised my hand and a fair few droplets hit my hand.   Of course some will be better than others.

Still, it probably does something and are better than nothing but clearly not suitable for health workers.  For the rest of us though it means we're not buying up global stock of the N95 types (or whatever).  I read recently that some hospitals in Florida had run out of them and they were having to use surgical masks.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 15, 2020)

I just signed the petition calling on Matt Hancock to come clean and release the PPE contracts. Will you add your name too?
					

Many hundreds of frontline healthcare workers have contracted Covid-19 and died. Details of the PPE fiasco that left them further exposed are now starting to emerge.  The Government has committed £15 billion for buying PPE. Shockingly, three of the biggest beneficiaries so far are companies...




					actionnetwork.org


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 15, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Keep us posted on this


It all went horribly wrong at about 6am. It was about 1/3 of the way through, and the print came away from the bed, so I've had to start over.


----------



## killer b (Jul 15, 2020)

why do you guys want to look like comic book supervillains when you go to aldi?


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 15, 2020)

killer b said:


> why do you guys want to look like comic book supervillains when you go to aldi?


Why wouldn't you?


----------



## killer b (Jul 15, 2020)

Just the plain masks are pretty disorientating and alienating to be around a lot - I'd be worried about actually scaring some people with a big mechano-skull face on.


----------



## Steel Icarus (Jul 16, 2020)

I had a tiny knock on the front door yesterday evening. Was a young woman from Estonia selling education books. Her mask was under her chin. I stayed a couple of feet into my porch as we chatted. It was nice to talk to someone I didn't expect - I haven't had a conversation in person with a stranger for months. She got close enough to show me a sample of a book and to hand me her card. I don't think we were 2m apart. I spoke to her for ten minutes. Now I'm paranoid about getting ill. It's frightening how this thing has made me scared of more stuff. Why didn't I wear a mask? Why didn't she? Does it matter, given where I am is nearly the lowest cases in the UK?


----------



## Yossarian (Jul 16, 2020)

Even some Canadians have lost the plot over face masks - not sure why police ended up shooting him, but there seems to some crossover between mask refusers and gun owners.



> Ontario Provincial Police said that officers were called to the grocery store at around 8 a.m. following a report that there was a man who was refusing to wear a mask and had assaulted several people at the store.
> 
> "He refused to wear a mask at the store. He was refused service and the assault happened thereafter. So our people became involved with that initial assault investigation and follow-up," OPP Sgt. Jason Folz said.











						Semi-automatic rifle found at scene of fatal police-involved shooting that started at Ontario grocery store
					

A semi-automatic rifle and a pistol were found at the scene of a fatal police-involved shooting in Haliburton County that started with a report about a man who was refusing to wear a mask at a grocery store, Ontario’s police watchdog said.



					toronto.ctvnews.ca


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 16, 2020)

S☼I said:


> I had a tiny knock on the front door yesterday evening. Was a young woman from Estonia selling education books. Her mask was under her chin. I stayed a couple of feet into my porch as we chatted. It was nice to talk to someone I didn't expect - I haven't had a conversation in person with a stranger for months. She got close enough to show me a sample of a book and to hand me her card. I don't think we were 2m apart. I spoke to her for ten minutes. Now I'm paranoid about getting ill. It's frightening how this thing has made me scared of more stuff. Why didn't I wear a mask? Why didn't she? Does it matter, given where I am is nearly the lowest cases in the UK?


Never answer the door to strangers 

But I'm sure you'll be ok


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 16, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> Never answer the door


FFY


----------



## 8ball (Jul 16, 2020)

Yossarian said:


> ...there seems to some crossover between mask refusers and gun owners.



Good propaganda insertion there.  I've also seen "low cognitive ability", "voting Brexit", and "being a racist" linked to it in the last couple of days.


----------



## Yossarian (Jul 16, 2020)

8ball said:


> Good propaganda insertion there.  I've also seen "low cognitive ability", "voting Brexit", and "being a racist" linked to it in the last couple of days.



I'm not so sure about the latter two - for every gammony type ranting about being muzzled, there's probably an anti-vaxxer woo type with their own objections.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Jul 16, 2020)

The problem is that it has now become part of US "culture war" symbolism, so lots of loud voices on the internet are saying you should wear one all the time or you're selfish and a nazi, or that you should never wear one or you're a pussy and a communist. Admittedly I'm fine with being a pussy and a communist but very little of it is about the actual masks any more.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 16, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> The problem is that it has now become part of US "culture war" symbolism, so lots of loud voices on the internet are saying you should wear one all the time or you're selfish and a nazi, or that you should never wear one or you're a pussy and a communist. Admittedly I'm fine with being a pussy and a communist but very little of it is about the actual masks any more.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Jul 17, 2020)

I took delivery of eleven masks today (three varieties), and none of them fit me without trying to tear my ears off. I have a big head (looking forward to baldness   ) and I should have realised this when I ordered them. Tried a bit of temporary surgery with the stringy slack elastic from the disposable medical-style masks that I swiped from work and enjoyed some success. Not ideal, so I've got various elastic coming from Amazon, and superglue on standby. If I have to enforce this shit with the public, I need to look like a mean cunt, so naturally everything will be black or camouflague. Need to work on the Bane voice now...


----------



## Saul Goodman (Jul 17, 2020)

Nine Bob Note said:


> I took delivery of eleven masks today (three varieties), and none of them fit me without trying to tear my ears off. I have a big head (looking forward to baldness   ) and I should have realised this when I ordered them. Tried a bit of temporary surgery with the stringy slack elastic from the disposable medical-style masks that I swiped from work and enjoyed some success. Not ideal, so I've got various elastic coming from Amazon, and superglue on standby. If I have to enforce this shit with the public, I need to look like a mean cunt, so naturally everything will be black or camouflague. Need to work on the Bane voice now...


2 elastic bands and cow hitch knots. Problem solved


----------



## muscovyduck (Jul 18, 2020)

So I have supposedly now got an N95 mask. However, it has a "filter" I'm suspicious of. It basically looks like a fancy hole that opens and closes when I breathe. Is this what a filter is supposed to do?


----------



## existentialist (Jul 18, 2020)

muscovyduck said:


> So I have supposedly now got an N95 mask. However, it has a "filter" I'm suspicious of. It basically looks like a fancy hole that opens and closes when I breathe. Is this what a filter is supposed to do?


That sounds more like a valve than a filter.


----------



## muscovyduck (Jul 18, 2020)

existentialist said:


> That sounds more like a valve than a filter.


Yes that makes sense. Do you know much about this type of thing? I've just realised if I breathe in the valve closes so my suspicion has subsided a bit. Way safer than the other masks I've been wearing anyway


----------



## zora (Jul 18, 2020)

muscovyduck said:


> Yes that makes sense. Do you know much about this type of thing? I've just realised if I breathe in the valve closes so my suspicion has subsided a bit. Way safer than the other masks I've been wearing anyway



I get the impression this is only coming to light/becoming public knowledge recently, but as I understand it now, the valve masks offer some protection to the user, but not to others. And the blanket mask use is of course designed to protect each other/others from ourselves, not the other way round.
Apparently, in some places these have been legislated against, and I hope that we will see the same here, or certainly some decent public information about it, because otherwise it could be counterproductive. (For some reason I am struggling to put in a link from my phone right now, but if you google masks with valves, you will see lots of recent articles on this issue; I linked to a couple of them on the "wearing masks in shops" thread).


----------



## LDC (Jul 18, 2020)

muscovyduck said:


> Yes that makes sense. Do you know much about this type of thing? I've just realised if I breathe in the valve closes so my suspicion has subsided a bit. Way safer than the other masks I've been wearing anyway



But maybe not safer for others? I think we're not supposed to be wearing those kind of mask tbh, but someone here will know.


----------



## xenon (Jul 18, 2020)

I'm a bit confused about mask designations now.

I got a reuseable one from a local shop. It feels like it has a filter pad in it. Been using that on trains. Sprayed it with hand sanitiser and leave it to hang by my coat. Otherwise just have some rectangular mask things in coat, which I've now been wearing in shops.

Basically does N95 refer to the valve type? FP3 = EU name for N95?

If I new what the first type I describe is called, I'd buy a couple more online. I have got a couple of disposable ones too but think I'll save them for emergencies / leave at my dad's next time I'm there.


----------



## muscovyduck (Jul 18, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> But maybe not safer for others? I think we're not supposed to be wearing those kind of mask tbh, but someone here will know.


It definitely feels safer for others too because the airs only coming out the mask in one area rather than all over the place which is what the other masks seemed to be doing. Although tbh the only people I'm coming into extended contact with outside my house are people who are insisting all masks are abhorrent and I'm an asshole for wearing one so I'm less inclined to consider their safety


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 18, 2020)

I think only medical staff are supposed to be wearing them as they’re in short supply


----------



## LDC (Jul 18, 2020)

Face coverings are fine afaik, no need to be worrying about what exact type of mask you get. Especially since I imagine most people won't be using them properly; taking them on and off correctly, disposing etc.


----------



## platinumsage (Jul 18, 2020)

xenon said:


> I'm a bit confused about mask designations now.
> 
> I got a reuseable one from a local shop. It feels like it has a filter pad in it. Been using that on trains. Sprayed it with hand sanitiser and leave it to hang by my coat. Otherwise just have some rectangular mask things in coat, which I've now been wearing in shops.
> 
> ...



N95 is an American classification, it means it filters 95% of particulates, the N means it's for use against Non-oil based contaminants. FFP3 is a European classification. It is linked to occupational exposure limits so it's quite complicated comparing them, but an FFP3 is generally better in terms of filtration than an N95.

For use in public against this virus though, it's not really relevant. Best to think of two categories. The first being face masks (e.g. surgical ones) and other face coverings (e.g. cotton) all of which can reduce expelled droplets and also prevent some droplets landing in your own mouth. The second are respirators such as N95 and FFP3 ones, which can really stop you inhaling any significant virus - however they must be worn and fitted properly to ensure no air can get in around the edges. This really needs some training and it also makes it quite hard to breath in them for extended periods of time. If they have a filter fitted this can make it easier to exhale but this allows your unfiltered breath to bypass the mask so won't protect other people. There's really no point in people buying these, best stick to the first category for shopping and public transport etc.


----------



## muscovyduck (Jul 18, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> N95 is an American classification, it means it filters 95% of particulates, the N means it's for use against Non-oil based contaminants. FFP3 is a European classification. It is linked to occupational exposure limits so it's quite complicated comparing them, but an FFP3 is generally better in terms of filtration than an N95.
> 
> For use in public against this virus though, it's not really relevant. Best to think of two categories. The first being face masks (e.g. surgical ones) and other face coverings (e.g. cotton) all of which can reduce expelled droplets and also prevent some droplets landing in your own mouth. The second are respirators such as N95 and FFP3 ones, which can really stop you inhaling any significant virus - however they must be worn and fitted properly to ensure no air can get in around the edges. This really needs some training and it also makes it quite hard to breath in them for extended periods of time. If they have a filter fitted this can make it easier to exhale but this allows your unfiltered breath to bypass the mask so won't protect other people. There's really no point in people buying these, best stick to the first category for shopping and public transport etc.


Yeah this is what I'm suspicious of, it seems way too easy to breathe in this one in comparison with the masks I had before. I suppose that could be because it fits and I know how to wear it but it doesn't add up really does it?


----------



## muscovyduck (Jul 18, 2020)

I edited the last post, deleted the edit but I'll add it as a separate post: I was being flippant about other people's safety earlier but there's a difference between making a judgement call about "my safety v someone else's" and "my comfort vs someone else's safety" which would be the case if there's a filter on this, right?


----------



## kalidarkone (Jul 18, 2020)

My face looks like a pizza as I just did 3 x12 hour shifts on the trot wearing a FRSM.


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Jul 18, 2020)

But _why_ are we still saying N95 masks are in short supply and therfore the general public shouldn't wear them? They exist. The UK govt could buy as many as they liked from China. There's no global mask shortage. 

There do also seem to be a lot of KN95 (Chinese rating) masks on ebay. They've clearly bought them from China, and I'm pretty certain they can just keep buying more if they start selling through.

Everyone in a high-risk category should be in an N95/KN95/FFP3 mask, imo. 

I also honestly do not think you need training to wear an N95 mask.  Just squeeze it onto the bridge of your nose until it really fucking hurts.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 18, 2020)

Bloody hell.
Chemist had packs of 10 disposables - though I reckon I could get more than one trip to the supermarket out of one.
I bought a reusable one in the pound shop and I think I will consider it for emergencies only or as a means to make my bandanas more secure as it's just one layer of elastane material.
I just located two more bandanas so at least I'll always have one of those available.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 18, 2020)

I didn't get much off online OCR of the Chinese packing slip ...




> etiAg r. I
> FZ/T73049-2014 2017)
> • tit H : 20 tifritt-V4-: 2071.1 .30 ifri114.1k 95%pol yester 5%spandex 1.) tin t SCitai; ibil".144.11CRi/Y11 t(?) 1'1 364 1 t*.:
> 
> ...


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Jul 18, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> I didn't get much off online OCR of the Chinese packing slip ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It says that they're masks, when they were packaged, how long they last (three years), the name of the business, and their address. And what they're composed of, which I'm sure you got since they wrote that in English.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 18, 2020)

I find it shocking that there aren't proper 3 layer disposable masks available on the high street.
All you can get here is 10 packs of disposables.
This one seems far too porous.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 19, 2020)

5 Pack Reusable Adult Face Coverings | M&S
					

Crafted from breathable 2-ply cotton, these antibacterial face coverings are washable and reusable




					www.marksandspencer.com


----------



## ffsear (Jul 19, 2020)

They literately have nothing better to do???









						Coronavirus: Anti-mask activists protest against order to wear face coverings
					

Demonstrators claim an order to wear masks from Friday is "absolutely ludicrous and does not make scientific sense".




					news.sky.com


----------



## ffsear (Jul 19, 2020)

They describe themselves as "Pro choice" also


----------



## Mation (Jul 20, 2020)

Hello, fellow sweaty people! 👋

On hot days, how often do you change your mask? Or how long does it take to get wet?

Six+ masks per hour isn't really practical


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 20, 2020)

Mation said:


> Hello, fellow sweaty people! 👋
> 
> On hot days, how often do you change your mask? Or how long does it take to get wet?
> 
> Six+ masks per hour isn't really practical


I wear one to work and back and one different one all day at work


----------



## Supine (Jul 20, 2020)

Mation said:


> Hello, fellow sweaty people! 👋
> 
> On hot days, how often do you change your mask? Or how long does it take to get wet?
> 
> Six+ masks per hour isn't really practical



Oh boy, you must sweat a LOT!!!

I wear mine for hrs every day at work and I don't think I've ever had one wet.


----------



## Mation (Jul 20, 2020)

Supine said:


> Oh boy, you must sweat a LOT!!!
> 
> I wear mine for hrs every day at work and I don't think I've ever had one wet.


I have a very efficient cooling system  but it is problematic if I have to walk about and the day is hot. It's not going to be saturated, but it will be damp enough for me to think it probably needs changing. 

But, I'd guess, even a bit damp it will still perform its main function of preventing me from infecting other people, if I were lurgied up


----------



## scifisam (Jul 21, 2020)

zahir said:


> Study comparing cloth masks and medical masks
> 
> 
> 
> ...





zahir said:


> Study comparing cloth masks and medical masks
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I know we need to test cloth masks vs clinical masks for healthcare workers, but in reality, most people can only really access cloth masks. They're obviously going to be less effective, but the line about "increased risk of infection" is relative to medical masks, not compared to not wearing a mask at all.

The link recommends use of cloth masks instead of medical masks for healthcare workers. It doesn't say that cloth masks are actually dangerous, but it would be easy for the snippet you quoted to be disseminated and misused by people who hate not being able to show their lower face.


----------



## dessiato (Jul 21, 2020)

Mation said:


> Hello, fellow sweaty people! 👋
> 
> On hot days, how often do you change your mask? Or how long does it take to get wet?
> 
> Six+ masks per hour isn't really practical


It’s hot here, regularly 38 to 42, and it can be humid. I always wear a mask when out and about. It is uncomfortable. But the masks I use are disposable surgical masks and they don’t get wet. I’ve some reusable ones but they are more uncomfortable in the heat.

I remove the masks as soon as I can to get a break from them, and to breathe. If I’m outside in the street, if there’s no one around I take my mask off. This isn’t strictly within the rules, but it helps keep the mask dry I think.


----------



## rubbershoes (Jul 21, 2020)




----------



## Johnny Vodka (Jul 21, 2020)

David Lynch has designed some face coverings.  Might need to splurge.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 21, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> David Lynch has designed some face coverings.  Might need to splurge.


Wonderful


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Jul 21, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Wonderful
> View attachment 223164



I was thinking maybe the rabbits one...


----------



## Cloo (Jul 21, 2020)

2 days to mask time and still barely any more people wearing them than usual at supermarket. Not having a pop at people - there's a pathetic lack of central messaging, I would have expected lots of ads taken out to say 'From Friday 24 July, face coverings will be mandatory in shops or you may face a £100 fine' or something, and displaying what people can use (and that _they should wear them over their nose FFS!) _How the fuck is anyone supposed to enforce it when people will just turn up and go (either innocently or arsily) 'Well I didn't know', there's just no official gravitas behind it, they might as well have said 'People can wear a mask if they like from 24 July'


----------



## 8ball (Jul 21, 2020)

I've got a couple of bandanas on order.  Can wear it like a scarf some of the time and know I won't forget it, unlike the one work gave me which I accidentally leave on my desk.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Jul 21, 2020)

Cloo said:


> 2 days to mask time and still barely any more people wearing them than usual at supermarket. Not having a pop at people - there's a pathetic lack of central messaging, I would have expected lots of ads taken out to say 'From Friday 24 July, face coverings will be mandatory in shops or you may face a £100 fine' or something, and displaying what people can use (and that _they should wear them over their nose FFS!) _How the fuck is anyone supposed to enforce it when people will just turn up and go (either innocently or arsily) 'Well I didn't know', there's just no official gravitas behind it, they might as well have said 'People can wear a mask if they like from 24 July'


I would have at least expected some printed-out signs at the co-op saying "hey just to remind you, from Friday you have to wear a mask to come in here". It doesn't give me any great confidence that they are going to do anything about it when the time comes.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 21, 2020)

Went to Sainsbury’s earlier and probably around 50% wearing masks, which is way up on last week, but no staff wearing them and no signs to inform folk of the mandating their use from three days time.


----------



## Cloo (Jul 21, 2020)

Yes, I am susprised none of the supermarkets have signs up saying people will need masks from Friday - it also seems daft to me that, as far as I can tell, there's no plans to hand them out, at least for a few days/weeks initially. People _always _respond better to 'You are supposed to have this, here's one for you', than 'No, you can't come in without the thing'. It would help drive home the message in a positive way.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 21, 2020)

Cloo said:


> Yes, I am susprised none of the supermarkets have signs up saying people will need masks from Friday - it also seems daft to me that, as far as I can tell, there's no plans to hand them out, at least for a few days/weeks initially. People _always _respond better to 'You are supposed to have this, here's one for you', than 'No, you can't come in without the thing'. It would help drive home the message in a positive way.



If you pass through Heathrow you must wear a mask all the time, except eating and drinking. If you show up without one you will be handed one, bought in bulk they are pennies a pop, so no reason not to, then people will get the message once everyone’s doing it.


----------



## clicker (Jul 21, 2020)

I reckon the retail sector is scared stiff at the moment, obviously with good reason. Perhaps they are hoping we'll police ourselves, rather than them having to put out a message that reminds people there's a pandemic going on and now may not be the best time to go shopping for non essentials.


----------



## Yossarian (Jul 21, 2020)

I don't understand the whole mindset of "let's not wear masks until the very last minute when the law says we have to," even when people generally agree that the government is shit and useless.


----------



## Cloo (Jul 21, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> If you pass through Heathrow you must wear a mask all the time, except eating and drinking. If you show up without one you will be handed one, bought in bulk they are pennies a pop, so no reason not to, then people will get the message once everyone’s doing it.


Yes,  you have to _help _people with this shit!


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Jul 21, 2020)

It isn't just masks - all the supermarkets I've seen around my way seem to be lifting restrictions generally. Nobody on the door at Tescos, regular big queues inside Sainsburys with the door guy just waving people in regardless, Co-op has had a voluntary "one in one out" system for a while but if you don't stick to it it doesn't matter. I find it hard to believe they really want to ask people to wear masks based on that behaviour.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 21, 2020)

Yossarian said:


> I don't understand the whole mindset of "let's not wear masks until the very last minute when the law says we have to," even when people generally agree that the government is shit and useless.



There’s a strong thing of not wanting to look like a weirdo, but once a critical mass of people are doing it you’re the odd-bod if you don’t have one. I expect to see at least 90% masked up on Friday. We’ll see...


----------



## Numbers (Jul 22, 2020)

I have these 2 arriving today.


----------



## Cloo (Jul 22, 2020)

I was interested to go shopping yesterday as you can't necessarily tell from the high street, as people may put them on only when they go indoors,  but it was still fewer than I expected. I think a lot of people still don't know or properly understand what's expected,  through no fault of their own


----------



## dessiato (Jul 22, 2020)

Numbers said:


> I have these 2 arriving today.
> 
> View attachment 223193
> 
> View attachment 223194


They're great. Where did you get them?


----------



## Numbers (Jul 22, 2020)

dessiato said:


> They're great. Where did you get them?


Etsy


----------



## LDC (Jul 22, 2020)

Cloo said:


> Yes, I am susprised none of the supermarkets have signs up saying people will need masks from Friday - it also seems daft to me that, as far as I can tell, there's no plans to hand them out, at least for a few days/weeks initially. People _always _respond better to 'You are supposed to have this, here's one for you', than 'No, you can't come in without the thing'. It would help drive home the message in a positive way.



Yeah, I basically said the same thing on the other 'masks in shops' thread. The manger of a big Tesco's basically said they weren't even going to remind people come Friday.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 22, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> It isn't just masks - all the supermarkets I've seen around my way seem to be lifting restrictions generally. Nobody on the door at Tescos, regular big queues inside Sainsburys with the door guy just waving people in regardless, Co-op has had a voluntary "one in one out" system for a while but if you don't stick to it it doesn't matter. I find it hard to believe they really want to ask people to wear masks based on that behaviour.



Yeah, this weird winding down of things has puzzled me too.


----------



## kalidarkone (Jul 22, 2020)

I'm waiting for this one (Jamaican):


----------



## kalidarkone (Jul 22, 2020)

I've just noticed there are two face mask threads in the same forum....merge?


----------



## 8ball (Jul 22, 2020)

On the subject of masks and enforcement in shops specifically, though, I expect some kind of conflict between retail and the Government next week over enforcement.  The shops are most likely anticipating a drop in takings if they try to enforce the wearing of masks, and the Government has been (probably deliberately) cagey about where the duty of enforcement lies.


----------



## LDC (Jul 22, 2020)

8ball said:


> On the subject of masks and enforcement in shops specifically, though, I expect some kind of conflict between retail and the Government next week over enforcement.  The shops are most likely anticipating a drop in takings if they try to enforce the wearing of masks, and the Government has been (probably deliberately) cagey about where the duty of enforcement lies.



I think this enforcement thing is not quite right though, or at least it's not the right terminology. Surely shops and staff, while not legally enforcing it, can remind customers that it's a requirement now, the same way that they would do with all sorts of things, wearing tops for example, or not bringing dogs in to some shops.

I think putting up prominent signage, having staff remind people for the first few weeks, and giving out free masks for a week or so would pretty much sort it out very quickly. If it doesn't get sorted in the first few weeks I think it'll get forgotten (until the winter maybe).


----------



## 8ball (Jul 22, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> I think this enforcement thing is not quite right though, or at least it's not the right terminology. Surely shops and staff, while not legally enforcing it, can remind customers that it's a requirement now, the same way that they would do with all sorts of things, wearing tops for example, or not bringing dogs in to some shops.
> 
> I think putting up prominent signage, having staff remind people for the first few weeks, and giving out free masks for a week or so would pretty much sort it out very quickly. If it doesn't get sorted in the first few weeks I think it'll get forgotten (until the winter maybe).



Those things would work to a degree, I think, though the resistance on one side and the hard-on for more authoritarian measures on the other will lead to the Government being directly petitioned to be totally clear on enforcement.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 22, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> I think this enforcement thing is not quite right though, or at least it's not the right terminology. Surely shops and staff, while not legally enforcing it, can remind customers that it's a requirement now, the same way that they would do with all sorts of things, wearing tops for example, or not bringing dogs in to some shops.
> 
> I think putting up prominent signage, having staff remind people for the first few weeks, and giving out free masks for a week or so would pretty much sort it out very quickly. If it doesn't get sorted in the first few weeks I think it'll get forgotten (until the winter maybe).




Especially in supermarkets, who have dedicated security staff on the door.


----------



## NoXion (Jul 22, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> I think this enforcement thing is not quite right though, or at least it's not the right terminology. Surely shops and staff, while not legally enforcing it, can remind customers that it's a requirement now, the same way that they would do with all sorts of things, wearing tops for example, or not bringing dogs in to some shops.
> 
> I think putting up prominent signage, having staff remind people for the first few weeks, and giving out free masks for a week or so would pretty much sort it out very quickly. If it doesn't get sorted in the first few weeks I think it'll get forgotten (until the winter maybe).



They should be doing all of that shit already. The fact that they aren't speaks to a spineless venality that does not inspire confidence that they will do the right thing. It's fucking stupid.


----------



## NoXion (Jul 22, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Especially in supermarkets, who have dedicated security staff on the door.



Some supermarkets have been winding down that sort of thing already. It's infuriating.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 22, 2020)

NoXion said:


> They should be doing all of that shit already.



Yeah. I'm surprised they haven't been doing this all week.  It's clear there is a divide between retailers and Government on this.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 22, 2020)

NoXion said:


> Some supermarkets have been winding down that sort of thing already. It's infuriating.



My local Sainsbury's has always had a dedicated security post by the door. Since lockdown they have had additional staff members to count you in/make you queue, even with them gone the security could as you to pop a mask on, same as mentioned they'd ask you to leave your dog outside or put your shirt on.


----------



## chilango (Jul 22, 2020)

I _like_ wearing a bandana. It reminds me of <coughs> "the old days". Also I often had a Buff with me pre-Covid so that's no big deal.

Regardless, I've just bought myself a couple of these.


----------



## NoXion (Jul 22, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> My local Sainsbury's has always had a dedicated security post by the door. Since lockdown they have had additional staff members to count you in/make you queue, even with them gone the security could as you to pop a mask on, same as mentioned they'd ask you to leave your dog outside or put your shirt on.



Well that's nice. I honestly don't understand the foot-dragging by some companies on this one. There are hardly any nutters with guns here, so it's not like they have to worry about their staff gaining new holes and generating tedious paperwork.


----------



## chilango (Jul 22, 2020)

...it does tickle me that that I'm now legally required to wear something that in <coughs> "the old days" I was legally required _not_ to wear.


----------



## zahir (Jul 22, 2020)

NoXion said:


> Some supermarkets have been winding down that sort of thing already. It's infuriating.



I went to Lidl yesterday for the first time since getting Covid. The queueing and security on the door have been abandoned. This is despite the number of cases in my local authority being on the rise since the beginning of June and doubling last week.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 22, 2020)

chilango said:


> ...it does tickle me that that I'm now legally required to wear something that in <coughs> "the old days" I was legally required _not_ to wear.



Yeah, BB2 and I went in to the bank the other day, we masked up on the pavement before heading in. Left the shooters at home though


----------



## chilango (Jul 22, 2020)

Booths have just emailed me...



> .
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## 8ball (Jul 22, 2020)

chilango said:


> Booths have just emailed me...



Wonder whether Waitrose are doing the same.


----------



## NoXion (Jul 22, 2020)

kalidarkone said:


> I've just noticed there are two face mask threads in the same forum....merge?



This one appears to be more about the practicalities, while the other thread is more about the news/political side of masks. Perhaps one or both threads should have their titles altered to reflect this.


----------



## LDC (Jul 22, 2020)

chilango said:


> Booths have just emailed me...



Fucking Booths! That's not a surprise! Bring a facemask and an extra £100 for your shopping. (I bloody love Booth's btw! )


----------



## chilango (Jul 22, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Fucking Booths! That's not a surprise! Bring a facemask and an extra £100 for your shopping. (I bloody love Booth's btw! )



Booths should do a range of masks like their shopping bags.


----------



## Yossarian (Jul 22, 2020)

chilango said:


> ...it does tickle me that that I'm now legally required to wear something that in <coughs> "the old days" I was legally required _not_ to wear.



One day I might bore some grandchildren with tales of how there was a time when it was totally normal to go to a bank looking like this. 

qq


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 22, 2020)

“I’d like to make a withdrawal”


----------



## dessiato (Jul 22, 2020)

I think this all illustrates the incompetency of the government and the ineffective way they're rolling out what they require people to do.

Here it was simple. "Tomorrow you wear masks in x, y, and z situations. If you don't the fine is 100€." Simple, clear and effective. 

When I went out yesterday I was surprised that no one was maskless, and very few wearing them wrongly. There'd been a few days of fewer people wearing them.


----------



## spanglechick (Jul 22, 2020)

8ball said:


> Wonder whether Waitrose are doing the same.


Aldi emailed this week.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 22, 2020)

spanglechick said:


> Aldi emailed this week.



Similar message to Booth's?


----------



## dessiato (Jul 22, 2020)

Mrs D just got back from a local shop. A policía local van stopped a youngish boy because he wasn’t wearing a mask. A minute or two later the guardia civil drove past. She didn’t see if they also stopped him.

Perhaps that’s why we take it more seriously here. People get checked and fined if they’re not obeying the rule.


----------



## belboid (Jul 22, 2020)

dessiato said:


> Mrs D just got back from a local shop. A policía local van stopped a youngish boy because he wasn’t wearing a mask. A minute or two later the guardia civil drove past. She didn’t see if they also stopped him.
> 
> Perhaps that’s why we take it more seriously here. People get checked and fined if they’re not obeying the rule.


A friend in Madrid just posted a similar story. With the exception that they were only stopping black kids...


----------



## spanglechick (Jul 22, 2020)

8ball said:


> Similar message to Booth's?


Didn’t actually read it.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 22, 2020)

dessiato said:


> I think this all further illustrates the incompetency of the disgraced government


FTFY


----------



## chilango (Jul 22, 2020)

Local co-op has posters on the front door requiring customers to mask up from Friday.


----------



## clicker (Jul 22, 2020)

I reckon the vast majority will just get on with it. At least it feels like something positive we can do.


----------



## frogwoman (Jul 22, 2020)

Local village Tesco has posters asking customers to wear masks but the shop staff weren't wearing them when I went in.


----------



## weepiper (Jul 22, 2020)

clicker said:


> I reckon the vast majority will just get on with it. At least it feels like something positive we can do.


This is my experience in Edinburgh. Everyone is just getting on with it. Even the kids being taken round Asda are mostly wearing masks.


----------



## kittyP (Jul 22, 2020)

frogwoman said:


> Local village Tesco has posters asking customers to wear masks but the shop staff weren't wearing them when I went in.



I think the idea is that is easier for punters to wear a mask for a shopping trip than it is for a retail worker to wear one for every (possibly) long shift.


----------



## kittyP (Jul 22, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> My local Sainsbury's has always had a dedicated security post by the door. Since lockdown they have had additional staff members to count you in/make you queue, even with them gone the security could as you to pop a mask on, same as mentioned they'd ask you to leave your dog outside or put your shirt on.



The two local Sainsburys I frequent have sadly given up on anything they were doing to encourage social distancing over the last month. 
On Monday the station to clean your trolley and hands had no blueroll (so you couldn't wipe your trolley down) and the hand gel pump was empty. 
I am wondering if they will make any effort to enforce mask wearing as of Friday


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 22, 2020)

kittyP said:


> The two local Sainsburys I frequent have sadly given up on anything they were doing to encourage social distancing over the last month.
> On Monday the station to clean your trolley and hands had no blueroll (so you couldn't wipe your trolley down) and the hand gel pump was empty.
> I am wondering if they will make any effort to enforce mask wearing as of Friday



You’re right, Sainsbury’s here has stopped cleaning the trolleys, but from the start whenever I collect a trolley or basket I put a large dollop of my own sanitiser on my hands and wipe down all the handles. Dunno if that is effective, but makes me feel a bit better...


----------



## kittyP (Jul 22, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> You’re right, Sainsbury’s here has stopped cleaning the trolleys, but from the start whenever I collect a trolley or basket I put a large dollop of my own sanitiser on my hands and wipe down all the handles. Dunno if that is effective, but makes me feel a bit better...



I do too but the right % gel for sanitising has been either hard to come by or expensive since this whole palaver began so I want the big supermarkets to make sure that all their customers are safe by providing the essentials. 
Shrug


----------



## 8ball (Jul 22, 2020)

Found this mildly interesting:





__





						Redirect Notice
					





					www.google.co.uk


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 22, 2020)

I ordered this today on ebay. but realised it is more for cyclists? Dont get  But anyway..









						Black Face Mask Rockbros Reusable Washable 2 Valve Cycling Sports Bike Masks UK  | eBay
					

These are Genuine Rockbros Filter for Rockbros 2 Valve Sports Mask. Prevent droplets and smog 2. Security,Breathable,Blocking droplets,Dust-proof,Stretch fabric,Fit the face 3. Breathing valves 4. With filter - 5 layers of protection 5.



					www.ebay.co.uk


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 22, 2020)

Was in a uber on the way back from the vet. the driver had a handkerchief on him as a mask then sneezed and apologised. But it was not enough. I gave a one star rating. the sneeze cost him dearly.


----------



## ddraig (Jul 22, 2020)

More people seem to be wearing them round Cardiff in the last week or so


----------



## Badgers (Jul 23, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> I ordered this today on ebay. but realised it is more for cyclists? Dont get  But anyway..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Are the cyclists ones two way filters? Guess they are but the aim for cyclists is to stop breathing in exhaust pollution etc.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jul 23, 2020)

Most people in Aldi were in one today. First time I've seen that. Really need to get a decent reusable one rather then then the cheap disposalble ones. Although Aldi were selling the cheap ones by the checkouts which makes it easier for people to grab one.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 23, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> I ordered this today on ebay. but realised it is more for cyclists? Dont get  But anyway..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's the old "valves" problem again, though. The ideal for mask wearing is that we are protecting ourselves from others, _and protecting others from us_. Masks with valves do the former, but won't really achieve the latter. Which is fine, if you're OK with that - or happy to make the compromise between easy breathing and preventing spread.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 23, 2020)

Just get a few cloth washable ones already - don’t fuck about


----------



## 8ball (Jul 23, 2020)

existentialist said:


> It's the old "valves" problem again, though. The ideal for mask wearing is that we are protecting ourselves from others, _and protecting others from us_. Masks with valves do the former, but won't really achieve the latter. Which is fine, if you're OK with that - or happy to make the compromise between easy breathing and preventing spread.



Purely on an "I reckon" intuitive basis, the masks with valves seem likely to be better than nothing, but when cloth is recommended it seems like an easy and cheap option to do that instead.


----------



## sojourner (Jul 23, 2020)

I have a ravey mask too. I get little smirks from certain people in the shop who are in on it. Surprisingly popular with the youth.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 23, 2020)

sojourner said:


> I have a ravey mask too. I get little smirks from certain people in the shop who are in on it. Surprisingly popular with the youth.


Where. Did. You. Get. This?


----------



## sojourner (Jul 23, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Where. Did. You. Get. This?


Etsy, from a seller called  TovukaCreations  - ace innit?

It's also got a pocket for inserts, and it came with two really sturdy thick cloth inserts for extra protection.


----------



## Numbers (Jul 23, 2020)

My local CoOp has a sign just inside the door saying they encourage the wearing of fact coverings but in line with government guidelines it's not mandatory.


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 23, 2020)

<bad advice removed>


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 23, 2020)

My work has decided, just the day before, that we are now requiring customers to cover their faces if they want to come in. Though we’re at least not expected to enforce it.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> Was in a uber on the way back from the vet. the driver had a handkerchief on him as a mask then sneezed and apologised. But it was not enough. I gave a one star rating. the sneeze cost him dearly.



happy to report uber just messaged to refund £16 for the journey and also informed me they have contacted the driver about wearing proper mask. I'm just going to use Addison Lee for any future vet trips. I went there with AL but came back home on Uber. They are more expensive-£26 for pet friendly car but at least the guy was wearing a proper mask.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

existentialist said:


> It's the old "valves" problem again, though. The ideal for mask wearing is that we are protecting ourselves from others, _and protecting others from us_. Masks with valves do the former, but won't really achieve the latter. Which is fine, if you're OK with that - or happy to make the compromise between easy breathing and preventing spread.



only realised its not the best mask after purchasing. cant see it stopping droplets in the air. its been shipped so cant be arsed to try return it.


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 23, 2020)

.


----------



## Numbers (Jul 23, 2020)

Duncan2 said:


> .


Good point.


----------



## Supine (Jul 23, 2020)

sojourner said:


> It's also got a pocket for inserts, and it came with two really sturdy thick cloth inserts for extra protection.



I'm pretty sure that's a pocket for ecstasy tablets


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 23, 2020)

Numbers said:


> Good point.


Soz was about to post a question about exactly which public spaces are covered by tomorrow's face-mask mandate. I knew that people in shops (other than shop-staff) were obliged to cover up from tomorrow but had been told by colleagues that all indoor public spaces were indicated.I work in a large distribution centre and it seems that for the first time many colleagues will be arriving for their shift in masks tomorrow.I was wondering why nothing had been said on the subject by management.
  Having just scooted off to catch the C4 news I see that my colleagues have it wrong.Its actually about shops,public transport and now also "transport hubs" by which,doubtless, they mean bus and train stations as opposed to distribution centres.


----------



## Casual Observer (Jul 23, 2020)

My brother refuses to wear a mask which is extremely stupid and irresponsible. He's a welder.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

Okay. It just occurred to me. Why don't all these mask makers selling their self made cotton masks put some shower curtain layer at the back? was in the bathroom and thought: hang about, a shower curtain stops water from getting through, so it is perfect material to use as second layer. So, I have just ordered a spray on fabric glue. when it arrives, gonna cut off a bit of my old shower curtain and stick on the back of the cotton mask that I have at the moment.


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 23, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> Okay. It just occurred to me. Why don't all these mask makers selling their self made cotton masks put some shower curtain layer at the back? was in the bathroom and thought: hang about, a shower curtain stops water from getting through, so it is perfect material to use as second layer. So, I have just ordered a spray on fabric glue. when it arrives, gonna cut off a bit of my old shower curtain and stick on the back of the cotton mask that I have at the moment.


I fear that you might soon find yourself suffering with shortness of breath if you go down that track donkyboy?


----------



## 8ball (Jul 23, 2020)

Duncan2 said:


> I fear that you might soon find yourself suffering with shortness of breath if you go down that track donkyboy?



I thought the official guidance was that you only stood to suffocate on a mask up until your third birthday.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 23, 2020)

WANT


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

Duncan2 said:


> I fear that you might soon find yourself suffering with shortness of breath if you go down that track donkyboy?



you could be right. but worth a try. i got a spare mask, anyway.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

Badgers said:


> WANT
> 
> View attachment 223405



what material is this? it isn't cotton.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 23, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> what material is this? it isn't cotton.





> Material: 100% Polyester
> Reusable
> Size: 20cm X 15cm
> Transfer printing
> ...



Not a great Covid-19 mask  but I still want it


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 23, 2020)

I have little doubt that at my work-place we are tacitly being discouraged from wearing face-coverings/masks in part because of the scope that might afford us for the exercise of our imagination (as in Badger's post above).


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

...


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Not a great Covid-19 mask  but I still want it



According to this:









						What material is best for homemade masks?
					

New research may indicate which common fabrics are best at filtering out tiny particles similar to those through which SARS-CoV-2 may spread.




					www.medicalnewstoday.com
				




the best mask is



> A team of researchers claims to have found the best materials for homemade face masks: a combination of either cotton and chiffon or cotton and natural silk, both of which appear to effectively filter droplets and aerosols



So I ebayed it and found:









						NEW Black PURE SILK Face Mask Washable Reusable UK Made Virus protection  | eBay
					

Wearing the mouth covering does not protect against respiratory infections. At most, it minimises the risk of transmission of pathogens to others. However, the mask can prevent you from unconsciously touching your face, thus minimising the risk of infection.



					www.ebay.co.uk


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 23, 2020)

black though


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 23, 2020)

expensive also.


----------



## thismoment (Jul 23, 2020)

The description of the masks includes “for stylish parties”. That made me laugh...party! I wish but to be fair it does say weddings too



donkyboy said:


> So I ebayed it and found:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## dessiato (Jul 23, 2020)

I like these




__





						Renault Sport Formula One Team
					






					en.shop.renaultsport.com
				




The p&p make them expensive for here though.


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 23, 2020)

My gf bought a fancy patterned face mask online somewhere but didn’t check the materials properly - turned out it was made from costume material and she said she could barely breath with it on and was like a furnace on her face.

She’s now binned it.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

dessiato said:


> I like these
> 
> 
> 
> ...



they look good, but not keen on the long wait time and also the very bright yellow stripe.


----------



## dessiato (Jul 23, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> they look good, but not keen on the long wait time and also the very bright yellow stripe.


I've just tried to order. They're out of stock. There's an all black version. (I'm an F1 fan)


----------



## DexterTCN (Jul 23, 2020)

This been posted?   Wouldn't want it to be controversial.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

Just purchased this on ebay. though the sides do remind me of a woman's panties, but I'll take it. silk and cotton combo


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

dessiato said:


> I've just tried to order. They're out of stock. There's an all black version. (I'm an F1 fan)



can you link to the black version? want to see what it looks like.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 23, 2020)

found it. Triple pack of 3x fabric Mask - RS F1 Official Website


----------



## Yuwipi Woman (Jul 23, 2020)

And another anti-mask crazy person in a grocery store:











						Maskless "Holy Karen" Filmed Invoking Jesus To Banish Others From Store Aisle Until She's Done
					

It didn't end well for this Karen though...




					god.dailydot.com
				





In my world, I had a doctor's appointment.  We're under a mandatory mask requirement where I live.  A lady walks into the waiting room and refuses rather strenuously to wear a mask citing "health problems."  The lady at the counter said, "we have an alternate waiting room for people who aren't wearing a mask."  She opened the door to the children's playroom and escorted her in there.  Act like a child go sit in the children's playroom.


----------



## purenarcotic (Jul 23, 2020)

20 people on the bus coming home. I was one of two wearing a mask. It has got worse the closer we have got to the deadline. I don’t get it.


----------



## Yuwipi Woman (Jul 23, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> Just purchased this on ebay. though the sides do remind me of a woman's panties, but I'll take it. silk and cotton combo



I'm sure the ones made out of women's panties cost extra.


----------



## Supine (Jul 24, 2020)




----------



## mr steev (Jul 24, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Top tip for the reusable surgical masks - put some hand sanitiser - the liquid stuff not the gel type - into a mini spray bottle for spraying onto mask to keep fresh and germ free.



You can also leave them in a paper bag for a day or two and they will be fine to use again


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 24, 2020)

Sainsbury’s won’t be challenging non mask wearers from entering their stores.









						Sainsbury's says it won't challenge customers not wearing face masks
					

The supermarket has been praised for recognising some people are exempt from wearing face coverings.




					metro.co.uk


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 24, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> I got mine from overseas, but there’s loads online


 
Link?


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 24, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Sainsbury’s won’t be challenging non mask wearers from entering their stores.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



And, from the link, nor will Waitrose, Lidl and Tesco.


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 24, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> And, from the link, nor will Waitrose, Lidl and Tesco.



Yup, they’re leaving it up to the police to enforce tho I doubt police will be standing guard at entrances all day.

And besides - we don’t want to see the kinds of Twitter clips like in America of anti-maskers making in-store last stands.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 24, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Link?







__





						Google
					





					www.google.co.uk


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 24, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> __
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Google?

No thanks!


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 24, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Google?
> 
> No thanks!


Amazon then


----------



## Buddy Bradley (Jul 24, 2020)

All the stuff about medical exemptions, has the government or any medical organisation actually come out and said what they consider to be valid conditions to be unable to wear a mask? There have been plenty of medical types on Twitter and elsewhere advising that there are no genuine respiratory conditions that prevent you from wearing a mask, so I assume the actual real conditions that should exempt you are things like autism or severe anxiety/panic attacks.


----------



## NoXion (Jul 24, 2020)

purenarcotic said:


> 20 people on the bus coming home. I was one of two wearing a mask. It has got worse the closer we have got to the deadline. I don’t get it.



For _fuck's_ sake! I'm supposed to be heading back into the office to work next week! If people aren't masking up on the fucking buses, then I'm not even giving it a week before asking to continue working from home. The laziness and selfishness of people pisses me the fuck off.


----------



## muscovyduck (Jul 24, 2020)

Surely the problem is with silk masks is that you can't really wash silk at 60 degrees which is the temp you need to wash clothes at to kill the virus?


----------



## quimcunx (Jul 24, 2020)

kittyP said:


> I think the idea is that is easier for punters to wear a mask for a shopping trip than it is for a retail worker to wear one for every (possibly) long shift.



I would say I'm potentially more at risk from the people working inside 7 hours a day with contact with hundreds of people than the people who are possibly making their only visit to an indoors public space that week.  

My feeling is that the people more likely to be wearing masks are the people with limited contact with others and the people less likely to be wearing masks are those who are working outside the home and/or have taken advantage of open pubs etc so more contact with people.   That would make the I protect you, you protect me masks a bit less effective.  It would be good if the people who are mixing more see it as more important for them to wear masks in shops, not less.  So I hope my feeling is wrong. 

I'm sure most people will comply but a significant number of people are not wearing masks when I see them on the bus, where it is already mandatory.


----------



## quimcunx (Jul 24, 2020)

muscovyduck said:


> Surely the problem is with silk masks is that you can't really wash silk at 60 degrees which is the temp you need to wash clothes at to kill the virus?



The soap would kill the virus. or quarantining it for a few days before it's next use.


----------



## Buddy Bradley (Jul 24, 2020)

quimcunx said:


> a significant number of people are not wearing masks when I see them on the bus, where it is already mandatory.


One recommendation I saw was to yell "Bioterrorist!" at anyone not wearing a mask...


----------



## kalidarkone (Jul 24, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Top tip for the reusable surgical masks - put some hand sanitiser - the liquid stuff not the gel type - into a mini spray bottle for spraying onto mask to keep fresh and germ free.


Just to be clear Fluid Resistant Surgical Masks
(FRSM) are not reusable, the point of them is that they are disposable which ppe regarding infection control should be. Spraying anything into a FRSM will comprise the integrity as will taking it off, touching it, wearing it under your chin or round your neck.
So dont do as Marty suggests to these kind of masks:


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 24, 2020)

muscovyduck said:


> Surely the problem is with silk masks is that you can't really wash silk at 60 degrees which is the temp you need to wash clothes at to kill the virus?


You can wash them with soap at 30/40


----------



## sojourner (Jul 24, 2020)

Supine said:


> I'm pretty sure that's a pocket for ecstasy tablets


It'd be a shit one if it was - it's open-ended each side


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

Not been into a shop, but seems to be an increase in masks under chins when out and about.

edit: canteen staff and senior management are going for the "under the nose" style.  Not easy to give a disapproving look when you're masked up.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 24, 2020)

I popped into a little Tesco earlier, around 20 people, staff & customers, and everyone was wearing a mask, except the two on the tills, behind the screens.


----------



## MooChild (Jul 24, 2020)

Just been to the butchers, some people were wearing masks, some weren't. News at 10.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> I popped into a little Tesco earlier, around 20 people, staff & customers, and everyone was wearing a mask, except the two on the tills, behind the screens.



Face shields are not considered to offer 'adequate protection' (whatever that means).  Makes me wonder about the screens.


----------



## Buddy Bradley (Jul 24, 2020)

8ball said:


> Face shields are not considered to offer 'adequate protection' (whatever that means).  Makes me wonder about the screens.


I guess they help if someone sneezes or coughs directly at you, but won't do much for the circulating air.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

Buddy Bradley said:


> I guess they help if someone sneezes or coughs directly at you, but won't do much for the circulating air.



The masks are meant to be mainly protection from asymptomatic people, but I guess sneezing or coughing could come on suddenly.
If that was a big concern, then goggles would make sense (for everyone).


----------



## weltweit (Jul 24, 2020)

muscovyduck said:


> Surely the problem is with silk masks is that you can't really wash silk at 60 degrees which is the temp you need to wash clothes at to kill the virus?


I thought you just needed soap ..


----------



## weltweit (Jul 24, 2020)

I went to the Co-op, pretty much everyone was wearing a mask. 

Then I popped into my local village shop and there were two people notably not wearing a mask, and the shop keepers weren't wearing them.


----------



## Cloo (Jul 24, 2020)

Went to Tesco and was pleasantly surprised to see almost 100% compliance - one lady without,  but maybe she had medical reasons. Couple of people wearing on their chin and only 5 not over their nose (usually the oldies doing that I find). I had seen almost no increase in wearing this week, so hadn't expected such compliance today - but pleased there is.


----------



## danny la rouge (Jul 24, 2020)

I’ve rarely seen such a meal made out of nothing.


----------



## danny la rouge (Jul 24, 2020)

(I’m in Englandshire atm. And being amused by differences in attitudes to Covid).


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 24, 2020)

m


kalidarkone said:


> Just to be clear Fluid Resistant Surgical Masks
> (FRSM) are not reusable, the point of them is that they are disposable which ppe regarding infection control should be. Spraying anything into a FRSM will comprise the integrity as will taking it off, touching it, wearing it under your chin or round your neck.
> So dont do as Marty suggests to these kind of masks:
> View attachment 223455



There’s an unlimited supply of these surgical masks at my work but I tend to use the same mask for 5 days or so before using a new one (saves on waste I suppose).  I’m constantly moving mask from my face to under my chin - after each delivery getting into van - and notice that my stubble disrupts the fibres inside the mask which tickle my nose, hence disposing after 5 days.

Im happy enough giving a quick spray of sanitiser into the mask after a shift to keep it fresh but your point is noted.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 24, 2020)

Only one customer has refused to put on a mask at work so far.


----------



## Supine (Jul 24, 2020)

Up here mask wearing in shops has gone from 5-10% to 99% overnight


----------



## IC3D (Jul 24, 2020)

I guarantee the police won't be enforcing mask wearing on any substantial scale except if maybe someone is really taking the piss in front of others. They've been sidelined during the entire pandemic bar the odd incident.


----------



## belboid (Jul 24, 2020)

Wickes insisted on us having one before entering the store - a store which was completely out of everything we needed.  Tesco asked us to wear one but wouldn’t enforce it.  Only one person without tho


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

Supine said:


> Up here mask wearing in shops has gone from 5-10% to 99% overnight



That must be the fastest survey ever


----------



## rubbershoes (Jul 24, 2020)

100% wearing at the supermarket this morning, though one person had it below the nose


----------



## NoXion (Jul 24, 2020)

rubbershoes said:


> 100% wearing at the supermarket this morning, though one person had it below the nose



That kind of shit makes me so fucking angry. It shows that they're aware of the need for masks, but they half-arse it anyway. Cunts.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Jul 24, 2020)

Maybe 30-40% in Sainsbury's near me this lunchtime I'd say; much like yesterday (there are always some people wearing masks). No signs up or anything. Didn't see any other shops with signs either.


----------



## rubbershoes (Jul 24, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Maybe 30-40% in Sainsbury's near me this lunchtime I'd say; much like yesterday (there are always some people wearing masks). No signs up or anything. Didn't see any other shops with signs either.



That's really low,  especially compared to the near total compliance everyone else is reporting


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

rubbershoes said:


> That's really low,  especially compared to the near total compliance everyone else is reporting


I’ve been expecting this to vary a good bit based on area, demographic, type of shop etc.
At least at first...


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

A mate of mine on FB says she’s just been shopping - quite a lot of masks but only about 30% wearing them properly.


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 24, 2020)

Literally not one person wore a mask to work today (massive DC).The official line is that we are "a bubble" all two hundred of us including large cohort from Nuneaton.But Monday sees the return of the temps.Crash barriers have been set up marking out a separate route onto the shop-floor for this supposed out-group who will immediately thereafter be working right alongside us as usual.In a further twist it appears that not being in "the bubble" masks will be a requirement for all temps.Of course that would be bizarre and I am fairly sure this can't happen.


----------



## Yuwipi Woman (Jul 24, 2020)

And another one.  This one demands her constitutional right to pizza:









						Maskless Customer Yells At Pizza Shop Staff, Invokes Constitutional Right To Pizza
					

"GIVE ME MY PIZZA!"




					god.dailydot.com
				




Some people don't know the difference between rights and privileges.


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jul 24, 2020)

Got a box of disposable ones, and a couple of cotton re-usable ones.  Ordered this one too.










__





						Smiley Lycra Handmade Face Mask With Soft 100% Cotton Lining | Etsy UK
					

Funky & fun handmade lycra face mask, with soft 100% cotton lining which is breathable and wicks moisture away from the face. The soft fabric ensures a comfortable fit for all day wear, and the super soft elastic doesnt dig into the skin. These are Unisex masks, and made so one size fits all. Its




					www.etsy.com
				






Supine said:


> I'm pretty sure that's a pocket for ecstasy tablets


It's always important to make supermarket shopping fun.


----------



## PursuedByBears (Jul 24, 2020)

Just back from Sainsbury's, all the shoppers were masked up and about 50% of the staff.


----------



## felixthecat (Jul 24, 2020)

Tesco this afternoon - 100% of shoppers wearing a mask and most of the staff except, for some reason, the kiosk staff.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 24, 2020)

Went to the pharmacy earlier to collect a prescription, masked up and went in, woman behind the counter couldn’t understand me and asked me to remove my mask 😷


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

felixthecat said:


> Tesco this afternoon - 100% of shoppers wearing a mask and most of the staff except, for some reason, the kiosk staff.



That would probably be the protective effect of tobacco that the boffins found.


----------



## Cloo (Jul 24, 2020)

NoXion said:


> That kind of shit makes me so fucking angry. It shows that they're aware of the need for masks, but they half-arse it anyway. Cunts.


Well TBF, that's mostly the government's fault for piss-poor messaging about any of this. I have not seen anything online, on posters, I don't watch much telly, so don't know about that, but you get the idea, emphasising that it's compulsory today, how they should be worn, how you should put them on and off, that you shouldn't pull them down under your chin, that you shouldn't reuse without washing etc.


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 24, 2020)

I ordered masks with a bitmoji of my face on the bottom half.
They are freaky.
😳

And hilarious..as the size is bigger than the bottom half of my face. 😁


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> I ordered masks with a bitmoji of my face on the bottom half.
> They are freaky.
> 😳
> 
> And hilarious..as the size is bigger than the bottom half of my face. 😁



Is that a bitmoji (which I had to Google) _of_ the bottom half of your face?
Or the whole bitmoji face on the bottom half of your face?

I think tomorrow's shopping trip may be a test of the t-shirt ninja mask.


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jul 24, 2020)

8ball said:


> Is that a bitmoji (which I had to Google) _of_ the bottom half of your face?
> Or the whole bitmoji face on the bottom half of your face?
> 
> I think tomorrow's shopping trip may be a test of the t-shirt ninja mask.
> ...


You look quite scary.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

farmerbarleymow said:


> You look quite scary.



That's not me - that's purely for ullustrative purposes. 

<should have made that clear tbf>


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jul 24, 2020)

8ball said:


> That's not me - that's purely for ullustrative purposes.
> 
> <should have made that clear tbf>


Glad to hear it.  I'd definitely let him in a shop first.  

One of the weird things about him is the giant pupils - he's obviously got brown eyes but it looks a bit satanic


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 24, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> I ordered masks with a bitmoji of my face on the bottom half.
> They are freaky.
> 😳
> 
> And hilarious..as the size is bigger than the bottom half of my face. 😁




I made a bitmoji of me and then put the bottom half on a mask template. 

See?


----------



## Wilf (Jul 24, 2020)

farmerbarleymow said:


> Glad to hear it.  I'd definitely let him in a shop first.
> 
> One of the weird things about him is the giant pupils - he's obviously got brown eyes but it looks a bit satanic


'Nah mate, you go first. I'll get me Kalashnikov somewhere else'.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

It's a bit "budget face transplant".


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 24, 2020)

8ball said:


> It's a bit "budget face transplant".




Yep...I just realised that... 

🤣

I am looking forward to wearing it to the next staff meeting if I ever go back to work.


----------



## Aladdin (Jul 24, 2020)

8ball said:


> It's a bit "budget face transplant".



I thought the third one had a look of Humphrey Bogart. 
😁


----------



## Numbers (Jul 24, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> I made a bitmoji of me and then put the bottom half on a mask template.
> 
> See?
> View attachment 223518View attachment 223519View attachment 223520


You are Nina Conti and I claim my £5 and pack of hobnobs.


----------



## Numbers (Jul 24, 2020)

Numbers said:


> You are Nina Conti and I claim my £5 and pack of hobnobs.


^^^ this will sort the back in the day from the noobs.


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 24, 2020)

S☼I you can get gtfc masks


----------



## Badgers (Jul 24, 2020)

Stopped off at a small Tesco by the train station. Security guard on the door letting people in as others came out. 

One lass:
I don't need to wear a mask. It ain't fucking illegal. 

Security guard:
It is as you can be fined £100. I have some masks here so will give you one for free. 

Her:
I am not wearing a mask and you can't make me you cunt. 

Him: 
I can and I could but you are not coming in. 

Her:
Torrent of abuse


----------



## 8ball (Jul 24, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Stopped off at a small Tesco by the train station. Security guard on the door letting people in as others came out.
> 
> One lass:
> I don't need to wear a mask. It ain't fucking illegal.
> ...



So it begins...


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Jul 24, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Stopped off at a small Tesco by the train station. Security guard on the door letting people in as others came out.
> 
> One lass:
> I don't need to wear a mask. It ain't fucking illegal.
> ...


Good old British common sense


----------



## Steel Icarus (Jul 24, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> S☼I you can get gtfc masks


I bet. Expect their fans will love it. I'm not a GTFC fan, though I have been to see them;  the last time was I think when Lee Bowyer was at Charlton


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 24, 2020)

S☼I said:


> I bet. Expect their fans will love it. I'm not a GTFC fan, though I have been to see them;  the last time was I think when Lee Bowyer was at Charlton


I expect every professional team is doing them, sure you've ordered a Liverpool one ready


----------



## Badgers (Jul 24, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> I expect every professional team is doing them, sure you've ordered a Liverpool one ready


----------



## Steel Icarus (Jul 24, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> I expect every professional team is doing them, sure you've ordered a Liverpool one ready


In fact the last football match I went to see was Leeds Ipswich in 2005 (1-1).


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jul 24, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> gtfc masks


Is that get to fuck cunt masks?


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 24, 2020)

farmerbarleymow said:


> Is that get to fuck cunt masks?


Grimsby town football club


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Jul 24, 2020)

About 70% in the co-op just now, which is better than Sainsbury's I guess? Still no signs or anything.


----------



## sparkybird (Jul 24, 2020)

I would say 30% tops of people wearing masks in Lidl tonight...
My friends in India, Mexico and Guatemala are gobsmacked. There, if you don't wear a mask IN THE STREET, let alone the shops, you are fined or arrested.
Still only 130 people in the UK died yesterday so that's ok


----------



## dessiato (Jul 24, 2020)

sparkybird said:


> I would say 30% tops of people wearing masks in Lidl tonight...
> My friends in India, Mexico and Guatemala are gobsmacked. There, if you don't wear a mask IN THE STREET, let alone the shops, you are fined or arrested.
> Still only 130 people in the UK died yesterday so that's ok


It's the case here that masks must be worn or 100€ fine, with some sensible exceptions. We have seen, in Murcia, a move back to phase 1, and a rise in Málaga. The areas seeing a resurgence are those where people don't obey the rule, and where the tourists are.


----------



## Cid (Jul 24, 2020)

Weren't enforcing it in my local Tesco... Not all staff wearing (though most were - just the guy at the till who is behind a screen anyway, and security guy who had a face shield - raised so less excusable). But only saw one person admitted without and he looked like he'd forgotten and regretted it. However this is a student area and I suppose likely to have higher uptake.


----------



## Bwark (Jul 24, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> I made a bitmoji of me and then put the bottom half on a mask template.
> 
> See?
> View attachment 223518View attachment 223519View attachment 223520


This is the funniest thing I've seen in ages. Thanks sugar, it made my day


----------



## Cid (Jul 24, 2020)

That is, frankly, genius.


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 24, 2020)

farmerbarleymow said:


> Got a box of disposable ones, and a couple of cotton re-usable ones.  Ordered this one too.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That’s awesome - I’m tempted.

Edit: it’s sold out


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 24, 2020)

Yuwipi Woman said:


> And another one.  This one demands her constitutional right to pizza:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The amount of energy expended to protest not being served without a mask is so disproportional to just wearing one - it’s nuts.

#pizza


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Jul 24, 2020)

I had mine on today. Don't think I saw more than 5-6 adult customers who didn't (and it was a 9H shift). Didn't encounter any probs at all, aside from having to back up several colleagues who refused age-restricted sales to mask-clad people they couldn't be sure were over 25 from what they could see of their faces.

 Extremely surprised, but I'm expecting Sunday to be VERY different.


----------



## Steel Icarus (Jul 25, 2020)

Mrs SI said there was a marked difference today - she only saw one person without a mask in Jack's where there were maybe 5 wearing them before it was illegal to be without


----------



## 8ball (Jul 25, 2020)

So, bumper bargains to be had tomorrow.  Five-fingered discount and all that...


----------



## bellaozzydog (Jul 25, 2020)

I’ve gone for V for vendetta and a chimpanzee face for my masks


----------



## Badgers (Jul 25, 2020)




----------



## Badgers (Jul 25, 2020)




----------



## girasol (Jul 25, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Went to the pharmacy earlier to collect a prescription, masked up and went in, woman behind the counter couldn’t understand me and asked me to remove my mask 😷



I went to the oral hygienist yesterday.  They had ALL THE PPE in the world and I could barely understand what she was saying to me.  Although I did understand when she said they can't use air conditioning and was "sweating like a horse" (English isn't her first language, I guess that's how they say it in her country).  As I was leaving she was telling me a lot of things and I really had to concentrate, makes you realise how much lip reading is involved in conversation!  But also, she was muffled under all the PPE (mask + visor).  It really brought home the gruelling conditions health care workers are working under.  I mean, if you're a hygienist it's not so bad, as the outcome for your patient is always positive.  But I was thinking about nurses and doctors all the way home after that.  I still am.  Fucking hell.

(Don't use mouthwash everyday guys!  Only twice a week )

also, wtf?  I had no idea!  Where Does the Phrase "Sweating like a Pig" Come from? the probable origin of the phrase ‘to sweat like a pig’

I bought a cycling mask with valves about two months ago, husband pointed out to me they are useless this morning.   But he bought a box of good masks, so it balances it out.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Jul 25, 2020)

My local garage is making non mask wearing customers use the night hatch, rather than letting them in. The lady that served me said they’ve already had multiple people kicking off about this as it’s “discrimination”, as well as one woman who went away then came back with a mask she’d written “waste of time” on with a sharpie


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 25, 2020)

So here’s a possible conundrum - what happens if someone goes out shopping for a face mask, only to be refused entry for not wearing a mask? 🤔


----------



## rubbershoes (Jul 25, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> So here’s a possible conundrum - what happens if someone goes out shopping for a face mask, only to be refused entry for not wearing a mask? 🤔



I think that's why the govt gave us ten days notice that the law was coming in


----------



## Badgers (Jul 25, 2020)




----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 25, 2020)

100 percent compliance in Aldi this morning but almost no masks to be seen in the "Polish" shop where I buy my pickles - not even the staff - and no polycarb screens ...

Yesterday we had an HP engineer in to fix a laptop and I escorted him - both wearing masks to an otherwise unused room for the repair ...


----------



## Badgers (Jul 25, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> 100 percent compliance in Aldi this morning but almost no masks to be seen in the "Polish" shop where I buy my pickles - not even the staff - and no polycarb screens ...


The official line is that staff do not need to wear them. I would if I was customer facing all day but a long shift with a hot face is not great for them. 

The customers have no excuse for a 10-20 minute shop.


----------



## krtek a houby (Jul 25, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> So here’s a possible conundrum - what happens if someone goes out shopping for a face mask, only to be refused entry for not wearing a mask? 🤔



Steal the face of a dog, instead


----------



## Numbers (Jul 25, 2020)

Just been to Sainsbury’s Beckton and pleasantly surprised with adherence - apart from 2 elderly couple and 4 teenage girls everyone else had one on


----------



## 8ball (Jul 25, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> So here’s a possible conundrum - what happens if someone goes out shopping for a face mask, only to be refused entry for not wearing a mask? 🤔



lots of places will give you or bring you a face mask to the door.


----------



## hash tag (Jul 25, 2020)

This is how it should be done...a solo canoeist on the Thames last week


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 25, 2020)

reminds me of people driving and wearing masks. And these arent uber drivers.


----------



## girasol (Jul 25, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> reminds me of people driving and wearing masks. And these arent uber drivers.



yeah, I don't get that, but maybe they find them comfortable?  I really don't like wearing a mask, not in summer.  However, they will be nice to wear on cold days...  Double the condensation when walking indoors for us glass wearers though


----------



## MickiQ (Jul 25, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> So here’s a possible conundrum - what happens if someone goes out shopping for a face mask, only to be refused entry for not wearing a mask? 🤔


The same way we got them Marty one of your oppo's brought them


----------



## MickiQ (Jul 25, 2020)

I went to our local chemist yesterday, everyone was wearing a mask both staff and customers. It is next to the local Tesco Express, i didn't go in the Tesco but everyone coming in or going out was wearing a mask as far as I could see.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 25, 2020)

Went through Heathrow this morning, good as place as any to document flying in the time of Covid:

Loads of people milling around outside the terminal, when we get to the door it becomes clear, there is a person on the door asking what time your flight is, if you're too early you can't come in, limiting the numbers in the terminal.

The terminal was as busy as pre-Covid, but we were on an 0840 flight, so 0700-ish is always a busy time I guess. Everyone travelling was wearing a mask. A couple of travellers walked through the terminal in paper suits, the kind the police make you wear when you do a murder and they want to examine your clothes. Check in was as normal, but they make you remove your mask to match up your passport with your face. Security was as normal. We went to the BA business lounge, you are asked to take a seat and then not move except for the bog. There is a QR code on the table that is specific to that table, click it and a menu appears, they bring your food and drinks rather than self service, they have closed the Concorde Room, Galleries North and B gates lounge, meaning there's enough staff to do this table service, it was very slick. Masks off for the duration there once you are seated.

Boarding was last row on first, working up to the front rows, mostly worked. Cabin crew masked up too. They asked you to try to remain seated as much as possible, only use the lav if the green light was showing. Food and drink was paired down, but the booze still flowed. Masks off for food and drink, which for the people three rows behind us meant the whole flight as they were having some kind of celebration and the miniature champers keep heading their way all through the flight.

Just before landing they tell you to remain seated and not go to the overhead lockers once landed until they call your row number, they repeated that once we touched down and again when we reached the gate. Once the air-bridge was connected they asked rows 1-5 to sod off, so we did. Everyone stayed masked up until they left the terminal building.

Overall the whole thing felt as safe as it could be, and I feel I am a bit more nervous than average of the plague, so all in all, not too bad.


BB2 masked up...


----------



## Cid (Jul 25, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Went through Heathrow this morning, good as place as any to document flying in the time of Covid:
> 
> Loads of people milling around outside the terminal, when we get to the door it becomes clear, there is a person on the door asking what time your flight is, if you're too early you can't come in, limiting the numbers in the terminal.
> 
> ...



Is this just to show off your ability to blag prime aviation perks?


----------



## Cid (Jul 25, 2020)

Was in town today, masking up seemed reasonably well observed... However even at 3pm there were people togged up for bars. So dunno how that's going to pan out... yet to attend so much as a pub.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 25, 2020)

Cid said:


> Is this just to show off your ability to blag prime aviation perks?



Nah, I do that in the travel threads. There's no real perks on short-haul flights.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 25, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> A couple of travellers walked through the terminal in paper suits, the kind the police make you wear when you do a murder and they want to examine your clothes.



Personal experience?


----------



## Cid (Jul 25, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Nah, I do that in the travel threads. There's no real perks on short-haul flights.



Other than the business class lounge, free-flowing booze, comfy chairs, legroom...  just jealous. 

Incidentally BB2's mask wearing is sub-optimal, should fit to bridge of nose. I suppose with kids on flights there's not a lot you can do... But yeah.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 25, 2020)

Cid said:


> Other than the business class lounge, free-flowing booze, comfy chairs, legroom...  just jealous.
> 
> Incidentally BB2's mask wearing is sub-optimal, should fit to bridge of nose. I suppose with kids on flights there's not a lot you can do... But yeah.



The champers they serve in club Europe is pap beyond words though. No decent maker does 1/4 bottles  

She was just low riding her mask in that shot, when reminded it can be worn properly.


----------



## Numbers (Jul 25, 2020)




----------



## dessiato (Jul 25, 2020)

I'm sorry, I just don't get it. It's 42 here. Everyone I saw out today was wearing a mask whether in the street, the supermarket or the car wash. Why is it such an issue in the UK? I keep asking but haven't had a good answer yet.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 25, 2020)

Numbers said:


> View attachment 223640


HOT


----------



## Cid (Jul 25, 2020)

dessiato said:


> I'm sorry, I just don't get it. It's 42 here. Everyone I saw out today was wearing a mask whether in the street, the supermarket or the car wash. Why is it such an issue in the UK? I keep asking but haven't had a good answer yet.



I'm not sure it is a particularly big issue... It's just that the policy hasn't been that well articulated.


----------



## mr steev (Jul 25, 2020)

dessiato said:


> I'm sorry, I just don't get it. It's 42 here. Everyone I saw out today was wearing a mask whether in the street, the supermarket or the car wash. Why is it such an issue in the UK? I keep asking but haven't had a good answer yet.



It's probably got something to do with the fact we've been told by the govt we didn't need to for the last 3 months. That washing our hands and SD is enough, talk that face coverings rather than masks are not very effective and that masks should be left for front line health workers, etc. There is also confusion about why now? Why didn't we have to wear them during the peak. I was speaking to a group of homeless people yesterday, and they all were convinced that if they were going to get it they would've had it by now.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 25, 2020)

dessiato said:


> I'm sorry, I just don't get it. It's 42 here. Everyone I saw out today was wearing a mask whether in the street, the supermarket or the car wash. Why is it such an issue in the UK? I keep asking but haven't had a good answer yet.


It's an issue because the confusing and variable narrative around masks in the UK has given people the idea that it's somehow negotiable, rather than simply being a bloody good idea. They've watched a government trying to "game" Covid-19, now they think it's their turn.


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 25, 2020)

Numbers has by far the best face-covering I have seen yet!


----------



## Numbers (Jul 26, 2020)

This covering (from Etsy) alleviates my breathing anxiety 100%.  It is so comfortable to wear, the scream one is good too but this wipes the floor with all others I’ve tried.


----------



## Yossarian (Jul 26, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Went through Heathrow this morning, good as place as any to document flying in the time of Covid:
> 
> Loads of people milling around outside the terminal, when we get to the door it becomes clear, there is a person on the door asking what time your flight is, if you're too early you can't come in, limiting the numbers in the terminal.
> 
> ...



Sounds reasonably safe - are they socially distancing seats, or was the flight at normal capacity? I flew from Glasgow to Toronto in late March - they restricted seating to about what seemed to be about 50% of capacity, only around 50% of passengers, and a similar proportion of flight crew, wore masks.

No drinks were served and instead of a hot meal service, they handed out plastic bags with a ham and cheese bun and bottle of water inside, so not a big difference from the usual service on Air Transat.


----------



## krtek a houby (Jul 26, 2020)

dessiato said:


> I'm sorry, I just don't get it. It's 42 here. Everyone I saw out today was wearing a mask whether in the street, the supermarket or the car wash. Why is it such an issue in the UK? I keep asking but haven't had a good answer yet.



Been wearing ours since Feb but now in the heat it's uncomfortable and the beard is flaking from long-term wear. Still preferable to the lungs flaking, admittedly.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 26, 2020)

Yossarian said:


> Sounds reasonably safe - are they socially distancing seats, or was the flight at normal capacity? I flew from Glasgow to Toronto in late March - they restricted seating to about what seemed to be about 50% of capacity, only around 50% of passengers, and a similar proportion of flight crew, wore masks.
> 
> No drinks were served and instead of a hot meal service, they handed out plastic bags with a ham and cheese bun and bottle of water inside, so not a big difference from the usual service on Air Transat.



Flight was almost full, as there are far fewer flights now so the ones operating are all busy. On board there is no distancing,  Alitalia is but this is not commercially viable. So whilst the airports are distanced you have to accept there is a risk on the flight itself, however with the mitigation in place that was good enough for me, someone not on the at risk level but also fairly scared by the whole thing.


----------



## dessiato (Jul 26, 2020)

I‘ve not Seen or heard any flakiness around 5G, chipping, or government sinister conspiracy here. When it does pop up it is nearly always from Brits.

Why? What’s happening there that is making the U.K. so paranoid?

I can accept that the government there has, and continues to be, as sketchy as fuck over the issue, but where is the application of good sense from the people?


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 26, 2020)

dessiato said:


> I‘ve not Seen or heard any flakiness around 5G, chipping, or government sinister conspiracy here. When it does pop up it is nearly always from Brits.
> 
> Why? What’s happening there that is making the U.K. so paranoid?
> 
> I can accept that the government there has, and continues to be, as sketchy as fuck over the issue, but where is the application of good sense from the people?



Maybe you’re not mixing with the right kinds of locals? In the UK I have never spoken with a 5G nutjob but their idiotic ideas pop up on various Facebook forums, are you a member of your local town/village Facebook group?


----------



## dessiato (Jul 26, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Maybe you’re not mixing with the right kinds of locals? In the UK I have never spoken with a 5G nutjob but their idiotic ideas pop up on various Facebook forums, are you a member of your local town/village Facebook group?


Yes, I am. It usually talks only about local events, art shows, the film festival etc. There’s no conspiracy lunacy.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 26, 2020)

dessiato said:


> Yes, I am. It usually talks only about local events, art shows, the film festival etc. There’s no conspiracy lunacy.



Try harder, plenty of loons all over the world, certainly not unique to the UK.


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 26, 2020)

dessiato said:


> I‘ve not Seen or heard any flakiness around 5G, chipping, or government sinister conspiracy here. When it does pop up it is nearly always from Brits.
> 
> Why? What’s happening there that is making the U.K. so paranoid?
> 
> I can accept that the government there has, and continues to be, as sketchy as fuck over the issue, but where is the application of good sense from the people?











						The Terrifying Potential of 5G Technology
					

The future of wireless technology holds the promise of total connectivity. But it will also be especially susceptible to cyberattacks and surveillance.




					www.newyorker.com


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 26, 2020)

Saturday, June 30, 2018, 6:01 p.m.

Associations of Neighbors of Madrid protested this Saturday in front of the Ministry of Health to request a moratorium on  the implantation of the 5G technology  because according to their statement the effects of  electromagnetic waves on health are not proven.

The Regional Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Madrid (FRAVM) protested this Saturday before the Ministry of Health to request a moratorium on the implementation of 5G technology and compliance with the precautionary principle in the face of exposure to electromagnetic fields.

Speaking to Europa Press Television, the spokesman for the Association of Neighbors of Chamberí ‘El Organillo’, Santiago Salvador de León, requested “the protection of health against electromagnetic pollution.We want to legislate establishing limits of protection of people exposed to these emissions,” he stated.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 26, 2020)

Protesters targeted a number of cellular broadcasting towers throughout the Netherlands to oppose the new 5G telecommunications network, Dutch newspaper _De Telegraaf_ reported on Saturday.

Towers in Rotterdam, Liessel, Beesd and Nuenen were severely damaged by fire, Rob Bongelaar told the newspaper. Bongelaar is director of The Monet Foundation, an association that oversees the placement of cell towers and coordinates with state governments on behalf of network operators including KPN, T-Mobile and Vodafone.

"The operators are doing their utmost to keep the mobile networks up and running in this difficult time," Bongelaar added. He said that the words, "F*** 5G" were written on the transmission box at one of the attack sites.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Jul 26, 2020)

It’s a global plague of moron.


----------



## DexterTCN (Jul 26, 2020)




----------



## Badgers (Jul 26, 2020)

100% masked up in Waitrose earlier


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 26, 2020)

I’m liking people embracing funky pattern/patterned type masks.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 26, 2020)

Forget cotton masks. The next generation of masks could be high-tech
					

Masks are probably here to stay. But they’ll need to evolve.




					www.fastcompany.com
				






> The C-Face is basically a plastic case that attaches on top of your soft, air-filtering mask. Its goal is something we can all relate to: to help people understand your muffled speech better. Connecting with your phone via Bluetooth, it somehow senses your face muscles to decipher your speech even when people nearby might not be able to, according to Reuters. (Presumably there’s a microphone inside, too.) An accompanying app converts your speech to text on your phone screen for others to read, or it seems that it can use the smartphone’s speaker to amplify your voice. The app also promises to take minutes in your meetings and translate what you said into one of eight languages, making it particularly useful for people who frequently travel.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 26, 2020)

DexterTCN said:


>



In the old days he could have pissed off his neighbours or workmates, perhaps acquired a bit of notoriety in the local rag, but now he wants people all over the world to know what a twat he is ...


----------



## DexterTCN (Jul 26, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> In the old days he could have pissed off his neighbours or workmates, perhaps acquired a bit of notoriety in the local rag, but now he wants people all over the world to know what a twat he is ...


I always check their bios...sometimes they say who they work for.


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jul 26, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> That’s awesome - I’m tempted.
> 
> Edit: it’s sold out


Just checked - it's in stock again.


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jul 26, 2020)

DexterTCN said:


>



He sounds like a right dick - and he retweets James Dellingpole which is always a red flag of being a total knob.


----------



## wemakeyousoundb (Jul 26, 2020)

Anyone has an online link for disposable masks they could recommend me.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Jul 26, 2020)

wemakeyousoundb said:


> Anyone has an online link for disposable masks they could recommend me.


I just get the blue ones from amazon. They're all the same, it's just a question of price and whether they're shipped from China or not.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 26, 2020)

I bet the price has gone up recently ...

I may well never use them as I have washable alternatives and only need them for shopping once a week, but I got ten for £3 in Aldi yesterday.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 26, 2020)

You can still pick up 100 surgical masks for a tenner on Amazon but shipping times are longer. 

Loads of washable ones onlines. 
Binge Designs are popular but a bit costly. 
Check ebay or etsy or similar. 

A Buff (like a Snood) is pretty affordable and cheap to wash. 

If you need them in a hurry there are loads in shops. All the supermarkets plus places like B&M. Boots and chemist's all have stock but are a bit more expensive.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Jul 26, 2020)

The last lot I bought was £15 for a pack of 50, shipped from the UK. They are identical to a UK pack of 50 I bought before that for £20.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 27, 2020)

Ann Widdecombe proposes shopping hour for face mask protesters
					

STEVE ANGLESEY takes a look at the Brexiteers making the headlines for all of the wrong reasons.




					www.theneweuropean.co.uk


----------



## existentialist (Jul 27, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> Ann Widdecombe proposes shopping hour for face mask protesters
> 
> 
> STEVE ANGLESEY takes a look at the Brexiteers making the headlines for all of the wrong reasons.
> ...


She really is a hateful old bat. I suspect that, if the Government had banned mask wearing, she'd be whoring herself around the media trying to get some soundbites in about how we should be free to wear masks.

And this: " “Perhaps shops should allow certain hours when the mask dissenters can shop *unmuzzled* in the same way as they have allocated special times to the elderly,” - they're fucking DETERMINED to get "muzzle" going as a dog whistle for this anti-mask nonsense, aren't they?


----------



## LDC (Jul 27, 2020)

existentialist said:


> She really is a hateful old bat. I suspect that, if the Government had banned mask wearing, she'd be whoring herself around the media trying to get some soundbites in about how we should be free to wear masks.
> 
> And this: " “Perhaps shops should allow certain hours when the mask dissenters can shop *unmuzzled* in the same way as they have allocated special times to the elderly,” - they're fucking DETERMINED to get "muzzle" going as a dog whistle for this anti-mask nonsense, aren't they?



There's something about that use of 'muzzle' that enrages and disgusts me in equal parts, it's a fucking horrendous use of the word.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 27, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> There's something about that use of 'muzzle' that enrages and disgusts me in equal parts, it's a fucking horrendous use of the word.


It can only - and so far as I can tell, *is* only - used to add an emotional aspect to the argument. I think it's offensive, and an insult to the intelligence. But the danger is that words like this gain currency very easily, and can rapidly become part of the narrative.


----------



## LDC (Jul 27, 2020)

existentialist said:


> It can only - and so far as I can tell, *is* only - used to add an emotional aspect to the argument. I think it's offensive, and an insult to the intelligence. But the danger is that words like this gain currency very easily, and can rapidly become part of the narrative.



Spot on, my reaction to it is really emotional, it sends shudders down my spine. I'd be really hard pressed not to thump anyone that tells me I'm muzzled when I'm out wearing one.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 27, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Spot on, my reaction to it is really emotional, it sends shudders down my spine. I'd be really hard pressed not to thump anyone that tells me I'm muzzled when I'm out wearing one.


I have my line rehearsed - anyone gives me gip about wearing a mask, and I'll be saying something along the lines of "It's not a 'muzzle': it's a cunt detector. And it is clearly working"


----------



## LDC (Jul 27, 2020)

existentialist said:


> I have my line rehearsed - anyone gives me gip about wearing a mask, and I'll be saying something along the lines of "It's not a 'muzzle': it's a cunt detector. And it is clearly working"



For anything, like when people get too close and I ask them to move back a bit, I usually just tell people I work in the NHS with covid positive patients, so I'll use that, it's been very effective so far!


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 27, 2020)

existentialist said:


> She really is a hateful old bat. I suspect that, if the Government had banned mask wearing, she'd be whoring herself around the media trying to get some soundbites in about how we should be free to wear masks.
> 
> And this: " “Perhaps shops should allow certain hours when the mask dissenters can shop *unmuzzled* in the same way as they have allocated special times to the elderly,” - they're fucking DETERMINED to get "muzzle" going as a dog whistle for this anti-mask nonsense, aren't they?


an easy way to ensure others keep at least 2m away from you is to go shopping wearing an ann widdecombe mask


----------



## bellaozzydog (Jul 27, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Went through Heathrow this morning, good as place as any to document flying in the time of Covid:
> 
> Loads of people milling around outside the terminal, when we get to the door it becomes clear, there is a person on the door asking what time your flight is, if you're too early you can't come in, limiting the numbers in the terminal.
> 
> ...



helpful info,cheers


----------



## 8ball (Jul 27, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> Ann Widdecombe proposes shopping hour for face mask protesters
> 
> 
> STEVE ANGLESEY takes a look at the Brexiteers making the headlines for all of the wrong reasons.
> ...



Just bizarre.  As if anti-maskers would only be consensually passing the virus amongst themselves.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 27, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Spot on, my reaction to it is really emotional, it sends shudders down my spine. I'd be really hard pressed not to thump anyone that tells me I'm muzzled when I'm out wearing one.



You'd just be proving their point.  Unless you bite them...


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 27, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Spot on, my reaction to it is really emotional, it sends shudders down my spine. I'd be really hard pressed not to thump anyone that tells me I'm muzzled when I'm out wearing one.


bite them and prove you're not muzzled.


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 27, 2020)

8ball said:


> You'd just be proving their point.  Unless you bite them...





Pickman's model said:


> bite them and prove you're not muzzled.


brilliant minds


----------



## 8ball (Jul 27, 2020)

Re: the poll - are people on here actually wearing a face mask in public generally?
Aside from the rules at work, I just wear one in shops (have forgotten a couple of times when there wasn't a sign, but getting the hang of it).


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 27, 2020)

8ball said:


> Re: the poll - are people on here actually wearing a face mask in public generally?
> Aside from the rules at work, I just wear one in shops (have forgotten a couple of times when there wasn't a sign, but getting the hang of it).


I only go out once or twice a week to go food shopping.
I walk in the buslane if need be to socially distance and I have always worn my mask when I go in shops.
Also at work when I step outside my designated area - bog / kitchen area ...


----------



## 8ball (Jul 27, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> I only go out once or twice a week to go food shopping.
> I walk in the buslane if need be to socially distance and I have always worn my mask when I go in shops.
> Also at work when I step outside my designated area - bog / kitchen area ...



Similar to our work rules.  It's easy to forget because it's only me within sight in my bit of the office and I'm right by the kitchen bit and rarely go near anyone.
I've noticed the staff in more shops seem to be masking up now (I don't go into many shops, so this may not be representative - I haven't been keeping abreast of the boring mask arguments on FB and TV).


----------



## Numbers (Jul 27, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> brilliant minds


Fools seldom...


----------



## existentialist (Jul 27, 2020)

8ball said:


> Re: the poll - are people on here actually wearing a face mask in public generally?
> Aside from the rules at work, I just wear one in shops (have forgotten a couple of times when there wasn't a sign, but getting the hang of it).


We've had it so easy down this way up until now, but with the MASSIVE influx of tourists (and several tales, via NHS connections, of out-of-area people walking into various surgeries with Covid-19 symptoms, despite all the advice not to), I mask up if I'm going into any enclosed space outside my own home now. And, talking to my local friends and neighbours, they're generally taking similar precautions. I think, if we get a local outbreak now, that there is going to be quite a lot of hostility towards visitors.


----------



## frogwoman (Jul 27, 2020)

8ball said:


> Re: the poll - are people on here actually wearing a face mask in public generally?
> Aside from the rules at work, I just wear one in shops (have forgotten a couple of times when there wasn't a sign, but getting the hang of it).



I've been covering my face when going out since March tbh.


----------



## nyxx (Jul 27, 2020)

8ball said:


> Re: the poll - are people on here actually wearing a face mask in public generally?
> Aside from the rules at work, I just wear one in shops (have forgotten a couple of times when there wasn't a sign, but getting the hang of it).



I’ve been wearing a cloth mask since the start of April & to begin with I wore it at all times when outside the home. 
Started taking it off for the times I was cycling when it was deserted. Similarly if I was sitting in the park and no one was within about a tennis court’s range I’d take it off then. 
I don’t leave the house with it one & I tend to put it on whenever I’m going to be near other people be that indoors or outdoors. eg, cycling a particular route which is mostly quiet but passes through a bottleneck of narrow road next to busy narrow pavement, I put it on in advance of coming to the more crowded areas.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 27, 2020)

nyxx said:


> I’ve been wearing a cloth mask since the start of April & to begin with I wore it at all times when outside the home.
> Started taking it for the times I was cycling when it was deserted. Similarly if I was sitting in the park and no one was within about a tennis court’s range I’d take it off then.
> I don’t leave the house with it one & I tend to put it on whenever I’m going to be near other people be that indoors or outdoors. eg, cycling a particular route which is mostly quiet but passes through a bottleneck of narrow road next to busy narrow pavement, I put it on in advance of coming to the more crowded areas.



Do you live in the UK?


----------



## Buddy Bradley (Jul 27, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> an easy way to ensure others keep at least 2m away from you is to go shopping wearing an ann widdecombe mask


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jul 27, 2020)

8ball said:


> Re: the poll - are people on here actually wearing a face mask in public generally?
> Aside from the rules at work, I just wear one in shops (have forgotten a couple of times when there wasn't a sign, but getting the hang of it).


Yeah, wear one in shops when I need to get food.  As my glasses steam up so much I have to handle things to check the use by date, because I can't see it otherwise.  

It's quite surprising how much hot moist air comes out of your gob - I don't think I ever realised that in the ye olden days before masks.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 27, 2020)

frogwoman said:


> I've been covering my face when going out since March tbh.


Me too


----------



## 8ball (Jul 27, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Me too



Beards don't count.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 27, 2020)

Happy to call it a muzzle as people need to shut the fuck up and stop whining


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 27, 2020)

8ball said:


> Beards don't count.


I have a large collection of washable cloth masks


----------



## frogwoman (Jul 27, 2020)

I don't really have a problem with the glasses steaming up thing. I have a problem with air escaping around my chin sometimes tho


----------



## 8ball (Jul 27, 2020)

frogwoman said:


> I don't really have a problem with the glasses steaming up thing. I have a problem with air escaping around my chin sometimes tho



I have been lucky enough to either not experience or not notice this.


----------



## MickiQ (Jul 27, 2020)

I've been working from home since lockdown begun and haven't been to the office since 12th March. I don't wear a mask when I go outside but have worn one every time I have been somewhere that requires me to go inside, which in the past 4 months has been the local post office once, the GP's and hospital once, the garden centre once and the local pharmacists twice. I've been wearing one since March though not just since last week.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 27, 2020)

I've been wearing a respirator since 1972.


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jul 27, 2020)

frogwoman said:


> I don't really have a problem with the glasses steaming up thing.


Think I've got some surgical tape somewhere so might give that a go to see if it stops it.  It's deeply annoying - reminds me of going into pubs in winter and immediately losing the ability to see.


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jul 27, 2020)

8ball said:


> I have been lucky enough to either not experience or not notice this.


Gimp masks tend to be more airtight


----------



## 8ball (Jul 27, 2020)

farmerbarleymow said:


> Think I've got some surgical tape somewhere so might give that a go to see if it stops it.  It's deeply annoying - reminds me of going into pubs in winter and immediately losing the ability to see.



If you just stick a thin band of tissue paper to the inside top of the mask, that sorts it.


----------



## nyxx (Jul 27, 2020)

8ball said:


> Do you live in the UK?


Yes


----------



## stavros (Jul 27, 2020)

Peter Hitchens on Any Questions claimed he was exempt from wearing one, because it would make him depressed.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 27, 2020)

stavros said:


> Peter Hitchens on Any Questions claimed he was exempt from wearing one, because it would make him depressed.



Him still being alive makes me depressed.


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 27, 2020)

stavros said:


> Peter Hitchens on Any Questions claimed he was exempt from wearing one, because it would make him depressed.


You may be right Stavros but I heard that as "distressed" and he claimed that therefore brought him within one of the official exemptions?Not a fan of his I hasten to add.


----------



## stavros (Jul 27, 2020)

Duncan2 said:


> You may be right Stavros but I heard that as "distressed" and he claimed that therefore brought him within one of the official exemptions?Not a fan of his I hasten to add.



You might be right. Either way, he was playing to his libertarian, contrarian audience, and, either way, he is a bell-end.


----------



## campanula (Jul 27, 2020)

I am an enthusiastic mask wearer. I have sewn quite a few gaily coloured and decorated items which cheer me up no end...but mostly, I don't have to search around the house or in various pockets for my teeth and I don't have to talk to anyone either. Freedom.


----------



## Boudicca (Jul 27, 2020)

campanula said:


> I am an enthusiastic mask wearer. I have sewn quite a few gaily coloured and decorated items which cheer me up no end...but mostly, I don't have to search around the house or in various pockets for my teeth and I don't have to talk to anyone either. Freedom.


I have come home from my first proper shopping trip with mask and have started watching youtube videos on how to make 'breathable' ones.


----------



## Espresso (Jul 27, 2020)

I have worn one in shops since it came in that we had to. As far as I can see, it seems to be observed in Sainsbury's but ignored in the corner shops I've been in. Sainsbury's has got bouncers on the door. Mo on the corner hasn't.

A woman I know bought a face mask on the internet and wore it around the shops until someone pointed out to her that it was half  a boob tube with hair scrunchies sewn in for earpieces. 
She said she wondered why it was so baggy round her face.


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 27, 2020)

existentialist said:


> She really is a *hateful old bat*. I suspect that, if the Government had banned mask wearing, she'd be *whoring herself around* the media trying to get some soundbites in about how we should be free to wear masks.



Dear me, no need for that kind of venom.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 27, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Dear me, no need for that kind of venom.


Au contraire, I think there is quite enough need for it, where that poisonous lunatic is concerned.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 28, 2020)

Interesting test as to how good your face mask/covering is...




I've just tested one of masks, as you can see it's not a surgical mask, it's 95% polyester 5% elastase breathable fabric, and I can't blow a match out, that close to my mouth.


----------



## dessiato (Jul 28, 2020)

8ball said:


> Re: the poll - are people on here actually wearing a face mask in public generally?
> Aside from the rules at work, I just wear one in shops (have forgotten a couple of times when there wasn't a sign, but getting the hang of it).


I am. If out of the house is wear a mask, as required.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 28, 2020)

dessiato said:


> I am. If out of the house is wear a mask, as required.



The rule is basically a door or a mask where you are?


----------



## dessiato (Jul 28, 2020)

8ball said:


> The rule is basically a door or a mask where you are?


Anywhere outdoors with some exceptions. In shops all the time. In bars/cafes/restaurants wear a mask unless eating/drinking. If you leave your table you wear a mask. Fines are 100€ and are issued unlike the empty threat in UK. There are some exemptions for people with health issues.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 28, 2020)

dessiato said:


> Anywhere outdoors with some exceptions. In shops all the time. In bars/cafes/restaurants wear a mask unless eating/drinking. If you leave your table you wear a mask. Fines are 100€ and are issued unlike the empty threat in UK. There are some exemptions for people with health issues.



Do you get an armband or something if you have health issues?


----------



## dessiato (Jul 28, 2020)

8ball said:


> Do you get an armband or something if you have health issues?


Maybe a star sewn onto your sleeve?


----------



## 8ball (Jul 28, 2020)

dessiato said:


> Maybe a star sewn onto your sleeve?



That sounds impractical.

A QR code discreetly tattooed on the wrist, perhaps.


----------



## rubbershoes (Jul 28, 2020)

100% customers masked in the village shop just now. 

I was the only customer


----------



## Numbers (Jul 28, 2020)

Just back from a walk to the local CoOp.  90% of customers wearing masks, all of the staff.
In the local independent shops tho' different story, there's 2 Turkish barbers - 1 fully compliant with face shields etc. but in the other neither the 2 barbers or customers were wearing one + in the African hairdressers (tiny place) none of the 5 people in there were wearing anything.  Same in the veg shops/butchers.

And as for the delivery drivers outside KFC/McD's etc.. I counted 40 or so in total and only 1 guy had a mask on.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 28, 2020)

Just been down to the local shop - rammed, great families of tourists hanging around outside (groups <2 inside). And no-one - NO-ONE - wearing a mask. Apart from me, that is.

If we don't end up with quite a rash of micro-outbreaks around these parts, I'll be (pleasantly) surprised.


----------



## magneze (Jul 28, 2020)

A tale of two service stations.

BP Saturday: 100% masks and someone on the door enforcing queues and ensuring masks are worn. 
Tesco Today: No-one on the door and a couple of people just wandered in without masks - quite a queue of people inside so no-one organizing how many people should be in there.


----------



## nyxx (Jul 28, 2020)

dessiato said:


> Anywhere outdoors with some exceptions. In shops all the time. In bars/cafes/restaurants wear a mask unless eating/drinking. If you leave your table you wear a mask. Fines are 100€ and are issued unlike the empty threat in UK. There are some exemptions for people with health issues.



How do they manage the exemptions for people with health issues?


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 28, 2020)

Went to my local vape shop yesterday and completely forgot to wear my face mask and didn’t realise until I came out of the shop.

When I was being served the shop staff weren’t wearing masks and didn’t mention my lack of wearing one.  Another customer came in after me but they were asked to wait outside until I’d left.


----------



## Pickman's model (Jul 28, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Went to my local vape shop yesterday and completely forgot to wear my face mask and didn’t realise until I came out of the shop.
> 
> When I was being served the shop staff weren’t wearing masks and didn’t mention my lack of wearing one.  Another customer came in after me but they were asked to wait outside until I’d left.


and they were let in after they'd fumigated the place no doubt


----------



## Marty1 (Jul 28, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> and they were let in after they'd fumigated the place no doubt



lol.

but no, they came in straight after me - also not wearing a face mask.


----------



## mr steev (Jul 28, 2020)

I went to B&M this afternoon. Everyone was masked, but hardly any social distancing (if you took away the masks it was like normal). Some bloke joined the queue by standing in the 2m gap I was leaving from the person in front of me


----------



## 8ball (Jul 28, 2020)

mr steev said:


> I went to B&M this afternoon. Everyone was masked, but hardly any social distancing (if you took away the masks it was like normal). Some bloke joined the queue by standing in the 2m gap I was leaving from the person in front of me



What did you think the masks were brought in for?


----------



## mr steev (Jul 28, 2020)

8ball said:


> What did you think the masks were brought in for?



To get more people out shopping and spending.. Seems to be working. 
Fuck all to do with infections as it seems a lot of people think they are invincible if they just pull a bandana over their mouth


----------



## 8ball (Jul 28, 2020)

mr steev said:


> To get more people out shopping and spending.. Seems to be working.
> Fuck all to do with infections as it seems a lot of people think they are invincible if they just pull a bandana over their mouth



I found people have been out in the shops failing to social distance for ages, with only a few people wearing masks for the most part.


----------



## mr steev (Jul 28, 2020)

8ball said:


> I found people have been out in the shops failing to social distance for ages, with only a few people wearing masks for the most part.



Anecdotally, I went to the same B&M store a few weeks ago, a queue to get in, a handful of people masked but most people being sensible and courteous... It felt much safer then tbh. I actually chose to go there today as I thought it would be better/safer than going to other places. I'm in no rush to go back.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 28, 2020)

So I got my ebay mask on monday. decided to put it in the washing machine today before wearing it and the fucking string came off


----------



## weltweit (Jul 28, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> So I got my ebay mask on monday. decided to put it in the washing machine today before wearing it and the fucking string came off
> ..


I think I am just going to gently hand wash mine in fairy liquid.


----------



## Doodler (Jul 28, 2020)

.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> So I got my ebay mask on monday. decided to put it in the washing machine today before wearing it and the fucking string came off


get a few and get better ones


----------



## Roadkill (Jul 29, 2020)

Boudicca said:


> The lazy way is to have several and leave them untouched after use for enough time for the virus to die (72 hours?)



This is what I'm doing.  I bought a dozen or so 'disposable' masks, but since I'm only wearing them for brief trips into shops in an area where infections are now pretty low again it seems overkill (and wasteful) only to use them once, and I doubt they'd survive a trip through the washing machine.  We don't know exactly how long Covid-19 lasts on different surfaces, but AFAIK there's no reason to think it doesn't behave much like other coronaviruses and die off pretty quickly on an absorbent surface like a facemask, so I just have two pegs in my coat cupboard; one for recently used masks and one for 'safe' ones.  It's not exactly best practice, but it feels sufficient atm.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 29, 2020)

Roadkill said:


> This is what I'm doing.  I bought a dozen or so 'disposable' masks, but since I'm only wearing them for brief trips into shops in an area where infections are now pretty low again it seems overkill (and wasteful) only to use them once, and I doubt they'd survive a trip through the washing machine.  We don't know exactly how long Covid-19 lasts on different surfaces, but AFAIK there's no reason to think it doesn't behave much like other coronaviruses and die off pretty quickly on an absorbent surface like a facemask, so I just have two pegs in my coat cupboard; one for recently used masks and one for 'safe' ones.  It's not exactly best practice, but it feels sufficient atm.


I'm doing pretty much the same thing.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

No one here irradiating and freezing them?


----------



## NoXion (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> No one here irradiating and freezing them?



I let mine sit in sunlight if that counts.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> No one here irradiating and freezing them?


What? Is that a joke?


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> What? Is that a joke?



You're letting bacteria grow on a warm, moist medium, then re-inhaling them?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> You're letting bacteria grow on a warm, moist medium, then re-inhaling them?


No, just washing them in the washing machine normally


----------



## LDC (Jul 29, 2020)

I just hang them up for a few days. That's fine I think. No need to get too full-on about it.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> No, just washing them in the washing machine normally



At 40 degrees or even lower? 

Bet you're not even using bleach.


----------



## nyxx (Jul 29, 2020)

The virus doesn’t survive on fabric for very long so leaving them untouched for a couple of days will see to that. 
But they might also need washing between because of other stuff that gets on them. Depending how long you wear them? I dunno. I wash mine sometimes & hang them up between uses. Got several.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 29, 2020)

I was in the big Tesco earlier, considering only 10-15% were wearing masks before, I was surprised to see all customers & staff, except cashiers behind screens, were wearing them.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> I was in the big Tesco earlier, considering only 10-15% were wearing masks before, I was surprised to see all customers & staff, except cashiers behind screens, were wearing them.



Screens are not considered adequate protection.


----------



## Teaboy (Jul 29, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> I was in the big Tesco earlier, considering only 10-15% were wearing masks before, I was surprised to see all customers & staff, except cashiers behind screens, were wearing them.



Yeah, the same just happened to me.  Big Tesco and really good face covering compliance, staff included.


----------



## frogwoman (Jul 29, 2020)

I have cloth masks and almost exclusively use those, but generally reuse the disposable ones which I hardly ever use after 72 hours. I'm not a doctor or working with covid patients so I kinda think as long as the masks are dry with no opportunity for germs to grow its probably OK.


----------



## ddraig (Jul 29, 2020)

Been hand washing them with washing up liquid or hand wash and air drying after using for a day or 2


----------



## Badgers (Jul 29, 2020)

I have set up a 'mask rail' by the window. Managed to get a box of 50 surgical masks and have half a dozen washable masks/facecover things.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Radiation is a bit overrated tbf.

Gamma radiation found ineffective in sterilizing N95 masks


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> At 40 degrees or even lower?
> 
> Bet you're not even using bleach.


I can’t tell if you’re joking or not, but it’s fine to wash cloth masks as low as 20


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> I can’t tell if you’re joking or not, but it’s fine to wash cloth masks as low as 20



If it's just one particular virus that concerns you, sure.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> If it's just one particular virus that concerns you, sure.


there’s only one to be concerned about


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> there’s only one to be concerned about



Fine, much nicer being on a ventilator for pneumonia than for a novel coronavirus, I'm sure.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> Fine, much nicer being on a ventilator for pneumonia than for a novel coronavirus, I'm sure.


What are you banging on about?


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> What are you banging on about?





See Zhiqing et al. (2018)


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> See Zhiqing et al. (2018)


What? It’s not really a laughing matter


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> What? It’s not really a laughing matter



No, indeed it isn't!


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> No, indeed it isn't!


Why are you being weird and cryptic then? And joking about bleach ffs


----------



## ddraig (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Why are you being weird and cryptic then? And joking about bleach ffs


prolific posting prat, basically


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Why are you being weird and cryptic then? And joking about bleach ffs



Bleach kills germs.  It's one of those interesting little facts you may have picked up on your travels.


----------



## Supine (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> Bleach kills germs.  It's one of those interesting little facts you may have picked up on your travels.



And humans if used wrong


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Supine said:


> And humans if used wrong



True.  Don’t inject bleach, folks.


----------



## NoXion (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> Radiation is a bit overrated tbf.
> 
> Gamma radiation found ineffective in sterilizing N95 masks



Although in this case it is because the gamma rays damage the filtering material, not because the radiation doesn't destroy pathogens.

So less "radiation is overrated for killing pathogens" and more "use lower frequency radiation if you want to maintain filtering effectiveness".

Please stop shitposting.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> Bleach kills germs.  It's one of those interesting little facts you may have picked up on your travels.


Stop being so fucking glib


----------



## sojourner (Jul 29, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> I just hang them up for a few days. That's fine I think. No need to get too full-on about it.


I leave mine on the kitchen radiator (off, obviously) and rotate them.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 29, 2020)

please don't judge my telly habits until you walk a mile in my shoes, but i watch quite a lot of court tv  

preliminary hearings for the current case i'm following (in the us) are being done remotely, but including mask wearing, on occasions (accused, lawyers & judge). 

am curious whether witnesses will be allowed to wear them for questioning/cross examination - given that facial expressions are generally considered so important to judge veracity. 

anyone know if there's a "standard" court procedure here atm?


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> am curious whether witnesses will be allowed to wear them for questioning/cross examination - given that facial expressions are generally considered so important to judge veracity.



They sometimes use CCTV for this sort of thing, don't they?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

why aren't people just sticking them in the washing machine like you would with any other item of clothing?


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> why aren't people just sticking them in the washing machine like you would with any other item of clothing?



And the high heat setting for the dryer, obviously (unless getting plenty of sunlight).
And bleach if handwashing.

As any fule kno.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> They sometimes use CCTV for this sort of thing, don't they?


i guess they might have a "witness stand" booth where people sit on their own (rather than next to their lawyers). but reactions etc in the courtroom are sometimes part of what jurors are directed to consider. again, curious what the official line is on this kind of thing...


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> And the high heat setting for the dryer, obviously.
> And bleach if handwashing.
> 
> As any fule kno.


washing machine is fine and not everyone has a dryer. bleach is a no no in my household unless you're cleaning the toilet.








						Ditch the gloves, buy a litter-picker, but don’t carshare! How to be eco-friendly in a pandemic
					

Can you wash your disposable mask at 20C – and should we still be going for reusable coffee cups? Experts answer your environmental dilemmas




					www.theguardian.com
				



*Do you need to wash everything – masks included – at high temperatures?*
It is important to wash masks after each use, says Maitreyi Shivkumar, a virologist and lecturer in molecular biology at De Montfort University Leicester. But, she says, “there’s no concrete evidence” on how to do the laundry. NHS guidelines on the home-washing of work uniforms advises washing with detergent at 60C (140F). For the public, “the likelihood of you coming into contact with really high amounts of virus is relatively low. It’s unlikely you’ll need to use a high temperature.”

Could you wash with temperatures as low as 20C to save energy? “I don’t really see an issue with using lower temperatures,” she says, adding that it’s the detergent that’s important and that “this is for everyday normal use where you know the likelihood of someone having Covid is low”. If you or someone in your household is suspected of having the virus, then their clothes, sheets and towels should be washed on the hottest setting. If not, says Edge, “washing masks in the same load [as your normal laundry] reduces the environmental impact”.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> i guess they might have a "witness stand" booth where people sit on their own (rather than next to their lawyers). but reactions etc in the courtroom are sometimes part of what jurors are directed to consider. again, curious what the official line is on this kind of thing...



Offical line as of the most recent thing I can find (and links older than that show confusion reigned) is that witnesses can be asked by a judge to remove their face mask if 2-metre distancing is observed.


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> washing machine is fine and not everyone has a dryer. bleach is a no no in my household unless you're cleaning the toilet.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Fine, choose De Montford Uni over the CDC if you want.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> Fine, choose De Montford Uni over the CDC if you want.


CDC is of course more cautious but we also have to be practical


----------



## frogwoman (Jul 29, 2020)

The way i see it is i am not a doctor therefore I don't need to wash the face masks to the same standards I would if I was coming in contact with covid every day. However the elastic goes if you repeatedly wash them at high temperatures. I don't wear them when damp because of the pneumonia risk so usually hand wash them or stick them in the machine and then leave to dry.


----------



## ddraig (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> why aren't people just sticking them in the washing machine like you would with any other item of clothing?


because don't use it everyday or even once a week sometimes


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

ddraig said:


> because don't use it everyday or even once a week sometimes


you should be changing them every day, just like your pants!


----------



## ddraig (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> you should be changing them every day, just like your pants!


I am (don't change pants everyday tho!)
meant don't use washing machine everyday


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 29, 2020)

i've only had one up til now - gets used for <10 mins about once a week. under those terms i would happily wear the same pants for a month  now i made another for rotational purposes


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

ddraig said:


> I am (don't change pants everyday tho!)
> meant don't use washing machine everyday


neither do i! just wash them with the regular washing - about once a week


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> neither do i! just wash them with the regular washing - about once a week



Can anyone else hear a distant scythe being sharpened?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> Can anyone else hear a distant scythe being sharpened?


what the fuck are you on about now? you're really pissing me off


----------



## frogwoman (Jul 29, 2020)

I've often worn the same pair of pants more than once or washed it in the sink. It's not ideal but I'm hardly going to get anything nasty if it's just the odd day here and there rather than every day.


----------



## Teaboy (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> what the fuck are you on about now? you're really pissing me off



Honestly, this site is massively better with that unfunny prick on ignore.   Such a massive and undeserved ego.  A great example of certain type of man of a certain age.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

Teaboy said:


> Honestly, this site is massively better with that unfunny prick on ignore.   Such a massive and undeserved ego.  A great example of certain type of man of a certain age.


He’s very slippery. Never says what he means. Just makes elliptical ‘jokes’ without explaining himself


----------



## existentialist (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> You're letting bacteria grow on a warm, moist medium, then re-inhaling them?


Bacteria's fine - it's the virus that is the primary concern here...


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

existentialist said:


> Bacteria's fine - it's the virus that is the primary concern here...



E.coli and all manner of bacteria round my manor.  Not to mention occasional flare-ups of norovirus in the area etc.
Just one virus where you are?  Luxury...


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> E.coli and all manner of bacteria round my manor.  Not to mention occasional flare-ups of norovirus in the area etc.
> Just one virus where you are?  Luxury...


We’re talking about Covid though. That’s why we’re masking up


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> We’re talking about Covid though. That’s why we’re masking up



I thought you mostly just liked a jaunty mask.
Nothing so wrong in that, I guess.


----------



## chilango (Jul 29, 2020)

It's my germs that my mask stops and collects anyway...right?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 29, 2020)

8ball said:


> I thought you mostly just liked a jaunty mask.
> Nothing so wrong in that, I guess.


No, I don’t want to catch or spread Covid and I work with the public, so masking up is essential. You’re weird


----------



## 8ball (Jul 29, 2020)

chilango said:


> It's my germs that my mask stops and collects anyway...right?



I believe that's how the current version of the story goes - ie. it reduces the chance of asymptomatic or presymptomatic people infecting others.

This kind of made me wonder about those valve masks (which are not recommended) - if you were to turn the valves round so that you could freely breathe in and breathing out was restricted instead, would that cover most of the protective element and result in a more comfortable mask.

I think you'd need a new type of mask - I doubt the valves are reversible...


----------



## frogwoman (Jul 29, 2020)

I think pneumonia and secondary  infections are a thing you might want to avoid with the SARS-COV-2 virus to be honest. However hopefully nobody here is going to be wandering around in wet, dirty face masks that have been worn for days in a row ?! 

Things like colds and flu are also prevented from spreading with masks tho.


----------



## crossthebreeze (Jul 29, 2020)

Reusable masks (and anything else that could be contaminated and can't either be washed at 60 degrees or put in a tumble drier - cleaning cloths, work clothes I've worn for litter picking, work gloves, outer clothes I've worn on public transport etc) get soaked in disinfectant solution before the wash or get "nappy fresh" added to the wash.  I seem to wear a mask at some point 6 days in a week though, sometimes for long periods (ie when doing certain work).  If I've just worn a mask for a 10 minute shop where no-one got close to me, or to walk through someone's garage for garden access for work, I would wear it again later that day or even use another day though.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 30, 2020)

8ball said:


> E.coli and all manner of bacteria round my manor.  Not to mention occasional flare-ups of norovirus in the area etc.
> Just one virus where you are?  Luxury...


And you've been wearing a mask to protect against all these bacteria since before Covid-19?


----------



## platinumsage (Jul 30, 2020)

existentialist said:


> And you've been wearing a mask to protect against all these bacteria since before Covid-19?



They've been around for years:


----------



## hash tag (Jul 30, 2020)

Man walks down Oxford Street wearing nothing but a face mask
					

Shoppers were amused after a man stepped out in central London on Friday wearing only a mask.




					www.standard.co.uk


----------



## 8ball (Jul 30, 2020)

existentialist said:


> And you've been wearing a mask to protect against all these bacteria since before Covid-19?


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 30, 2020)

Who would actually buy this shit   









						SUMMER ICE SILK COTTON FULL FACE MASK UNISEX SUN-PROOF UV PROTECTION COVER SALE  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for SUMMER ICE SILK COTTON FULL FACE MASK UNISEX SUN-PROOF UV PROTECTION COVER SALE at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!



					www.ebay.co.uk


----------



## Badgers (Jul 30, 2020)




----------



## SpookyFrank (Aug 1, 2020)

Anyone got a recommendation for decent reusable masks? Preferably some cottage-industry type operation deserving of some support.


----------



## xsunnysuex (Aug 1, 2020)

SpookyFrank said:


> Anyone got a recommendation for decent reusable masks? Preferably some cottage-industry type operation deserving of some support.


Etsy have some good ones. All small business sellers.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Aug 1, 2020)

SpookyFrank said:


> Anyone got a recommendation for decent reusable masks? Preferably some cottage-industry type operation deserving of some support.



Got mine from Studio Masachuka which is a small clothing firm who’ve repurposed to making masks during covid


----------



## weltweit (Aug 1, 2020)

xsunnysuex said:


> Etsy have some good ones. All small business sellers.


This is from Etsy..


----------



## Numbers (Aug 1, 2020)

Etsy has some great masks.


----------



## scifisam (Aug 1, 2020)

The disposable ones I got are so much better! And it's sort of pleated, making it easier to fold down when necessary without actually putting it on your neck. Way easier to breathe in and much less glasses steaming.

I am starting to adjust to the N95 mask a bit, which is a relief, but it's still hard enough that I really do have to take it off now and then to breathe properly, which is not terribly sensible. And at roads I still have to pull it down so that I can see to cross, due to the steaming up. Think I'll just order some more disposable ones.


----------



## dessiato (Aug 1, 2020)

SpookyFrank said:


> Anyone got a recommendation for decent reusable masks? Preferably some cottage-industry type operation deserving of some support.


I've been looking carefully at this because my new role will mean I have to spend a lot of time with people I don't know.

The best I've found for price and quality is from Renault F1. Even though I'm not a Renault fan, but am an F1 fan, these are the ones I'm buying. I'm waiting till next week because they have a special limited edition of something. They've not said what it is but if it's going to be masks...





__





						Search results for: 'face masks' - RS F1 Official Website
					

Discover the large range of products and clothes from the Renault Sport F1 brand on their official website. For the Formula One fans!




					en.shop.renaultsport.com


----------



## campanula (Aug 1, 2020)

All of the ones which have elastic ear loops are pants. Absolutely agonising after a day with bands behind your ears. I have made a sort of cloth  strap which catches the ear straps on a button at each side, but loops round the back of my head, taking up the tension which would normally just pull on my sore ears. Also, I use a continuous paracord, which threads through tags at the side of the masks and tensions with toggles at the back of my head -good for pulling on or off without faffing with ties. I have made bloody loads , with various styles, shapes and materials and am now sick to death of them. I knocked up an origami shoulder sack, for a treat. Has got me right back into sewing though.


----------



## campanula (Aug 1, 2020)

weltweit said:


> his is from Etsy..


Yep, I have made a few 'octogon' masks. Not easy to fit with a filter pocket though - although I have largely dispensed with these, since 2-3 layers of poplin is already hot enough.


----------



## Anju (Aug 2, 2020)

One of those freeman of the land type wankers upsetting a young shop worker.  He's already closing accounts and deleting videos so just need some real world consequences now.


----------



## dessiato (Aug 2, 2020)

Anju said:


> One of those freeman of the land type wankers upsetting a young shop worker.  He's already closing accounts and deleting videos so just need some real world consequences now.



He should have been invited to fuck off. Reducing someone to tears for doing their job is unforgivable.


----------



## existentialist (Aug 2, 2020)

Anju said:


> One of those freeman of the land type wankers upsetting a young shop worker.  He's already closing accounts and deleting videos so just need some real world consequences now.



That cunt is properly spoiling for a barney.

And I note that he saves his nastier aggression for the "some _woman_ who told me to wear a mask", not the older and more confident male staff member. Which makes him a bully, too.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Aug 2, 2020)

Seems the Dutch head medical honcho has said masks don’t stop the spread and in fact could be counter-productive, so next to no mask wearing in Holland except on public transport (as you can’t distance there) and the Dutch are happy that they don’t need to “wear a nappy on their faces,”


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Aug 2, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> masks don’t stop the spread and in fact could be counter-productive, so next to no mask wearing in Holland except on public transport (as you can’t distance there)


 hold on a moment


----------



## Supine (Aug 2, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Seems the Dutch head medical honcho has said masks don’t stop the spread and in fact could be counter-productive, so next to no mask wearing in Holland except on public transport (as you can’t distance there) and the Dutch are happy that they don’t need to “wear a nappy on their faces,”



It's only a nappy if you're talking shit


----------



## Badgers (Aug 3, 2020)

Want


----------



## bellaozzydog (Aug 3, 2020)

Mask masked


----------



## Teaboy (Aug 4, 2020)

Just been to the local big Tesco and I'd say over 99% were wearing face coverings, customers and staff.    I know the situation around the country is patchy but I'm surprised at how well it is going with no need for any real enforcement.


----------



## frogwoman (Aug 4, 2020)

I've seen a number of masks advertised that are supposed to be easier to wear for people with sensory and anxiety issues. I can't remember the website but that is something people have mentioned in terms of having difficulty with masks so I'll post it on here.


----------



## Bollox (Aug 5, 2020)

Just a quickie on washing masks, if you are using the N95/FFP2 type mask which _may_ give some protection to the wearer as well as others
then washing them for re-use may destroy the electrical charge on the filter media which plays a part in the mask's effectiveness
If Washing is only method available for decontamination then drying with an electric hairdryer (not a posh anti-static one obvs) can re-charge the media


----------



## CNT36 (Aug 5, 2020)

Bollox said:


> Just a quickie on washing masks, if you are using the N95/FFP2 type mask which _may_ give some protection to the wearer as well as others
> then washing them for re-use may destroy the electrical charge on the filter media which plays a part in the mask's effectiveness
> If Washing is only method available for decontamination then drying with an electric hairdryer (not a posh anti-static one obvs) can re-charge the media


Although that's useful they really are only designed for a single use.


----------



## Bollox (Aug 5, 2020)

Some further info

N95 Mask Re-Use Strategies


----------



## Anju (Aug 5, 2020)

Spotted 2 people in Catford with interesting mask wearing technique. One wearing it covering their forehead but my favourite was the guy wearing his as an elbow pad.


----------



## Numbers (Aug 5, 2020)

Anju said:


> Spotted 2 people in Catford with interesting mask wearing technique. One wearing it covering their forehead but my favourite was the guy wearing his as an elbow pad.


I seen one guy the other day wearing it like a bonnet.


----------



## Steel Icarus (Aug 5, 2020)

Was just in Clacton Tesco. Most people masked up but a whole family either no mask or under chin, another couple of people with faces like bright pink angry dough going out of their way to invite people to say something and two staff having a good old chat to a maskless customer about how stupid masks are

Essex has had 8,000 C-19 cases


----------



## donkyboy (Aug 6, 2020)

existentialist said:


> That cunt is properly spoiling for a barney.
> 
> And I note that he saves his nastier aggression for the "some _woman_ who told me to wear a mask", not the older and more confident male staff member. Which makes him a bully, too.



how was the guy more confident? he turned away as he didn't want trouble it seems or want to challenge the guy.  what people dont realise and even some staff in shops dont realise, is that shoppers are not on public property. when you enter a store, you are on private property and you can be asked to leave.  he should have asked the guy to stop filming and leave the store. but he didn't want any part of it and allowed the guy to continue to film and harass the female staff.


----------



## existentialist (Aug 6, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> how was the guy more confident? he turned away as he didn't want trouble it seems or want to challenge the guy.  what people dont realise and even some staff in shops dont realise, is that shoppers are not on public property. when you enter a store, you are on private property and you can be asked to leave.  he should have asked the guy to stop filming and leave the store. but he didn't want any part of it and allowed the guy to continue to film and harass the female staff.


Perhaps I should have said _perceived_ as confident. It's a pretty classic sexist thing - gun for the young (and obviously struggling to handle it) woman, not the bloke who, to a bully's mind, might _just_ be able to offer some resistance. Sure, he didn't, but that doesn't excuse the way this cunt ripped into the woman. Perhaps he was equally nervous, but it was the woman the unmasked cunt went for.

Let's not blur the issue here - nobody working with the public should have to put up with that kind of behaviour.


----------



## NoXion (Aug 7, 2020)

I'm getting really fucking fed up with these overgrown fucking _children_ who throw a tantrum when an adult asks them to be a little bit more considerate of others, by doing one simple thing that costs nothing. It's worse in the US, but you get some quote-unquote "people" who act like that over here too. How do we deal with these fuckwits?


----------



## Orang Utan (Aug 7, 2020)

NoXion said:


> I'm getting really fucking fed up with these overgrown fucking _children_ who throw a tantrum when an adult asks them to be a little bit more considerate of others, by doing one simple thing that costs nothing. It's worse in the US, but you get some quote-unquote "people" who act like that over here too. How do we deal with these fuckwits?


Taken out back and beaten with (very long) sticks


----------



## 8ball (Aug 7, 2020)

NoXion said:


> I'm getting really fucking fed up with these overgrown fucking _children_ who throw a tantrum when an adult asks them to be a little bit more considerate of others, by doing one simple thing that costs nothing. It's worse in the US, but you get some quote-unquote "people" who act like that over here too. How do we deal with these fuckwits?



Do you get a lot of that where you are?  Pretty sure I haven't seen any altercations over this.


----------



## NoXion (Aug 7, 2020)

8ball said:


> Do you get a lot of that where you are?  Pretty sure I haven't seen any altercations over this.



I haven't seen any myself, but that doesn't mean it never happens - we can't generalise from personal observation. However, the reticence of companies like Tesco to actually ask customers to wear masks (beyond sticking up a polite notice that can be easily ignored), suggests to me that despite their considerable resources, the stroppy toddler response happens often enough for them to not bother.

I _have_ seen plenty of dicknosed fuckwits who wear a mask but don't cover their face properly. Those fuckers annoy me more than the ones without masks at all.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Aug 7, 2020)

A friend of mine got sprayed with water in a Co-op this afternoon, after some dickhead barged past her not wearing a mask and she made a comment. Then he was allowed to carry on with his shopping and she was told by the manager that it was her fault.

ETA: apparently, though, everyone else in the shop was fine and supportive and helped out - it's not a comment on society being terrible - just there are clearly twats out there both in public and also managing supermarkets


----------



## oryx (Aug 7, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> A friend of mine got sprayed with water in a Co-op this afternoon, after some dickhead barged past her not wearing a mask and she made a comment. Then he was allowed to carry on with his shopping and she was told by the manager that it was her fault.


She should send a strongly worded complaint to the Co-op.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Aug 7, 2020)

oryx said:


> She should send a strongly worded complaint to the Co-op.


She did.


----------



## clicker (Aug 7, 2020)

The shops not challenging don't care about their customers health. They are so wary of alienating anyone that might buy something. I think on the whole they've misjudged the public mood  perhaps and would actually see more people shopping for longer if they felt safer. At the moment it's all about a 5 minute dash, trying to avoid the unmasked.


----------



## Badgers (Aug 9, 2020)

£7.99 delivered 








						100 x Disposable Face Mask 3 PLY Disposable Face Mask  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 100 x Disposable Face Mask 3 PLY Disposable Face Mask at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!



					m.ebay.co.uk


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 9, 2020)

I noticed that Aldi's 10-pack had gone from £2.99 last week to the usual high street £6.50-ish this week.
I bought a pack out of interest when they were cheap, but only for emergencies as I have reusables and don't go into enclosed public spaces much...


----------



## wemakeyousoundb (Aug 9, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> I noticed that Aldi's 10-pack had gone from £2.99 last week to the usual high street £6.50-ish this week.
> I bought a pack out of interest when they were cheap, but only for emergencies as I have reusables and don't go into enclosed public spaces much...


It must be local pricing, they were £7.99 the week before the rule came in at my local ALDI.


----------



## Jonathan1990 (Aug 9, 2020)

What do you think about the song that's come out for people who don't like face masks?


----------



## Badgers (Aug 9, 2020)

Have found my new mask  









						Facehugger Leather Face Mask & Kit | Etsy
					

**This pattern was created by LeatherHub - please visit their site to see their amazing work! This is a kitted or completed version based on that pattern** https://www.etsy.com/market/leatherhub  Whether you’re keeping safe from a pandemic, cosplaying, scaring passersby, practicing kissing, or just




					www.etsy.com


----------



## 8ball (Aug 9, 2020)

Was in shop earlier and two people were just going in and realised they had forgotten their masks, so I went in and mentioned to the security guard, thinking he might bring them some masks but he just yelled “IT’S FINE, COME ON IN!”


----------



## quimcunx (Aug 9, 2020)

Went to sainsbury early this morning. 2/4 customers wearing masks. 1/4 staff wearing one, the one behind the plastic screen. The 3 on the shop floor were maskless.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 9, 2020)

Was in Tesco earlier and a maskless shopper had lifted his tee shirt above his nose so I suppose that's OK ...


----------



## Marty1 (Aug 9, 2020)

8ball said:


> No one here irradiating and freezing them?



Wonder if microwaving masks could become a thing?


----------



## existentialist (Aug 9, 2020)

N


Marty1 said:


> Wonder if microwaving masks could become a thing?


Nah. It fucks up the 5G chipset.


----------



## Supine (Aug 9, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Wonder if microwaving masks could become a thing?



Mine specifically say not to do this. Not that I would.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 9, 2020)

N95 masks probably contain mettalised electret material, so may well absorb RF and burn ...


----------



## Badgers (Aug 9, 2020)

Not facemasks but might be useful 






						Hospital Grade Hand Sanitiser (500ml) by INEOS Hygienics. Made with 75% Pharma Grade Alcohol, Kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria: Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care
					

Hospital Grade Hand Sanitiser (500ml) by INEOS Hygienics. Made with 75% Pharma Grade Alcohol, Kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria: Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care



					www.amazon.co.uk


----------



## waxoyl (Aug 13, 2020)

Got a couple of hand made ones. went out early only 50 percent of people wearing. FFS.


----------



## Roadkill (Aug 17, 2020)

I've been in work for the last few days, and on my way in and out have binned about a dozen 'Keep Britain Free' / Don't Muzzle Us flyers promoting a demo in town yesterday:







Wankers, especially coming at the end of a week when the local infection figures have ticked up sharply.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Aug 17, 2020)

Roadkill said:


> I've been in work for the last few days, and on my way in and out have binned about a dozen 'Keep Britain Free' / Don't Muzzle Us flyers promoting a demo in town yesterday:
> 
> Wankers, especially coming at the end of a week when the local infection figures have ticked up sharply.



FFS   



> It was clear that some of those taking part even thought Covid-19 did not exist, with one banner held by a protester stating: "Say no to vaccines, say no to masks, say no to tyranny, Covid is a lie."
> 
> Another banner said: "We want our freedom back. Media is the virus. Government is lying". Others had the words "anti-mask" and "plandemic" on them.



I just can't get my head around this 'Covid is a lie' nonsense, there's no hope for these idiots.


----------



## krtek a houby (Aug 17, 2020)

Oh, the absolute tyranny of wearing a mask, the brutality of seatbelts, the totalitarianism of gloves, the daily massacre that is brushing teeth


----------



## existentialist (Aug 17, 2020)

krtek a houby said:


> Oh, the absolute tyranny of wearing a mask, the brutality of seatbelts, the totalitarianism of gloves, the daily massacre that is brushing teeth


And then of course there are all those things you're no longer allowed to say/think/do, usually to do with people of a different ethnicity...

Life's just one long business of looking over your shoulder to see if the PC Brigade are tailing you, it's a tough old business.


----------



## Roadkill (Aug 17, 2020)

existentialist said:


> And then of course there are all those things you're no longer allowed to say/think/do, usually to do with people of a different ethnicity...
> 
> Life's just one long business of looking over your shoulder to see if the PC Brigade are tailing you, it's a tough old business.



And don't even think about mentioning Baa Baa Black Sheep, 'cos they'll put you in a PC re-education gulag for ten years.


----------



## Spandex (Aug 17, 2020)

Have the PLANDEMIC! people come up with a detailed explanation of exactly what the plan is? That governments around the world have conspired together to invent a fictional virus, wrecking their economies and making themselves unpopular, to ensure people stay home lots and put small bits of fabric over their face? I assume they think all the dead people are made up, or have 774,000 people been killed because they know too much? Were the governments even in on it or have they been duped by a shadowy cabal, probably including Bill Gates and George Soros, who are going to reveal themselves once it's too late and their evil plan to make people queue to get into shops has worked?

Don't give me links, as I can't face reading their mitherings.

I suppose it's not unusual for strange ideas to flourish at times of plague. During the black death in the 1300s there were outbreaks of such weirdness as flagellents marching around flailing themselves and St Vitus dance. Are the _it's all made up_ people just a 21st century equivalent of them?


----------



## wemakeyousoundb (Aug 17, 2020)

Had a post crop up on faecebook yesterday. The full plandemic is being released tomorrow on freedomnews.tv or some such.

I reckon those 774000 dead were in on it and were killed to keep the whole conspiracy a secret.

/me taps nose


----------



## elbows (Aug 17, 2020)

Spandex said:


> Don't give me links, as I can't face reading their mitherings.



I can also do without observing that blandemic at close range. Even if they think the plandemic is designed to prevent a grandemic and the associated risk of flandemic.


----------



## 8ball (Aug 17, 2020)

wemakeyousoundb said:


> Had a post crop up on faecebook yesterday. The full plandemic is being released tomorrow on freedomnews.tv or some such.
> 
> I reckon those 774000 dead were in on it and were killed to keep the whole conspiracy a secret.
> 
> /me taps nose



pfft!  Crisis actors...


----------



## frogwoman (Aug 17, 2020)

The real conspiracy is that everything is fine.


----------



## 8ball (Aug 17, 2020)

frogwoman said:


> The real conspiracy is that everything is fine.



Marcus Aurelius still up to his old tricks...?


----------



## LDC (Aug 17, 2020)

If these conspiracy types actually wanted to get incensed about _real_ goings-ons and sections of populations being manipulated, the fact that some of this disinformation about coronavirus being fake (and false flags, vaccines, 5G, etc.) is purposefully created to sow dissent and confusion by some states and people is completely missed. They're useful idiots for some.


----------



## StoneRoad (Aug 17, 2020)

Roadkill said:


> I've been in work for the last few days, and on my way in and out have binned about a dozen 'Keep Britain Free' / Don't Muzzle Us flyers promoting a demo in town yesterday:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Bliddy covidiots and antivaxxers ... 
think they should be charged with conspiracy to murder.


----------



## Roadkill (Aug 17, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> If these conspiracy types actually wanted to get incensed about _real_ goings-ons and sections of populations being manipulated, the fact that some of this disinformation about coronavirus being fake (and false flags, vaccines, 5G, etc.) is purposefully created to sow dissent and confusion by some states and people is completely missed. They're useful idiots for some.



As a wise man (well, beesonthewhatnow) once said, conspiracy theorists are so busy looking for lizards that they completely miss the real issues staring them in the face. Fucking idiots the lot of them - and dangerous idiots in this instance.


----------



## frogwoman (Aug 17, 2020)

Thing is as bad as covid has been in terms of economic disruption and restrictions on stuff being made to close etc we've seen nothing compared with what's coming with climate change.


----------



## Casual Observer (Aug 17, 2020)




----------



## spring-peeper (Aug 18, 2020)




----------



## Wilf (Aug 19, 2020)

Supine said:


> Mine specifically say not to do this. Not that I would.


I used to have a heated eye mask full of small beads for an eye condition. By warming it in the microwave without removing it from the cover, as per the instructions, I managed to set it on fire.    Still, bit of a design flaw and I managed to get my money back from boots, even if it was really my fault.


----------



## MrSki (Aug 19, 2020)




----------



## 8ball (Aug 19, 2020)

spring-peeper said:


> View attachment 227095



Yeah, fuck people with medical conditions, frankly.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Aug 21, 2020)

I was in Worthing town centre yesterday, and noticed that Stagecoach have added big stickers on the front of their buses, just below the bus number & destination info., pointing out it is compulsory to wear face masks.

I observed three buses, all about 30-35% full, and every single person was wearing a mask, and I only saw one who had it below his nose, I was impressed.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Aug 21, 2020)

Another research study indicating face masks can make a big difference. 



> A new study by scientists at the University of Edinburgh has found face coverings can block out 99.9 per cent of potentially lethal droplets expelled when an infected person coughs or talks.
> 
> The findings show that a person is exposed to 10,000 times more particles from a person who coughs with their face uncovered while standing two metres away than from someone half a metre away who is wearing a mask.  Analysis found that the number of droplets was more than 1,000 times lower when wearing even a single layer cotton mask, the researchers say.
> 
> Lead researcher Dr Ignazio Maria Viola, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering, said: “We knew face masks of various materials are effective to a different extent in filtering small droplets. “However, when we looked specifically at those larger droplets that are thought to be the most dangerous we discovered that even the simplest handmade single-layer cotton mask is tremendously effective. “Therefore wearing a face mask can really make a difference.”



However...



> For bigger droplets carrying the largest amount of virus, they say masks are extremely effective in reducing spread to the immediate surroundings.
> 
> However, the experiments also measured small droplets – known as aerosols – which can remain airborne for hours.
> 
> How much virus transmission takes place by aerosol is still not known, but the team has warned that if it is found to be significant then the new findings overestimate the protective effects of face coverings.











						Masks 'tremendously effective' at curbing Covid-19 spread, University of Edinburgh researchers find
					

Wearing a face mask significantly cuts the risk of spreading Covid-19 through speaking and coughing, research suggests.




					www.scotsman.com


----------



## Roadkill (Aug 21, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> I was in Worthing town centre yesterday, and noticed that Stagecoach have added big stickers on the front of their buses, just below the bus number & destination info., pointing out it is compulsory to wear face masks.
> 
> I observed three buses, all about 30-35% full, and every single person was wearing a mask, and I only saw one who had it below his nose, I was impressed.



Yes, that's roughly my experience in Hull as well.  Stagecoach have added 'Face masks are compulsory' to the destination blinds.  I've just been for a walk and noticed a few buses as they went by.  They're still much quieter than usual, and I only noticed one or two passengers either not wearing masks or wearing them below the nose.  It does surprise me a bit how few drivers wear them, though, especially on the EYMS buses that don't have perspex screens around the cab.



cupid_stunt said:


> Another research study indicating face masks can make a big difference.



Unfortunately, many of the people who most need to read this are likely to be the people who'll dismiss it as some sort of attack on their freedom.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Aug 21, 2020)

Spandex said:


> Have the PLANDEMIC! people come up with a detailed explanation of exactly what the plan is? That governments around the world have conspired together to invent a fictional virus, wrecking their economies and making themselves unpopular, to ensure people stay home lots and put small bits of fabric over their face? I assume they think all the dead people are made up, or have 774,000 people been killed because they know too much? Were the governments even in on it or have they been duped by a shadowy cabal, probably including Bill Gates and George Soros, who are going to reveal themselves once it's too late and their evil plan to make people queue to get into shops has worked?
> 
> Don't give me links, as I can't face reading their mitherings.
> 
> I suppose it's not unusual for strange ideas to flourish at times of plague. During the black death in the 1300s there were outbreaks of such weirdness as flagellents marching around flailing themselves and St Vitus dance. Are the _it's all made up_ people just a 21st century equivalent of them?


Not that I've really looked into most of them, but I believe the general theme is "fear = control", and that the control will have a variety of manifestations. Making us more compliant and indoctrinated to trust the government and hand over freedoms, rights, all that jazzzzz. Also, the old "they'll get ya with the vaccine!" stuff.


----------



## LDC (Aug 22, 2020)

Got a train last night about 9.30pm, shockingly low level of mask wearing both in the station and in the train. Really baffles me, it's like the least someone can do for themselves and others and still significant numbers of people just won't do it. Largely young men and some women tbh in my observations.


----------



## Cid (Aug 22, 2020)

The number of people doing the nose thing is really fucking me off.


----------



## Doodler (Aug 22, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Got a train last night about 9.30pm, shockingly low level of mask wearing both in the station and in the train. Really baffles me, it's like the least someone can do for themselves and others and still significant numbers of people just won't do it. Largely young men and some women tbh in my observations.



People can be disappointing.


----------



## Petcha (Aug 22, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Got a train last night about 9.30pm, shockingly low level of mask wearing both in the station and in the train. Really baffles me, it's like the least someone can do for themselves and others and still significant numbers of people just won't do it. Largely young men and some women tbh in my observations.



I've noticed quite a few older daily mail looking types in my area not going for it. The younger kids who you would think be flouting it seem to have decided its a bit of a fashion statement so there's quite a high uptake there.


----------



## weepiper (Aug 22, 2020)

One of the Edinburgh high schools has mandated facemasks from Monday. I hope the others follow suit.









						Pupils and staff to wear face masks at Edinburgh school
					

Children and staff at James Gillespie's High School in Edinburgh must wear face coverings while moving between classes.



					www.bbc.co.uk


----------



## Petcha (Aug 22, 2020)

Can someone please explain why the WHO spent months and months saying wearing a mask actually did more harm than good? I'm almost tempted to agree with Trump that the organisation is utterly fucking useless.

I have friends in new zealand and australia who were incredulous it wasnt compulsory here and I just kept quoting the official WHO advice which I feel a bit fucking stupid for doing now.


----------



## elbows (Aug 22, 2020)

The wrong sort of masks:









						Masked Singer Australia suspended after seven crew test positive for Covid-19
					

The Australian version's entire production team, including celebrities, are now in self-isolation.



					www.bbc.co.uk


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Aug 22, 2020)

Gonna see a big old spike in the coming month or so I reckon. 

I'm currently at work and it used to be about 70/30 in favour of people wearing masks. Now it's going the other way. It's making me angry again and I haven't angry about it for a while. Even had a small run in with a customer, one who came in taking the piss out of my face shield when he was wearing no mask himself.  Think he was expecting to me to laugh along with him... Nope. 

I'm gonna sound like a moany old prick now... I guess I've reached that age but I have to say that the vast majority of people not wearing a mask are under 30 and mainly men. 

I normally just let it go but seeing about 12 people in a row not wearing one just wound me up. 

Just put a fucking mask on. Really don't get why it's so difficult, especially now we're 9 months into a pandemic and it's been mandatory to wear them for nearly 2 months now.


----------



## Orang Utan (Aug 22, 2020)

100% compliance in my local Sainsbury's this evening - Leeds - student area with lots of young folk


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## existentialist (Aug 22, 2020)

Of all the crazy things that I just knew might come out of this whole pandemic thing, I honestly never thought I'd see something as straightforward and obviously functional as a mask become part of this kind of conspiranoid I-know-my-rights bullshit.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Aug 22, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> 100% compliance in my local Sainsbury's this evening - Leeds - student area with lots of young folk



That's good. Perhaps some people are more compliment in a large shop than they are in a little corner shop like where I work.

I'm slap bang in the middle of a student area too. Be interesting to see how it is over time in that Sainsburies rather than just a small snap shot when you went in.


----------



## Petcha (Aug 22, 2020)

Im sure this has been answered upthread but why do the staff in my local supermarkets, tesco, sainsburys and the co-op not seem to wear them? I would have thought they should be the first to wear them?


----------



## existentialist (Aug 22, 2020)

Petcha said:


> Im sure this has been answered upthread but why do the staff in my local supermarkets, tesco, sainsburys and the co-op not seem to wear them? I would have thought they should be the first to wear them?


I can actually understand this. Wearing a mask continually for a whole day is, I think, a big ask. For a start, the proper grade masks are generally disposable, and paper based, and get quite soggy after a while. Furthermore, a lot of people seem to experience skin irritation after wearing a mask for a while. Customers are in the shop for comparatively short periods of time, and can enjoy some mask-free time between shops - staff don't have that option. In a way, I think visors on staff and masks on customers is a perfect compromise - the visors should prevent any gross infection risk (sneezing, or being sneezed upon), while the customers' masks deal with the more routine levels of risk.


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## Doctor Carrot (Aug 22, 2020)

My weapon of choice.


----------



## krtek a houby (Aug 22, 2020)

existentialist said:


> I can actually understand this. Wearing a mask continually for a whole day is, I think, a big ask. For a start, the proper grade masks are generally disposable, and paper based, and get quite soggy after a while. Furthermore, a lot of people seem to experience skin irritation after wearing a mask for a while. Customers are in the shop for comparatively short periods of time, and can enjoy some mask-free time between shops - staff don't have that option. In a way, I think visors on staff and masks on customers is a perfect compromise - the visors should prevent any gross infection risk (sneezing, or being sneezed upon), while the customers' masks deal with the more routine levels of risk.



We wear masks at work and in the hot summer it can be a bit much. Thanks be for air conditioning. Do get to slip off the mask, in between customers, which is great as the irritated skin was causing grief.


----------



## 8ball (Aug 22, 2020)

Doctor Carrot said:


> My weapon of choice.



WHERE’S YOUR MASK!!??!?


----------



## Orang Utan (Aug 22, 2020)

8ball said:


> WHERE’S YOUR MASK!!??!?


it's a face covering - easier to communicate with customers that way


----------



## Marty1 (Aug 22, 2020)

Doctor Carrot said:


> My weapon of choice.



A Darth Vader mask would be cooler.


----------



## scifisam (Aug 22, 2020)

Petcha said:


> Im sure this has been answered upthread but why do the staff in my local supermarkets, tesco, sainsburys and the co-op not seem to wear them? I would have thought they should be the first to wear them?



In my shops some staff wear them and some don't. When they're on the till, they're behind a screen, and they never use the till next to them, so they're not a big risk there. If they choose to wear a mask or not, they won't send much on to me. 

On the shop floor I find it a tiny bit weird when some shop staff don't wear masks and also don't socially distance, but that's getting better.


----------



## LDC (Aug 22, 2020)

Doctor Carrot said:


> ...I have to say that the vast majority of people not wearing a mask are under 30 and mainly men.



That's my observation as well, and usually when they're in twos or more.


----------



## 8ball (Aug 22, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> That's my observation as well, and usually when they're in twos or more.



Whereas women seem to prefer the “under the nose” look from what I have noticed.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Aug 22, 2020)

My favourite one is when people pull the mask down to talk to you. I didn't think it was possible to be that dense but apparently I was wrong.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Aug 23, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> A Darth Vader mask would be cooler.








I've given this some serious thought.


----------



## Badgers (Aug 27, 2020)




----------



## Steel Icarus (Aug 27, 2020)

Don't be a member of the fucking evil empire then you fuckwit


----------



## Steel Icarus (Aug 27, 2020)

I overheard a very entitled woman moaning at the Farm Foods checkout that masks were stupid and she didn't see the point as "I get tested every two weeks, and anyway it's not nearly as bad as the papers say".

Essentially "I don't care if I contribute to spreading a global pandemic that has so far killed 800,000 and incapacitated millions more".

She WAS wearing a mask, though, and properly, so y'know, little victories


----------



## Badgers (Aug 27, 2020)

Just stopped at Sedgemoor Services. About a third of people not wearing masks walking in. Irritatingly one of which had his NHS lanyard and id hung round his neck  

Most people without masks on were middle aged blokes. Also a lot of families at the services as usual with the mum and kids wearing masks but the dad not bothering. 

McDonald's had a strict queuing system with staff insisting on hand sanitiser before ordering  

Toilets were grubby, loads of people without masks and no distancing in there


----------



## izz (Aug 28, 2020)

Marcus Fysh, MP for Yeovil, thinks masks should be _banned in schools _ 








						MP says schools 'should not pander to scientific guff' over masks
					

From September 1, schools in England will have the discretion to order secondary pupils and staff to wear masks in corridors and other communal areas




					www.somersetlive.co.uk
				




e2a apologies if this has been posted before., it's a couple of days old but I only saw it just now.


----------



## Steel Icarus (Aug 28, 2020)

I think Fish should be banned from schools, and all Tory MPs other than the Education secretary, who should be compelled to visit a few to see what they actually are.


----------



## izz (Aug 28, 2020)

Astonishing isn't it ? I absolutely get the need for businesses to keep running and earning money, for young people to continue their education, for life to just carry on but taking a few easy precautions is being politicised and turned into an excuse to get all frothy-mouthed and angry. Baffling.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Aug 28, 2020)




----------



## izz (Aug 28, 2020)

As an aside, does anyone have any idea at all why masks could be considered 'dehumanising' ? I'm genuinely baffled, to me, everything about a person expresses their individuality (height, build, body language, gait, voice, clothes, hair, general _vibe) _and their face is just a small percentage of that, and anyway people are expressing individuality by their face covering choices.


----------



## elbows (Aug 28, 2020)

The Netherlands has been somewhat rubbish over the issue of masks.

The governmet and related institutions continued to express skepticism about them, then reluctantly allowed trials in several cities when cases rose. But it sounds like there was poor public compliance and a drop in shop footfall, or at least these were issues in some places that some choose to draw much attention to. Now the 'trials' have ended. At least it sounds like they actually monitored these things closely and there will actually be some results and conclusions from them eventually.

I doubt this is the end of the issue in that country.









						Amsterdam and Rotterdam stop requiring face masks in busy places - DutchNews.nl
					

Amsterdam and Rotterdam are stopping an experiment with face masks in busy places at the end of August. Both said that they were halting the experiment ‘as planned’ and will be waiting for the results of investigations to see how effective the measures have been. In a press release, Amsterdam...




					www.dutchnews.nl


----------



## existentialist (Aug 28, 2020)

izz said:


> As an aside, does anyone have any idea at all why masks could be considered 'dehumanising' ? I'm genuinely baffled, to me, everything about a person expresses their individuality (height, build, body language, gait, voice, clothes, hair, general _vibe) _and their face is just a small percentage of that, and anyway people are expressing individuality by their face covering choices.


I think that what these people mean by "dehumanising" is "making me do something I might not want to do"


----------



## izz (Aug 28, 2020)

existentialist said:


> I think that what these people mean by "dehumanising" is "making me do something I might not want to do"


Oh bless you, so I was looking for a meaning and there isn't one 😁


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Aug 28, 2020)

izz said:


> Oh bless you, so I was looking for a meaning and there isn't one 😁



They literally turn you in to a non-human; Zorro famously wears a mask and zorro is Spanish for fox, a non-human. All quite simple really...


----------



## Steel Icarus (Aug 28, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> They literally turn you in to a non-human; Zorro famously wears a mask and zorro is Spanish for fox, a non-human. All quite simple really...


The Mask, too. He's literally called after one


----------



## Mation (Aug 28, 2020)

Really trying hard not to be judgemental of people with no mask on public transport. Obviously I can't tell whether they're not in fact exempt. But it's really hard with people who come and sit opposite me on the tube, especially when there is plenty of room to sit facing the same way and further away. I don't say anything, but I do need to get up and move somewhere else. It's really miserable; probably for them too


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Aug 28, 2020)

Mation said:


> Really trying hard not to be judgemental of people with no mask on public transport. Obviously I can't tell whether they're not in fact exempt. But it's really hard with people who come and sit opposite me on the tube, especially when there is plenty of room to sit facing the same way and further away. I don't say anything, but I do need to get up and move somewhere else. It's really miserable; probably for them too



I think we can be judgemental if we want. In Germany I didn’t see anyone who was exempt, everyone in every public enclosed space wore a mask. The only person I saw not wearing one was a smack head shoplifter in a supermarket by Berlin Zoo station, and he got nicked, should’ve worn a mask.


----------



## Mation (Aug 28, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> I think we can be judgemental if we want. In Germany I didn’t see anyone who was exempt, everyone in every public enclosed space wore a mask. The only person I saw not wearing one was a smack head shoplifter in a supermarket by Berlin Zoo station, and he got nicked, should’ve worn a mask.


Yes, but here, people have been told it's ok not to wear one if they're exempt. I wonder how the people in Germany who really can't wear one at all are faring.


----------



## weepiper (Aug 28, 2020)

Strong correlation between Covid facemask deniers and people who loudly think Muslim women look like letterboxes


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Aug 28, 2020)

Mation said:


> Yes, but here, people have been told it's ok not to wear one if they're exempt. I wonder how the people in Germany who really can't wear one at all are faring.



If you are so ill that you genuinely can’t cover your mouth and nose with anything then it is probably not very wise to be out and about during this pandemic tbf.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Aug 28, 2020)

izz said:


> As an aside, does anyone have any idea at all why masks could be considered 'dehumanising' ? I'm genuinely baffled, to me, everything about a person expresses their individuality (height, build, body language, gait, voice, clothes, hair, general _vibe) _and their face is just a small percentage of that, and anyway people are expressing individuality by their face covering choices.


An awful lot of non-verbal communication does involve seeing subtle movements of facial muscles around the mouth. I've noticed it recently when wearing masks in supermarkets, little things like people working there can't tell whether I'm annoyed or not when there's some delay, which would usually be obvious by my expression.

But, you know, that's just the breaks isn't it. It's not like they're being worn for a laugh and there are other ways to express things.


----------



## Mation (Aug 28, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> If you are so ill that you genuinely can’t cover your mouth and nose with anything then it is probably not very wise to be out and about during this pandemic tbf.


Unless you have to be, e.g. for work, for fear of losing your job.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Aug 28, 2020)

Mation said:


> Unless you have to be, e.g. for work, for fear of losing your job.



Am struggling to think what would be wrong that you cannot cover you mouth and nose in some manner. My savagely asthmatic nephew has no issues with masks and my mum’s mate Gaynor manages even though it’s a tad pointless as she breathes through a hole in her neck...


----------



## Mation (Aug 28, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Am struggling to think what would be wrong that you cannot cover you mouth and nose in some manner. My savagely asthmatic nephew has no issues with masks and my mum’s mate Gaynor manages even though it’s a tad pointless as she breathes through a hole in her neck...


More likely severe anxiety and stress than physical? (I don't know.)


----------



## Steel Icarus (Aug 28, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Am struggling to think what would be wrong that you cannot cover you mouth and nose in some manner. My savagely asthmatic nephew has no issues with masks and my mum’s mate Gaynor manages even though it’s a tad pointless as she breathes through a hole in her neck...


People on the Autism spectrum, people with PTSD, anxiety or other mental health issues, people with disabilities


----------



## Mation (Aug 28, 2020)

Also, it seems to be really hard to grasp that wearing a mask is to protect others, based on conversations with people at work and seeing people's anecdotes on here.


----------



## izz (Aug 28, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> An awful lot of non-verbal communication does involve seeing subtle movements of facial muscles around the mouth. I've noticed it recently when wearing masks in supermarkets, little things like people working there can't tell whether I'm annoyed or not when there's some delay, which would usually be obvious by my expression.
> 
> But, you know, that's just the breaks isn't it. It's not like they're being worn for a laugh and there are other ways to express things.


Zackly ! We're so used to life being easy and really, masks aren't so bad. I do get the communication side of it but, well, things could be a lot worse and having to try a little harder in shops isn't such a terrible thing but some people seem to think it's apocalyptic.


----------



## magneze (Aug 28, 2020)

Popped into the shop today. Started putting things into my bag at the checkout and there was my mask! Completely forgot to put it on.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Aug 28, 2020)

izz said:


> Zackly ! We're so used to life being easy and really, masks aren't so bad. I do get the communication side of it but, well, things could be a lot worse and having to try a little harder in shops isn't such a terrible thing but some people seem to think it's apocalyptic.


If humans can make themselves understood over the phone, or on an email, or writing a novel, or making a film, or painting a picture, they can sure as shit cope with having to wear a mask to talk to somebody.


----------



## friendofdorothy (Aug 28, 2020)

I'm asthmatic, have a bit of a medical mask phobia and not keen on face coverings in general but even I can cope with a mask when I have to in shops etc. 
I'm terrified of catching flu, infections or covid. 

 I'm getting increasingly anxious about the number of people on buses or indoors who don't wear masks and get too close, it means I'm constantly on full alert, flight or fight mode whenever I leave the house. I'm feeling so panicky its exhausting. 

To all those people who say_ I'm fine with not wearing a mask_ and_ I don't care about distancing_ - I just want to say - I do care! so KEEP THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME.


----------



## Mation (Aug 28, 2020)

magneze said:


> Popped into the shop today. Started putting things into my bag at the checkout and there was my mask! Completely forgot to put it on.


I walked into a shop the other day having forgotten to put my mask on. (I usually put it on before I leave the house if going to local shops as I know I'm likely to forget when at the shop, but this time forgot that too.)

I would probably have been better to just put it on where I was as soon as I realised, but my literal brain marched me all the way back out, where I then put it on, and went back in again


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Aug 29, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> If you are so ill that you genuinely can’t cover your mouth and nose with anything then it is probably not very wise to be out and about during this pandemic tbf.



I agree with this. At first, I was politely reminding everyone who came into the shop without a mask that it's mandatory to wear one. At one point we were considering not serving people without one but that idea was quickly dropped when we learned the likes of Sainsburies and Tesco weren't enforcing it. There was pretty good compliance in the first week but now it's dropped to around 50%.

I had sympathy with people being unable to wear one for health reasons but the more I've seen people flout it the more that sympathy wained. Like you, I struggle to think what's so bad about your health that you can't wear a mask for 2 minutes while you duck into a shop to buy a loaf of bread. I think it's the height of selfishness to just walk in somewhere without a mask when you're perfectly able to wear one.

I've had people say 'I can't wear a mask I've got COPD' then in the same breath ask me for a pouch of tobacco. I've had others say they've got anxiety but then stand around chatting for 10 minutes to strangers whilst lifting the mask up and down. That's not to say they don't genuinely have these ailments but if you can do these things then you can wear a mask for 2 minutes.

I said this during lockdown I still maintain it. I don't think we're as socially conscious and as caring of others as we might like to think we are. I don't like thinking that but I think it's true. Sure, we dress it up as clap for key workers and 'ooh thank you for carrying on working' but a large amount of people couldn't do the basics of staying home as much as possible during the lockdown and they can't do the basics of wearing a mask in enclosed spaces now.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Aug 29, 2020)

Some people really have lost the plot over what is nothing more than wearing a piece of cloth over your face.

A friend of a friend's colleague at a factory he works in handed his notice in, after having worked there for years mind, because he refuses to wear a mask on the factory floor because he doesn't believe in them. He's got a wife and kids too! To hand your notice in over that and at a time when jobs are being shed all over the place is probably the maddest thing I've heard about during this. It's actually quite sad because he's had his brains turned to mush by a load of anti vax/5g type bollocks he's read about on facebook. In fact I think he's in the camp that covid-19 is all a government hoax


----------



## cupid_stunt (Aug 29, 2020)

Doctor Carrot said:


> There was pretty good compliance in the first week but now it's dropped to around 50%.



Whenever I see posts like this, I am shocked, it's as if I am living in a totally different world, it's just about 100% around here since it became mandatory - that includes supermarkets, local shops, a few other shops I've been in, and the bank. Also the same on the buses. People are largely still socially distancing too, even at level crossings, people queue around 2m apart. 

Maybe this is helping to keep our inflection rate low, 0.3 cases per 100,000 in the last week, compared to the national average of almost 12, and north of 50 in areas where there's some sort of local lockdown.

In fact I saw my first and only mask-less person* in a small shop yesterday.

ETA - * except staff behind screens.


----------



## wemakeyousoundb (Aug 29, 2020)

Doctor Carrot said:


> ...
> 
> I've had people say 'I can't wear a mask I've got COPD' then in the same breath ask me for a pouch of tobacco. I've had others say they've got anxiety but then stand around chatting for 10 minutes to strangers whilst lifting the mask up and down. That's not to say they don't genuinely have these ailments but if you can do these things then you can wear a mask for 2 minutes.
> ...


Thing with anxiety and panic attacks is that there isn't really any rhyme or reason to them.
My friend went shopping the other day, she was wearing a mask, she got all her groceries, then while queieng for the till a panic attack came on and she had to abandon everything and get out of there to take her masks out.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Aug 29, 2020)

wemakeyousoundb said:


> Thing with anxiety and panic attacks is that there isn't really any rhyme or reason to them.
> My friend went shopping the other day, she was wearing a mask, she got all her groceries, then while queieng for the till a panic attack came on and she had to abandon everything and get out of there to take her masks out.



Of course I understand that. If you're prone to anxiety and panic attacks then they're going to come out of no where anyway though, mask or no mask. 

In a supermarket I'm less bothered by it because there's loads of space post lock down (something I hope remains) so can socially distance well. In a small shop like mine though you're not really gonna spend longer than 5 minutes tops in there but social distancing is nearly impossible and ventilation isn't that great.


----------



## iona (Aug 29, 2020)

FFS. Just seen someone in a supermarket remove their (on backwards with the ear loops all tangled up) mask, do a big snotty sniff, _wipe their nose with their finger_ and then put the mask back on and carry on shopping


----------



## LDC (Aug 29, 2020)

I'm in North Wales on holiday this week and have been shocked at the low level of mask wearing and almost complete lack of social distancing.


----------



## LDC (Aug 31, 2020)

Back home and mask wearing dropped noticeably in the last week. Not to mention a good percentage of people are wearing them incorrectly.

Really stunningly incomprehensible to me there's not been a public information broadcasting campaign about correct mask wearing and social distancing.


----------



## Badgers (Aug 31, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Really stunningly incomprehensible to me there's not been a public information broadcasting campaign about correct mask wearing and social distancing.


Maybe the government could pay people from Love Island to make Tiktok videos about it?


----------



## wtfftw (Aug 31, 2020)




----------



## elbows (Aug 31, 2020)

Now I want a mask with an audio-reactive display/oscilloscope built in. Except this one clearly doesnt work properly as a mask, but never mind.


----------



## Badgers (Sep 1, 2020)

Paywall article but you get the general idea


----------



## kalidarkone (Sep 1, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> I'm in North Wales on holiday this week and have been shocked at the low level of mask wearing and almost complete lack of social distancing.


Yes I noticed the lack of masks when I was there, to the point that I felt by wearing one I was clearly a tourist.


----------



## LDC (Sep 1, 2020)

kalidarkone said:


> Yes I noticed the lack of masks when I was there, to the point that I felt by wearing one I was clearly a tourist.



I feel like it was the opposite tbh, plenty of people on holiday wanting to not think about the pandemic. Chatting to a friend that lives there (who's originally from England) it brought out some nasty nationalist stuff in the last few months as well.


----------



## 8ball (Sep 1, 2020)

I've noticed what seems to be a slight dip in compliance with the masks over the last few days.  Might just be a blip...

Fewer 'under the nose' types and more 'not bothering at all' types (although the 'under the nose' thing is pretty pointless anyway).


----------



## Steel Icarus (Sep 1, 2020)




----------



## LDC (Sep 1, 2020)

8ball said:


> I've noticed what seems to be a slight dip in compliance with the masks over the last few days.  Might just be a blip...
> 
> Fewer 'under the nose' types and more 'not bothering at all' types.



To me it feels like most people, including the government, have largely thrown their hands up and given up with day-to-day measures to curb the spread. Whether that changes over the winter if it gets bad again will be interesting. Friends in France say the same, everything is pretty much back to normal and there's few signs of previous measures being taken, even with their high rates of infection.


----------



## 8ball (Sep 1, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> To me it feels like most people, including the government, have largely thrown their hands up and given up with day-to-day measures to curb the spread. Whether that changes over the winter if it gets bad again will be interesting. Friends in France say the same, everything is pretty much back to normal and there's few signs of previous measures being taken, even with their high rates of infection.



Well, that's not exactly great.  Was the messaging a total shambles in France too?


----------



## 8ball (Sep 1, 2020)

S☼I said:


> View attachment 228728



Think I might show this to our Facilities department at work.  They have set ventilation at a legal minimum because people complain about draughts...


----------



## existentialist (Sep 1, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> To me it feels like most people, including the government, have largely thrown their hands up and given up with day-to-day measures to curb the spread. Whether that changes over the winter if it gets bad again will be interesting. Friends in France say the same, everything is pretty much back to normal and there's few signs of previous measures being taken, even with their high rates of infection.


Some day, someone will write a research paper on the human psychology aspects of all this. And I think we will realise, notwithstanding all the perfectly logical "why don't people just do X?" arguments, that the psychology is non-trivial, and profoundly (if indirectly) affects the rate of transmission, through things like non-compliance with mask wearing, social distancing, etc. It's not so much people being dicks as people being people. The only conscious element, really, is from those people who are self-aware enough to realise the ways in which their psychology is playing out in this situation.


----------



## LDC (Sep 1, 2020)

8ball said:


> Well, that's not exactly great.  Was the messaging a total shambles in France too?



Restrictions were very tight early on, and the messaging (from what friend says) was clear (but tbh I think for a while early on it was clear here as too) but more recently they've just been encouraged to get back to work etc., same as here now. I think there's resignation (among the government and some people) that a load more people are going to die, and the economy is floundering and we've just got to plough through it or things will collapse financially more generally.

I also think there is a bit of truth to the fact that many people will only follow them for a certain period of time before fatigue sets in, especially when for many the virus is something they haven't had any personal experience of.


----------



## prunus (Sep 1, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Paywall article but you get the general idea




People who behave like selfish cunts more likely to be selfish cunts?


----------



## LDC (Sep 1, 2020)

existentialist said:


> Some day, someone will write a research paper on the human psychology aspects of all this. And I think we will realise, notwithstanding all the perfectly logical "why don't people just do X?" arguments, that the psychology is non-trivial, and profoundly (if indirectly) affects the rate of transmission, through things like non-compliance with mask wearing, social distancing, etc. It's not so much people being dicks as people being people. The only conscious element, really, is from those people who are self-aware enough to realise the ways in which their psychology is playing out in this situation.



System 1 thinking! That was a holiday read, thanks for the recommendation btw! Helped me come to terms with much of humanity being irrational fools!


----------



## 8ball (Sep 1, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Restrictions were very tight early on, and the messaging (from what friend says) was clear (but tbh I think for a while early on it was clear here as too) but more recently they've just been encouraged to get back to work etc., same as here now. I think there's resignation (among the government and some people) that a load more people are going to die, and the economy is floundering and we've just got to plough through it or things will collapse financially more generally.
> 
> I also think there is a bit of truth to the fact that many people will only follow them for a certain period of time before fatigue sets in, especially when for many the virus is something they haven't had any personal experience of.



(that was a 'thanks for the thorough reply' like, not a "like" like, like)

Both counts sound about right to me.  I think here in the UK, quite a few people were looking at the decline in cases a couple months back and assuming we'd be sorted by Christmas, either by general eradication or by a vaccine.  Now it's looking like a much longer slog.


----------



## 8ball (Sep 1, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> System 1 thinking! That was a holiday read, thanks for the recommendation btw! Helped me come to terms with much of humanity being irrational fools!



Kahnemann?  Good book, that.


----------



## LDC (Sep 1, 2020)

8ball said:


> Kahnemann?  Good book, that.



Yeah, was useful to read. Bit over long, could have been a good short pamphlet, but I think that about most books like that.


----------



## Steel Icarus (Sep 1, 2020)

8ball said:


> Think I might show this to our Facilities department at work.  They have set ventilation at a legal minimum because people complain about draughts...


It's maddening, like me being instructed to inform enrollers they didn't have to wear masks because "some people are getting annoyed". Annoyed enough to potentially kill someone? For twenty minutes wearing a mask?


----------



## 8ball (Sep 1, 2020)

S☼I said:


> It's maddening, like me being instructed to inform enrollers they didn't have to wear masks because "some people are getting annoyed". Annoyed enough to potentially kill someone? For twenty minutes wearing a mask?



Is that because someone might get annoyed _at you _(ie. an anti-conflict thing)?
It's been a long-term thing at our office that people complain about draughts - I think it just hasn't occurred to our Facilities lot that they could ramp up the ventilation for safety reasons and there is more reason for people to put a jumper on and suck it up.  Then again, they're trying to get people back into the office and there is quite a lot of reluctance...


----------



## xenon (Sep 1, 2020)

LynnDoyleCooper said:


> Back home and mask wearing dropped noticeably in the last week. Not to mention a good percentage of people are wearing them incorrectly.
> 
> Really stunningly incomprehensible to me there's not been a public information broadcasting campaign about correct mask wearing and social distancing.



Well, yeah the messaging certainly could have been better. But the sort of *fuckwit who can't work out how to put a mask on is beyond reach. Presumably they tie their own shoelaces... There's a lot of stupid out there.

*obviously I'm not talking about people with learning difficulties who may need a bit of help.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Sep 1, 2020)

It still amazes me the lack of mask wearing posters are commenting on, I was in the big Tesco this morning, only one person without a mask, and they didn't look very healthy TBH.


----------



## Doodler (Sep 1, 2020)

Judging by current standards, it's remarkable how widespread blackout compliance was during the Blitz, given how many children and adults are scared of the dark.


----------



## Doodler (Sep 1, 2020)

xenon said:


> Well, yeah the messaging certainly could have been better. But the sort of *fuckwit who can't work out how to put a mask on is beyond reach. Presumably they tie their own shoelaces... There's a lot of stupid out there.
> 
> *obviously I'm not talking about people with learning difficulties who may need a bit of help.



Compliance might be more down to being nervous and conscientious (and conscientious types really have it in for the non-conscientious), and having empathy.

What sort of people are most likely to be reckless, into rule-breaking and at least slightly callous?


----------



## 8ball (Sep 1, 2020)

Doodler said:


> What sort of people are most likely to be reckless, into rule-breaking and at least slightly callous?



<raises hand tentatively>

Cyclists?


----------



## Doodler (Sep 1, 2020)

8ball said:


> <raises hand tentatively>
> 
> Cyclists?



Lycra teabags infusing death - a controversial view 8ball.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Sep 1, 2020)

Doodler said:


> Judging by current standards, it's remarkable how widespread blackout compliance was during the Blitz, given how many children and adults are scared of the dark.



It was enforced, rigidly. Mask wearing ain’t. So far more people have died from Covid than Blitzkrieg. Probably.


----------



## Doodler (Sep 1, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> It was enforced, rigidly. Mask wearing ain’t. So far more people have died from Covid than Blitzkrieg. Probably.



Blitz casualties 32,000 (it says here) so you're right.


----------



## nyxx (Sep 1, 2020)

I cycle everywhere & I’ve been wearing a cloth mask in shops & in any halfway crowded outdoor spaces since early April.


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 1, 2020)

nyxx said:


> I cycle everywhere & I’ve been wearing a cloth mask in shops & in any halfway crowded outdoor spaces since early April.


Me too, but also wear a mask on my bike


----------



## nyxx (Sep 1, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Me too, but also wear a mask on my bike



I’ve not worn a mask for cycling until now.


----------



## xenon (Sep 1, 2020)

Doodler said:


> Compliance might be more down to being nervous and conscientious (and conscientious types really have it in for the non-conscientious), and having empathy.
> 
> What sort of people are most likely to be reckless, into rule-breaking and at least slightly callous?



Well there's probably differing self justifications.
The gormless chin mask wearers probably thinkk, well it's not that important and I have got a mask, so no one can tell me off;
The fotler, brexity, plandemic leaning types want attention and a chance to expound their bullshit but probably not an actual altercation with anyone they can't just rant at;
A few generally antisocial possibly violent scumbags;
Bravado about general rule breaking, amongst the groups of younger people, group dynamics etc


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 2, 2020)

Sadly there's.an ethnic dimension.
The (mostly) "Polish" shop where I buy my pickles is almost entirely mask-free and there was a young couple with a child in 99% - compliant Aldi last week who I'm pretty sure were Polish.
A colleague of mine expressed relief at being home from a visit to the in-laws due to the attitudes there.


----------



## Doodler (Sep 2, 2020)

xenon said:


> Well there's probably differing self justifications.
> The gormless chin mask wearers probably thinkk, well it's not that important and I have got a mask, so no one can tell me off;
> The fotler, brexity, plandemic leaning types want attention and a chance to expound their bullshit but probably not an actual altercation with anyone they can't just rant at;
> A few generally antisocial possibly violent scumbags;
> Bravado about general rule breaking, amongst the groups of younger people, group dynamics etc



At my work (builders merchant/DIY) the customers who won't wear masks are mostly young men who look like they're from the more casual end of the trade. Some are aggressive swaggerers, others more the cheerful happy-go-lucky kind.


----------



## 8ball (Sep 4, 2020)

First time on a tram since before lockdown today and have to say people were generally pretty diligent on the masks front:


----------



## Marty1 (Sep 5, 2020)

Delivered to a shopping centre yesterday and they had a mask dispenser machine, like a snack dispenser only selling packs of masks.


----------



## weltweit (Sep 5, 2020)

campanula said:


> Yep, I have made a few 'octogon' masks. Not easy to fit with a filter pocket though - although I have largely dispensed with these, since 2-3 layers of poplin is already hot enough.


Why would you need an extra filter?


----------



## Badgers (Sep 6, 2020)

Wanker


----------



## existentialist (Sep 6, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Wanker



You can't generalise too much, but I am really struggling to relate that man's hostile aggression towards the BTP officer with the stuff about "panic attacks", etc. It felt very much to me as if he was trying to make the mask thing a point of principle, and I wonder whether all the anxiety stuff was a bit of a _post hoc_ attempt to get himself off the hook.

One of the things I think is really quite shit about the way some people appear to be using the medical conditions argument to excuse them from mask wearing is that it undermines the argument for people who genuinely have medical conditions which prevent them from doing so.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Sep 6, 2020)

Also good to wear a mask in the event of a BTP filth pepper spraying you


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 6, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Also good to wear a mask in the event of a BTP filth pepper spraying you


Indeed the irony is painful.


----------



## Marty1 (Sep 6, 2020)

I had a complete dick pretend he couldn’t understand me because I had my mask on - even tho I was standing right in front of him and speaking loud and clear.

Had to be polite as I was at work so dealing with an Amazon customer that I had to request photo ID for alcohol.


----------



## Cloo (Sep 6, 2020)

Just bought another pack of paper 'back up' masks to keep in the car - it's been useful having a set for those moments you forget your mask or unexpectedly have to go in somewhere. Need to buy daughter some more for school as I think they are going to ask them to wear them in hallways (she's in secondary).


----------



## bellaozzydog (Sep 6, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Also good to wear a mask in the event of a BTP filth pepper spraying you



fuck the BTP is a mantra I carry with me at all times


----------



## frogwoman (Sep 6, 2020)

bellaozzydog said:


> fuck the BTP is a mantra I carry with me at all times


ABTPAB


----------



## existentialist (Sep 6, 2020)

bellaozzydog said:


> fuck the BTP is a mantra I carry with me at all times


It's a good mantra, and the copper in the video certainly didn't seem to have total mastery of the elite coppering skillset , but there was a lot of cunty vibes coming off that passenger.


----------



## MickiQ (Sep 6, 2020)

I'm with the plod on this one, you could almost see 'I am going to be difficult' tattooed on the guys forehead. The other  passengers were having a bit of a field day as well. There was one chanting underlying medical condition like some kind of mantra and another just laughing his head off.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 6, 2020)

For some peculiar reason most of the support on Twatter is from right wing arseholes ... 








			https://twitter.com/search?q=liverpool%20train%20mask%20&src=typed_query


----------



## Badgers (Sep 6, 2020)

Cloo said:


> Just bought another pack of paper 'back up' masks to keep in the car - it's been useful having a set for those moments you forget your mask or unexpectedly have to go in somewhere. Need to buy daughter some more for school as I think they are going to ask them to wear them in hallways (she's in secondary).


It is a good system. I have been helping out few of older #getinthewill local people out with chores and such so have been buying/wearing masks etc. 

At the moment (long may it continue) I have no need for suits/shirts so have got rail space to hang/dry the masks. It is a faff but just throw them all in washer, hang, member rotate and repeat.


----------



## MickiQ (Sep 6, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> I had a complete dick pretend he couldn’t understand me because I had my mask on - even tho I was standing right in front of him and speaking loud and clear.
> 
> Had to be polite as I was at work so dealing with an Amazon customer that I had to request photo ID for alcohol.


I had a cider delivery a couple of weeks ago and asked to see photo ID.
I said seriously do I look under 18 to you (please say yes) and he told me that he had been told 10% of customers were company spies (he called them mystery shoppers)
He waited while I dug out my passport


----------



## Supine (Sep 6, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> Sadly there's.an ethnic dimension.
> The (mostly) "Polish" shop where I buy my pickles is almost entirely mask-free and there was a young couple with a child in 99% - compliant Aldi last week who I'm pretty sure were Polish.



As a person of Polish decent can I just say a big fuck you and fuck your silly racial stereotype.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 6, 2020)

Supine said:


> As a person of Polish decent can I just say a big fuck you and fuck your silly racial stereotype.


Just an observation ... politics in Poland is a bit iffy at the moment is it not ? .. Coincidentally a half-Polish colleague has come out with some dodgy shit ...

Oh and you missed this bit off your quote :-



> A colleague of mine expressed relief at being home from a visit to the in-laws due to the attitudes there.


----------



## Supine (Sep 6, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> Just an observation ... politics in Poland is a bit iffy at the moment is it not ? .. Coincidentally a half-Polish colleague has come out with some dodgy shit ...
> 
> Oh and you missed this bit off your quote :-



Yes of course, silly me. We don't approve of masks and are also all fascists


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 6, 2020)

Supine said:


> Yes of course, silly me. We don't approve of masks and are also all fascists


Why don't you share your experiences ?


----------



## Marty1 (Sep 6, 2020)

MickiQ said:


> I had a cider delivery a couple of weeks ago and asked to see photo ID.
> *I said seriously do I look under 18 to you* (please say yes) and he told me that he had been told 10% of customers were company spies (he called them mystery shoppers)
> He waited while I dug out my passport



The amount of times I get that - it gets jarring sometimes.

One perk of wearing face masks is I get to hide my displeasure.


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 6, 2020)

MickiQ said:


> I had a cider delivery a couple of weeks ago and asked to see photo ID.
> I said seriously do I look under 18 to you (please say yes) and he told me that he had been told 10% of customers were company spies (he called them mystery shoppers)
> He waited while I dug out my passport


Staff in supermarkets, offies and pubs are required to ask for ID if you look under 25 - I imagine it's the same with delivery drivers


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 6, 2020)

Even wearing a mask, supermarket staff don't hesitate to swipe my booze through 
Perhaps I should wear a hat too ....


----------



## MickiQ (Sep 6, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> The amount of times I get that - it gets jarring sometimes.
> 
> One perk of wearing face masks is I get to hide my displeasure.


I shall never ask that again just in case it is you


----------



## MickiQ (Sep 6, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Staff in supermarkets, offies and pubs are required to ask for ID if you look under 25 - I imagine it's the same with delivery drivers


I'm 62, three-quarters of my children are over 25, the only time my age has been queried in supermarkets is by the scab tills and their human supervisor never backs them up.


----------



## MickiQ (Sep 6, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> Even wearing a mask, supermarket staff don't hesitate to swipe my booze through
> Perhaps I should wear a hat too ....


I have reached the age in life where I m seriously considering buying myself a flat cap


----------



## existentialist (Sep 6, 2020)

MickiQ said:


> I have reached the age in life where I m seriously considering buying myself a flat cap


I bought one to do a gig in just before lockdown, and found myself rather fond of wearing it generally


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 6, 2020)




----------



## kalidarkone (Sep 6, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Wanker



I think the cop should have just taken his details, verified it with id and fined him. I think he was unnecessarily aggressive and the escalation of the situation put him and the passenger at more risk. I could understand the cop pepper spraying the guy if he was being aggressive but he was just defending himself. That cop should of called for back up so the passenger could of been removed. Imo.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Sep 6, 2020)

kalidarkone said:


> I think the cop should have just taken his details, verified it with id and fined him. I think he was unnecessarily aggressive and the escalation of the situation put him and the passenger at more risk. I could understand the cop pepper spraying the guy if he was being aggressive but he was just defending himself. That cop should of called for back up so the passenger could of been removed. Imo.


Yeah, watching that video I am really not happy with it at all. The cop moves very quickly from confronting him to physically attacking him.


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 6, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Yeah, watching that video I am really not happy with it at all. The cop moves very quickly from confronting him to physically attacking him.


you also have to take people at their word even if you suspect they're lying.


----------



## The39thStep (Sep 6, 2020)

kalidarkone said:


> I think the cop should have just taken his details, verified it with id and fined him. I think he was unnecessarily aggressive and the escalation of the situation put him and the passenger at more risk. I could understand the cop pepper spraying the guy if he was being aggressive but he was just defending himself. That cop should of called for back up so the passenger could of been removed. Imo.


Can you get a fixed penalty in the U.K. for not wearing a mask ?


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 6, 2020)

The39thStep said:


> Can you get a fixed penalty in the U.K. for not wearing a mask ?


Aye, £100


----------



## The39thStep (Sep 6, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Aye, £100


That’s the key imo .


----------



## magneze (Sep 6, 2020)

Neither comes out of the encounter well but aren't the police meant to be trained or something? That just looks like handbags between two idiots. Only one is highly visible and armed with pepper spray though. 🤔


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Sep 6, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> you also have to take people at their word even if you suspect they're lying.


It is IME very typical cop behaviour. "I have formed my own idea about what is going on here and literally nothing is going to change that."


----------



## Marty1 (Sep 6, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Yeah, watching that video I am really not happy with it at all. The cop moves very quickly from confronting him to physically attacking him.



The cops reaction was ott and escalated the situation ridiculously imo.

If I had been there I’d have felt like restraining the cop - which you can’t do as you’d get pepper sprayed in the face and arrested too.

Absolute thug pig.


----------



## Boudicca (Sep 6, 2020)

Just seen this on my mask making forum, some kind of frame which you wear underneath the mask to keep it off your face and help you breathe and talk more easily.  There was a debate about whether it created a 'gap' at the top, but worth considering if you have to wear a mask all day. Available on Amazon.


----------



## existentialist (Sep 6, 2020)

Boudicca said:


> Just seen this on my mask making forum, some kind of frame which you wear underneath the mask to keep it off your face and help you breathe and talk more easily.  There was a debate about whether it created a 'gap' at the top, but worth considering if you have to wear a mask all day. Available on Amazon.
> 
> View attachment 229403


Even if it's only a placebo, if it does the job...


----------



## scifisam (Sep 6, 2020)

MickiQ said:


> I had a cider delivery a couple of weeks ago and asked to see photo ID.
> I said seriously do I look under 18 to you (please say yes) and he told me that he had been told 10% of customers were company spies (he called them mystery shoppers)
> He waited while I dug out my passport



It's not a big deal. Sometimes they're fine with just being told your date of birth, because they have to enter that in their records. And they can get fined if they get caught giving age-restricted items to someone under age so I don't blame them for being careful. The rules should be like in shops, so that if you really don't look under 25 you don't have to provide ID, but you know what private companies are like with applying more stringent rules than necessary if it incoveniences everything except the bottom line.

Mystery shoppers do exist (I've done it - there's a website you can sign up to where you do mystery shopping for different companies and basically earn pocket money while getting freebies), though if 10% of his customers were mystery shoppers it'd have to be a really tiny company.


----------



## MickiQ (Sep 6, 2020)

scifisam said:


> It's not a big deal. Sometimes they're fine with just being told your date of birth, because they have to enter that in their records. And they can get fined if they get caught giving age-restricted items to someone under age so I don't blame them for being careful. The rules should be like in shops, so that if you really don't look under 25 you don't have to provide ID, but you know what private companies are like with applying more stringent rules than necessary if it incoveniences everything except the bottom line.
> 
> Mystery shoppers do exist (I've done it - there's a website you can sign up to where you do mystery shopping for different companies and basically earn pocket money while getting freebies), though if 10% of his customers were mystery shoppers it'd have to be a really tiny company.


It was Amazon so I suspect his boss was bullshitting him


----------



## campanula (Sep 6, 2020)

weltweit said:


> Why would you need an extra filter?


 In the early days of mask-making, this was practically de rigeur (I used a Henry bag).


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Sep 7, 2020)

IIRC Amazon drivers face losing their jobs if they don’t see ID for age restricted products, so it’s a bit shit to fuck them around on this and make them waste time when their days are busy enough as it is.


----------



## dessiato (Sep 7, 2020)

I‘ve found all of this interesting. In this town there’s a high compliance with few not wearing at all, or wearing improperly. But there’s a strong rumour that, because of people going to parties and weddings, there’s been a massive spike in cases. It isn’t true, but it has made people aware, and afraid, again.


----------



## MickiQ (Sep 7, 2020)

Mrs Q and I went to Meadowhall Sheffield yesterday which is an enclosed shopping centre,Whilst waiting outside the shops for Mrs Q. I amused myself by passing moral judgement on my fellow citizens. I counted 8 people with no masks at all. 2 were men and 6 were women (surprising me I would have thought men were more likely rule breakers than women). One woman clearly had mild Downs syndrome and thus gets a pass all the others male and female looked healthy to me. 
There were a lot of people wearing a mask but not properly, most not covering the nose and a lot not even covering the mouth. This wasn't in the shops but even though there's 2 floors and generous headspace its still indoors.
It was nowhere as crowded as the last time we went though which was last year sometimes.


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## Orang Utan (Sep 7, 2020)

Mild Down’s syndrome? There are no degrees of it. You either have the chromosome or you don’t


----------



## MickiQ (Sep 7, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Mild Down’s syndrome? There are no degrees of it. You either have the chromosome or you don’t


You have the chromosome or you don't but they vary as much as everyone else, some people manage to live a near normal life some need a fair amount of assistance. Clearly there is no way I could have made an accurate assessment of this woman on one sight (nor was I trying to, I was just taking a more tolerant view of her not wearing a mask than I did of the other 7). That said you did make realise she is the first person I've seen with it for a while, They were a lot more common when I was a kid there were 3 or 4 at the same primary as I went.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Sep 7, 2020)

MickiQ said:


> You have the chromosome or you don't but they vary as much as everyone else, some people manage to live a near normal life some need a fair amount of assistance. Clearly there is no way I could have made an accurate assessment of this woman on one sight (nor was I trying to, I was just taking a more tolerant view of her not wearing a mask than I did of the other 7). That said you did make realise she is the first person I've seen with it for a while, They were a lot more common when I was a kid there were 3 or 4 at the same primary as I went.



Many people get tested during pregnancy and abort these days.


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Sep 7, 2020)

On the subject of people wearing masks below their noses, I'm particularly fascinated by people who wear N95 masks below their noses. They went to the trouble of wearing a particularly protective kind of mask and then, pulled it down?  These people need to make up their minds.


----------



## existentialist (Sep 7, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Many people get tested during pregnancy and abort these days.


And not hard to see why, given the increasing levels of shit that people with disabilities, and their carers, have to take these days from benefits systems, etc. It's almost as if the right wing have managed to make some headway on the eugenics front...


----------



## MickiQ (Sep 7, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Many people get tested during pregnancy and abort these days.


I know Mrs Q was offered an amniocentesis test when she had Youngest Q since she was 3 months shy of 40 when Youngest was born, its one of the things it tests for. She was upset at the time since the nurse/midwife who called her up to recommend she  had one was  somewhat tactless saying things like  "You might like to consider an abortion" before  even had the test.
One of lifes irony though is that by the time she was 13 or 14 I had realised that Youngest is way smarter than either myself or her mother and unfortunately so had she.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Sep 8, 2020)

campanula said:


> All of the ones which have elastic ear loops are pants. Absolutely agonising after a day with bands behind your ears. I have made a sort of cloth  strap which catches the ear straps on a button at each side, but loops round the back of my head, taking up the tension which would normally just pull on my sore ears. Also, I use a continuous paracord, which threads through tags at the side of the masks and tensions with toggles at the back of my head -good for pulling on or off without faffing with ties. I have made bloody loads , with various styles, shapes and materials and am now sick to death of them. I knocked up an origami shoulder sack, for a treat. Has got me right back into sewing though.



I improvised a strap extension with an extra large cable tie for mine  Ties around the back if my neck now but seems snug enough.


----------



## Badgers (Sep 9, 2020)

Just stopped at Sainsbury's. Old fella going in before me said 'I can't afford masks so not wearing one' to which the staff member replied 'No problem, I can give you a couple for free'  

To which he replied 'I can't be dealing with that shit' and stomped past her glowering  

Probably voted Tory and Brexit. I hope he dies a long painful Covid death


----------



## Marty1 (Sep 9, 2020)

Badgers said:


> Probably voted Tory and Brexit. I hope he dies a long painful Covid death



He sounds like a full blown anarchist douche.


----------



## Teaboy (Sep 9, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> He sounds like a full blown anarchist douche.



When you're basically doing your mum jokes its probably time for a new character.  This one has been excellent, well judged and I've enjoyed it but its run its course.


----------



## krtek a houby (Sep 9, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> He sounds like a full blown anarchist douche.



What do you mean by "anarchist"?


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 9, 2020)

Had a little rant on Nextdoor last night at someone from St. Werburghs in Bristol - woo woo central - after he and others typed a load of conspiranoid crap ...


----------



## spring-peeper (Sep 12, 2020)

The province of Quebec will start fining people who do not wear their masks in indoor public spaces.  The fines start at $400 CAD and go up to $6000.









						Defying mask rules in Quebec will now be punished with fines up to $6,000
					

As of Saturday, Quebecers who do not comply with public health guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic will be subject to fines ranging from $400 to $6,000.



					montreal.ctvnews.ca


----------



## existentialist (Sep 12, 2020)

krtek a houby said:


> What do you mean by "anarchist"?


Antifa. In the right wing US sense


----------



## Steel Icarus (Sep 12, 2020)

Just encountered a live one in Aldi, angry bald man in Rockports, late thirties maybe. No mask, staring at everyone clearly hoping for someone to challenge him. Actually took a step towards me for having the gall to queue up behind him. Then I made the mistake of saying "thanks" when he put the _next customer_ divider on the conveyor belt.

"Look at all these idiots"
"Pardon?"
"Wearing masks. Sheep. Idiots."
"It's a weird time isn't it."
"No it's not. Nothing's different. Why are you wearing a mask?"
"Look mate, I'm just doing my shopping, I'm not interested in an argument."
"I bet you're not cos you haven't got one. You're all fucking idiots. Sheep."

I mean wear one or don't, but why be an aggressive cunt about it?


----------



## existentialist (Sep 12, 2020)

S☼I said:


> Just encountered a live one in Aldi, angry bald man in Rockports, late thirties maybe. No mask, staring at everyone clearly hoping for someone to challenge him. Actually took a step towards me for having the gall to queue up behind him. Then I made the mistake of saying "thanks" when he put the _next customer_ divider on the conveyor belt.
> 
> "Look at all these idiots"
> "Pardon?"
> ...


I'm just waiting for someone to try that on with me. I shall not be diplomatic - "At least I'm only a sheep, not a cunt".


----------



## cupid_stunt (Sep 12, 2020)

existentialist said:


> I'm just waiting for someone to try that on with me. I shall not be diplomatic - "At least I'm only a sheep, not a cunt".



You're tall & big enough to get away with that.


----------



## Steel Icarus (Sep 12, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> You're tall & big enough to get away with that.


I probably am, but I was just cba about the whole thing. Just wanted to go home with my shopping, not get chinned by some loon


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Sep 12, 2020)

S☼I said:


> I probably am, but I was just cba about the whole thing. Just wanted to go home with my shopping, not get chinned by some loon


I have never seen any situation made better by having an argument in a supermarket.


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## gentlegreen (Sep 12, 2020)

Usually one or two maskless ones near me  - but 99 percent adherence in my  Aldi - including this morning father and young daughter both in fancy masks whereas most children were maskless.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Sep 12, 2020)

On that note, I saw that the guy at the checkout in Sainsbury's this afternoon was wearing a body camera


----------



## weltweit (Sep 12, 2020)

scifisam said:


> ..
> Mystery shoppers do exist (I've done it - there's a website you can sign up to where you do mystery shopping for different companies and basically earn pocket money while getting freebies), though if 10% of his customers were mystery shoppers it'd have to be a really tiny company.


I've been a mystery shopper before. I found an agency that managed it and did it a few times. Sometimes it can be a little tricky pretending to be a genuine punter but for one of my assignments I actually could have bought what they were selling, but their customer service was atrocious.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Sep 12, 2020)

S☼I said:


> Why are you wearing a mask?"



So the CCTV can’t identify me when I stab gammon.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Sep 15, 2020)

Indonesia has come up with a unique punishment for people refusing to wear masks, make the buggers dig graves for covid victims.  









						Face mask refuseniks in Indonesia forced to dig graves of coronavirus victims
					

Country is turning to shock tactics in a bid to stem the rising tide of infections




					www.telegraph.co.uk


----------



## maomao (Sep 15, 2020)

I'm getting really pissed off with all the nose peekers. When I see someone without any mask at all I think 'they're probably just a selfish tosser but they _could_ have a good reason so wind your neck in' but these cunts with their hooters poking over the top like they're not even trying are starting to wind me up. And I really wanted to have a go at some woman nattering on the phone with it casually strung round her chin. Didn't help that it was boiling on the train and starting to feel borderline busy. I am definitely riding my bike in future.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Sep 15, 2020)

maomao said:


> I'm getting really pissed off with all the nose peekers. When I see someone without any mask at all I think 'they're probably just a selfish tosser but they _could_ have a good reason so wind your neck in' but these cunts with their hooters poking over the top like they're not even trying are starting to wind me up. And I really wanted to have a go at some woman nattering on the phone with it casually strung round her chin. Didn't help that it was boiling on the train and starting to feel borderline busy. I am definitely riding my bike in future.


no, it fucks me off as well, it's like "christ's sake it's _literally on your face already_ you clown, you clearly have a mask, you clearly don't have an exemption issue, you're just taking the piss".


----------



## Cloo (Sep 15, 2020)

London Transport needs big signs saying 'IT GOES OVER YOUR FUCKING NOSE!!!!'

I had to sit opposite a guy on the tube doing something even more annoying, where it was _just _hovering over the tip of his nose, so he was totally breathing over the top of it. Aaaagggh!


----------



## maomao (Sep 15, 2020)

Cloo said:


> London Transport needs big signs saying 'IT GOES OVER YOUR FUCKING NOSE!!!!'


On TFL rail the recorded message actually says 'it must cover your mouth and nose'.


----------



## Cloo (Sep 15, 2020)

maomao said:


> On TFL rail the recorded message actually says 'it must cover your mouth and nose'.


I noticed that, but apparently these people have earplugs in as well.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Sep 15, 2020)

I’ve  been waiting for the valve thing to make into general awareness but that doesn’t seem seem to have happened yet..

Masks with valves are worse than useles at protecting other people.

They make it easier for you to breathe out, but if you’ve got the virus the valve creates a narrow plume of infected and directed air.

Please don’t wear them.

This applies to N95 masks with valves too.


----------



## wtfftw (Sep 15, 2020)

SheilaNaGig said:


> I’ve  been waiting for the valve thing to make into general awareness but that doesn’t seem seem to have happened yet..
> 
> Masks with valves are worse than useles at protecting other people.
> 
> ...


Probably useful for teachers then as kids aren't wearing masks in class anyway.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Sep 15, 2020)

wtfftw said:


> Probably useful for teachers then as kids aren't wearing masks in class anyway.




I disagree.

Infection travels in both directions. What if the teacher is infected? Wearing a mask with a valve and leaning towards children would make that directed plume a problem.

And while the teacher is in the staff room or on public transport.


----------



## William of Walworth (Sep 15, 2020)

Looks like I've not been around this thread  since page 37 ... 

But something I predicted way back on this thread, was that here in Wales, 'they' would not only introduce compulsory masks on buses here (done for a while now!), but *also*, that they'd introduce compulsory masks in shops, and also in my own workplace.

All the 'also' bit now done.
Since the Monday just gone.
Admittedly belatedly, but rule tightening *is*  going on here.

I bought some quite cool new/additional cloth masks with  nice patterned designs**.

festivaldeb is looking out for some more for me with cat /elephant/campervan designs  -- promised birthday thing 

**Since buying more, I've in consequence become less annoyed with masks than I used to be -- the cheap Boots (etc.) ones, while effective, can be irritating -- cloth is so much more comfortable IMO -- and also, those Boots-type ones look pretty generic to me. Almost everyone at work has cloth .....

For a lazy drunk, it's also nice not to have to wash the one or two you've got *EVERY* day! 
More is better


----------



## spanglechick (Sep 15, 2020)

wtfftw said:


> Probably useful for teachers then as kids aren't wearing masks in class anyway.


I don’t thing it’s realistic to teach wearing a mask.  Classrooms have a lot of noise all at once, and many children (and adults) despite not being diagnosed with impaired hearing, rely on lip reading to confirm what they’ve heard.


----------



## Epona (Sep 15, 2020)

I've said it before, but what really annoys me is people who complain that their face gets hot or something stupid like that.  When I work I often have to wear more heavy duty PPE than a cloth mask while doing manual labour - so sorry that you get a little warm while doing your shopping, suck it up you fucking wimp!

(No objection to people with certain respiratory conditions not wearing masks ofc, but that is not the 50% of the population of my local supermarket who don't bother with a face covering, statistically speaking the majority of them must be just being selfish shits)


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Sep 16, 2020)

This article says that wearing masks may help to reduce the severity of symptoms even if you do catch the virus.





			https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMp2026913
		




			https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMp2026913


----------



## wtfftw (Sep 16, 2020)

spanglechick said:


> I don’t thing it’s realistic to teach wearing a mask.  Classrooms have a lot of noise all at once, and many children (and adults) despite not being diagnosed with impaired hearing, rely on lip reading to confirm what they’ve heard.


Yeah, true. I'm just worried.


----------



## maomao (Sep 16, 2020)

spanglechick said:


> I don’t thing it’s realistic to teach wearing a mask.  Classrooms have a lot of noise all at once, and many children (and adults) despite not being diagnosed with impaired hearing, rely on lip reading to confirm what they’ve heard.


Teachers at my uni all have visors. Not sure how effective they are though.


----------



## miss direct (Sep 16, 2020)

Man ‘uses snake as a face mask’ on bus
					

Authorities suggested a snake was not a valid face covering after the man was seen with a reptile on a bus in Manchester.




					www.expressandstar.com


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 17, 2020)

It struck me earlier as I'm wearing a different mask to my usual, that one reason people might object to wearing them is halitosis... 

Not that my breath stinks, but I was definitely aware of it...

.. I wonder how many people might end up self-diagnosing various health issues ...


----------



## Pickman's model (Sep 17, 2020)

Remember to cut straps from disposable masks so birds don't tangle themselves in them


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 17, 2020)

Not sure why someone who is negligent enough to litter would bother cutting straps


----------



## existentialist (Sep 17, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> Remember to cut straps from disposable masks so birds don't tangle themselves in them


Is that before or after we put them on?


----------



## Pickman's model (Sep 17, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Not sure why someone who is negligent enough to litter would bother cutting straps




don't be so bloody clueless. just because something goes in a bin doesn't mean it won't come into contact with birds or other forms of wildlife after.


----------



## Pickman's model (Sep 17, 2020)

existentialist said:


> Is that before or after we put them on?


after you've taken it off and before you've strewn it on the floor put it in a bin


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 17, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> don't be so bloody clueless. just because something goes in a bin doesn't mean it won't come into contact with birds or other forms of wildlife after.


i would have thought stuff put in bins would be disposed of properly and safely


----------



## cupid_stunt (Sep 17, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> i would have thought stuff put in bins would be disposed of properly and safely



Most will go to landfill sites, which are massive foraging areas for birds & small animals.


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 17, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> Most will go to landfill sites, which are massive foraging areas for birds & small animals.


didn't realise we still did that!


----------



## cupid_stunt (Sep 17, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> didn't realise we still did that!



Where the hell did you think general waste went?


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 17, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> Where the hell did you think general waste went?


Dunno, haven’t thought about it since I was at school tbh


----------



## 8ball (Sep 17, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> Where the hell did you think general waste went?



They feed it to unicorns don't they?  And then it gets recycled into rainbows?


----------



## Buddy Bradley (Sep 17, 2020)

cupid_stunt said:


> Where the hell did you think general waste went?


Shipped to south-east Asia.


----------



## Pickman's model (Sep 17, 2020)

Buddy Bradley said:


> Shipped to south-east Asia.


They still have a few birds there


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 17, 2020)

One of the eeriest sights I’ve ever seen  was the city dump in Delhi. I was in a cab on the ring road and I saw a black cloud on the horizon which was strange as it was otherwise a perfectly clear blue sky, but as we got closer I realised it was just a cluster of dozens of vultures hovering over a massive dump which must have been the size of a town.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Sep 17, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> One of the eeriest sights I’ve ever seen  was the city dump in Delhi. I was in a cab on the ring road and I saw a black cloud on the horizon which was strange as it was otherwise a perfectly clear blue sky, but as we got closer I realised it was just a cluster of dozens of vultures hovering over a massive dump which must have been the size of a town.



Our local landfill site used to have fucking hundreds of seagulls at it, they should have arranged shooting parties, and made some extra money. # farmerbarleymow 

That's closed now, our shit is sent over the border into posh Surrey instead.


----------



## Roadkill (Sep 17, 2020)

My favourite hippie wholefood shop is selling rather natty fairtrade masks. They're actually more comfortable than the ones I was given by work, though perhaps not quite as effective.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Sep 17, 2020)

This popped up on my YouTube feed.  Skip to 1:21 for the meat and potatoes.

A simple laser light box testing the relative effectiveness of masks.

Fleece comes out worse than not wearing a mask.

There’s a bloke who comes into the shop where I occasionally work, he’s a regular. And he never ever has a mask, and he always does the “Whoops, must have left it at home, I’ll remember it next time” thing, which I believed the first couple of times. But now I think he’s a lying disengenuous arse. And he goes through this pantomime of raising his fleece up over his nose and mouth as he comes over the threshold, and then just drops it while he shops, and raises it momentarily when he gets to the till. The very definition of a token effort.

It’s just not feasible to ask every fucker without a mask to mask up or fuck off. Even just getting them not to crowd up and push past, to respect that we’re trying to limit bodies in the shop is a thankless Sisyphean task. Everyone who works there ends the day exhausted and stressed.

The other day a bloke picked up and scrutinised and breathed on and fondled about 17 items on the counter. I asked him not to and he accused me of being rude and disrespectful, what about customer service, how was he meant to decide without touching everything. And of course he wasn’t wearing a mask.


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 17, 2020)

SheilaNaGig we have masks available for people who have 'forgotten' theirs - would this be possible where you work? Understand that it depends on a lot of things


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Sep 18, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> SheilaNaGig we have masks available for people who have 'forgotten' theirs - would this be possible where you work? Understand that it depends on a lot of things




We could. I wish. But it doesn’t feel realistic, in this shop at least.

Anyway he’d probably not use it, or he’d drop it on the street. And it would be the same the next time, and the next time. Plus, there is the cost of providing masks for everyone. The shop already makes sanitiser available to everyone, and masks and gloves for all staff (although we mostly use our own cloth masks). It’s a small independent shop so there’s not a lot of extra money in the system.

Tbh, some of the problem is fatigue.

Some customers seem to feel like we’re asking them to indulge us in some kind of perverse eccentricity when we ask them to do something Covid-aware. And there are a fair few vocal conspiracist who shop there, and one of the staff is a full-throttle conspiracist and it’s pretty tiring to have to deal with that nonsense all day. And to have to explain and cajole and request, as politely as possible, so many times every day, only six in the shop, only two in this area, please step back, thank you for being so patient, we appreciate your understanding etc. and all of it through the Perspex screen at the tills or through the mask that most of us are wearing; it’s just so draining. 

Someone who’s made conscious and determined choice not to wear a mask just feels like a steep hill to climb when the rest is already so tiring.


----------



## Marty1 (Sep 18, 2020)

S☼I said:


> Just encountered a live one in Aldi, angry bald man in Rockports, late thirties maybe. No mask, staring at everyone clearly hoping for someone to challenge him. Actually took a step towards me for having the gall to queue up behind him. Then I made the mistake of saying "thanks" when he put the _next customer_ divider on the conveyor belt.
> 
> "Look at all these idiots"
> "Pardon?"
> ...



He probably thought he was sticking it to the sheeple


----------



## lizzieloo (Sep 18, 2020)

I'm not, I have been but twice now I've almost had a panic attack, it sort of makes me feel the same as the onset of a panic attack (the hyperventilating, numb tingling hands and hit the deck panic attacks) 

I figured it would be better not to use one, checked to see if that was OK, found that anxiety and panic was one of the first things listed as an exemption. 

I have a lanyard explaining round my neck but rarely go out anyway, just groceries and the chemist. 

It's a huge relief knowing I don't have to wear one.


----------



## waxoyl (Sep 18, 2020)

Up early this morning, nice spot in Llandudno.


----------



## emanymton (Sep 18, 2020)

miss direct said:


> Man ‘uses snake as a face mask’ on bus
> 
> 
> Authorities suggested a snake was not a valid face covering after the man was seen with a reptile on a bus in Manchester.
> ...


Might help with social distancing though.


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Sep 18, 2020)

I think I'm allergic to my masks (the surgical kind, black). Whenever I wear one for an extended period, my face starts going burny and itchy, and my eyes go puffy.  

I'm wondering if it's from whatever it is that dyes the masks black?  Obviously I can just wear blue surgical masks, but the black ones are, imo, cooler.


----------



## Roadkill (Sep 18, 2020)

emanymton said:


> Might help with social distancing though.



I love the deadpan comment from Transport for Greater Manchester:



> “Government guidance clearly states that this needn’t be a surgical mask, and that passengers can make their own or wear something suitable, such as a scarf or bandana.
> 
> “While there is a small degree of interpretation that can be applied to this, we do not believe it extends to the use of snakeskin – especially when still attached to the snake.”


----------



## Boudicca (Sep 18, 2020)

Orang Utan These just got a mention on my Mask Makers UK page but from the US at the moment.


----------



## Supine (Sep 20, 2020)

Interesting video


----------



## emanymton (Sep 23, 2020)

Someone just asked me about something that I have wondered about in the past. 

If you are taking a long journey by public transport is there any provision for allowing people to drink (and less importantly eat) during their journey? 

I have checked the government website and cannot see anything. 

We are talking about about a journey of a little over 2 hours, which I think is ok. But I wouldn't want to do a 3 or 4 hour trip without a drink, especially as wearing a mask for an extended period tends to make my mouth a bit dry.


----------



## wtfftw (Sep 23, 2020)

emanymton said:


> Someone just asked me about something that I have wondered about in the past.
> 
> If you are taking a long journey by public transport is there any provision for allowing people to drink (and less importantly eat) during their journey?
> 
> ...


Yes. You can remove your mask to eat and drink. I'll edit in a link when I find it.


----------



## Supine (Sep 23, 2020)

wtfftw said:


> Yes. You can remove your mask to eat and drink. I'll edit in a link when I find it.



Depends on the train company. Some say that eating and drinking is banned while some have the buffet car still open. 

Everybody ignores any ban and eats and drinks as required.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Sep 30, 2020)

Fucksake.

I'm in the shop and there are people coming is with woolly scarves pulled up over their chin, thin rags vaguely drifted across the lower half of their face, visors that barely cover their phisogs and plenty with  no mask at all. If you ask them to put on a mask they say they're exempt but don't have the paperwork, say they're not exempt but refuse to wear one. The guvnor (who us an arse) has a heavy cold & sore throat and finally agreed to wear a visor, so at least his coughing is mainly directed downwards. The covid-denier colleague refuses to wear a mask and has not bothered to download the exempt form.

They say "don't be scared". I'm not scared I'm pissed off. 

They say we need to stand up to tyranny but these fuckers probably don't vote, demonstrate, write to their MPs or engage in any other form of political dissent.

I'm stood outside the shop because I don't want to be near the selfish fucks.


----------



## MrSki (Sep 30, 2020)

Well Stanley Johnson is pictured in a shop without a mask. He is not exempt (pictured  in a mask at the airport) but I expect he is just flaunting not obeying the rules. I would be surprised if he was fined.


----------



## scifisam (Oct 1, 2020)

Today was slightly amusing - left my mask and a bag in the cinema, so had to go back - I have a spare mask I keep in my bag in case a friend needs one (I have never used it until tonight so it wouldn't be simply passing on my germs). My hood was up due to the rain and I can't manage the hood myself. So we were me, masked up and with my ears partially covered, talking to a masked woman behind a screen.  I'm amazed we still managed to pantomime my request through and I didn't lose my favourite mask.

We have favourite masks now. 



MrSki said:


> Well Stanley Johnson is pictured in a shop without a mask. He is not exempt (pictured  in a mask at the airport) but I expect he is just flaunting not obeying the rules. I would be surprised if he was fined.




Flouting. Sorry, but flaunting the rules means the opposite, so it matters.


----------



## elbows (Oct 1, 2020)

Flaunting his flouting of the rules.


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Oct 1, 2020)

Went through Clapham Jct last Saturday, was fairly shocked at how many people either had no mask at all or were chin-wearers or nose-peakers. The no mask at all posse had the usual smattering of aggro-merchants willing folk to challenge them, but they were outnumbered by people who just seemed not to give a toss. Coming from the genteel environs of Godalming (where everyone wears a mask) to see that was quite a shock.


----------



## zora (Oct 1, 2020)

One of my eyelids has felt a bit sore for the last couple of weeks, barely visible, but dry skin and burning to the touch. A couple of days ago it flared up even more and both eyelids were visibly reddened. Then had a lightbulb moment and thought it might be connected to the face mask (I wear one all day four days a week). 
A quick google didn't confirm this particular problem, but it highlighted a condition called "dry eye" as an effect from mask wearing from the breath that gets directed upwards into the eyes.
Tried a different mask style yesterday that fits more snugly at the top and it already seems to have made a difference for the better.


----------



## danny la rouge (Oct 1, 2020)

I favour the bandana.  This is me at the moment, waiting in Woodside Health Centre for a blood test.


----------



## Steel Icarus (Oct 1, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Went through Clapham Jct last Saturday, was fairly shocked at how many people either had no mask at all or were chin-wearers or nose-peakers. The no mask at all posse had the usual smattering of aggro-merchants willing folk to challenge them, but they were outnumbered by people who just seemed not to give a toss. Coming from the genteel environs of Godalming (where everyone wears a mask) to see that was quite a shock.


In B4 someone claims they're in no way responsible for their actions because Tories


----------



## Supine (Oct 1, 2020)

So I discovered that if you eat a strepsil while wearing a mask the fumes go up past your eyes and makes them sting. Fun fact!


----------



## 8ball (Oct 1, 2020)

danny la rouge said:


> I favour the bandana.  This is me at the moment, waiting in Woodside Health Centre for a blood test.
> 
> View attachment 232491



I have the same bandana.  Easy to pull up when required.


----------



## danny la rouge (Oct 1, 2020)

8ball said:


> I have the same bandana.  Easy to pull up when required.


Yup.  I have several of different colours that I rotate.  They’re very easy to use. None of this hooking things on and off your ears.


----------



## Numbers (Oct 1, 2020)

Supine said:


> So I discovered that if you eat a strepsil while wearing a mask the fumes go up past your eyes and makes them sting. Fun fact!


Have made that mistake a cpl of times with mints.


----------



## Numbers (Oct 1, 2020)

danny la rouge said:


> I favour the bandana.  This is me at the moment, waiting in Woodside Health Centre for a blood test.
> 
> View attachment 232491


For some reason the image of you in my head was one of a D'artagnan hairstyle.


----------



## danny la rouge (Oct 1, 2020)

Numbers said:


> For some reason the image of you in my head was one of a D'artagnan hairstyle.


My hair was once luxuriant. Alas not now. During lockdown I succumbed to the inevitable.

(The social history of lockdown should be Buzzcuts and Beards: the year of the virus).


----------



## Numbers (Oct 1, 2020)

danny la rouge said:


> My hair was once luxuriant. Alas not now. During lockdown I succumbed to the inevitable.
> 
> (The social history of lockdown should be Buzzcuts and Beards: the year of the virus).


I'm sure we met once, maybe 2003/2004 at a meet up in London, can't remember any more details than that but I'm sure of it.

Assuming you were at London meetups all dem years ago?


----------



## Cloo (Oct 1, 2020)

danny la rouge said:


> I favour the bandana.  This is me at the moment, waiting in Woodside Health Centre for a blood test.
> 
> View attachment 232491


My husband does the bandito look too and has 4 or 5 of those.


----------



## danny la rouge (Oct 1, 2020)

Numbers said:


> I'm sure we met once, maybe 2003/2004 at a meet up in London, can't remember any more details than that but I'm sure of it.
> 
> Assuming you were at London meetups all dem years ago?


I’ve never been to a London meet-up. But I can access your dreams, so that may be it.


----------



## Numbers (Oct 1, 2020)

I get them free in work, there's envelopes on the security desk with 2 masks per envelope, I pick up 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon (when front of desk change) so have been building up a good stock.


----------



## Pickman's model (Oct 1, 2020)

Numbers said:


> I get them free in work, there's envelopes on the security desk with 2 masks per envelope, I pick up 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon (when front of desk change) so have been building up a good stock.


Remember to cut the straps before disposing so birds don't get tangled in them


----------



## Numbers (Oct 1, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> Remember to cut the straps before disposing so birds don't get tangled in them


There’s mask disposal bins in work too, I use 2 a day.  I put a fresh one on going home, then wear it in in the morning, dispose of it in the bin, wear a fresh 1 during the day then dispose of it in the bin before putting on the evening one.  

There’s a whole section on our Intranet about Covid, including about the masks, where they’re sourced and how they get rid etc.


----------



## geminisnake (Oct 1, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> Remember to cut the straps before disposing so birds don't get tangled in them


the ties are actually handy if you're a gardener as they have give in them for the plant growing, we used them when we mass planted some trees in August(pal works at a care home so loads of ties)


----------



## Espresso (Oct 1, 2020)

I saw a man today at the back of a hotel - he was obviously a worker on a break. He was sitting on a low wall with a cup of tea next to him. He was reading his phone, mask dangling off one ear and he pulled a packet of fags out of his pocket and opened the box one handed. Still glued to the phone. He pulled a fag out with his teeth and put the fag packet back in his pocket and rooted about for his lighter. Whatever was on his phone must have been very interesting indeed because he was still glued to it. What happened next managed to distract him from his phone, though. 
He set his mask on fire.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Oct 1, 2020)

Yikes!
We’re all learning new skilzz very fast . Or not.


I’d wear a bandana for sure except that they’re not good protection. Hopefully someone will invent one that does the job. In the meantime, and especially as the R number creeps up, I’m keeping my distance from everyone in a bandana or who has a loose fitting mask.

One of the problems is that wearing a mask makes us (me too) feel safer. I’m not safer, I’m taking necessary precautions. My colleague leaning in to say something privately is pushing past the protection, she’s not suddenly risk free because she’s wearing a mask.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Oct 2, 2020)




----------



## Teaboy (Oct 2, 2020)

Just been to a local supermarket.  Every single person not only had a mask on but was wearing it correctly.  100% out of quite a busy and large supermarket.  One thing I did notice though is that too many people have forgotten about distancing.  I suspect the two things are related to a degree.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Oct 2, 2020)

Teaboy said:


> Just been to a local supermarket.  Every single person not only had a mask on but was wearing it correctly.  100% out of quite a busy and large supermarket.  One thing I did notice though is that too many people have forgotten about distancing.  I suspect the two things are related to a degree.




I’m sure they are. And it was one of the reasons the bosses were reluctant to make them mandatory. Wearing a mask fools us into thinking we have a margin of safety we can play with, when in fact it’s  only that the mask provides some measure of protection that makes it possible for us to continue shopping, travelling etc.

I find myself falling into the same soft zone and have to keep reminding myself to maintain distance. Not being able to read lips and facial expressions so easily and knowing my own voice is somewhat muffled doesn’t help though: those things make me lean in to hear / be heard. I’m working on polite and kind ways to say “take a step back please... cover your nose please...” and trying to speak more clearly without shouting, learning to use my eyes to smile, show reactions etc.

I know it’s  hard work, all this. And dull tedious work at that. I think one of the reasons people are refusing to wear masks is because they can’t be arsed with all the dull housekeeping that goes with it.


(See also remembering to bring it with you, using it correctly, stashing it correctly for safe retrieval and re-use when out and about, scrambling for the mask and the bus pass while wrestling an umbrella as the bus approaches in the rain, getting hot and bothered, slipping off the ears, tangled earrings and earphones, skin issues, and vanity issues : my eyelashes and eyebrows didn’t grown back properly after chemo so unless I wear heavy eye makeup (which I don’t want to do on the daily) I look pretty rough.  Plenty of people haven’t recognised me with a mask, partly cos I’m lockdown-fatter, but mostly because the half of my face that can be seen looks like a boiled egg.)


----------



## Cloo (Oct 2, 2020)

At the kosher bakery this morning, the staff were all wearing this very odd 'PPE' I'd never seen before, and which I cannot imagine is any us at all. The plastic bit leans away from the face so it seems to offer protection niether to the wearer no those around them


----------



## weltweit (Oct 2, 2020)

Cloo that doesn't look very effective at all, the visors were supposed to protect eyes nose and mouth - at least that was my understanding.


----------



## Roadkill (Oct 2, 2020)

I can't resist cross-posting from another thread the funniest thing I've seen all week, which was when a sharp-suited, suave colleague came into my building complaining how his (designer) mask fogged his sunglasses up, 'which just doesn't make you look cool.'  He walked into the paper recycling bin and measured his length on the corridor floor.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Oct 2, 2020)

Teaboy said:


> Just been to a local supermarket.  Every single person not only had a mask on but was wearing it correctly.  100% out of quite a busy and large supermarket.  One thing I did notice though is that too many people have forgotten about distancing.  I suspect the two things are related to a degree.


Have to say I've never seen people doing distancing at a supermarket at all, let alone following the arrows. I do only go to smaller ones though.


----------



## zora (Oct 9, 2020)

Args, having another eyelid eczema flare-up. It healed so well and quickly last time that I put aside the idea of asking at a pharmacy about some meds, but might have to enquire after all.


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 9, 2020)

Cloo said:


> At the kosher bakery this morning, the staff were all wearing this very odd 'PPE' I'd never seen before, and which I cannot imagine is any us at all. The plastic bit leans away from the face so it seems to offer protection niether to the wearer no those around them


I'm not a client for cold cuts and cheese, but this virus business has made me look very suspiciously at deli counters ...


----------



## Anju (Oct 11, 2020)

Just been to our local big Tesco and they had 2 people giving out masks at the entrance, someone wondering around offering hand sanitizer and regular announcements about distancing and mask wearing. 

On my last visit a couple of weeks ago there were people in every aisle not wearing a face covering, maybe 20%-25% of total shoppers but today I only spotted 2 in the whole time I was there. Tiny bit of encouragement seemed to have made a big difference, which is frustrating as it seems like a bit of effort to make the requirements more visible when people are actually out and about, plus the providing of masks where needed would have been pretty effective.


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 11, 2020)

Apparently in Victoria, Australia where they had a massive anomaly, they're insisting on 3 layer masks.


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 11, 2020)

The till person in Aldi yesterday was wearing fingerless woollen gloves


----------



## Steel Icarus (Oct 11, 2020)

Mask wearing much more widespread than before here. Think people are twigging that this region is about to get clobbered.


----------



## Marty1 (Oct 11, 2020)

Wtf


----------



## platinumsage (Oct 11, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> I'm not a client for cold cuts and cheese, but this virus business has made me look very suspiciously at deli counters ...



I haven’t bought any hummus or similar since March, especially with the outbreaks in cold food production facilities. Even cucumbers get washed with hot water.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Oct 11, 2020)

I'm all out of my KN95/FFP2 masks and not entirely sure I trust ebay for them so where is a good source for these at this point?


----------



## magneze (Oct 11, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> I'm all out of my KN95/FFP2 masks and not entirely sure I trust ebay for them so where is a good source for these at this point?


Wiggle were doing some. Wiggle | Cycle | Run | Swim | Tri-Sports & Bike Shop


----------



## Buddy Bradley (Oct 13, 2020)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Have to say I've never seen people doing distancing at a supermarket at all, let alone following the arrows. I do only go to smaller ones though.


Supermarkets (or shops in general) just aren't designed for staying 1-2m away from everyone else, unless every single person present tacitly agrees to shuffle at one consistent pace and in one unified direction.

I wonder, are shops in the far east - where mask-wearing and not spreading airborne diseases seems to be more of a cultural expectation - laid out any differently?


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 13, 2020)

I concur - especially if like me you keep forgetting something and having to take shortcuts.
If I have to be nearer than 2 metres, I will turn my back to them.


----------



## platinumsage (Oct 13, 2020)

Buddy Bradley said:


> Supermarkets (or shops in general) just aren't designed for staying 1-2m away from everyone else, unless every single person present tacitly agrees to shuffle at one consistent pace and in one unified direction.
> 
> I wonder, are shops in the far east - where mask-wearing and not spreading airborne diseases seems to be more of a cultural expectation - laid out any differently?



It's the same everywhere.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 13, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> It struck me earlier as I'm wearing a different mask to my usual, that one reason people might object to wearing them is halitosis...
> 
> Not that my breath stinks, but I was definitely aware of it...
> 
> .. I wonder how many people might end up self-diagnosing various health issues ...



Yeah, got to be minging if you have halitosis. I don't (afaik), but I always swill some mouthwash then suck some mints before putting mine on to go to the supermarket.


----------



## Teaboy (Oct 13, 2020)

Is that in Asia ^^^^?

All the writing is in English.  More likely an Asian supermarket in an English speaking country?


----------



## elbows (Oct 13, 2020)

Teaboy said:


> Is that in Asia ^^^^?
> 
> All the writing is in English.  More likely an Asian supermarket in an English speaking country?



I looked it up (via the Getty images code bottom left):



> SINGAPORE - APRIL 03: People wearing protective mask shop for groceries ahead of the live telecast by Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong addressing the current COVID-19 situation on April 3, 2020 in Singapore. Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong announced significantly stricter measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 cases including the closure of non-essential workplaces for a month from April 7. (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images)


----------



## Jay Park (Oct 13, 2020)

If you aren’t wearing a face mask in a country that saw 7000 cases in one day last week, then you should be treated worse than someone who has a conflicting view on the English football threads.


----------



## Chilli.s (Oct 13, 2020)

I'm practicing scowling with my eyes. Using it on all the nomask or uncovered nose twats.


----------



## 8ball (Oct 13, 2020)

Chilli.s said:


> I'm practicing scowling with my eyes. Using it on all the nomask or uncovered nose twats.



I tend to get scowls from _them_


----------



## Numbers (Oct 13, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> Yeah, got to be minging if you have halitosis. I don't (afaik), but I always swill some mouthwash then suck some mints before putting mine on to go to the supermarket.


Made the mistake twice of having strong  mints in my mouth (after a smoke) when putting on my mask, once when walking through reception (a very busy reception too) in work and my eyes were stinging, streaming and I was rapid blinking like I’d just hoovered up some 2C-B.


----------



## xsunnysuex (Oct 14, 2020)

Ok is the kind of shit you get ordering from Amazon!  🤣🤣🤣


----------



## Ax^ (Oct 14, 2020)

hello  lana del ray

feels ashamed at having absorbed that little bit of information that she was wearing something similar over the weekend


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 14, 2020)

Numbers said:


> Made the mistake twice of having strong  mints in my mouth (after a smoke) when putting on my mask, once when walking through reception (a very busy reception too) in work and my eyes were stinging, streaming and I was rapid blinking like I’d just hoovered up some 2C-B.


For me it's accidentally trapping a lungful of handgel when putting it on at work.
When I first started back at work in July, I had a habit of breathing in so much when adjusting my glasses I almost fell over - weirdly, that seamlessly overlapped with the start of a bout of labyrinthitis ...


----------



## MrSki (Oct 18, 2020)

Good message for kids as well as some adults!



ETA maybe not suitable for young kids.


----------



## NoXion (Oct 18, 2020)

"mask debaters"


----------



## 8ball (Oct 18, 2020)

“Have some faith in Fauci”


----------



## Pickman's model (Oct 19, 2020)

Got a mask from Pluto books

We have nothing to lose but our chins
--karl masx


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Oct 19, 2020)




----------



## Marty1 (Oct 19, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> View attachment 235048



Ingenious eye protection.


----------



## ddraig (Oct 19, 2020)

Had gas check earlier, engineer had no mask and didn't even mention it, despite partner putting one on every time they came into same room


----------



## NoXion (Oct 19, 2020)

Pickman's model said:


> Got a mask from Pluto books
> 
> We have nothing to lose but our chins
> --karl masx



*Karl Mask


----------



## Pickman's model (Oct 19, 2020)

NoXion said:


> *Karl Mask


----------



## Mation (Oct 25, 2020)

I was wondering on another thread just now about what it will be like over the winter as temperatures get lower and we can see each others' breath.

I also saw something, somewhere the other day (great anecdote, this); a handy tip on avoiding spending too long anywhere where the windows steam up. And I'm thinking of bus journeys and wondering whether or how much difference face masks might make.


----------



## wemakeyousoundb (Oct 25, 2020)

Wouldn't the windows steam up anyway if it is heated inside and cold outside?


----------



## Aladdin (Oct 25, 2020)

MrSki said:


> Good message for kids as well as some adults!
> 
> 
> 
> ETA maybe not suitable for young kids.





That ia is brilliant 🤣


----------



## Hollis (Oct 28, 2020)

I seem to be developing a rash/itch on my nose where the face mask sits.  I am meant to wear one in work in 'public areas'... I guess I may have to switch to a face visor, though it all looks abit cumbersome with the ol' spectacles as well..


----------



## Nivag (Oct 28, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> View attachment 235048


Tusken Raiders are real 😲


----------



## Supine (Oct 28, 2020)

Hollis said:


> I seem to be developing a rash/itch on my nose where the face mask sits.  I am meant to wear one in work in 'public areas'... I guess I may have to switch to a face visor, though it all looks abit cumbersome with the ol' spectacles as well..



I'm getting sore behind my ears from wearing a mask for 8hrs a day at work. Savlon is helping. 

Face visors offer about 2% protection apparently so better to use a cream rather than that imho.


----------



## Marty1 (Oct 28, 2020)

Supine said:


> I'm getting sore behind my ears from wearing a mask for 8hrs a day at work. Savlon is helping.
> 
> Face visors offer about 2% protection apparently so better to use a cream rather than that imho.



I find the disposable surgical masks the most forgiving.


----------



## scifisam (Oct 28, 2020)

Hollis said:


> I seem to be developing a rash/itch on my nose where the face mask sits.  I am meant to wear one in work in 'public areas'... I guess I may have to switch to a face visor, though it all looks abit cumbersome with the ol' spectacles as well..



Masks have made me get eczema on my face but a cream from the doctor helps, and only has to be used now and then. I think a visor would be even worse for steam with glasses but those who use them might be able to say if they are or not.


----------



## Hollis (Oct 28, 2020)

Yeah - I don't particularly like the idea of a visor.  Any non-perscription creams recommended?


----------



## scifisam (Oct 28, 2020)

Hollis said:


> Yeah - I don't particularly like the idea of a visor.  Any non-perscription creams recommended?



Plain old E45 is usually recommended. 

Handwashing the mask might help. The skin on your face is thinner than elsewhere so might be reacting to washing powder even if the rest of you doesn't. Unless you're already wearing disposable ones, of course.


----------



## Orang Utan (Oct 28, 2020)

Supine said:


> I'm getting sore behind my ears from wearing a mask for 8hrs a day at work. Savlon is helping.


That's why I wear the ones with the two bands of elastic going behind and above the head


----------



## Hollis (Oct 28, 2020)

Oh dear.  I just made the mistake of using Superdrug's online 'skin analyser'... where they analyse a photo of your face..

In addition to some redness, I now discover I have eyebags and the skin is showing 'some signs of maturity'...

Never mind, it appears 'Bull Dog Skin Care For Men' is the recomnmended way forward..


----------



## Mation (Oct 29, 2020)

Hollis said:


> Oh dear.  I just made the mistake of using Superdrug's online 'skin analyser'... where they analyse a photo of your face..
> 
> In addition to some redness, I now discover I have eyebags and the skin is showing 'some signs of maturity'...
> 
> Never mind, it appears 'Bull Dog Skin Care For Men' is the recomnmended way forward..


I'd be tempted to put a plaster on it for a couple of days, too, so the irritated part isn't abraded. Depends how sensitive the skin is either side of your nose.

"Some signs of maturity"

I wonder what they rejected before settling on that.


----------



## dessiato (Oct 29, 2020)

Supine said:


> I'm getting sore behind my ears from wearing a mask for 8hrs a day at work. Savlon is helping.
> 
> Face visors offer about 2% protection apparently so better to use a cream rather than that imho.


Here we can get things that go across the back of the head and to which you attach the elastic of the mask. These take the pressure off the ears. I don't know what they're called or I'd look for a pic. But I'll post one asap. I recommend them if you need extended periods with a mask.


----------



## AnnO'Neemus (Oct 29, 2020)

ddraig said:


> Had gas check earlier, engineer had no mask and didn't even mention it, despite partner putting one on every time they came into same room


Why didn't you ask them to wear one?


----------



## Boudicca (Oct 29, 2020)

Supine.  There's one made on the 3D printers or make a low tec version out of a milk carton:



Or there's a knitted version:


----------



## ddraig (Oct 29, 2020)

AnnO'Neemus said:


> Why didn't you ask them to wear one?


Don't know tbh! Hoped they'd be quick


----------



## editor (Oct 30, 2020)

In the Guardian today: The face mask test: which are the best at limiting the spread of Covid?


----------



## Badgers (Nov 2, 2020)

Might be useful 









						-50 x 3 PLY DISPOSABLE FACE MASK - NON SURGICAL BREATHABLE MOUTH GUARD COVER UK  | eBay
					

This is very Good Quality Face Mask.  These Masks Will Cover Both the Mouth & Nose But will Not Limit Breathing. Nontoxic Mask. Colour: Light Blue.



					www.ebay.co.uk


----------



## Ax^ (Nov 2, 2020)

Boudicca said:


> Supine.  There's one made on the 3D printers or make a low tec version out of a milk carton:
> 
> View attachment 236384
> 
> ...



oo thank you

my ears are stinging the fuck out of me as of late

We been wearing mask at work for months


----------



## editor (Nov 2, 2020)

So I ordered this after Which? gave it a super high ranking. Will report back once delivered.









						Face Coverings in Scotland | Bags of Ethics
					

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged residents of Scotland to follow the new law which has made it compulsory to wear a face covering when in shops in Scotland.



					bagsofethics.org


----------



## Bahnhof Strasse (Nov 3, 2020)

Spoke to an air hostess yesterday, top tip from her is to tie the mask around the back of your head with a ribbon.


----------



## Marty1 (Nov 19, 2020)

The gf bought a 3 pk of Hugo Boss masks in size large, one for me, one for my dad and one for my son - and these masks are massive - I had to knot the straps to get a good fit.

Id recommend these masks for anyone who needs a big size mask or owns a horse.


----------



## Orang Utan (Nov 19, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> The gf bought a 3 pk of Hugo Boss masks in size large, one for me, one for my dad and one for my son - and these masks are massive - I had to knot the straps to get a good fit.
> 
> Id recommend these masks for anyone who needs a big size mask or owns a horse.


Or a dog


----------



## Marty1 (Nov 19, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Or a dog



Lol.

Anyway, this HB face mask is a great face warmer.


----------



## Marty1 (Nov 19, 2020)

As the mask was bit of a big fit - I soaked it in water then put it in the tumble dryer, voila - now a perfect fit


----------



## quimcunx (Nov 19, 2020)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Spoke to an air hostess yesterday, top tip from her is to tie the mask around the back of your head with a ribbon.



I've seen a paperclip being used.


----------



## stavros (Nov 21, 2020)

I was glad I was wearing a mask at our indoor market today, as it disguised me mouthing along to the music on the tannoy (Huey Lewis' _The Power of Love_).


----------



## scifisam (Nov 22, 2020)

The other day I was crossing the road and heard a bloke loudly complaining about nobody wearing fucking masks, didn't they know there was a virus? I turned round and he gestured at me to put my mask on (I was just in the middle of taking it off after getting off the bus), and gestured at the two other people nearby not wearing masks. They were especially bad, he said, because they had never heard of social distancing, standing near each other; one of them was holding the other's arm and they were chatting, so I suspect they weren't strangers.

Outside, with several feet between us. And the complaining bloke wasn't wearing a mask. He didn't look like your average street ranter, though possibly he was at a pupal stage.

People are really fucking weird.


----------



## kalidarkone (Nov 22, 2020)

editor said:


> So I ordered this after Which? gave it a super high ranking. Will report back once delivered.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I bought 2 packs of these a few weeks ago after looking at a WHICH comparison. I really like them.


----------



## Orang Utan (Nov 22, 2020)

Those ones go over your ears though


----------



## nyxx (Nov 22, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Those ones go over your ears though


You could just extend the elastic so it goes around your head? 
Get some extra elastic (I think t-shirt yarn works too, cut old t-shirt to ribbons) cut the elastic at the mid point, tie the extra length onto the cut ends, there you go? 

In my experience so far the elastics go after some wear and need replacing anyway so it’s as well to get some spare.


----------



## platinumsage (Nov 25, 2020)

I tried the NEQI ones which came top of the Which? list, my first time wearing a fabric mask.

Massive fail for that list I think, because I found was breathing around the edges, not through it - the material was therefore irrelevant.


----------



## miss direct (Nov 25, 2020)

Are there any furry warm ones for winter?


----------



## Orang Utan (Nov 25, 2020)

miss direct said:


> Are there any furry warm ones for winter?


I’ve seen a muppet fur one somewhere. I’ll post a link later if I can find it


----------



## existentialist (Jan 5, 2021)

Bump.

With this newer strain of the virus, I'm thinking that maybe it's time to up my game on the mask front, and start using a multi-layered thing rather than the rather more cosmetic thing I'm currently toting.

So what's the state of the marketplace for halfway-decent reusable 3-ply masks? I see a lot of stuff touting "nanotech", which sounds like it's probably bullshit. And a lot of VERY expensive stuff. I suppose what I am looking for is what the baseline standard for these things is, and who's selling them at sensible prices...


----------



## nyxx (Jan 5, 2021)

I had a look on Etsy to see what masks are going for (was considering pricing of the ones I’ve been making) & seems like 3 layer fabric ones are going for about £10 each.

My current thinking on it is to use a combination of different fabrics in the layers. Eg. cotton lining, polycotton interlining, cotton or silk or another blend for the outer. And always make a pocket so additional filter layers can be added.  I might get some nwpp but have been aiming to stick to recycled fabrics as much as poss. 

www.makermask.com is a useful reference point, they’ve been lab testing cloth masks.


----------



## salem (Jan 5, 2021)

Does anyone wear them outdoors? I can't find any details on efficacy there.

My partner has started to wear one when we're in the park etc and as we live together I probably should too but I haven't seen anything to convince me it makes much difference - most people are only very briefly close when passing. My only objection is one of comfort so I'm happy to wear one if there is any tangible benefit but if it really doesn't make much difference I'd prefer to get the feeling of fresh air on a walk then wear a mask.

FWIW I'm very pro-mask in general so I ask the above from a genuine position! Just struggling to find any evidence either way.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 5, 2021)

I only go out to the supermarket once or twice a week so I'm not worried at the moment. My current mask is fairly basic ... perhaps a little too small ... I have a pack of ten disposables that I could wear more than once if I felt the need.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 5, 2021)

salem said:


> Does anyone wear them outdoors? I can't find any details on efficacy there.
> 
> My partner has started to wear one when we're in the park etc and as we live together I probably should too but I haven't seen anything to convince me it makes much difference - most people are only very briefly close when passing. My only objection is one of comfort so I'm happy to wear one if there is any tangible benefit but if it really doesn't make much difference I'd prefer to get the feeling of fresh air on a walk then wear a mask.
> 
> FWIW I'm very pro-mask in general so I ask the above from a genuine position! Just struggling to find any evidence either way.


I wear them mostly anywhere that isn't home


----------



## nyxx (Jan 5, 2021)

salem said:


> Does anyone wear them outdoors? I can't find any details on efficacy there.
> 
> My partner has started to wear one when we're in the park etc and as we live together I probably should too but I haven't seen anything to convince me it makes much difference - most people are only very briefly close when passing. My only objection is one of comfort so I'm happy to wear one if there is any tangible benefit but if it really doesn't make much difference I'd prefer to get the feeling of fresh air on a walk then wear a mask.
> 
> FWIW I'm very pro-mask in general so I ask the above from a genuine position! Just struggling to find any evidence either way.


I mostly wear them outside when there’s people around, if it’s deserted / pretty empty I don’t.


----------



## Boudicca (Jan 5, 2021)

existentialist said:


> Bump.
> 
> With this newer strain of the virus, I'm thinking that maybe it's time to up my game on the mask front, and start using a multi-layered thing rather than the rather more cosmetic thing I'm currently toting.
> 
> So what's the state of the marketplace for halfway-decent reusable 3-ply masks? I see a lot of stuff touting "nanotech", which sounds like it's probably bullshit. And a lot of VERY expensive stuff. I suppose what I am looking for is what the baseline standard for these things is, and who's selling them at sensible prices...


If you think you can carry off African fabric ones, PM me your address and I will send you a couple.  All are two layers of cotton or polycotton with nose wire and a pocket for a filter.


----------



## Jay Park (Jan 9, 2021)

Can't believe 46 people voted no.

selfish, and dangerous.


----------



## elbows (Jan 9, 2021)

Jay Park said:


> Can't believe 46 people voted no.
> 
> selfish, and dangerous.



The thread was started on March 12th and that should not be ignored when considering the poll results.


----------



## nyxx (Jan 9, 2021)

Was about to say what elbows said. 
The WHO was advising against community face masks in March 2020. It was early days. They later revised this. 
Official requirements to wear them in the UK didn’t come until June 2020.


----------



## Jay Park (Jan 9, 2021)

elbows said:


> The thread was started on March 12th and that should not be ignored when considering the poll results.



new thread?

I haven't gone outside without a mask since about March, gym, jogging, work.


----------



## Jay Park (Jan 9, 2021)

nyxx said:


> Was about to say what elbows said.
> The WHO was advising against community face masks in March 2020. It was early days. They later revised this.
> Official requirements to wear them in the UK didn’t come until June 2020.



only just clocked this thread, and with the numbers being put up now, clearly it hasn't aged well. Be nice if those who voted 'am I fuck' were to be able to change their vote. Out of respect for those passed.


----------



## nyxx (Jan 9, 2021)

Might be interesting to redo the poll. 

I don’t see how demanding people show remorse for acting according to what they were advised by major & respected health authorities is useful.


----------



## nyxx (Jan 9, 2021)

Jay Park said:


> new thread?
> 
> I haven't gone outside without a mask since about March, gym, jogging, work.



Where have you been since March? 
Responses and cultural norms around the globe have been wildly different.


----------



## nyxx (Jan 9, 2021)

Any thoughts so far on face masks and the B117 variant? 

Are cloth masks still any use? 

I’m midway through sewing a batch of 3 layer masks, not sure how effective these are going to be.

Then there are friends & family who have the two layer cotton masks I made. Wondering whether to contact them all and say they’re no use without an extra filter, or even, just no use.


----------



## elbows (Jan 9, 2021)

I wouldnt think of it in binary terms like still of use/no use.

Better masks were always more ideal than more simplistic masks. Thats true with old and new variant, and governments considering making the mask recommendations stronger is a reflection of the overall need to improve the picture and increase protection/reduce transmission in general. New variants may force them to tighten up on this stuff, but tightening up on it is always a good idea anyway, its something that should have been done with or without mutations making their presence felt.

Whether our government are actually going to make new recommendations about type of mask and the scenarios in which a mask should be warn remains to be seen. Press reports when new lockdown was looming suggest its an area they were looking into, but how long that will take and how far they will actually go is entirely unknown to me.


----------



## nyxx (Jan 9, 2021)

I guess I feel a sense of responsibility towards the people I’ve given masks to. One was a friend’s mother who is 70+ with copd, really don’t want her to have a false sense of safety. 

It’ll be relevant & interesting to see if there’s any changes, although the uk govt guidance on masks has not matched what I feel is adequate so far. Have been quite shocked at the low quality of a lot of mass produced face coverings - a lot are just a single layer of thin stretchy fabric.


----------



## 8ball (Jan 9, 2021)

nyxx said:


> Have been quite shocked at the low quality of a lot of mass produced face coverings - a lot are just a single layer of thin stretchy fabric.



Then it's good that you are making these 3-layer jobs.


----------



## elbows (Jan 9, 2021)

I had a quick look for latest mask news after what I'd previously said, and the current stories all seem to be parroting each other based on an anonymous government source who told the Telegraph that they were looking into things like making masks compulsory in busy outdoor locations.


----------



## 8ball (Jan 9, 2021)

elbows said:


> I had a quick look for latest mask news after what I'd previously said, and the current stories all seem to be parroting each other based on an anonymous government source who told the Telegraph that they were looking into things like making masks compulsory in busy outdoor locations.



Cue plenty of arguing over the definition of "busy".  Guess it might be anywhere where maintaining a 2 metre buffer isn't feasible?


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Jan 9, 2021)

8ball said:


> Cue plenty of arguing over the definition of "busy".  Guess it might be anywhere where maintaining a 2 metre buffer isn't feasible?


That's already part of the advice, but pretty much impossible to legislate I would have thought. They won't do it anyway.


----------



## 8ball (Jan 9, 2021)

FridgeMagnet said:


> That's already part of the advice, but pretty much impossible to legislate I would have thought. They won't do it anyway.



Yeah, but I thought the advice was kind of softer in outdoor locations.  I've never really worn a mask outdoors, but I haven't really been anywhere outdoors where I need to be in close proximity with people.


----------



## elbows (Jan 9, 2021)

8ball said:


> Cue plenty of arguing over the definition of "busy".  Guess it might be anywhere where maintaining a 2 metre buffer isn't feasible?



Well one of the other things being considered involves the 2 metres. People may have forgotten that they slackened this advice months ago in a sickening concession to businesses, they killed off the 2 metre rule. Now they are apparently thinking about bringing it back.


----------



## 8ball (Jan 9, 2021)

elbows said:


> Well one of the other things being considered involves the 2 metres. People may have forgotten that they slackened this advice months ago in a sickening concession to businesses, they killed off the 2 metre rule. Now they are apparently thinking about bringing it back.



I haven't found anything to have really changed since that slackening where I am.


----------



## magneze (Jan 9, 2021)

The paths on our local common looked to be really busy. If I go out for a walk tomorrow will be masked or going somewhere else I think.


----------



## Supine (Jan 9, 2021)

existentialist said:


> Bump.
> 
> With this newer strain of the virus, I'm thinking that maybe it's time to up my game on the mask front, and start using a multi-layered thing rather than the rather more cosmetic thing I'm currently toting.
> 
> So what's the state of the marketplace for halfway-decent reusable 3-ply masks? I see a lot of stuff touting "nanotech", which sounds like it's probably bullshit. And a lot of VERY expensive stuff. I suppose what I am looking for is what the baseline standard for these things is, and who's selling them at sensible prices...



I would recommend FFP2/K95/KN95. Buy a packet and rotate their use, no need to discard after a single use outside of a hospital environment (imho). . They cost a couple if quid each but are significantly safer for you and people you interact with. Worth the money. 

When my mum had to go to a hospital appointment recently the nurses all made a fuss out of her and complimented her mask that I'd insisted she wore


----------



## zora (Jan 9, 2021)

Supine said:


> I would recommend FFP2/K95/KN95. Buy a packet and rotate their use, no need to discard after a single use outside of a hospital environment (imho). . They cost a couple if quid each but are significantly safer for you and people you interact with. Worth the money.
> 
> When my mum had to go to a hospital appointment recently the nurses all made a fuss out of her and complimented her mask that I'd insisted she wore



This, nyxx. These are the only ones that can give the wearer reasonable certainty about protecting themselves (as ever, if worn correctly). This is now the fourth thread I am advocating for their use (/bangs drum).
If there ever was a time to use them for someone in their 70s, especially if they are still going to the shops themselves or similar, it's now. Yes, they cost a couple of quid, but to tide them over now until their vaccination date while the virus is so rampant, I also consider them well worth it. And that their use hasn't been recommended more, is imo just yet another big failing of this utter fail of a government.

ETA: Given that we will most likely all be wearing face coverings in some settings for some time, they can always use your handmade and probably pretty decent one (given that it's a three layer one) a couple of weeks after their vaccination.


----------



## wemakeyousoundb (Jan 9, 2021)

nyxx said:


> Have been quite shocked at the low quality of a lot of mass produced face coverings - a lot are just a* single layer of thin stretchy fabric*.


meets the legal requirement to "wear a face covering" :/


----------



## muscovyduck (Jan 9, 2021)

Supine said:


> I would recommend FFP2/K95/KN95. Buy a packet and rotate their use, no need to discard after a single use outside of a hospital environment (imho). . They cost a couple if quid each but are significantly safer for you and people you interact with. Worth the money.
> 
> When my mum had to go to a hospital appointment recently the nurses all made a fuss out of her and complimented her mask that I'd insisted she wore



Where are you getting yours from? Every time I've been given one, and this time I bought my own, they've been dodgy as fuck


----------



## muscovyduck (Jan 9, 2021)

muscovyduck said:


> this time I bought my own, they've been dodgy as fuck


nvm these seem like the real deal now I put it on (or at least good enough), it looked like it had tiny holes in but they were actually covered with a transparent layer


----------



## Buddy Bradley (Jan 9, 2021)

Supine said:


> KN95







__





						Use of face masks designated KN95 - Safety alert - HSE
					

A substantial number of face masks claiming to be of KN95 standards are likely to be poor quality products accompanied by fake or fraudulent paperwork.




					www.hse.gov.uk
				




Not that they're definitely rubbish, more a warning that there's no quality control involved.


----------



## Shechemite (Jan 9, 2021)

I don’t wear a mask when just walking outside, but do when in the shops. Even if I forgot one they always have spares


----------



## zora (Jan 9, 2021)

Buddy Bradley said:


> __
> 
> 
> 
> ...



This is just the case for K95, right? FFP2 are European standard? I buy mine from Lloyds pharmacy online.


----------



## muscovyduck (Jan 9, 2021)

These sort of tests seem like a good idea to check how good the mask is?


----------



## Supine (Jan 9, 2021)

Buddy Bradley said:


> __
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Properly sourced non dodgy ones are my recommendation. CE marked from a reputable supplier


----------



## Jay Park (Jan 9, 2021)

nyxx said:


> Where have you been since March?
> Responses and cultural norms around the globe have been wildly different.



tbf - a place where wearing a mask when sick was already normal. But still, the sheer reluctance by some of us lot un the UK. There's +1000 deaths a day atm now


----------



## nyxx (Jan 10, 2021)

Supine, I did buy a pack of things that claimed to be n95 masks for train travel but I think they’re fake crap, the fit & quality is terrible. Chatted to a relative whose colleagues test them, they said there’s tonnes of fakes out there, I’ve been stumped as to how obtain legit ones. Some suggestions here I’ll have another look at that. Altho also not sure where we’re up to in supply chains for people who absolutely need them due to being at much higher risk of exposure. 

zora, maybe I need to clarify, I’m making some 3 layer masks now, but most of what I’ve given to people already were 2 layers. Still better over those flimsy single layer ones but still not great with how things have panned out.


----------



## Boudicca (Jan 10, 2021)

nyxx said:


> I’m making some 3 layer masks now, but most of what I’ve given to people already were 2 layers. Still better over those flimsy single layer ones but still not great with how things have panned out.



The problem with three layers is breathability.  I have been making two layers plus pocket for a filter. I even bought and cut up vacuum cleaner bags to make filters, but I've never actually used the filters as I find it very hard to breathe through them.  And higher thread count cotton may be better, but it also makes it harder to breathe through.  And all the layers in the world are no use if it doesn't fit properly. 

But unless it's a fitted N95, we cannot see a mask as foolproof protection.  It's about risk reduction, and  anything over the nose and mouth is helpful.


----------



## Roadkill (Jan 10, 2021)

muscovyduck said:


> These sort of tests seem like a good idea to check how good the mask is?



Ah.  I've just run a couple of those tests on the multi-layer cotton masks I normally wear _vis-a-vis_ the ones work issued me with in the summer, which aren't very comfortable and feel as if they don't seal properly around the nose. Surprisingly, the latter did a lot better, so it's them I'll be wearing from now on.


----------



## muscovyduck (Jan 10, 2021)

Roadkill said:


> Ah.  I've just run a couple of those tests on the multi-layer cotton masks I normally wear _vis-a-vis_ the ones work issued me with in the summer, which aren't very comfortable and feel as if they don't seal properly around the nose. Surprisingly, the latter did a lot better, so it's them I'll be wearing from now on.


I skipped the smell test and I've got a lung full of someone's fucking sandwich on the train rn. Fuming


----------



## dessiato (Jan 10, 2021)

Everything I'm reading suggests that people in the uk are relatively reluctant to both wearing a mask all the time. 

We have a simple rule here, wear a mask. 

Police have fined a lot of people who weren't.

It might be why, as bad as it is here, we are not as bad as the UK.


----------



## existentialist (Jan 10, 2021)

dessiato said:


> Everything I'm reading suggests that people in the uk are relatively reluctant to both wearing a mask all the time.
> 
> We have a simple rule here, wear a mask.
> 
> ...


When I was in France before Christmas, a majority of people just walking around on the street were masked. Over here, it's rare to see _anyone_ out on the street in a mask.


----------



## nyxx (Jan 10, 2021)

Boudicca said:


> The problem with three layers is breathability.  I have been making two layers plus pocket for a filter. I even bought and cut up vacuum cleaner bags to make filters, but I've never actually used the filters as I find it very hard to breathe through them.  And higher thread count cotton may be better, but it also makes it harder to breathe through.  And all the layers in the world are no use if it doesn't fit properly.
> 
> But unless it's a fitted N95, we cannot see a mask as foolproof protection.  It's about risk reduction, and  anything over the nose and mouth is helpful.



Is this sort of taking us over to the crafty mask thread?

Yeah the trade off between stronger filtering vs breatheability is tricky.

The latest stuff I’ve read says a layer of something nonwoven is the best way to increase filtration without compromising breatheability. Either nwpp or some kind of interfacing. I’ve had a look and it’s possible to buy suitable nwpp by the metre but am slightly reluctant to because it’s new (all the other materials I’m using are recycled/upcycled) and it’s not biodegradable.
Still, better to make something reuseable. I’ll probably go for it for the next lot I make. (Assuming it’s still available given the customs changes )

Agree that any mask is better than no mask. I’ve made one of two layers of much thinner fabric for someone who’s exempt and struggles with wearing them, she finds this one bearable and that’s definitely better than none.


----------



## miss direct (Jan 10, 2021)

Does anyone have a link to a really good, reusable one on Amazon? Searching for masks there is problematic.


----------



## magneze (Jan 10, 2021)

Not Amazon but KN95 Anti-Pollution Face Masks - 20 Pack We have some and they're good.


----------



## Jay Park (Jan 11, 2021)

magneze said:


> Not Amazon but KN95 Anti-Pollution Face Masks - 20 Pack We have some and they're good.



can wash those, too


----------



## magneze (Jan 11, 2021)

Doubt it. Just leave for 3 days.


----------



## Jay Park (Jan 11, 2021)

magneze said:


> Doubt it. Just leave for 3 days.



no, you can wash them. I've done it. A multitude of times. Almost as many times as you've had hot dinners since covid started.


----------



## magneze (Jan 11, 2021)

Fairly sure you can't without the proper equipment. How To Clean Your N95 Mask Or Face Covering With Covid-19 Coronavirus


----------



## Jay Park (Jan 11, 2021)

Well I'm fairly sure I have, quite sturdy you see these 94s. Just washed one today in fact.


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Jan 11, 2021)

Any recommendations for reusable masks? I work in a shop and I've gone from wearing nothing, to a face shield and now I wear a standard surgical mask. I actually find these quite comfortable, as wearing a mask for 9 hours a day goes anyway, are these much cop with the new variant or should I switch to something different?


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jan 11, 2021)

Doctor Carrot said:


> Any recommendations for reusable masks? I work in a shop and I've gone from wearing nothing, to a face shield and now I wear a standard surgical mask. I actually find these quite comfortable, as wearing a mask for 9 hours a day goes anyway, are these much cop with the new variant or should I switch to something different?



I like these nice brushed cotton ones which don't irritate my skin, and keep my face warm in the cold, as well as coming in my favourite colours (grey, black, and white). 5 for a fiver on ebay.









						Face Mask 100% Cotton Washable Reusable Breathable Protection Cover 5Colour Pack  | eBay
					

Foldable and recyclable dust mask, you can put it in your pocket and take it with you. Reusable And Washable Face Mask Black - Mouth & Nose Protection Masks. 100% Cotton 3 Layer Reusable face mask, simply wash and reuse.



					www.ebay.co.uk


----------



## magneze (Jan 11, 2021)

N95s are a paper based material so just for the avoidance of doubt and for safety do not try to wash them. Read the link I posted above.

Personally I have 3 which I simply rotate. Apparently 3 days is enough not to worry about the virus on them any more. See here: N95 Mask Re-Use Strategies - SAGES

I'm not medically trained and in fact I've used mine a lot more than the 5 recommended in that link since I'm not wearing them for 8 hours. Just for going to shops for food.

Now I've read that I may get a new 3.


----------



## magneze (Jan 11, 2021)

Doctor Carrot said:


> Any recommendations for reusable masks? I work in a shop and I've gone from wearing nothing, to a face shield and now I wear a standard surgical mask. I actually find these quite comfortable, as wearing a mask for 9 hours a day goes anyway, are these much cop with the new variant or should I switch to something different?


N95 is more effective but I think you'd find it uncomfortable for 9 hours a day. I find it uncomfortable for more than 30 minutes if doing a big supermarket shop. However, many people do wear them all day.


----------



## Supine (Jan 11, 2021)

magneze said:


> N95 is more effective but I think you'd find it uncomfortable for 9 hours a day. I find it uncomfortable for more than 30 minutes if doing a big supermarket shop. However, many people do wear them all day.



I wear n95 for 8-10 hrs a day when I'm on site. You do get used to it.


----------



## Supine (Jan 11, 2021)

magneze said:


> N95s are a paper based material so just for the avoidance of doubt and for safety do not try to wash them. Read the link I posted above.



They aren't paper based. Don't wash them though as the material partly works using electromagnetic forces and that might not like water.


----------



## Boudicca (Jan 11, 2021)

skyscraper101 said:


> I like these nice brushed cotton ones which don't irritate my skin, and keep my face warm in the cold, as well as coming in my favourite colours (grey, black, and white). 5 for a fiver on ebay.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


These are jersey and so full of holes.  The 100% cotton needs to be woven, not knitted.  They might be comfy but there are much more efficient ones out there.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jan 11, 2021)

Boudicca said:


> These are jersey and so full of holes.  The 100% cotton needs to be woven, not knitted.  They might be comfy but there are much more efficient ones out there.



I mean, anything short of N95 is always going to be imperfect. But these are 3 layer cotton, and for 9 hours of wearing way more comfortable than anything else I've worn.


----------



## magneze (Jan 11, 2021)

Supine said:


> They aren't paper based. Don't wash them though as the material partly works using electromagnetic forces and that might not like water.


Good to know. They feel papery.


----------



## zora (Jan 11, 2021)

There is a good little video here on how they work


----------



## nyxx (Jan 11, 2021)

When stretch fabric stretches, the weave gets wider, the gaps between the threads get bigger.


----------



## Fez909 (Jan 11, 2021)

Doctor Carrot said:


> Any recommendations for reusable masks? I work in a shop and I've gone from wearing nothing, to a face shield and now I wear a standard surgical mask. I actually find these quite comfortable, as wearing a mask for 9 hours a day goes anyway, are these much cop with the new variant or should I switch to something different?





			https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/content/airism-face-mask.html


----------



## platinumsage (Jan 11, 2021)

I've not found a fabric mask that fits securely around the nose, so I think their filtration capabilities are largely irrelevant, and they should be viewed more like airflow redirectors, like sneezing into your hand.


----------



## Cid (Jan 11, 2021)

magneze said:


> Good to know. They feel papery.



Polypropylene apparently... this article seems ok; the inventor’s recommendations.









						N95 Respirator Cleaning and Reuse Methods Proposed by the Inventor of the N95 Mask Material
					






					www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
				




Not health agency approved, but practical. Main points for normal people:


4 mask rotor using numbered mask for each day should be fine. E2a: though bear in mind this is storage at room temp of 21c.
do not use soap and water, or alcohol.
can be heat sterilised, though may change mask fit.


----------



## wemakeyousoundb (Jan 11, 2021)

Coronavirus: Morrisons to ban shoppers who refuse to wear face masks


----------



## Doctor Carrot (Jan 11, 2021)

wemakeyousoundb said:


> Coronavirus: Morrisons to ban shoppers who refuse to wear face masks



I think all supermarkets should band together in this. I'm at the point where I shame mask less customers enough to make them think twice about it next time and many buy one on the spot from the box we have on the counter.


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## komodo (Jan 11, 2021)

Yes - good on Morrison’s. If you cant wear a mask don’t go to the shops. You could call yourself vulnerable and try and get someone to do your shopping for you.


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## 2hats (Jan 12, 2021)

Confirming my suspicion that you had to dress like a bank robber for optimum effect... Research finds that the filtration efficiency of a 'consumer grade' surgical procedure mask (FRSM, A) can be greatly improved by putting a stocking over your head (F), amongst other DIY approaches that they experimented with.









						Evaluation of Cloth Masks and Modified Procedure Masks as Personal Protective Equipment
					

This comparative study examines the fitted filtration efficiency of 7 consumer-grade face masks and 5 medical procedure mask modifications.




					jamanetwork.com


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## Doctor Carrot (Jan 13, 2021)

Just quickly popped into work to get a drink. In there is a customer who I told only last night that he needs to wear a mask - no mask. The people spreading it just don't give a fuck do they? This is why the public is being blamed for it now and not the government. This is the sort of shit that gets focussed on, laser like.


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## FridgeMagnet (Jan 13, 2021)

I got some KN95s through today and tried one out - much better seal all around but particularly at the top, which means my glasses don't steam up. Can definitely recommend to anyone with the same problem, on top of them being more effective than the blue ones of course. (I don't have the precise figures but I would guess that "walking in front of a car because you can't see where you're going" carries a higher risk of serious harm than even catching covid.)


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## Boudicca (Jan 15, 2021)

Bavaria makes FFP2 masks compulsory in shops and on public transport.

I bought some of these on zora 's recommendation and wore one to Tesco today.


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## 2hats (Jan 18, 2021)

Making a mask fitter - here a _Badger Seal_ - for a medical procedure mask/FRSM greatly improves filtration efficiency by sealing it more thoroughly against the face.








Practical details:





						Badger Seal (Mask Fitter, Mask Sealer, Mask Brace)
					

What is the Badger Seal (mask fitter)? A soft, flexible and adjustable “frame” that significantly improves the outer seal of a mask. Why use it?  Increase filtration performance: Adding the Badger Seal to a 3-ply disposable mask reduces the effective particle penetration by typically 15x (see...




					making.engr.wisc.edu
				



DOI: 10.1101/2020.12.31.20249101


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## weepiper (Jan 24, 2021)

Has anyone got an eBay recommendation for good quality N95 masks? Looks like Scotland is considering making them mandatory in shops and public transport. I had already been thinking about getting some but there's millions of different ones on eBay and I don't know which ones are legit. I see those ones on Wiggle that someone (sorry can't remember who) posted above but I'd rather get a single one or two or three to try first before spunking £42 on 20 of them iyswim.


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## iona (Jan 24, 2021)

Not eBay but I've got a big box of ffp2 masks coming this week from medisave.co.uk . Could send you a few from that (they're individually wrapped) to try if that's any help weepiper ?


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## zora (Jan 24, 2021)

I have been using these PurifyLabs FFP2 face masks, and they seem alright.
But someone else I recommended them to has just discovered a fraudulent order for other Lloyds pharmacy products for £400 on his card after buying them, so I feel the need to give this caveat!


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## muscovyduck (Jan 24, 2021)

I got mine from Lloyd's online, feel like the best way to make sure they're legit is to buy from a UK high street drug store/pharmacy brand?


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## weepiper (Jan 24, 2021)

iona said:


> Not eBay but I've got a big box of ffp2 masks coming this week from medisave.co.uk . Could send you a few from that (they're individually wrapped) to try if that's any help weepiper ?


That's very kind, thanks, but muscovyduck's suggestion is a good one to try them out 👍


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## platinumsage (Feb 2, 2021)

May as well bling it up I suppose:


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## sideboob (Feb 4, 2021)

I was trying to find that video of the health care worker showing how wearing a mask doesn`t affect your breathing.  I`ve got bad lungs, and when I put on a mask and hook up my pulse ox sensor I watch my oxygen saturation slowly drop.  Some days are worse than others, but the higher the humidity the harder it is to breathe for me.  I wear a mask as much as I can, and usually carry a bottle of drinking water with me, gives me an excuse to slide the mask down, even if only for a moment.


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## nyxx (Feb 4, 2021)

What is your mask like? 
Do you know what it is made of? 
How long ish before the oxi reading drops?

There might be something more suitable out there, eg, more breathable, lining which wicks away moisture. I’m trying to achieve the latter right now. Cotton eg is great for absorbency but it is slow to dry out. (So far I’ve been swapping masks when the lining gets damp but I’m looking for something that performs better.)


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## gentlegreen (Feb 4, 2021)

What is the reading ?


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## crossthebreeze (Feb 5, 2021)

Some good information on making and buying cloth masks here  Home | Cloth Masks 
Differs a little  bit from the WHO guidelines 

The spun bond non-woven polypropylene fabric recommended by both for the filter or middle layer is apparently Dipryl or Corovin - used for base-lining upholstery.  It can be hot washed but not tumble dried.

I seem to be wearing cloth masks for long periods of time at work and volunteering at the moment, even though I'm avoiding shops.  I've got some of the Neqi masks on order from Boots, and also plan to ask my friend to make up some new homemade masks, with the Dipryl layer in the middle, and maybe polycotton on the outside and cotton inside - though keeping to pleated, nose wire, and ties behind head - as those masks are the only ones that seem to fit me right so far.


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## Mation (Feb 6, 2021)

Is there any information on how N95/FFP2 masks compare to wearing a face covering with a pocket, into which an N95/FFP2 filter can be inserted?

The fit will make a difference, I'd assume, but if the face covering fit was good, would the bread of the mask sandwich have a substantial effect, or the insert/filling be less effective?


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## Supine (Feb 6, 2021)

Mation said:


> Is there any information on how N95/FFP2 masks compare to wearing a face covering with a pocket, into which an N95/FFP2 filter can be inserted?
> 
> The fit will make a difference, I'd assume, but if the face covering fit was good, would the bread of the mask sandwich have a substantial effect, or the insert/filling be less effective?



N95 is classed as a respirator rather than a mask. The fit is a really important bit of that. Not sure what kind of mask you mean but the important thing is does the air go in and out of the filter itself or around the sides.


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## Mation (Feb 6, 2021)

Supine said:


> N95 is classed as a respirator rather than a mask. The fit is a really important bit of that. Not sure what kind of mask you mean but the important thing is does the air go in and out of the filter itself or around the sides.


I was thinking of a homemade face covering that fits tightly and can accommodate a filter. But the outer bits might be cotton, or whatever.


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## sideboob (Feb 7, 2021)

nyxx said:


> What is your mask like?
> Do you know what it is made of?
> How long ish before the oxi reading drops?
> 
> There might be something more suitable out there, eg, more breathable, lining which wicks away moisture. I’m trying to achieve the latter right now. Cotton eg is great for absorbency but it is slow to dry out. (So far I’ve been swapping masks when the lining gets damp but I’m looking for something that performs better.)


Disposable mask, filter is polypropylene。　Oxi reading drops depending on humidity and my physical activity; within a minute or 2 I watched it go from 98-95  while resting before I took off the mask.  I`ve got "mild" copd though, so ymmv.  
Yes, cotton ones are great.  My wife made some cotton ones, but like you say once damp are no good, and I`m not sure how effective they are.  
If you find anything works better I`d love to hear it, thanks.


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## Supine (Feb 7, 2021)

When my mum went to hospital yesterday they made her remove her nice new n95 mask and gave her a blue surgical mask instead


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## platinumsage (Feb 14, 2021)

Mation said:


> I was thinking of a homemade face covering that fits tightly and can accommodate a filter. But the outer bits might be cotton, or whatever.



The cotton will let air through more easily than the filter, so you’ll just be breathing around the filter making it completely pointless.


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## elbows (Feb 22, 2021)

I enjoyed some of the photos in this article:









						Mask force: London's five centuries of face coverings
					

Not a new normal: A brief history of five centuries of face masks.



					www.bbc.co.uk


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## sideboob (May 4, 2021)

I go out walking or cycling at night because less people are out.  The people I do pass though are all wearing masks, except the fucking joggers.  I`m sorry if you`re one of the maskless joggers, but wtf?.  I assume you`re jogging because you`re health concious but you don`t wear a mask because fuck everyone else?.  So yeah, covid drags on because people are stupid.  Less chance of transmission outdoors is the equivalent of pulling out results in less chance of pregnancy.  Wear a fucking mask/condom.


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## Jay Park (May 4, 2021)

sideboob said:


> I go out walking or cycling at night because less people are out.  The people I do pass though are all wearing masks, except the fucking joggers.  I`m sorry if you`re one of the maskless joggers, but wtf?.  I assume you`re jogging because you`re health concious but you don`t wear a mask because fuck everyone else?.  So yeah, covid drags on because people are stupid.  Less chance of transmission outdoors is the equivalent of pulling out results in less chance of pregnancy.  Wear a fucking mask/condom.



no big deal exercising in a mask, selfish. I go jogging and do deadlifts and bench in the gym wearing one. I wear two on the metro.

im having this re-occuring, and quite disconcerting dream, where I'm back home and no one is wearing a mask.


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## nyxx (May 4, 2021)

I feel you. Worth mentioning though that transmission risks outdoors are many many times lower than indoors. It does make a difference.


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## Riklet (May 4, 2021)

Airborme transmission rates of covid outdoors when there are few people around has to be increeeedibly low. Maybe a lot higher in crowds, town centres, busy streets etc but still way way lower than in an enclosed space. I have no stats but it seems pretty clear.  

As I am only walking around the not very busy streets of my town at the mo, not even going in anywhere really... im not bothering to wear a mask. If I lived in a big city I would, or anywhere with a relatively higher number of cases.

Back in December/Jan i was surprised people still didnt bother wearing them outdoors here though (I wasnt going out but did some window peeking)


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## Petcha (May 28, 2021)

Do _you_ look sexier in your mask?

I had lunch today with an old friend (so she can get away with this) who informed me I look far sexier with most of my face covered. I went to the bogs and had a look and I'm inclined to agree. I think I've got sexy eyebrows or something.  I'm not going to take to wearing it during sex but I think I might keep wearing it during social occasions.


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## HAL9000 (Jan 18, 2022)

Apologies if this has been posted before, if this table is correct, it claims even a leaky N95 mask will help more than a cloth mask.   The cheap FFP2 masks I use, always leak near the nose.

2hats the time periods listed in this table, are these plausible based on research you've seen?



the table was pulled from this article









						COMMENTARY: What can masks do? Part 1: The science behind COVID-19 protection
					






					www.cidrap.umn.edu


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## dessiato (Jan 18, 2022)

HAL9000 said:


> Apologies if this has been posted before, if thes table is correct, it claims even a leaky N95 mask will help more than a cloth mask.   The cheap FFP2 masks I use, always leak near the nose.
> 
> 2hats the time periods listed in this table, are these plausible based on research you've seen?
> 
> ...



That’s interesting reading. I typically use surgical or cloth masks. I need to rethink this.


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## 8ball (Jan 18, 2022)

HAL9000 said:


> Apologies if this has been posted before, if this table is correct, it claims even a leaky N95 mask will help more than a cloth mask.   The cheap FFP2 masks I use, always leak near the nose.
> 
> 2hats the time periods listed in this table, are these plausible based on research you've seen?
> 
> ...




Wearing nothing works surprisingly well.
Though it has some downsides, according to the naked rambler.


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## 2hats (Jan 18, 2022)

HAL9000 said:


> 2hats the time periods listed in this table, are these plausible based on research you've seen?


I recall a study with similar estimates elsewhere (can't find it right now; may have been pre-omicron and/or pre-vaccines anyway). Would take the absolute times with a pinch of salt; the relative times (factors) are likely pretty good though (as they hint). _Maybe_ (speculation) a FRSM might now be somewhat more effective if a significant proportion of infectious viral titre is now typically in saliva (and falls close to the source as ballistic spittle); though that would obviously necessitate everyone wearing them. I tend to use a KF94 (or similar) and, when in close proximity to others, tightly overfit a cycling mask minus the original filter (alternatively you could make a badger seal as described upthread).

Thought I'd throw this in here too (don't recall spotting it before) - DIY home mask cleaning (caution - insert standard disclaimer):
Zulauf et al. _Microwave-generated steam decontamination of N95 respirators utilizing universally accessible materials_. mBio. 2020; 11:e00997-20. DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00997-20.


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## gentlegreen (Jan 18, 2022)

I do sometimes worry about the fit of my FFP2s, but I usually manage to get them so they suck in and out with my breath - but they sometimes still mist my glasses a bit ... so it isn't down to my stubble ...
But my exposure to risk is minimal and I used less promising masks for over a year ...


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## HAL9000 (Jan 18, 2022)

2hats said:


> I recall a study with similar estimates elsewhere (can't find it right now; may have been pre-omicron and/or pre-vaccines anyway). Would take the absolute times with a pinch of salt; the relative times (factors) are likely pretty good though (as they hint). _Maybe_ (speculation) a FRSM might now be somewhat more effective if a significant proportion of infectious viral titre is now typically in saliva (and falls close to the source as ballistic spittle); though that would obviously necessitate everyone wearing them. I tend to use a KF94 (or similar) and, when in close proximity to others, tightly overfit a cycling mask minus the original filter (alternatively you could make a badger seal as described upthread).
> 
> Thought I'd throw this in here too (don't recall spotting it before) - DIY home mask cleaning (caution - insert standard disclaimer):
> Zulauf et al. _Microwave-generated steam decontamination of N95 respirators utilizing universally accessible materials_. mBio. 2020; 11:e00997-20. DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00997-20.


 thanks


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 18, 2022)

HAL9000 said:


> Apologies if this has been posted before, if this table is correct, it claims even a leaky N95 mask will help more than a cloth mask.   The cheap FFP2 masks I use, always leak near the nose.
> 
> 2hats the time periods listed in this table, are these plausible based on research you've seen?
> 
> ...



What does the timescale mean? Is that 15 minutes of standing next to someone infected with no masks on? 15 minutes of being in the same room? Or 15 minutes of being in sainsburys with someone else in sainsburys who is infected?


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## 8ball (Jan 18, 2022)

dessiato said:


> That’s interesting reading. I typically use surgical or cloth masks. I need to rethink this.



Or you could spend less time hanging round strangers.


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## 8ball (Jan 18, 2022)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> What does the timescale mean? Is that 15 minutes of standing next to someone infected with no masks on? 15 minutes of being in the same room? Or 15 minutes of being in sainsburys with someone else in sainsburys who is infected?



Look, if you start with that kind of finickiness it's going to start to look like nonsense.


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## NoXion (Jan 18, 2022)

I just wear a mask and stay the fuck away from other people as much as humanly possible. I don't see the point in getting worked up over the details. That just sounds like another way of stressing out.

Also, I make sure to never touch door handles, handrails etc with my bare hands while out in public. Long sleeves are helpful in this regard.

I think that's good enough.


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## krtek a houby (Jan 18, 2022)

Nature of work means that there's almost constant interaction with the public. And a continuous need to mask and ensure sanitation and hygiene.

Am sick of wearing them, but can't envisage a future without the damn things.


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## Doctor Carrot (Jan 18, 2022)

HAL9000 said:


> Apologies if this has been posted before, if this table is correct, it claims even a leaky N95 mask will help more than a cloth mask.   The cheap FFP2 masks I use, always leak near the nose.
> 
> 2hats the time periods listed in this table, are these plausible based on research you've seen?
> 
> ...



Very interesting. This seems to explain why no one at my work, whether they mask up or not, has been infected despite working all the way through every wave since March 2020. The vast majority of interactions any of us have with any customer is 2 minutes at the most and that's at a distance of about 5 feet  and with a door that's always open ventilating the place.


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## wemakeyousoundb (Jan 19, 2022)

I actually quite like wearing them even if it makes my laboured breathing harder.

I am often the only conspicuous person wearing them at work in a small badly ventilated venue, but hey I have been testing negative all the way through so far despite the fact that it does have to come off when I am having a drink.


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