Why should I wear a mask?

[Barbaraok]

Randy, are you tilting at windmills?

[KarenS]

On 6/30/2020 at 8:54 AM, Kirk W said:

I saw this on the internet and found it too good to not share!

I hope a lot of other people read this as well. I really get tired of the "me" syndrome. These days no one thinks of others. 

 

[2gypsies]

I don't know if this has been posted previously but it's interesting:

https://www.foxnews.com/health/bandana-is-least-effective-face-mask-material-study-finds

[Randyretired]

6 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Randy, are you tilting at windmills?

As some have said makeshift cloth masks still allow infected droplets to fly several feet.  A recent study indicated " typical cloth masks" should not be trusted at distances of 4' or less.  Essential workers are dying and politicians tell us if EVERYONE wears a makeshift cloth mask it might make things safer.  All the while we know that N95 masks WOULD be safer.  And yet even months after this virus started we can't get a $2 paper mask and little is being done to correct this.

In the rural county we live in only a few are infected by the virus from China so masks are not common.   While only a few are infected it is still here and spreading.   We just returned from picking up groceries from Walmart and while there were numbers of people coming and going the ONLY masks I saw were on Walmart employees. I would like to protect myself and an N95 mask and maybe a face shield would go a long way towards that goal.  All of our children are declared essential and they too can't get N95 masks.  You may be okay with this but I know there is a better, safer and affordable way.  We just need to do it.

[Kirk W]

8 minutes ago, Randyretired said:

As some have said makeshift cloth masks still allow infected droplets to fly several feet. 

You can easily make your own mask that is much better than your single layer of cloth and there are many different ways and literally dozens of sources for the information on doing so.

How to make a face mask: 4 easy ways to make DIY face coverings at home

Healthline:How to make a face mask at home

Community Health: Face Mask Instructions

[docj]

29 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

You can easily make your own mask that is much better than your single layer of cloth and there are many different ways and literally dozens of sources for the information on doing so.

My wife is now on her "3rd generation" mask design.  Her current design has a pocket for a piece of HEPA fabric, a prefabricated nose piece and tightening clips for the elastic ear loops.  She's made them for friends and family all over the country.

[telcoman]

2 minutes ago, docj said:

My wife is now on her "3rd generation" mask design.  Her current design has a pocket for a piece of HEPA fabric, a prefabricated nose piece and tightening clips for the elastic ear loops.  She's made them for friends and family all over the country.

I'm making one out of saran wrap for my wife

[Randyretired]

There are inexpensive masks that are proven to protect the person wearing it.  N95.  The masks Kirk and docj are talking about are certainly better maybe much better than some masks but here finding people wearing any masks is rare.  Essential workers are confronted with people without masks sometimes frequently.   Wouldn't you think that we would prioritize  these proven N95 masks?  Months after this virus appeared some healthcare workers still struggle to get them.  We have shut down the economy and watched trillions of dollars evaporate and people sick and dying and yet we can't get a simple $2 mask proven to help? I will get off my soapbox now.

Edited July 3, 2020 by Randyretired
Closure

[Dutch_12078]

I was surprised this morning to see a bin full of 3M earloop procedure mask 10-packs on sale in a regional grocery chain drugstore section for $10. Procedure masks are not as effective as N95's of course, but those are still good quality masks at a fair price.

[justRich]

I too had several N95 masks in my workshop.  They used to have cheap rubber bands that would break in short order.  So I always had a few extras on hand.  They were cheap.

Cost:  Long before the last full solar eclipse i bought a dozen pair of plastic solar viewers glasses for about $10 bucks (rated for sun viewing).  A year later just before the eclipse they were selling for $15. dollars each and had a "special" rating.

Amazon doesn't even carry the N95 now.

 

[Barbaraok]

Randy,  even with a mask on, we try to be 6' away from someone.   And if the fabric is tightly woven (not t-shirts) then very. little gets through.  Quilting cotton is a good example of tightly woven fabric as are 300 count or better sheets.   And 2 or 3 layers of fabric in the masks.   Even 2-3 layers of t-shirt material will improve the efficacy of the mask.      

Just because they aren't perfect and aren't rated N95 doesn't mean you forgo them, does it?   I should hope not as few things in this world are perfect.

[telcoman]

even a basic mask will cut safe distance down from 6 ft to about 2 feet if both are wearing them. It is very difficult to stay 6 feet away.

[Kirk W]

We are also part of the most susceptible population and so we have retreated to near hermit status. We are living in Dallas Co., TX where it is also growing, but we are in a gated senior community that has everything from independent living to full care facilities. The staff has been very careful where we live but in our section we live in similar proximity to Barb's as there is a group of four-plexs and everyone wears a mask to all gatherings and even then seating is spaced for social distancing. We have 2 son's in the area and even with them we keep social distance and only gather outside. 

[docj]

4 hours ago, Kirk W said:

We have 2 son's in the area and even with them we keep social distance and only gather outside. 

That's an excellent point that is often overlooked.  You have to be cautious with people from outside your immediate household even if they are family.  You can't vouch for what they've been exposed to.  

[telcoman]

5 minutes ago, docj said:

That's an excellent point that is often overlooked.  You have to be cautious with people from outside your immediate household even if they are family.  You can't vouch for what they've been exposed to.  

Stay away from those horrible disease carrying grandkids. We sold ours to gypsies

[Barbaraok]

My daughter is a special ed teacher (preK-grade 5) and they have been told they will be in school come August because Governor Abbott wants the schools open so parents can go to work!   Those little kids are huggers, so she's stocking up on sanitizer, I'm making masks for her and her aide, and we just have to cross our collective  fingers and hope for the best.   

[sandsys]

15 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

My daughter is a special ed teacher (preK-grade 5) and they have been told they will be in school come August because Governor Abbott wants the schools open so parents can go to work!   Those little kids are huggers, so she's stocking up on sanitizer, I'm making masks for her and her aide, and we just have to cross our collective  fingers and hope for the best.   

I recently read about a daycare that taught the kids to use airplane arms. Don't crash into me! I wonder if your daughter's student would enjoy that?

They also put a washable marker line or circle on the kids hands then the kids have to wash it off. That encourages more than quickly wet then dry.

Linda

[docj]

55 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

My daughter is a special ed teacher (preK-grade 5) and they have been told they will be in school come August because Governor Abbott wants the schools open so parents can go to work!   Those little kids are huggers, so she's stocking up on sanitizer, I'm making masks for her and her aide, and we just have to cross our collective  fingers and hope for the best.   

I can't speak for what TX will do, but there have been multiple articles about the fact that some college faculty members are raising objections to being in the classroom this fall.  Of course, most of them are older than public school teachers, but the same rationale still applies.  I wouldn't be surprised to see some lawsuits about "unsafe workplaces."  If I were still teaching I'd think twice before going back.  

[sandsys]

A mask is not a political statement. It is an IQ test.

[Kirk W]

52 minutes ago, sandsys said:

A mask is not a political statement. It is an IQ test.

👌

[skater91]

On 6/30/2020 at 4:45 PM, telcoman said:

 Thank god its not a zombie apocalypse.

Don't be so sure about that....They are discovering a brain component to this infection.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/how-does-coronavirus-affect-the-brain

[skater91]

3 hours ago, telcoman said:

Stay away from those horrible disease carrying grandkids. We sold ours to gypsies

ROFL!!

[telcoman]

Hate to brag but we do seem to be handling this better in the great white north. I think the key has been keeping politics out of it.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/07/03/canada-flattens-coronavirus-curve-newton-newday-vpx.cnn

[Zulu]

7 minutes ago, telcoman said:

Hate to brag but we do seem to be handling this better in the great white north.

Everyone is handling this better than US.

[Kirk W]

We have close friends in Australia and they too have done a much better job than has been done here. It would seem that most of us learned nothing from NY.