Re: Masks
 

GO 'WAY WITCHYA

Re: Masks
 

I'm on your side regarding masks, I really am.

The trouble is with all the mixed messages we have been receiving in BC. When the top BC Health official say things like this, it's not really helping promote a 'wear a mask' culture is it.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...8909ce5bcb.jpg

Re: Masks
 

I don't take my advice from the provincial government in BC, nor the state government in NC, the federal government in DC, or the British government, or the CDC (US) or WHO and I recommend you don't either.

All of the above have, at various times, stated that masks are (at least) unnecessary/unhelpful, or may actually be harmful. Thirty seconds reading behind the soundbite headline immediately explains why, with various reasons such as not wanting to divert scarce supplies away from health professionals, that touching or adjusting your mask might lead to contamination, that people wearing a mask might stop bothering to SD, etc. Basically governments are saying that people are too stupid to be trusted to wear and "manage" a mask, and it appears that they are right.

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Too right. I get all my scientific data from Facebook :lol:

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:blink:

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At various times that etc has also included reducing the hand washing as well as not distancing. But there is already an acceptance (the latest study) that it's not necessarily the case. It was found that hand washing had not reduced.

It seems to me that by merely encouraging mask wearing but not requiring it, the resistance to it has been allowed to grow and that when it's inevitably made mandatory it's going to be a whole lot more difficult to enforce than had authorities made it mandatory at the earliest practical time.

It might also have been useful to have established the wearing of masks and then follow up with wearing properly.

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I do realise that those of us in more populated areas should wear masks 'properly', but I do think on the bigger picture issue if we just 'required' every Tom, Dick and Harriet to stick one on and just shut up and get on with it, it would be better. Get over yourself and put one on! Personal choices stop, when your choice can impinge on the life of my family and vice versa. At the present, certainly here, the the etiquette of the wearing can be learned...it's the few who won't listen who are the problem.

Re: Masks
 

In Japan they reduced the level of Covid 19 by .............. yes, wearing masks (and social distancing). Unlike the western cultures, they were perhaps more culturally inclined to wear them.. .. early mask wearing appears to have made a difference..... https://globalnews.ca/news/7075024/m...avirus-deaths/. and https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/w...rus-masks.html

Re: Masks
 

I agree with all of the above, and the various contradictory advice about wearing masks has been one of the biggest blunders this year, and apparently in most countries outside of the Far East. IMO it would have made more sense to issue a short list (not necessarily in this order) of ways to protect yourself [1] basic hygiene [2] SD, [3] wear a mask , [4] stay home whenever you don't need to be out, including going out alone unless two/ multiple people are required for the task, such as grocery shopping. And it should have been made clear, from the outset, that doing one does not exclude the need to do the others, and that doing all of the above is the ideal goal for the duration of the pandemic.
Er yeah. There's still lots of room for improvement there. :rolleyes: I was in a local pharmacy yesterday, and one of the pharmancy assistants - behind the pharmacy counter, handing over prescriptions, was wearing a mask that didn't cover her nose! :frown:

Re: Masks
 

Yes, that's really what I was aiming for; not suggesting a lot of people weren't wearing them properly, but really meaning fine tuning once mass wearing had been achieved.

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"Few" :unsure: I am not sure what compliance is like in your neck of the woods, but I saw a report a few days ago that in the US compliance is somewhere between 60% & 70%, and that it is only about half that in the UK. :(

Re: Masks
 

Yes yes yes. So i ask again, what affect do masks have in places such as pubs, clubs, private functions and restaurants where we have seen the biggest spikes and where they are extremely unlikely to be required? If the facts are that these places will always be considered worse for transmission then surely any mandate for masks in stores and public buildings will have very little effect on the numbers. The numbers that everyone is saying need to be bought down. Seems we are agreeing on the principals but its just that some see masks as a way to bring down infections yet the biggest cause of infection spikes seem to be in the above places.
Spain is currently considering further strict lockdowns and they put the blame of the recent spikes firmly on the young party crowd who get together at night and drink and party. Clearly masks have had no affect in this scenario because they have a very strict mask mandate.
And to add last time i looked we still have social distancing, arrows and lines on floors and plexi screens and signs on doors stating maximum numbers allowed so nothing has changed in that respect.

Re: Masks
 

Is this like a trick question or something? :confused: ...... The answer to the question as you wrote it is surely "if you're not wearing a mask it won't be effective." :unsure:

The question I think you're trying to ask is "Why do we allow places where wearing a mask is impractical, to remain open?" And that is, indeed, a damn good question! :frown:

Re: Masks
 

You appear to be saying that with bars and restaurants open and where mask wearing isn't practical that there's not much point in wearing masks in, say, grocery stores. Well what about those people that do get exposed to the virus in those places and may or may not develop the illness but may still be infectious and then want to go to the grocery store?
If they wear a mask and follow the other rules when doing so, then it's far less likely that they will infect other shoppers. That's a good thing isn't it?

You may argue it won't change the numbers but it changes what the numbers would become if masks were not mandated in the grocery stores.

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Ok yes that's another way of putting it although i think i said similar earlier on. If its a serious exposure risk and cannot be managed (masks, distancing) there are little more options available.
Clubs in UK are still closed as far as i know because of this very threat, however illegal street raves and the like are obviously harder to control. We just seem to see this current spate of people demanding masks be made mandatory in shops when shops don't appear to be the bigger issue. Naked dancing ladies however might be a problem and sadly i will admit i haven't frequented this one as yet.
https://cfjctoday.com/2020/07/28/cov...na-strip-club/

Re: Masks
 

No i'm simply saying grocery stores are not the problem. Young party crowds are the problem. We need to address the cause of the spikes to reduce the transmission and masking up in grocery stores whilst allowing a basic free for all in the pub, club, party scene is NOT addressing the problem its putting a band aid on a surgical wound

Re: Masks
 

Was she wearing glasses? If so, that's probably why, and the fault would lie with her employer rather than her, for supplying her with a cheap mask that fogs the lenses continuously when fitted well.

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So, if you had a surgical wound, and a band aid, you wouldn't apply it because it's not a proper bandage? If you had a Hummer and needed dinner you wouldn't take it to the shops because it's not a proper truck? That's called making perfect the enemy of good.

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No she wasn't.

I wear glasses, and don't have the fogging problem, but I wear a tight-fitting mask, where the air I breath goes through the filter, not around the edges.

Re: Masks
 

i wear glasses and mostly don't have the fogging problem. Sometimes when I start wearing it but then it goes away. I put the top of the mask under my specs.

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Me too. Makes no difference though. My glasses fog up outside if I look down while breathing. Don't look down. :lol:
They fog up the minute I get into a taxi or when in small rooms but not big shops. I've decided I can just remove my glasses in the taxi. It's not me driving and I know where I'm going. ;)

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Are your lenses glass or plastic? :unsure:

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I wonder if those who choose to wear burqas are also wearing a mask??????

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I haven't a clue.

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A glass lens feels cold to the touch (like a drinking glass), is relatively heavy, and is cheaper - so is typically used for a "free"/ low cost prescriptions.

A plastic lens is not cold to the touch, lighter in weight, and is used for premium insurance or for an upcharge.

It used to be that NHS lens were glass, and plastic lens were an extra, and not insignificant, cost. I haven't had an NHS prescrition for many years, so I don't know what the current situation is.

Re: Masks
 

I am fully aware that you are talking about Canada, however, here in my county in southern Mississippi US we have had a mandate from mid-April that everyone needs to wear a mask in a store or public area. All venues serving food and drink and venues of public entertainment, i.e. concerts, plays, movies, etc. were closed. Some restaurants are slowly opening at 50% of capacity as are bars. Still no movies, concerts, plays, etc.

We have a population of 63,343 with a COVID count of 911 and a death count of 9.

Tell me that wearing a mask hasn't worked.

Re: Masks
 

The only time mine fog up is when I am wearing a mask that does NOT have a flexible small metal bar for the bridge of my nose. My glasses are a plastic type lens but not a 'treated' lens. Fortunately, I have clear vision up to 10 feet away w/o glasses so don't need wearing them except for when I'm driving.

Re: Masks
 

Nowadays, various grades of plastic lenses are pretty much universal, and glass (special high-index glass mind you) is a high-end option, for those who are particularly interested in scratch-resistance.

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Its been so ruddy humid here that glasses steam up just going from aircon indoors to outdoors

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There would be no need. If you choose to wear a burqa instead of another form of mask, good luck to you.

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We have a population in Kelowna twice that and up until recently had nothing. Of course there may well have been infections and there were the usual rumours that a friend said a friend had COVID. I believe there was one case in hospital a while back and a handful of cases originating from workers associated with a local garden centre. There have also been the odd case where a worker tested positive and is isolating but no further spread to note. No local deaths at all. All of this was achieved WITHOUT wearing masks and pretty much stayed that way until the recent spike in cases due to out of town party people who went to private gatherings, and then spread it around a few pubs. There were at last count up to 90 people infected due to that group and allegedly up to 1000 isolating, however today we had zero cases reported in the Interior Health region which we are part of. There are around 750,000 in the interior and total cases to date 356. We still haven't mandated masks and i would be more concerned from your numbers since you have mandated them.

Re: Masks
 

Vancouver Coastal Health has approx 1.25 million people in their catchment area, and they are only a little over 100 more vs Rete's county of 63,000 so I think overall pretty much every location in BC is doing fairly well even at the peak earlier in the year.

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I see we are supposed to wear googles as well, is anybody on here doing that?

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When operating a chain saw, yes.

Re: Masks
 

I wear glasses, which I assume gives me some protection. :unsure:

That said, I am still doing little other than go for groceries once a week and to Lowe's once a month, and am mostly aiming for "extreme SD" ...... shopping at a time when the shops are very quiet (groceries early, and Lowe's, late) and not willingly getting closer than 15-20ft if I can avoid it.
There's an idea - carrying one, engine running, might help with social distancing! :lol:

Re: Masks
 

Here we go, Mr P has a tasty chainsaw, much better than mine. I wear glasses and decent boots but not googles when using mine.

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https://www.chainsawsdirect.com/prod...6655_1000.jpeg
Mine, except needs a good clean and a service.

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Mine's orange too. And I have a matching weed whacker!

Re: Masks
 

I go electric for those.

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That's pretty much the population of NB. Masks not mandated here yet but then we've just had 10 days with no new cases after something like 3 over the previous month.

State of emergency was declared here on March 19th, closing almost everything except grocery stores, pharmacies and other food places. Restaurants limited to take-out and delivery. No schools, no sports no leisure clubs, no barbers, nothing. Borders to neighbouring provinces "closed" soon after.

Those measures led to a total number of cases of only 170, recoveries 166, 2 died and 2 current. At least 30 cases and the 2 deaths were linked to a sole traveller who broke the rules, didn't self isolate and went off to work.

99% of cases have been travel related so while it's almost non existent here, we've had numerous periods of a week or more without cases and then we get one or two - travel related again. You never know if you're with someone who travelled or a close contact of such a person.