Masks

If they're going to give us advice on face mask safety I hope they do a better job than they've done on hand washing, where they tell us to rub hands together, wash between the fingers, and under the nails, but no mention on washing the thumbs or round the wrists, both of which have been identified as the weak spots in most people's hand-washing routine.

So, masks - keep them on while you're out, covering mouth and nose, remove by releasing the elastics or ties from behind the ears, do not touch the mask itself, wash and dry it after each use. Not rocket science. And yes, a few weeks back I did see a small town pharmacist strolling down the street with his mask under his chin - I hope he's been advised on that since.

political analyst wrote: »

Will Bus Éireann be making an official statement on whether or not the wearing of face-coverings by passengers is mandatory?

Not enough masks in the country yet for Dublin Bus workers, becoming a hot point, imagine the same for BE.

I was thinking of putting a pair of tights over my head but I fear the staff in the shops might get a fright or the wrong idea

riffmongous wrote: »

If you're not trained then how can you judge if other people are using them properly? Wait until everybody needs to wear masks regularly and then you'll see the fairly common routine of mask around the neck or in the pocket, pulled out with the hands and put on before going in to the shop or bus, and then back in the pocket afterwards. Or the mask not over the nose, or the ffp2/3 with a ventilator on it.

Well maybe if you weren't so naive you wouldn't need to be patronised? I've actually spent some time at the control areas for quarantine buildings and seen doctors and healthcare workers make fairly basic mistakes with their gloves and masks, that's why they have to have people there to control them. Have a look at any random google of people in PPE and you can spot mistakes fairly quickly if you know what to look for. Most of them probably didn't get enough training beyond a demo maybe and they've certainly got more on their minds by the time they are half way through a shift, that why you need discipline and thought too. But of course someone who wears a mask for 5 minutes on his way into a shop knows everything :rolleyes:

Crikey! Where to start with this?

How can I judge if someone is using them correctly? How can you judge they are not? LOL.

Honestly, you have to be joking, right? This is just your opinion and as opinions go yours really fall short. You are in no position to judge, but yet here you are.. and criticising me for doing the same. Naive 'n' all

Keep rolling those eyes, you might just hit on some objectivity.

stephenjmcd wrote: »

It was clearly said that people shouldn't pass comment or criticise someone who isn't wearing one.

It's classic government speak used in u-turn situations.

I have put up with sneers and pretend coughs and sneezes from people who either think they are funny or were happy to intimidate/joke at me in supermarkets. I know I am not alone here, I have seen it done to others.

The scary thing is pretend coughs and sneezes can actually transfer dropelets. Where as now if somone in a mask were to make a passing comment to someone without a mask it would probably result in next to no transfer of droplets.

That phrase is so one sided, it could also read people shouldn't pass comment or criticise someone who is wearing a mask.

Below is example of such commentary that has been prevalent. Not a chance should others be given immunity to pass on masks and infect others. Pure BS

My preference is to drive without a mask with windows down and enjoy fresh air, but if I am nipping to and fro I might drive with mask on, mainly because I have it on, it is secure and saves me taking on and off numerous times.

Wibbs wrote: »

.
Like I said earlier in the thread, thank christ this wasn't something like smallpox or we would have been truly and utterly fcuked.

100% +1 Unfortunate thing is the State and the G-men are trying to push this as a Victory, most meaningful lessons in life are learnt with loss not victories.

We have failed the elderly, the people who are responsible for us being here and we have failed the next generation because we will have not learnt from our mistakes, so how can they.

brendanwalsh wrote: »

There is a large portion of people spouting the lie that a mask is useless.

The State and the Media did their fair share of contributing to that public opinion. Even by sitting on the fence now, they are still dangling in it.

This is currently on the HSE website:

Wearing a medical mask is unlikely to be of any benefit if you are not sick.

MadYaker wrote: »

Still boggles my mind that people are against it. Is it just because they’re uncomfortable? If so thats disgustingly selfish.

It's not just that, there is a sizeable percetage, from what I can gauge, of mainly working class peeps who are of the opinion that the virus is a scam for the new world order....I won't and don't go down that rabbit hole.

stephenjmcd wrote: »

It's been quite clearly stated it's not mandatory and is up to the individual. Allergy or no allergy it's up to each person

I think it's called a political allergy.

tromtipp wrote: »

If they're going to give us advice on face mask safety I hope they do a better job than they've done on hand washing, where they tell us to rub hands together, wash between the fingers, and under the nails, but no mention on washing the thumbs or round the wrists, both of which have been identified as the weak spots in most people's hand-washing routine.

They didn't do a better job, actually the HSE fcuked up with the promo vid Simon Harris pushed on Twitter today. It's complete hazard advice, what do you expect for 11th hour education. Too focused on phase1 to focus on safety.

Here is a rip. It has all the appearance of polish but it's not, their is one rather large step in the safety process that is missing.

The easy fix is to take down the original video and replace it with a fixed version. But that's not responsible beahviour. To correct this the Minister of Health would need to contact every person who has retweeted this and contact every person who has watched this, informing them of his mistake, a next to impossible task.

Right now there are hundreds if not thousands of people who have directed to behave in a particular fashion by the HSE and the Minister for Health. They were not told to bother washing thier hands before taking off their mask.

Nay sayers and g-men will say the risk created was not that big, or maybe doesn't matter are just making coverspeak. Spin away or swep it under the carpet.

Then again it's not mandatory so hey HSE/NPHET/STATE are not responsible.....Just another helpful thing you can do to possibly transfer the virus.

Arrival wrote: »

Funnily enough, there was actually a study done showing that cutting a hole on the end of some tights and putting those over a simple surgical mask increases the effectiveness of it as it helps the mask fit more firmly on the face

I recall thinking at the time wow and then how the removal of a pair of tights presented a whole new form of hazard in my mind.

In the meantime in a different galaxy far away compared to Ireland these days.... See the attached picture.

These folks are Hyundai managers earlier this week. Showcasing new products. Notice that everyone wears masks in the picture on the right.

And this is a country that essentially eliminated the virus and now works business as usual. Apart from Covid precautions of course.

Someone tells here again that masks don't work are not needed etc, then that post should be reported as trolling or fake news equal to conspiracy theories.

Oh yeah and on the alleged contact tracing our Irish government "done amazing job". The Koreans found a fella with Covid who was roaming bars in Seoul last week. Immediately cought him, closed all bars, and started tracing, were disappointed they had found only 700 contacts out of 3000 few days later!

McGiver wrote: »

In the meantime in a different galaxy far away compared to Ireland these days.... See the attached picture.

These folks are Hyundai managers earlier this week. Showcasing new products. Notice that everyone wears masks in the picture on the right.

And this is a country that essentially eliminated the virus and now works business as usual. Apart from Covid precautions of course.

Someone tells here again that masks don't work are not needed etc, then that post should be reported as trolling or fake news equal to conspiracy theories.

Oh yeah and on the alleged contact tracing our Irish government "done amazing job". The Koreans found a fella with Covid who was roaming bars in Seoul last week. Immediately cought him, closed all bars, and started tracing, were disappointed they had found only 700 contacts out of 3000 few days later!

They wear masks in that part of the world constantly. Long before this pandemic you had plenty of Asians leaving here wearing them out and about.

YFlyer wrote: »

Someone mentioned to me that if you are asymptomatic and you wear a mask you can increase the rate of your own infection.

I haven't found any information to prove or disapprove his argument.

Anyone have a link to an article or a post on this thread to shed light on this?

Sounds like bull****. Anti-maskers are the new anti-vaxxers, tonnes of misinformation being pumped out at the moment.

Went to Tesco yesterday , only a small number of people wearing masks. The majority incorrectly. I saw one person who said she was a career wearing it around her neck and coming right up to a shop assistant. A lot of people in the queue touching the front of the mask with bare hands. I saw other people taking them off as they left Tesco's. Again bare hands unwashed.

People, a lot of them on this thread, angrily dismissed the medical experts in Ireland highlighting that this was likely to be the general publics reaction. That there was a real risk of masks being counter productive, like what we are seeing with gloves. I only saw people with masks touching their face yesterday.

Yes this could be improved with educational campaigns but let's be real here, how many people smoke, get STI's , drink drive etc even after years and years of constant public education campaigns. Mandatory masks might do more harm than good in the short term.

rob316 wrote: »

They wear masks in that part of the world constantly. Long before this pandemic you had plenty of Asians leaving here wearing them out and about.

WTF is that part of the world? Like it's some sort of a lesser part of the world or what?

No, they don't. But they have a consideration for others. Manners. As soon as someone has cold or flu they wear it to protect others. And during the flu season people also wear it to protect themselves. It wouldn't be everyone wearing them all the time.Whereas now it's everyone.

Pragmatic evidence based approach is to copy best practice from anywhere in the world. That's what's needed. Irish government can barely see beyond Wales in its look for best practices.