CDC considering recommending general public wear face coverings in public (foot, cause)
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I heard the Surgeon General say today that the homemade or cheaper masks would be fine for the public, but to please not us the N95's and save those for the healthcare workers.
And we do want to protect them the most, so I agree.
My niece works at a NY hospital and says that the virus can also get in your eyes even if you're wearing a mask.
Maybe I'll add goggles to the bra around my head when I have to go out. That ought to be a sight.
Seriously, I think glasses/sunglasses provide some measure of protection for the eyes from aerosol droplet sprays. And I absolutely think the M95 and other serious mask protection should be saved for the health care providers.
Health care workers are in constant close contact with sick, infected persons shedding a lot of virus. The average person going to the store or walking in the park is not.
So masks can protect you from heavy contact with the virus but not from light contact?
These masks are primarily to protect people from the asymptomatic people who might be coughing/sneezing or otherwise spreading droplets without realizing it. Unless you have an N95 or better mask, it is not likely to prevent you from contracting anything. However, it will stop people from expelling droplets into the air.
I agree that the N95 masks should be saved for healthcare providers. I have an N99 respirator that I got a year ago for pottery (these have filters that can be changed), but I certainly would not be going out and buying anything now when I know that others need it. I will be using my respirator when I go to the store now that it is recommended. They are not really that easy to breathe out of.
So masks can protect you from heavy contact with the virus but not from light contact?
You can wear a motorcycle helmet when you walk your dog in case you stumble or a tree branch falls on your head, but its probably not going to prove worthwhile. However if you are a tree trimmer or motorcyclist you should probably wear one.
I have some N95 masks left over from painting. I had to take an emergency flight (kid at college) and wore one the entire time. This was 3 weeks ago when the official advice was to NOT wear masks, "masks don't help". This advice has angered me so much, because why do we have to have this all or nothing mentality? Sure, most masks don't totally filter out the virus but you can't tell me they won't at least slow some transmission.
For weeks people have been cramming into places like Walmart or Costco where there simply isn't social distancing. No one wears masks. There are asymptomatic Covid people running around passing along the virus. Wearing any type of mask would at least contain their coughs and prevent total spreading of droplets.
Now surprise surprise, the "experts" are coming around and saying basic masks probably do help with slowing transmission. But the public has been trained to think they don't need them so good luck with getting the masses to change their behavior.
I went to the hardware stores a couple of weeks ago, and they were all cleaned out, and wouldn't get more for quite awhile, they said. I think as soon as the pharmacies ran out of masks, everyone ran to the hardware stores next.
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