Are face masks the problem?

Udo_onwere

Well-known member
Throughout the early days of the pandemic, questions were constantly asked about the use of face masks. We were told that there was no evidence to suggest that they helped prevent the spread of the virus. In fact, it was feared that the wearing of them would cause unnecessary touching of the face which could compound the problem.
After daily infections falling consistently, it was decided on July 24th to introduce the compulsory wearing of face coverings in shops and other establishments where social distancing was difficult to maintain.
If you look at the official graphs of new daily infections the cases began to rise substantially around mid August and since then have continued to rise. There may have been a slight delay in the cases rising as people were wary of having to wear a mask and initially avoiding shops as much as possible.
From speaking to many people about their shopping experiences since the introduction of this 'rule', many agree that any social distancing in supermarkets and shops has disappeared.
Do face masks give people a false sense of invincibility and actually cause the spread of the virus rather than slow it?
 
Do face masks give people a false sense of invincibility and actually cause the spread of the virus rather than slow it?

It does seem that way, plenty of people seem to see them as an alternative to social distancing and plenty more seem to be using them wrongly.

Whether they'd be ignoring distancing anyway is another question.
 
Was listening to a discussion about masks on the radio. They were saying when we exhale droplets normally they are relatively large so drop to the ground fairly quickly.
Pushing these droplets through a mask will break them up, therefore making them smaller and lighter. The droplets can then travel further and stay airborne longer which will mean them coming into contact with more people and causing more infections.
We could have a situation whereby masks are contributing to the spread.
 
That’s a interesting point you make. Some of the experts will say the complete opposite. My thoughts always go back to Asia, the Koreans, Hong Kong etc they always wear them Covid or not.
just come past Staining school, busy as ever parents picking up kids, no social distancing and I never even saw a mask, even the Lollipop lady never had one on. I flew in from New York in March and a Hong Kong flight arrived similar time, majority in mask, the flight I was on no mask.
The experts can’t seem to agree on mask.
 
A bad mask is useless, like wearing a sieve on your face, however one that is triple ply with filters does it's job- if fitted right.

There should be more quality guidance and approved masks. People are largely uneducated regarding this.
 
Was listening to a discussion about masks on the radio. They were saying when we exhale droplets normally they are relatively large so drop to the ground fairly quickly.
Pushing these droplets through a mask will break them up, therefore making them smaller and lighter. The droplets can then travel further and stay airborne longer which will mean them coming into contact with more people and causing more infections.
We could have a situation whereby masks are contributing to the spread.
What a total load of pseudo bollox.......I'm really getting mad when people start to make rubbish up.....I heard it on the radio.....Yeah.... 🤔
It does seem this poster keeps pushing conspiracy theories and brain dead Facebook posts
Just google "how a facemask works" or see videos on YouTube that explain how the virus is reduced, just by wearing a mask......
Not one thing you say is true.........just f##k off you moron........
 
The argument over masks is similar to the one over car-seatbelts, seatbelts are an incovenience and sometimes uncomfortable but are proven to save lives in car accidents, the difference between the mask argument and the seat belt argument is that when there is a car crash an occupant not wearing a seat belt in one car is not going to cause other cars to have accidents.

There are occasions where an accident is so bad that a seat belt, numerous airbags and better structural integrity of the car's structure will not be enough to prevent a death or very serious injury but it does not mean that seatbelts and all the other safety equipment and features should be abandoned.

The false sense of security argument has some validity, but masks have to be seen as another layer of protection over and above social distancing, hand washing and so on.
 
Was listening to a discussion about masks on the radio. They were saying when we exhale droplets normally they are relatively large so drop to the ground fairly quickly.
Pushing these droplets through a mask will break them up, therefore making them smaller and lighter. The droplets can then travel further and stay airborne longer which will mean them coming into contact with more people and causing more infections.
We could have a situation whereby masks are contributing to the spread.
were the people discussing it highly qualified medical personnel, viro-biologists or some other kind of suitably qualified individuals or was it just some nutter who had read something by another nutter on the internet and was calling in to a typical shock jock conspiracy radio host. If it was the latter I think you can ignore it. Actually if it was anything but the former I think you can ignore it!!!!!
 
What a total load of pseudo bollox.......I'm really getting mad when people start to make rubbish up.....I heard it on the radio.....Yeah.... 🤔
It does seem this poster keeps pushing conspiracy theories and brain dead Facebook posts
Just google "how a facemask works" or see videos on YouTube that explain how the virus is reduced, just by wearing a mask......
Not one thing you say is true.........just f##k off you moron........
have to say I agree, although I wouldn’t make the point in quite the same manner
 
The only reason the government were saying that face masks were not required in the early stages of the pandemic is that they never had enough PPE for the frontline. If they had recommended masks then there would a bigger f@ck up than it is now.

cloth face masks are available, they are 3 ply and washerable, (wash everyday) so less wastage than the surgical type.

wear a mask, social distance when required, use common sense. Not rocket science is it.
 
Every half intelligent person knows by now that masks are an extra layer of protection in addition to social distancing, not a replacement for it. If people are so incredibly thick, that they still don't get that all these months later, then they are probably never going to contribute to eradicating this disease and will continue to be a vehicle for its continuing existence, to the detriment of humankind.
 
Was listening to a discussion about masks on the radio. They were saying when we exhale droplets normally they are relatively large so drop to the ground fairly quickly.
Pushing these droplets through a mask will break them up, therefore making them smaller and lighter. The droplets can then travel further and stay airborne longer which will mean them coming into contact with more people and causing more infections.
We could have a situation whereby masks are contributing to the spread.
Did they quote the scientific evidence for their conclusions. If not what was it about what they were saying that made you think there could be some validity to it?
 
My apologies to Jefflynnessongsheet.......and my apologies for the language
I just think (at this time) you need to read up and do some investigation before repeating psycobabble and made up rubbish.

If you were to speak to anyone involved in C-19 prevention, the 1st thing they would say.....wear a mask.
Everyday I'm involved with people who may be infected......and everyday, wearing a mask is 100% the best protection.
Just bloody wear one as it reduces the chance of getting infected.......

And if it's good enough for a surgeon to wear during a heart operation......then it's good enough to wear down the Tesco express.....

I'm now going to lie down in a darkened room for half an hour to reduce my blood pressure.........😷
 
The only reason the government were saying that face masks were not required in the early stages of the pandemic is that they never had enough PPE for the frontline.

The two are unrelated, what's used in medical setting is a world apart from the scraps of cloth that are supposedly going to save us all, and it's unlikely that the retail sector is going to get preference for supplies over the govt.

The govt was saying no to face masks because the science was far from settled (it still is) and there's good reason to think they're counterproductive.
 
My view on masks and those that wear them to protect me is for them to wear another one inside out. That way I don't have to bother.
 
In response to the o/p:
No.
It’s more to do with people getting fed up of rules, distancing, lockdown, bubbles, and an element of complacency has crept in (with people returning to normal behaviour- NOT wearing masks all the time and visiting restaurants, pubs, gyms, cinemas, meeting friends/family.
I have also seen plenty of people messing with their masks and hanging them off their chin or not even covering nose/mouth.
The general public didn’t get the same level of guidance as they did with e.g. washing hands. Some of the face “coverings” only offer low protection, but that’s the Gov fault for not ensuring adequate supplies of high quality face masks.
 
And if it's good enough for a surgeon to wear during a heart operation......then it's good enough to wear down the Tesco express.....
A surgeon wears a mask during surgery to prevent any bacteria entering any open wound or area that the surgeon is operating on.
 
A surgeon wears a mask during surgery to prevent any bacteria entering any open wound or area that the surgeon is operating on.

Oh my!

You don't understand the difference between what's used in surgical applications and the scraps of cloth that we're being asked to wear.
 
The two are unrelated, what's used in medical setting is a world apart from the scraps of cloth that are supposedly going to save us all, and it's unlikely that the retail sector is going to get preference for supplies over the govt.

The govt was saying no to face masks because the science was far from settled (it still is) and there's good reason to think they're counterproductive.

Lost you clearly don’t know what you are talking about regarding cloth masks. In South Africa masks are mandatory and have been for 6 moths.

SA was on Level 2 for over a month with no spike in infections. The country is now on Level 1 since Monday. Pubs and restaurants are still on 10pm closing and masks still mandatory in shops, taxis, work and anywhere you can’t social distance.

A whole small scale industry has emerged in SA making cloth masks in all colors and sizes. They are available on EBay UK ...... have a look.

SA 16,000 deaths so, no spike (yet), daily infections dropping steadily over the last 5 weeks, same population as UK, lockdown the same week as the UK ...... so what is different?

😷
 
Lost you clearly don’t know what you are talking about regarding cloth masks. In South Africa masks are mandatory and have been for 6 moths.

SA was on Level 2 for over a month with no spike in infections. The country is now on Level 1 since Monday. Pubs and restaurants are still on 10pm closing and masks still mandatory in shops, taxis, work and anywhere you can’t social distance.

A whole small scale industry has emerged in SA making cloth masks in all colors and sizes. They are available on EBay UK ...... have a look.

SA 16,000 deaths so, no spike (yet), daily infections dropping steadily over the last 5 weeks, same population as UK, lockdown the same week as the UK ...... so what is different?

😷

What’s different...

The racial mix of the population
The climate
The stage in the epidemic cycle
The average age of the population
The distribution of the population
The distribution of the virus within the population

To mention six of maybe several hundred. Lol
 
It was noted that when surgeons started using masks at the start of the last century, that many more patients died because of the fine spray of germs they gave onto the patient. They still wear them to make sure operations aren't too successful and so the population is controlled.

*turns off conspiracy/some internet gobshite spouting insanities mode, returns to normal.
 
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It was noted that when surgeons started using masks at the start of the last century, that many more patients died because of the fine spray of germs they gave onto the patient. They still wear them to make sure operations aren't too successful and so the population is controlled.

*turns off conspiracy/some internet gobshite spouting insanities mode, returns to normal.
😂
 
What’s different... Daz see my comments below

The racial mix of the population similar to London and most UK cities
The climate similar to Brazil and India both countries in the top 3 with Donaldland
The stage in the epidemic cycle same as the UK, locked down the same week
The average age of the population not really
The distribution of the population SA has many more people without proper sanitation and limited access to running water
The distribution of the virus within the population I'm not a medical expert so not sure about that one ;-)

To mention six of maybe several hundred. Lol what is lol about that Daz?

Daz see my comments below

The racial mix of the population similar to London and most UK cities
The climate similar to Brazil and India both countries in the top 3 with Donaldland
The stage in the epidemic cycle same as the UK, locked down the same week
The average age of the population not really
The distribution of the population SA has many more people without proper sanitation and limited access to running water
The distribution of the virus within the population I'm not a medical expert so not sure about that one ;-)

To mention six of maybe several hundred. Lol what is lol about that Daz?

On the radio today a healthcare professional was saying they have been testing in Khayelitsha Township in Cape Town (population approx 400,000) and the residents now have herd immunity of around 46%!

Maybe the rest of the country has a similar herd immunity ....... no one can answer that yet.

Besides the whole country wearing masks for work, public transport, shopping and public gathering etc for the last 6 months (it's normal now, no one stresses about the masks). There has also been a shut down of international flights for the 6 months, only repatriation flights allowed in or out and 2 week quarantine in designated hotels for everyone coming back to SA which the Government have paid for. The land borders have also been closed to everything except transport companies exporting or bringing in food and essential items.

On 1st October incoming flights will be allowed but only from certain countries and under certain restrictions that the Government will update in the next few days.

Maybe there will be spikes once the flights resume ...........
 
Daz see my comments below

The racial mix of the population similar to London and most UK cities
The climate similar to Brazil and India both countries in the top 3 with Donaldland
The stage in the epidemic cycle same as the UK, locked down the same week
The average age of the population not really
The distribution of the population SA has many more people without proper sanitation and limited access to running water
The distribution of the virus within the population I'm not a medical expert so not sure about that one ;-)

To mention six of maybe several hundred. Lol what is lol about that Daz?

On the radio today a healthcare professional was saying they have been testing in Khayelitsha Township in Cape Town (population approx 400,000) and the residents now have herd immunity of around 46%!

Maybe the rest of the country has a similar herd immunity ....... no one can answer that yet.

Besides the whole country wearing masks for work, public transport, shopping and public gathering etc for the last 6 months (it's normal now, no one stresses about the masks). There has also been a shut down of international flights for the 6 months, only repatriation flights allowed in or out and 2 week quarantine in designated hotels for everyone coming back to SA which the Government have paid for. The land borders have also been closed to everything except transport companies exporting or bringing in food and essential items.

On 1st October incoming flights will be allowed but only from certain countries and under certain restrictions that the Government will update in the next few days.

Maybe there will be spikes once the flights resume ...........

We were talking about differences between the UK and SA, not SA and anywhere that matches on of the different characteristics between SA and UK.

1. The racial mix in SA vs UK is totally different.

2. The climate SA vs UK is totally different

3. SA’s epidemic is several weeks behind the U.K., the point at which the country locked down has nothing to do with that.

4. SA average age 26.4 UK average age 40 (probably the single most significant factor). I think rate of death doubles with every 6 years, so this factor alone would account for a massive difference in deaths.

To put into context around 5% of the population over there are over 65, compared to 18% in the UK.

The reason I was laughing is because there are literally loads of differences that impact on how the virus might impact one country compared to another.

EDIT: A quick ‘age adjusted’ calculation of deaths per million population suggests that SA have faired significantly worse than the U.K.
 
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