Masks Are Here to Stay

[basil67]

I hope that we Western societies follow Asian countries and start wearing masks when unwell.   And I hope that we no longer feel pressured to stagger into the office when we have a heavy cold or influenza and risk infecting those in our office and transport.   

Further than that, I cannot guess.

[Shining One]

5 hours ago, Ellener said:

I must admit I've enjoyed some of the mask creativity 😷

One of my mother's customers just asked her to make 42 masks in varying styles, colors, and materials. She's been getting various "fashion" mask requests for a while now, but that's the biggest request for an individual so far.

[basil67]

I too have enjoyed mask creativity.  Gives me a good excuse to both use up my fabric stash and add more fabric to it!

[CaliforniaGirl]

3 minutes ago, Shining One said:

One of my mother's customers just asked her to make 42 masks in varying styles, colors, and materials. She's been getting various "fashion" mask requests for a while now, but that's the biggest request for an individual so far.

She might be marking them up and reselling them.

[basil67]

8 minutes ago, CaliforniaGirl said:

She might be marking them up and reselling them.

Indeed.  @Shining OneI hope your mom is selling them for retail price.

[Shining One]

11 minutes ago, CaliforniaGirl said:

She might be marking them up and reselling them.

No, these are for her use. She bought her own materials so she could match them with various outfits. Fortunately for them, I happened to be dropping off some groceries for my mom at the time, so I got to carry the box of materials upstairs.

With that being said, I'm sure some of the other customers have resold some of the "generic" masks they purchased. My mother sells them close to retail now, but she used to sell them for less.

[Ruby Slippers]

I'd like to think people are selfless enough to wear a mask when they go out post-pandemic with a cold/flu. But unfortunately, most people are just not that thoughtful and kind. 

[Atwood]

I think mask wearing is a good practice and I will continue to wear a mask in future to protect others if I’m unwell with a cold/flu/other illness. 
 

I hope we continue to do it, or at least not stigmatise people who continue to do it. I think people who were mask wearing before things got serious have got the right idea. The hysteria around wearing them is uncomfortable to watch. 

[Ellener]

I got sick with presumed Covid in July, the delivery driver was sick and he was wearing a mask.

The symptoms were bronchitis then pneumonia. I got a 106 fever and could not breathe.

I am totally recovered now. 

[QuietRiot]

14 minutes ago, Ellener said:

I got sick with presumed Covid in July, the delivery driver was sick and he was wearing a mask.

The symptoms were bronchitis then pneumonia. I got a 106 fever and could not breathe.

I am totally recovered now. 

Did you test positive for Covid? Since it was presumed, I am guessing you weren't tested at the time? Because typically a temp that high is typically not a symptom of Covid, it's more of a low grade temp (like 102/3)

[Ellener]

4 hours ago, QuietRiot said:

Did you test positive for Covid? Since it was presumed, I am guessing you weren't tested at the time? Because typically a temp that high is typically not a symptom of Covid, it's more of a low grade temp (like 102/3)

I called a CDC test site and they said to get your fever down and stay home. I used cool water sponge bath and aspirin. 

I'm going to donate blood next week and they will test for Covid antibodies, it's one of the treatments for severe cases here in Houston.

 

 

[major_merrick]

I think the wearing of masks will be more common and socially acceptable.  Similar to Asian nations.  However, I don't think the mask mandates will be here to stay.  In the USA at least, to infringe on people's liberty like that has required some sort of temporary state of emergency.  Beyond a temporary measure, courts all across the nation are gonna strike that one down.  And if that doesn't happen, people are simply going to stop wearing them when they are no longer afraid of the virus.

In the city near me (where people actually had the virus and obeyed the restrictions) I've seen fewer and fewer people wearing masks in public.  Even at Walmart, maybe 30-40% of the people are simply saying "No" at the door and going about their business.  Blue-collar places like auto parts stores?  Yeah.... not a mask in sight. 

[mea_M]

I don't think they are here to stay. I think until their is a vaccine then perhaps yes. 

[Ellener]

On 10/11/2020 at 6:30 PM, major_merrick said:

Even at Walmart, maybe 30-40% of the people are simply saying "No" at the door and going about their business.  Blue-collar places like auto parts stores?  Yeah.... not a mask in sight. 

Everyone is wearing a mask here in Houston. Wal Mart won't let customers in their stores without one.

Why would people not wear one, it's no hardship to wear a face mask. 

Good lord, Americans can be so stupid and stubborn. The WHO and CDC said masks will prevent the spread of Covid so I am going to wear mine. It's no hardship to me. 

 

 

[major_merrick]

@EllenerI personally don't trust the WHO and the CDC.  At all.  We kind of do our own thing where I live.  My county recognized COVID as a potential threat before it even arrived.  To date, we've had only a handful of cases and zero deaths.  The few people I know who wear masks regularly (county defense) are wearing the N95 ones that actually work.  But internally, we are almost entirely mask-free and many people don't even bother with social distancing.  A few young people picked it up recently when attending college classes in the city, but it seems to have stopped there.

Outside my little island of sanity, I see a lot of social distancing.  Some people seem to social distance in lieu of mask wearing, while the mask people seem to be comfortable being close together.  I have noticed that the people who seem most likely to get COVID are office workers and meat-packing plant employees.  Anecdotal evidence, obviously.  But there seems to be correlation between high-density indoor jobs and infection vs low-density outdoor jobs and relative safety. 

People may or may not continue the mask thing.  I do hope that people will continue to do things they should have been doing in the first place, like washing their hands and not picking their noses and eating food with their fingers in public.  Those are just good ways to catch all kinds of colds and flu.  Now that I'm pregnant again, I guess I'm going to be staying home.....again.  I did not like my last round of isolation, but COVID isn't good for pregnant women. 

 

Edited October 14, 2020 by major_merrick

[Ellener]

I totally trust the CDC and WHO @major_merrick They are the leading health authorities on our planet. I've done all their training courses on infection control. 

The meat packing plants do seem to have created a growth environment for Covid 19 infection, but that's the environment the virus came from, the wet markets in China. 

I've been campaigning about that too for nearly 30 years. 

Good luck with your pregnancy, just social distance whilst the pandemic is ongoing (((((((((((((( )))))))))))))))

[neowulf]

On 10/10/2020 at 10:05 PM, Fletch Lives said:

This may shock you - I think masks are here to stay, forever. Yup - for the rest of your life when you go out in public, you'll wear a mask.

What do you think? Will this statement be true? Why or why not? Based on what? 

Only until a viable vaccine is found.  I don't recall any other illness in living memory that's having the kind of resources thrown at it we're seeing for COVID-19.

There's a vaccine to be built, we'll build it.

[Ellener]

17 minutes ago, neowulf said:

Only until a viable vaccine is found.  I don't recall any other illness in living memory that's having the kind of resources thrown at it we're seeing for COVID-19.

There's a vaccine to be built, we'll build it.

The last pandemic ( apart from HIV ) was 1968. A flu strain and a lot of people died then. Mostly seniors.

Adaptive flu vaccines were invented shortly after. 

[CaliforniaGirl]

4 hours ago, mea_M said:

I don't think they are here to stay. I think until their is a vaccine then perhaps yes. 

I'm so ready for a vaccine. I want out.

[schlumpy]

6 hours ago, major_merrick said:

6 hours ago, major_merrick said:

  Now that I'm pregnant again, I guess I'm going to be staying home.....again.  I did not like my last round of isolation, but COVID isn't good for pregnant women. 

 

 

Warm congratulations Major. I sense a growing seed of contentment in your life.

Many people come to accept their where and who they are but that's not the same as being content.

 

[SumGuy]

On 10/10/2020 at 8:05 AM, Fletch Lives said:

This may shock you - I think masks are here to stay, forever. Yup - for the rest of your life when you go out in public, you'll wear a mask.

What do you think? Will this statement be true? Why or why not? Based on what? 

I think you may be right, but for a variety of reasons.  (1) Air pollution; (2) increased dust and pollen; (3) surveillance state; in addition to (4) viruses.

Regardless of the reason, global temperatures (land, air and sea) are on the rise, while efforts to lessen particulate emissions stalled.  So masks will help with (1) and (2), which has been the case already in countries with these issues.  Add in the every increasing placement of cameras in public spaces, drones and other forms of constant surveillance and there is a privacy aspect too, not that in the US we have such a right.   Virus protection is just one reason people like masks.   There is a great business opportunity here; everyone should get a mask, different masks for different occasions; new fashion season new mask. I want the sea goblin king mask.

[neowulf]

19 hours ago, Ellener said:

The last pandemic ( apart from HIV ) was 1968. A flu strain and a lot of people died then. Mostly seniors.

Adaptive flu vaccines were invented shortly after. 

I've seen reports that we're already seeing massive leaps in our knowledge of these kinds of virus.

I'm hopeful that the advances we make while trying to combat this virus will lead to new, cutting edge, treatments in the decades to come.

[Ellener]

24 minutes ago, neowulf said:

I've seen reports that we're already seeing massive leaps in our knowledge of these kinds of virus.

I'm hopeful that the advances we make while trying to combat this virus will lead to new, cutting edge, treatments in the decades to come.

I think so too. It's just unfortunate that so many people died to get there.

[It'sSmiley]

I don't fear the virus, but sometimes I put the mask on so no one recognizes me in public.

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

31 minutes ago, It'sSmiley said:

I don't fear the virus, but sometimes I put the mask on so no one recognizes me in public.

This is absolutely a huge PLUS of wearing masks!

I think whether or not masks are here forever will largely be regional and vary by locale.  I went to a horse show in rural PA a month ago and literally nobody had one on.  My mom and I brought ours, but nobody else was wearing them, so we didn't.  It was outdoors of course.  

I was in NYC last week and took my mask off one ear for two seconds inside a store to put my hair in a ponytail and was immediately told by an employee walking by me that I had to wear a mask, while two other employees chimed in to tell me where my mask was (stuck to the back of my sweater....three employees were trying to help me retrieve my mask and none of them would touch it lol).  Everyone in NYC was wearing masks, even outside.  I'd say at least 98% of folks I saw.

Today I went to a movie with a friend.  We were literally the only two in the building with one employee.  I accidentally had my mask hanging off my ear and forgot to pull it up over my face, but my friend had her mask on, and the employee did too.  He did not question me (and was actually ultra nice to us and gave us free stuff). I put mine on to exit the theatre but my friend did not.  Around here I'd say it's about 50/50 when it comes to businesses having signs that say "no mask no service".  (Suburbs of Philadelphia)

I predict in major metro areas, airports, public transportation, stadiums, masks might be here to stay.  In the suburbs, I doubt it.  Definitely not in rural areas.

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by CautiouslyOptimistic