[url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p086spnp/focus-coronavirus-do-face-masks-work]https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p086spnp/focus-coronavirus-do-face-masks-work[/url.

I see more and more people wearing face masks when I go out and many countries are making them mandatory or at least advisable. However uk medical experts say that they are pointless and they don't add anything extra that social distancing already does. For once I agree with Trump and won't be wearing one, its just another example of the British public acting like sheep and copying each other instead of basing their actions on medical facts.

I think it depends on the type of face masks and how you fit them.
Bearing in mind that those who use them professionally have to be trained to put them on and how you use them, there is a lot of opportunity for getting it wrong.

I see morons wearing gloves who dont realise that they carry the virus just the same as hands (a bit more actually) and gleefully maul their faces.

I suppose if the same morons had masks it would give a false sense of security and encourage them to touch their faces even more.

We have got some "proper" masks my husband brought home from work long before all this, but he is the only one they fit. His head must be massive.
I find myself pondering over if it is safer for my "shielded" husband to go to the shop in an effective mask, or me with an ineffective one.

I cant see how Americans tying T-shirts around their faces is going to help in the slightest, but they seem happy with it.

I am only guessing here like everyone else. But I think in the case of this particular virus, which is tramsmitted so easily by droplets in the air the mask may be quite effective.

In Thailand where I have been living they have a big thing about masks and seem to have much fewer cases of Covid 19 with a population slightly higher than the UK makes me think in this particular instance they may be more effective than considered by the experts.

Just a thought that is all and the question I would ask if the opportunity came up.

Six weeks ago I decided this kind of virus is far more infectious than flu (and probably less lethal if you can see through media hype) so a mask might a) stop me spreading it if I got it and b) stop me getting it if it's airborne as long as I bought a really tight fitting medical grade one and kept to clean and sprayed with alcohol. Problem as it took 6 weeks to reach me but I have to admit; impressively well made, very tight fitting. Can't do any harm.

There was a doctor the other day saying don't wear gloves at supermarkets, just wash your hands. Well, I don't carry a basin of water around with me, so I don't see how not wearing gloves is safer than wearing them, not touching my face, and binning them outside my front door.

face masks
The broken link (missing ] now corrected above) explains why it is a waste of time to wear a mask unless you actually have the symptoms. People don't carry basins of water with them true, but the assumption is that you are going straight home after visiting the supermarket, where you can wash your hands.

The virus is transmitted either by people coughing or sneezing droplets and landing in peoples mouth/nose (not likely from 2 metres away) or by passing the virus by touching something infected by the virus (e.g. shaking hands). As long as you don't touch your face after touching such services and before washing your hands you shouldn't catch the virus.

Toby wrote:
There was a doctor the other day saying don't wear gloves at supermarkets, just wash your hands. Well, I don't carry a basin of water around with me, so I don't see how not wearing gloves is safer than wearing them, not touching my face, and binning them outside my front door.

It is annoying how people keep saying "wash your hands" as if there are sinks galore, and as if they don't get contaminated again as soon as you touch something, like the door handle or tap.

I find gloves work well for me, because instead of contaminating my pocket and the antibac bottle to get it out, and then having to sanitise them too, I peel off one glove inside out without touching skin,and then hold it in the gloved hand and peel back, so both the outsides are inside and bin it. (couldn't give a stuff about the environment)
Then I anti-bac my hands.

Honey wrote:
Toby wrote:
There was a doctor the other day saying don't wear gloves at supermarkets, just wash your hands. Well, I don't carry a basin of water around with me, so I don't see how not wearing gloves is safer than wearing them, not touching my face, and binning them outside my front door.

It is annoying how people keep saying "wash your hands" as if there are sinks galore, and as if they don't get contaminated again as soon as you touch something, like the door handle or tap.

I find gloves work well for me, because instead of contaminating my pocket and the antibac bottle to get it out, and then having to sanitise them too, I peel off one glove inside out without touching skin,and then hold it in the gloved hand and peel back, so both the outsides are inside and bin it. (couldn't give a stuff about the environment)
Then I anti-bac my hands.
You could turn the tap on using a tissue, dispose of it, and then get another tissue to switch it off again. Then use an anti-bacterial wipe to sanitise the door handle if you are really that paranoid about getting the corona virus.

robbiex wrote:
Honey wrote:
Toby wrote:
There was a doctor the other day saying don't wear gloves at supermarkets, just wash your hands. Well, I don't carry a basin of water around with me, so I don't see how not wearing gloves is safer than wearing them, not touching my face, and binning them outside my front door.

It is annoying how people keep saying "wash your hands" as if there are sinks galore, and as if they don't get contaminated again as soon as you touch something, like the door handle or tap.

I find gloves work well for me, because instead of contaminating my pocket and the antibac bottle to get it out, and then having to sanitise them too, I peel off one glove inside out without touching skin,and then hold it in the gloved hand and peel back, so both the outsides are inside and bin it. (couldn't give a stuff about the environment)
Then I anti-bac my hands.
You could turn the tap on using a tissue, dispose of it, and then get another tissue to switch it off again. Then use an anti-bacterial wipe to sanitise the door handle if you are really that paranoid about getting the corona virus.

Wouldn't it be quicker to just anti-bac my hands?

I don't think tissue is effective against the virus. If it was we could do away with masks and just wrap bogroll round our heads.