Post by MPN-MATE Admin » Fri Apr 10, 2020 10:28 am
Hi everyone,
I have to Post this because I believe that safety should be our prime consideration. However, there is the rub too...
At the present, supplies of face masks are basically non-existent, and to suggest that now we should all be wearing them might induce further unwanted ugly scenes of people challenging each other for their own procurement etc...
Never the less, in this rather utilitarianism existence of serving the needs of the greater good, I do wonder whose perspective might eventually triumph? Those who need a mask, or those who want the money from selling them in a time of monopolised demand?
Yesterday, I found a young Indian guy selling exposed surgical masks at $2 a pop in a Service Station, I simply mentioned in passing that were no longer any good because he has exposed them to the environment etc...
These are really interesting times we are all living through today...
I think that most masks are really to protect other people rather than self-protection. The kind of PPE needed to protect yourself is just not available and should be reserved for medical staff and first responders. That being said, minimal protection is better than no protection at all. I also think that the possible contagion of COVID 19 when you are asymptomatic makes wearing a mask in public areas just socially responsible behavior. We really can slow this thing down if we behave reasonably and responsibly.
I am really concerned that we here in Ozzie Land might be about to take away some of our hard fought gains by lowering some of our restrictions... (?)
I really do hope that I am proved wrong again! And sanity prevails over our economic woes...
Many who live within the 'Informal economy' (basically working off the books for very little returns), will not have the luxury of many of the options we might...
Presently, I believe that the debt of developing countries should be forgiven, and removed so that they can spend those funds on looking after their own people...
If this COVID-19 pandemic is allowed to fester and grow, there might well be many new waves for many more months to come...
Many of those countries really rely so heavily on the tourist dollar, and that is basically gone completely for the foreseeable future... And who will be going there anytime soon if CV19 is still virulent, and present on the streets, where so many live...
The Indonesians are actually handing out masks in many of the streets of Jakarta...
Hence, anything that might slow this fascinating yet completely terrifying virus, would be most welcome in most quarters, I believe...
PPEs need to be mass-produced by every country that can, and get them out to those who really do need them most, in my view...
Sanity in government would be a good thing, particularly in making decisions about how to manage the current situation. We need to balance preventing the economy from collapsing with keeping things shut down to prevent the spread of COVID 19. We can't have the PPE we need unless the economic structure is there to produce it. Not to mention food, medicine, utilities and other truly essential services. Given the resources we have in nations like the USA, Australia, and other developed countries, there is no reason that adequate supplies could not be produced and made available. Even short of medical grade PPE, some basic protections like cloth face masks are easy to create. Seems to me that a modicum of self-reliance and personal responsibility along with some wise decisions by our governmental leaders would go a long way to dealing with this crisis.
Here in the USA, we have lots of people who will not be able to food on the table or keep a roof over their head if they do not work. The next several months are going to be really tough for many people. Hopefully we will at least get the basic protective gear out to those who need it.
Personally, I took the risk to order 50 N95 masks on Alibaba.com. I paid 118$ . In term of filter efficiency I suppose it can’t be worse than home made masks !
I expect you are right about that. My sister also got some N 95 masks. Who knows what they really are. I do think anything will help. Hopefully everyone will choose to make responsible choices, but will likely need some mandatory enforcement for some.
I am sure that you are not the only one to have done so either...
I have a small stash of surgical masks, that I only don when I must be in closer proximity than I would like... My pathology collection nurse provided them to me because she knows of my condition, and insisted that I take a some for my personal use, and she knows that I am also my Octogenarian mother's carer... and that's quite another challenge too...
In Australia, the Social Distance (SD) required is only 1.5m... naturally... I do my very best to widen that contact... and endeavour to explain to others they might consider doing likewise... However, each to their own...
Here in Germany we are being told that restrictions to varying degrees will continue until a vaccine is available
As for face masks in Austria now everyone has to wear them on public transport and during shopping etc
They are used by everyone in china Taiwan Singapore Hong Kong Japan
Countries that have had real success in keeping numbers of infected low
I do believe medical grade masks should be for front line staff. I purchased washable fabric masks. They stop me touching my face, if we all wear them we protect each other
It is certainly an interesting debate, and there are many schools of thought on this one...
In my own lay-person's view... Anything that can arrest the spread of this virulent monster, has to be a welcomed respite...
I suspect the metaphor of one being caught with their pants down, might be apt under the circumstances... (?)
Stay safe & well...
Steve
The global blanket lock down is a huge mistake. We can end the lock down so healthy individuals can go back to work, with precautions of course.
* wear cloth face masks (glasses in certain circumstances)
* hand hygiene with soap and sanitizer
* shops and offices with good system in place
* physical distancing
* voluntary lock down for the vulnerable population
The reason that the infection rate in the West has been ridiculously high is that the wrongful advice has been given. So many lives have been needlessly lost. If everyone were considerate and applied common sense and wore masks (that would be a double protection, think about the logic), there would be no need for blanket lock down really. Most people who support lock down are the ones who still get paid regardless. How many more lives have been ruined around the World for this wrongful advice ?
Wearing a mask is just a small price to pay. You can make a mask at home.
It seems that the real culprit might be the 'Invisible Hand' of our economic global market place. Long ago it was determined that the world should make the best profits they can by off-shoring their labour forces to increase profit. That stroke of the pen means that all the Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) are made in countries with the lowest labour costs.
Hence, most western countries no longer manufacture their own PPEs, and this type of disaster has made many people some large sums of money... and our own medical needs are not able to be met as demand exceeds supply.
In any event, we should still be certain that lives are not lost needlessly in order for our economies to regain their full capacity, in my view...
A study by Philip Thomas, professor of risk management at Bristol University, argued that a 7% drop in GDP in the UK would result in more deaths then the virus.
It’s a fine balancing act for all governments as we know that the two are linked just look around the world and our own histories.
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