Post by MPN-MATE Admin » Sun Jun 21, 2020 11:14 am
Evening all...
While the Global Pandemic of CV-19 is still very much among us, the question of 'Mask wearing' is now becoming raised once again...
In the first instance, when this Pandemic of CV-19 struck, there simply was not enough PPE to go around... However, now that people are wanting to reopen their economies, that prospect will place people within far closer proximity of one another, and especially so, if like us here in the 'Land of Oz' you are located in the southern hemisphere, where we have really only just entered the season of colds & flus etc...
The Article below, is an interesting Transcript, that I have taken from the Patient Power website, and it discusses whether or not we should be wearing a Mask. Obviously, making such a decision is for each of us to choose...
However, in a world that is grown very tired and weary of 'Lockdowns' and people movement 'Restrictions' one might be forgiven for thinking the Question raised is of a Shakespearian era , when in fact this is the 21st century, where we are supposed to be smarter and wiser...
... Aren't we...?
Steve
PS. Maybe, Mask wearing should be like 'Seat-belts' we wear them to save our lives, but also to avoid losing our licences too... Perhaps a Fine for not wearing them in Public, will also soon be on our Agenda?
TRANSCRIPT: On the Topic of Mask Wearing during CV-19
I think if we fine people for not wearing them, then we perhaps also have to do so those who are wearing one but keep 'messing' about with them with their fingers.
This was one of the reasons I seem to recall early on that facemasks could actually be worse than not because its not natural to wear one and people tend to adjust, mess with them to get comfortable and actually spread virus on their fingers rather than contain it.
I know in the UK you are supposed to wear them on public transport, unless you have a breathing condition. Something like 8 million in the UK have asthma, so not sure what happens, if you have to carry any sort of proof.
Sadly I suspect if it becomes the 'norm' to wear one those who can't will be targeted by narrow minded people as often an illness is only visible when you are actually have an attack of some sort.
I hope the wearing of them is a temporary measure.
A cure would solve the problem... However, it will be interesting to see if one is developed or if we end up w/ some type of drug that helps to manage the condition?
It appears at the present that CV–19 still has a growing grip across the world, and if the economies of countries are to resume, Public transport will invariably be required to play its part, and that of course will bring people into closer proximity, and again require them to ALL be Mask wearing etc...
I live in London and have to travel on public transport if I want to go to see friends. On buses up to half passengers either don’t have a mask or have their snout hanging out or even drape it below their chin. The drivers can’t and shouldn’t have to control it. I just walk as much as poss. Not too fussed on cycling now that all the traffic is back. People can be pretty selfish and unfortunately the government is not taking a strong stance on enforcement.
I believe that the correct vernacular or expression used is a 'Wicked Problem'
It seems that we have some very basic flaws in our collective rationale, when it comes to CV-19, in my view...
Firstly, people are either very ignorant, naive or just don't care enough to want to protect each other, after all, we are all in this together...
Secondly, governments are not implementing the correct protocols anywhere near fast enough... (Not enough home manufacture of PPE is a prime example).
Everyone who must be in close proximity of each other, should adhere to all the safety & protective protocols, and I believe... Wear a mask, and wear it correctly. It is still no guarantee against CV-19, but if it aids us at all in preventing further infection, then it is a no brainer in my view...
Cycling for me is possibly the safest place to be...
As I understand it : We are not being asked to wear masks to save our own lives. They are required to stop those of us who may be asymptomatic or still recovering from passing the virus on to others. Those choosing not to wear a mask when/where advised could be putting others in danger. But the worry is that we will get a false sense of security behind our masks and will stop other recommended safety measures eg careful hand washing.
Personally, I do not believe that Wearing a Mask, will harm anyone, unless it is in the fight to obtain Masks that presently may not exist in the required numbers for ALL countries populations equally when making it mandatory.
This is also a lesson for ALL countries that there are some products that should always be available locally... in my view...
Interesting, I've found more people tend to get close to people with masks, even if they aren't wearing them correctly as it's giving a false sense of security. One of the sites I attend for work have introduced masks for working near others, I always stay outside & my contact comes out to see me wearing a mask but it keeps slipping off his nose as he talks & so he keeps fiddling with it, also I think they get closer because they are wearing it, I constantly am stepping away from people.
I struggle with my hearing, always have so I tend to lip read a lot, masks are a real issue with this so I would rather be further away but see someone's mouth, if my back is to someone or I'm side on I can't distinguish the words so masks are a real barrier.
My hubby has the MPN & wears a mask for his appointments but doesn't go in anywhere else we just go for walks & socially distance from people. I wouldn't go anywhere I thought would warrant a mask atm.
I hear & understand some of your concerns. Unfortunately, at the present, the CV-19 Cases are continuing to escalate by more than 150,000 cases per day...
As Restrictions globally continue to diminish, more and more infections are expected to become part of our newer reality, unfortunately...
Much earlier on in the piece, I made a Post showing how saliva spray droplets are transported, not ONLY vie coughing & sneezing... but simply by talking to each other too...
Hence, and in you case, you will obviously need to be most cautious for yourself and your hubby's sake...
At the present, whether or not one opts to wear a Mask or not, is entirely up to their own discretion.
Personally, I have MF and I am my frail & immobile mother's default carer. Mum is 84, and most of the time in a great deal of pain because of her hip and sciatic nerve, (still awaiting
elective surgery at present). I am doing all the gauntlet running on both our behalf, shopping, medicines etc etc....
I do NOT go anywhere w/out a Mask, and practice 100% sanitary protocols, as best I can.
One faux pas on my part, and my mother's longevity might be cut short...
“The reality is unfortunately you cannot control the behavior of other people. I don't know how professional this sounds of me, but the reality is that there are going to be some jerks out there.“
The post describes the US situation where mask wearing - or not - has become a political statement. I don’t think the same is true in the UK. The jerk comment however, applies universally (and not simply in relation to face masks).
It bears mentioning that in the USA things are totally out of hand, because not enough precautions were taken early enough... They now have over 2 Million cases...
The accumulative effects will have ramifications globally, for quite sometime, in my view...
As already mentioned, wearing masks is not to protect ourselves. The masks most people are wearing do very little in this regard. Masks do help reduce the chances of spreading infection by diminishing the amount of droplets/particles we expel. Some more than others. Masks help, but the safety they provide is not as great as we might wish. You have to decide if you are going to do what you can do. At the end of the day, it is about social responsibility and regard for others.
Here in the USA, it masks and the shutdown are hot political issues. People are tired of the restrictions and intrusion into personal liberties. The economy is suffering, which as always will predictably result in a surge in crime, addiction, domestic abuse, and other social woes. Many believe that the government is not the solution here - it is the problem. Others expect the government to fix it all and take little personal responsibility for solving problems themselves. Alas, supporting common sense and taking personal responsibility is not the norm with leadership in many countries, my own included.
The whole mask debate diverts from the even more effective measures people can take - wash your hand, don't touch your face (mask included), avoid touching commonly touched surfaces, avoid densely packed social situations, etc. This is going to be more important than ever. Economies must reopen as the economic damage will become just as devastating as the pandemic. To make this work, people will have to use some common sense and take personal responsibility for doing what they can to reduce risks. It would really help if out leadership would do the same.
All the best to all of you all. Stay safe and stay well.
Our sanity, and our very livelihoods may well depend upon the use of some 'not-so-common sense'. Social responsibility, at every level, is essential as you say...
Amen my brother! A modicum of common sense and taking personal responsibility would go a long way to dealing with the pandemic as well as a host of other issues. To paraphrase one of my favorite authors (Robert Heinlein) - "What makes someone a citizen is when he/she makes the welfare of society a personal responsibility." I would note that you are evidencing just that with the work you are doing to support those with MPNs and branch out into funding research.
Thanks for evidencing precisely what we all need to strive to do.
I live in a condo here in the US, and inside the building, if we are caught without a mask, we could be fined $100.00. Some of the big box stores are not letting anyone in without a mask. I'm glad because I think it's irresponsible not to wear one around other people. When I go for a walk around the neighborhood for exercise, I generally don't wear one.
That's a tough lesson to learn... I feared once things really 'got out of hand' that Mask wearing would have to become mandatory, (in some locations), and especially so for use on Public Transport systems etc...
Hopefully, it will help curb the spread for you guys Cindy...
My thoughts are w/ you guys in these difficult times...
In England, it has already been compulsory for some time now to wear a mask when using public transport. As from tomorrow (Fri 24 July 2020) it will also be compulsory to wear a mask when visiting shops. Implementing such measures in Feb/March rather than July might have saved thousands of lives, though it seemed then that the authorities thought the evidence in favour of mask wearing was not strong enough (and the supply of masks would perhaps have been inadequate at that stage). I expect that the authorities have been impressed by the low CoViD19 death rate in many Far Eastern countries, where mask wearing has been common for some time, going back to SARS and beyond ...
I'm not going out much but have shopped for essentials and have used public transport to get to the health centre where my blood samples are taken, etc. From my observations, not everyone travelling on the buses has been wearing a mask since it became compulsory and I expect the same will be true of the shops. Personally I find wearing the masks I've bought (made in China of course) somewhat uncomfortable and inconvenient; I actually felt quite unwell when wearing one for the first time on a bus journey at the end of June. The air we breathe out is warm and full of water vapour and wearing the type of mask I've got seems to make it harder to get rid of this (as intended?), so that one becomes surrounded by a warm and humid atmosphere that does not feel healthy. Perhaps there is a better sort of mask available ... ?
The graffiti/street artist/vandal known as "Banksy" has apparently been getting into the spirit of things, with one of his recent "works" including the punning words "If you don't mask - you don't get".
Since composing this Post, we here in the antipodes now have mandatory mask wearing in Victoria, and advice to wear them when out & about in NSW, where and when 'Physical Distancing' might prove less possible etc...
This question, in my view, has always been framed by western governments not wanting to spend the cash to pay for and supply of PPE, to their peoples...
In any event, seems my earlier predictions are now upon us in the Land of Oz, their are fines for anyone caught out w/out a mask in Victoria - $200.00 I believe...
There is a story about two (2) hairdressers (HDs), who put their Covid 19 Safety Plan in place in order to be able to reopen their salon. Once they did, they practiced that CV-19 Plan to the letter... It was later revealed that both HDs had unknowingly contracted CV-19...
... However, all their clients were contacted via tracing their details, and because everyone who entered the salon, (including the HDs), always wore a mask... no one contracted the virus from the HDs...
Safety First, in my view... wearing a mask is really a minor inconvenience, and if it saves just one life, then it's a no-brainer, in my view...
I live in Atlanta, GA one of the hot areas for COVID-19 due to having a governor who opened things up way too soon. Unlike the UK and European Union which have kept steps going to bring cases down, the US and the South in particular have done very little. Tests are still hard to come by, and results take a week to get back, unless you are really sick (which is not where you want to be). Since I have ET and get occasional flareups of ulcerative colitis, I stay at home or go out into a garden behind my house where it's very easy to keep away from others. To get my blood drawn to check on platelets, you BET I have a mask on, in fact I wear the blue masks that folks have as well as a cloth mask over it. I figure I won't spread anything if I do get the virus, and perhaps with both masks on it would be less likely to get from someone else. I wish others would do the same, especially if they go indoors near others.
Lovely to hear from you all the way from Atlanta, actually, I am in Sydney, where Mask wearing is still such a foreign thing, and unless your are located in Melbourne, masks are not yet mandatory at any level... (?)
I am quite amazed by our authorities, as we have already learned so much from the breakdowns that have occurred elsewhere in the world, and even right here in Melbourne...
However, it still appears that we will be waiting until Sydney is in full Lock-down before mask-wearing becomes mandatory here too... sadly, in my view...
Thanks for the well wishes from Australia. SInce Melbourne is heading through winter now perhaps Spring will be better. Hopefully Sydney will stay in good shape (we visited there in '88).
We are in the heart of summer here (nice almost midnight rain outside now), and things could get more interesting come Fall and Winter. Stay healthy there in Oz.
As usual, a very well-thought out post. I agree with you 100%. Wearing a mask isn’t just about your safety. It’s about the safety of others, as well. And, as Hunter said, it’s been a huge controversy in this country. Our president refused to wear one until just recently. People are getting fined now for not wearing them and someone was even arrested yesterday for not requiring masks at his gym. There are spot-checks at restaurants and businesses to make sure they are following the rules. It’s such a stressful environment. People just ignore the science and do what they want.
Lovely to hear from you too... Yes, I could not agree more w/ your sentiments...
It's a no-brainer really... The real problem is we humans just simply do not change our habits easily, and retraining ourselves accordingly at such times is difficult, (not impossible), and many are showing signs of CV-19 fatigue I guess...
However, lives are at stake, so we all need to be much more mindful, in my view...
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