3 ms·

The idea will probably lodge itself in our minds, but in practice there are no masks to buy, so we can't even start getting used to it.

en-us 7y ago
We could improvise them though. I know in Hong Kong they have asked people to improvise using layered paper towels and tissues because those are readily available nonwoven fabrics. It isn't as good as the real thing, but done at the population level I expect it would lower the reproductive value of the virus and thus help flatten the curve.
- dominotw 7y ago
  > improvise using layered paper towels and tissues because those are readily available nonwoven fabrics. sorry is there a youtube video for this. Just want to make sure i don't make a mistake.
  - en-us 7y ago
    Yes there is: https://www.consumer.org.hk/ws_en/news/specials/2020/mask-diy-tips.html https://www.consumer.org.hk/ws_en/news/specials/2020/mask-di...
  - xorfish 7y ago
    Experts devise do-it-yourself face masks to help people battle coronavirus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNjpH5lBZ8w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNjpH5lBZ8w
yellowstuff 7y ago
I imagine that just like my grandparents who lived through the Depression hoarded ketchup packets despite being financially secure, as soon as N95 masks are freely available I will keep a stash handy for the rest of my life, regardless of whether I ever face another pandemic, or official organizations advise against it.
- en-us 7y ago
  That is exactly why I already had masks. I've kept a small stash since the Ebola epidemic.
- jerf 7y ago
  One intriguing question that I can't answer today is whether or not this global pandemic is the exception, or whether 100+ years without a global pandemic is the exception. Not to mention, you look out over the next 50-100 years, you gotta be concerned about biological warfare. Having a population that knows how to handle a pandemic keeps the non-science-fiction viruses at bay pretty well.
  - eridan2 7y ago
    But we had influenza pandemics in 1957 and 1968, plus the swine flu in 2009...
wbl 7y ago
You can make your own cloth mask.

en-us 7y ago

We could improvise them though. I know in Hong Kong they have asked people to improvise using layered paper towels and tissues because those are readily available nonwoven fabrics. It isn't as good as the real thing, but done at the population level I expect it would lower the reproductive value of the virus and thus help flatten the curve.

dominotw 7y ago
> improvise using layered paper towels and tissues because those are readily available nonwoven fabrics. sorry is there a youtube video for this. Just want to make sure i don't make a mistake.
- en-us 7y ago
  Yes there is: https://www.consumer.org.hk/ws_en/news/specials/2020/mask-diy-tips.html https://www.consumer.org.hk/ws_en/news/specials/2020/mask-di...
- xorfish 7y ago
  Experts devise do-it-yourself face masks to help people battle coronavirus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNjpH5lBZ8w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNjpH5lBZ8w

yellowstuff 7y ago

I imagine that just like my grandparents who lived through the Depression hoarded ketchup packets despite being financially secure, as soon as N95 masks are freely available I will keep a stash handy for the rest of my life, regardless of whether I ever face another pandemic, or official organizations advise against it.

en-us 7y ago
That is exactly why I already had masks. I've kept a small stash since the Ebola epidemic.
jerf 7y ago
One intriguing question that I can't answer today is whether or not this global pandemic is the exception, or whether 100+ years without a global pandemic is the exception. Not to mention, you look out over the next 50-100 years, you gotta be concerned about biological warfare. Having a population that knows how to handle a pandemic keeps the non-science-fiction viruses at bay pretty well.
- eridan2 7y ago
  But we had influenza pandemics in 1957 and 1968, plus the swine flu in 2009...

wbl 7y ago

You can make your own cloth mask.