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> Overall, public-health authorities do not believe that people pulling down their mask in the open air to eat or talk on their phone, will significantly change

by DanBC 7y ago

> Overall, public-health authorities do not believe that people pulling down their mask in the open air to eat or talk on their phone, will significantly change the infection curve for the worst. No. "Public health authorities" are all really clear: if you're going to wear PPE you need to do it properly. DIY cloth masks are not PPE, they're theatre, so it doesn't really matter whether you wear it or not. > With regard to hand-washing, touching things is now seen as so relatively unlikely a form of transmission This is untrue. Some people on HN are fixated on droplets and aerosols, but we know that fomites are a significant risk. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra032498 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra032498 > The primary mode of transmission appears to be through direct or indirect contact of mucous membrane (eyes, nose, or mouth) with infectious respiratory droplets or fomites.3,26,27 The use of aerosol-generating procedures (such as endotracheal intubation, bronchoscopy, and treatment with aerosolized medication) in hospitals may amplify the transmission of SARS-CoV, and outbreaks have involved more than 100 patients on occasion.3,26-28 SARS-CoV survives for many days when dried on surfaces and in feces at an alkaline pH.33 Although data from direct comparisons are not yet available, a review of previously published data suggests that SARS-CoV may be far more stable than other human respiratory viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus. The role of fecal–oral transmission is unknown but may be important, given that profuse watery diarrhea is a common feature of the disease and that SARS-CoV is shed in large quantities in stool.

Mediterraneo10 7y ago
> "Public health authorities" are all really clear: if you're going to wear PPE you need to do it properly. You are confusing two things here. For preventing certain people in certain contexts from being infected, PPE is important. For preventing the average person walking around from infecting others to the point of upsetting curve-flattening efforts, any kind of face covering (even if it be a scarf or a Buff) will satisfy the requirement in most countries now. Indeed, the public health authorities – at least in Europe which is presently my main concern – are very clear here: the authorities overall are calling for masks to be required only in shops or on public transportation. Countries like Poland and the Czech Republic which require masks to be worn at all times in public are outliers. (And I expect their rules to soon be harmonized with the less strict countries. De facto in Poland the outdoor requirement is not even being strictly enforced outside the major cities).
cwzwarich 7y ago
> No. "Public health authorities" are all really clear: if you're going to wear PPE you need to do it properly. DIY cloth masks are not PPE, they're theatre, so it doesn't really matter whether you wear it or not. Even the CDC is now promoting cloth masks: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-si...
pjc50 7y ago
There's some evidence that countries which chose to promote or mandate masks early have low infection rates. Although there are a lot of confounding variables. https://www.thelocal.com/20200405/coronavirus-and-face-masks-how-countries-have-changed-their-advice https://www.thelocal.com/20200405/coronavirus-and-face-masks...

by DanBC 7y ago

Mediterraneo10 7y ago

> "Public health authorities" are all really clear: if you're going to wear PPE you need to do it properly. You are confusing two things here. For preventing certain people in certain contexts from being infected, PPE is important. For preventing the average person walking around from infecting others to the point of upsetting curve-flattening efforts, any kind of face covering (even if it be a scarf or a Buff) will satisfy the requirement in most countries now. Indeed, the public health authorities – at least in Europe which is presently my main concern – are very clear here: the authorities overall are calling for masks to be required only in shops or on public transportation. Countries like Poland and the Czech Republic which require masks to be worn at all times in public are outliers. (And I expect their rules to soon be harmonized with the less strict countries. De facto in Poland the outdoor requirement is not even being strictly enforced outside the major cities).

cwzwarich 7y ago

> No. "Public health authorities" are all really clear: if you're going to wear PPE you need to do it properly. DIY cloth masks are not PPE, they're theatre, so it doesn't really matter whether you wear it or not. Even the CDC is now promoting cloth masks: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-si...

pjc50 7y ago

There's some evidence that countries which chose to promote or mandate masks early have low infection rates. Although there are a lot of confounding variables. https://www.thelocal.com/20200405/coronavirus-and-face-masks-how-countries-have-changed-their-advice https://www.thelocal.com/20200405/coronavirus-and-face-masks...