Should you wear a mask when you go outside or go shopping?

[carriewriting]

I wear a mask. Without it I don't think I'd be able to go to the supermarket without having a panic attack.

[Lencoboy]

Actually, it's not unreasonable to assume that aerosol infections have occurred. If one droplet can fly 27 feet and asymptomatic people are infecting others..then we have to assume airborne is possible.

Although there may very well have been the odd isolated cases here and there where and when that has occured, it's still not currently believed to be a widespread phenomenon, to say the very least.

There are still many variables concerning the CV pandemic involved, of course, such as the rarer cases of younger, otherwise healthy individuals catching and dying from the virus, but without trivialising and downplaying such phenomena, those instances still very much seem to remain the exception, rather than the rule.

[MyNameIsTerry]

From today's government briefing, a snippet on the BBC site:

Asked whether face masks were effective, England's deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam said "there is no evidence that general wearing of face masks by the public who are well affects the spread of the disease in our society"

[pulisa]

From today's government briefing, a snippet on the BBC site:

That's good enough for me but i'm fortunate enough to be well and will continue to shop without a mask but abiding by the guidelines.

[ankietyjoe]

From today's government briefing, a snippet on the BBC site:

Sadly the phrase 'there is a lack of evidence' is almost meaningless in most contexts these days. All it really means is that either nobody has looked at it, or nobody knows.

[MyNameIsTerry]

That's good enough for me but i'm fortunate enough to be well and will continue to shop without a mask but abiding by the guidelines.

Same here. WHO say exactly the same.

As the professor said it's social distancing that works. You can see some wearing masks thinking they are safe and not following guidelines. That might explain why I see groups of 3+ walking together or sitting cars (young men)?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Sadly the phrase 'there is a lack of evidence' is almost meaningless in most contexts these days. All it really means is that either nobody has looked at it, or nobody knows.

True, it can simply mean no evidence yet. Considering the enormous cash put into the study of viruses I would expect them to have studied something though. Coronavirus isn't new after all.

I'm expecting to see custom masks soon. More black ones are around but they are obviously cooler We'll end up with it being a fashion with celebs flogging them to us.

[Gary A]

I don’t know how they can say that wearing a mask is ineffective “if you’re well” when all of the evidence suggests that a lot of asymptomatic and mild cases are still very capable of transmitting the virus. In fact, asymptomatic cases are probably the biggest problem going forward as the majority of people displaying symptoms will be self isolating.

I also find it interesting that wearing masks is almost exclusively practiced by lots of folk in Asian countries and look how much better they seem to be controlling the spread than Europe and the US. Surely that’s got to be contributing?

[dorabella]

Well like Pulisa, I can only take the common sense approach - stick those gloves on, go out when its quiet, avoid people and large supermarkets, and get in and out of the mini-market as quickly as possible. And give everything I bring back to the house a liberal wash down with good old Fairy Liquid. Then wash hands!!

Glad I'm not the only one who looks at all this and thinks that no-body really knows what they are talking about ... too much spiffballing, speculation and scaremongering without any definitive data to back it up. Would be nice to have some clarity.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Well like Pulisa, I can only take the common sense approach - stick those gloves on, go out when its quiet, avoid people and large supermarkets, and get in and out of the mini-market as quickly as possible. And give everything I bring back to the house a liberal wash down with good old Fairy Liquid. Then wash hands!!

Glad I'm not the only one who looks at all this and thinks that no-body really knows what they are talking about ... too much spiffballing, speculation and scaremongering without any definitive data to back it up. Would be nice to have some clarity.

There was an article about how long the virus stays on surfaces. The outcome was they don't really know yet but don't believe it to be anything more than normal. It advised following normal hygiene protocols.