There seems to be some disagreement over whether we should or shouldn't wear masks in these trying times. In some places you can be fined or arrested for not wearing one. In others you can get beaten up if you do.
Where I live no-one seems much bothered either way. We see very few people masked when we take our daily walk but at the supermarket on my weekly trip maybe twenty per cent of my fellow shoppers go covered up. The striking thing is how no-one affects to notice.
Medical masks are hard to come by. The first week I wrapped a scarf around my face. By the second, Mrs Bhagpuss had made me a mask of blue gingham. I've worn it every trip since but she's been working on something a little more... me.
When I go shopping next Wednesday I'll be wearing my silk-lined, felted tiger mask. We'll see if anyone notices this time.
Nice! I posted a pic of mine to Twitter. I have bananas on my mask.
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/wilhelm2451/status/1250474030588522496
Oh, nice to see you two! :D
DeleteWe don't have any special masks. My parents sent us some standard ones a few weeks ago, before it became mandatory. I want to get back into sewing and use some cotton cloth still left from when I tried the first time... :p I *knew* we'd need all that cloth at some point! The funniest cloth is orange with... lemurs, I think. So, no funny pictures here. ;)
And I'm not sure it's a good idea to force people to wear masks inside shops. The amount of people I've already seen handling them all wrong - touching the outside of the mask, having them on their chin, then pulling them back up etc. -.-
Well, to see a bit of us...
DeleteAs far as I can tell the main point of masks is to stop you spreadign the virus to other people if you have it, especially if you have it but don't yet know you do. What everyone seems to think they're for is to stop them getting infected themselves, which, if it even exists at all, is only a peripheral benefit.
I mainly wear mine because a) it has a psychological placebo effect, making me feel like I'm in some way in control of things and b) it has the very real benefit of completely preventing me from accidentally touching my mouth or nose while I'm out. That was diminsished in the gingham one by the way it kept slipping, leading to me touching the mask as you describe. The tiger mask is a much better fit, which should stop that problem, but it's also a lot hotter to wear, which might again lead to me fiddling with it.
Anyway, better wear one than not, I think. Also, tiger!
The eyes are visible. I think eyes are so expressive, it's a huge part of you!
DeleteAnd yes, masks are mostly useful to decrease the risk of you infecting somebody else. But the outside of the masks could also hold viruses and bacteria from other people. So, if you pull them down on below your chin - a skin area that may very well have bacteria or viruses on it - then pull it right back in front of your nose and mouth, it's basically as if you delivered your body on a silver plate to these viruses/bacteria. Of course, that area is less risky than your hands which touch surfaces etc. Or people touching the outside of their mask, then removing the mask, touching their face. May as well not be wearing a mask at all.
But thankfully, all of this only puts the wearer at risk and not others. Still, if we're fighting to keep infections low, it's a bit... useless. But most of the world has no experience wearing such masks.
We must wear them now if we use public transport or go into a shop. But not when walking around outside. So this is why you see lots of people pulling the mask up and down, up and down.
And yes - tiger! :D It looks great and makes people smile (me, at least).
At first I was using a black bandanna with skulls and crossbones all over it. However, my mother-in-law made one of of cloth for me, and now I don't look like I'm planning to rob a stage coach when I go out. Regardless of efficacy my inner 12 year old doesn't mind having an excuse to wear a mask one bit. The CDC says exactly what you did bout masks:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-faq.html
"[The] CDC recommends that people wear a cloth face covering to cover their nose and mouth in the community setting. This is to protect people around you if you are infected but do not have symptoms."
I personally find it also helps me remember not to touch my face.
Adorable! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! Do you growl at people?
ReplyDeleteUnexpected Bhagpuss face reveal (sort of)! Loving it. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't even felt tempted to wear a mask as I kind of hate having stuff on my face, so I'm glad it's not mandatory here (so far).
Great mask. Shame I don't have one still. We've tried buying one online but the price-gouging and lack of availability has deterrred us so far. We went for a rare long walk last Sunday and other than ourselves, with scarves over mouth and nose, we only counted 2 out of near a 100 other people with anything covering their face. The levels of complacency seem to have exploded in London it seems :-( I also noticed on the last shopping trip a noticeable decline in the number of face coverings being worn in store also.
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