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Strategies to open up: wearing face masks in public

  • by JW

“They are something everyone has had to get used to wearing.”

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There have been great efforts made locally to look after locals and visitors – and one way has been to suggest the wearing of masks in shops and other businesses open to the public:

Strategies to open up Sidmouth: protecting shoppers and workers – Vision Group for Sidmouth

Strategies to open up Sidmouth: making people feel safe – Vision Group for Sidmouth

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There are different opinions and experiences of wearing face coverings:

The culture of social distancing and wearing face masks – Vision Group for Sidmouth

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On the other hand, for weeks now, people have just been getting on with producing masks:

Help at hand: the WI – Vision Group for Sidmouth

Help at hand: the Sidmouth PPE supply project – Vision Group for Sidmouth

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And the science is looking carefully at the best designs and fabrics:

Overall, we find that combinations of various commonly available fabrics used in cloth masks can potentially provide significant protection against the transmission of aerosol particles.

Aerosol Filtration Efficiency of Common Fabrics Used in Respiratory Cloth Masks | pubs.acs.org

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With a very practical guide and link to a video from today’s Sun:

FACE MASKS and coverings have been a hotly debated topic during the coronavirus pandemic and they are something everyone has had to get used to wearing.

But as we adjust to the new normal of wearing face masks many people have struggled to keep theirs on as they are often made to fit all sizes. In order for them to be effective they need to be fitted to the face so that particles can’t get into the nose and mouth. One dentist has revealed a simple and easy trick that will help you fit your surgical mask over your face. Olivia Cuid posted the video to her TikTok page and it has since gone viral as many people look to make their coverings more suitable.

This 60-second TikTok hack makes your face mask BETTER at protecting against coronavirus

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And more latest research presented in today’s Mail:

Wearing a face mask decreases your risk of being infected with coronavirus risk by 65%, scientists find

  • There are two main methods of coronavirus transmission, with the first being via droplets that are expelled into the air when a person coughs or sneezes
  • The second is from aerosol particles that humans spray into air when we speak
  • Masks prevent both of these particles, the first which is visible and the second which isn’t, from getting into the nose and mouth
  • Wearing a face mask decreases the risk of getting the virus by 65% and social distancing lowers the risk by 90%

Wearing a face mask decreases your risk of being infected with coronavirus risk by 65% | Daily Mail Online

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Now the president of the Royal Society is saying face coverings should then be worn “whenever you are in crowded public spaces”

Coronavirus: Wear masks in crowded public spaces, says science body – BBC News

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His intervention has been widely reported:

Venki Ramakrishnan [president of the Royal Society] called for everyone to wear a face covering in public — particularly in enclosed public spaces — pointing to new evidence suggesting that coverings may protect both the wearer and those around them.

The first report — an updated report from the Royal Society’s Data Evaluation and Learning for Viral Epidemics Initiative (DELVE) — found that universal use of masks could prevent virus transmission, and also pointed to new evidence that suggested that face coverings could provide protection to the wearer.

The second report by the Royal Society’s SET-C (Science in Emergencies Tasking — COVID-19) group examined the effectiveness of different face mask types and coverings, and studied behavioral factors that limit adherence to mask wearing, including public understanding of virus spread, risk perception, effectiveness of public messaging, trust and barriers to mask wearing.

Researchers found that the UK was “trailing behind” other countries in terms of policy implementation and wearing face coverings, with mask wearing in the UK at around 25% in April, compared to 83.4% in Italy, 65.8% in the United States and 63.8% in Spain. Researchers noted that while other countries, similar to the UK, did not have an “established culture of face mask wearing,” they had clear policies on face coverings.

“People may rightly ask why you have to wear a mask on a train but not in a shop. If guidance is inconsistent people will follow their own preferences,” Ramakrishnan said. “The message has not been clear enough so perhaps people do not really understand the benefits or are not convinced of them,” he added.

Refusing to wear face masks ‘should be as taboo as drunk driving’ – CNN

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