Coronavirus: Masks significantly reduce infection risk study finds

[Paphos Life]

Requiring the wearing of masks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in areas at the epicentre of the global pandemic may have prevented tens of thousands of infections, a new study suggests....

Read the article and chat about it below...

[Kili01]

How many Un necessary deaths would the wearing of masks in the UK have prevented,
had people in the UK been instructed to make them if they couldn't buy them? We'll never know , but maybe the way the Cyprus Govt recommended the wearing Of masks here helped more than we know to reduce the impact of Covid here. ( plus all the other hygiene measures).
The UK Govt and its scientists made a lot of mistakes besides boring people to death by too much time spent on TV!
Dee

[Dominic]

Ah, so when the podium 'experts' at the No.10 daily briefings claimed a month or two ago there was no scientific evidence that masks were effective, they were being - how shall we say - economical with the truth. Quel surprise. The reality being that they didn't want the man on the Clapham omnibus buying masks, lest that deprived the NHS of resources which the government hadn't had the foresight to buy in at the start of the pandemic.

One of the reasons Greece tamed the pandemic so well is that at the very outset they sent 9 freighter aircraft to China to bulk buy PPE. Smart thinking. Result: just 150 deaths total out of a 10 million population.

Given that the result have only just been published, how could they have seen this evidence a couple of months ago?

[Jimgward]

Ah, so when the podium 'experts' at the No.10 daily briefings claimed a month or two ago there was no scientific evidence that masks were effective, they were being - how shall we say - economical with the truth. Quel surprise. The reality being that they didn't want the man on the Clapham omnibus buying masks, lest that deprived the NHS of resources which the government hadn't had the foresight to buy in at the start of the pandemic.

One of the reasons Greece tamed the pandemic so well is that at the very outset they sent 9 freighter aircraft to China to bulk buy PPE. Smart thinking. Result: just 150 deaths total out of a 10 million population.

Given that the result have only just been published, how could they have seen this evidence a couple of months ago?

Dominic, there has been evidence of the success of wearing masks since before March. I have posted things on here about that since then. The UK government has ignored the data PURELY because they don't want the implications of “where do we get them?”

Masks should be worn wherever you MIGHT get into a situation of not controlling your space. I.e. shops, transport etc.

[trevnhil]

It was my understanding that you HAVE to wear a mask if you are using public transport

[Jimgym]

The real reasons Greece had a low fatality rate. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... uts-145412

[Jimgym]

There has been far too much inconsistency on the use of face marks, including this from WHO.( since changed)Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, the official advice from the World Health Organization has been that only two types of people should wear masks: those who are sick and show symptoms, and those who are caring for people who are suspected to have the coronavirus.
So it’s hardly surprising that people are unsure as to what to do.

[Jimgward]

It was my understanding that you HAVE to wear a mask if you are using public transport

The UK rules are ‘face coverings’ - which are better than nothing... but they won’t go so far as to stop people going into shops or transport... or kick them off...

Also, they, for some reason, decided the science said to wear them from next week, but not from last week! Are they deliberately stupid or so incompetent with advice that it’s no wonder there is confusion...?

[trevnhil]

I wasn't talking about the UK I was referring to Cyprus ..

https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/masks-m ... om-june-9/

[Dominic]

Given that the result have only just been published, how could they have seen this evidence a couple of months ago?

Why do you suppose then that we in Cyprus (and the rest of the world) were wearing masks as early as March? Because common sense dictated it made sense to do so. Remember all those images of Wuhan in China we saw in Jan-March; almost every individual walking the streets was wearing a mask.

The only reason the UK government didn't recommend facial masks was because it suited their agenda, ie. because they hadn't ordered in sufficient masks for the NHS - let alone the population as a whole. And they didn't want this failing to be exposed any more than it was already.

People in Cyprus weren't wearing masks because of government recommendations back in March. There were lots of articles floating around at the time about which masks were ok and which masks weren't.

And who can forget this thread on the forum from the start of April?

Here are some choice nuggets.

viewtopic.php?f=68&t=11750

Cortrect, most are single-use. And if they get moist from breathing in and out on a prolongued basis, surely that makes it easier for virus/bacteria to stick to the mask?

You then went onto say, in response to a rumoured (which never happened) mandatory ban that was due to be announced:

If the wearing of masks is to be made mandatory then the powers that be must make suitable masks available to be purchased in sufficient quantities to cover walking dogs, exercising, shopping etc. which are allowed under present regulations. It is not sufficient just to make an announcement without the back up. That would cause a lot of stress with the minimum of results. They must think things through.

Ah, but that's what politicians do all the time; bring out knee-jerk legislation without thinking things through. Closing supermarkets on Sunday is another example.

So, then it was knee-jerk legislation. Now it is common sense. Ok

[Kili01]

Basically, whichever country one happened to be in it was more a matter of using ones common sense. There were so many conflicting news reports.

A friend of mine in the UK, ordered masks for herself over the internet and has been wearing them on the rare occasions she was out in public places. Mainly in the supermarket..

Dee

[memory man]

Lidl have face masks for sale next week.

https://www.lidl.com.cy/el/leaflets/pro ... rks/page/8

[Jimgward]

Lidl in the UK have been selling masks for about 4 weeks. 7.99 for 10 - surgical paper-type masks. Nobody is buying them as very few are wearing masks.

I purchased masks form Screwfix - N95 type, way back in late January and I have worn them when in supermarkets since the lockdown in the UK - I still get funny looks... when the UK brings them in on transport next week, it will be too late, too many have given up on the isolating, exclusion zone scenarios and will refuse.

[WHL]

The UK government telling people they must wear masks on public transport,
isnt that like putting a condom on, after you have got the lady pregnant

[Linh]

Here is the problem with people being told to wear masks on public transport.

Our son is a bus driver in Essex. He has been told NOT to let anyone on that is not wearing a mask. It is him that is at risk when he has to tell someone they are not getting on without a mask. It is him that has to deal with the person that takes exception to being told they are not getting on. Also, in the small print of the regulations, it says, that there are exemptions for people who cannot wear a mask. He is then at risk from the people who take exception that the exempt people are not wearing a mask but have been allowed to travel on the bus.

He has asthma. He also has a baby at home and the baby has health issues that can cause breathing problems. He was furloughed because of his asthma but, eventually he has had to return to work because he really needs to work the shifts that make up his wages so, he had a meeting with his bosses and his union, who agreed on his return to work and he wore a mask himself for protection. He was told yesterday that as of today, he is not allowed to wear a mask as it is dangerous when driving.

We lost one of our other sons in February this year. He was 43. He went to sleep and never woke up. We are scared of losing another one to his job. It could be because someone takes exception or it could be because he is not allowed to wear a mask. The UK needs clarity NOW but, we do know one thing. Those masks that have been under debate for so long, may or may not save a life. I for one would rather our son especially, be allowed to wear one rather than take the risk. At least if our worst nightmare did happen, we would know we tried our best to keep him safe and his work place helped us.