I decide to comply with the mask mandate

amother

Fuchsia

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 9:47 pm

I'm only posting because I can't believe how everyone jumped on OP. Masks have been criticized for not being worn properly. I've seen many people wearing their mask beneath their nose. People re-wear the disposable masks and don't wash or sterilize fabric masks every time they return home, or better, after every activity, which probably means their masks are vectors of contagion.

There are no uniform rules for the types of masks that need to be worn, or how to wear them. No studies have been done on the effectiveness of fabric masks (non hospital grade) in preventing viral spread, and many of those masks are more porous than the hospital grade masks that have been studied. Also, the latest studies indicate that the virus is primarily transmitted through aerosolized micro-droplets, in which case, the single layer fabric masks would likely be accomplishing exactly nothing, as would many of the disposable ones.

It's highly unlikely that I am a possible risk for transmitting the virus if I have antibodies, so if I don't wear a mask, it's unlikely I'm spreading the virus.

All that said, common sense tells me that properly filtered masks, if worn properly, probably do reduce transmission under certain circumstances but not all, because in China, everyone has been wearing masks for years yet that didn't prevent this virus outbreak from happening in Wuhan to begin with.

Finally, I assume this whole discussion is only about mask wearing indoors, as most medical professionals believe that it's not necessary to wear a mask outdoors if socially distanced.

amother

Burlywood

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 10:17 pm

I don't usually get involved in these types of things but I couldn't help myself when u read this post.
Op I don't really have words but I'll try. My infant son has an airway disorder . By refusing to comply with something as simple as wearing a mask, you are increasing the chances that he ( or others in high risk categories) may get very very ill Chas veshalom. It's because of people like you that we are really scared to step foot outside of our home.
I'm not yelling at people like you irl and I'm keeping my disbelief at how selfish people can be largely to myself. But for you to write a mocking post like that is unbelievable. You should be ashamed of yourself.

amother

Cobalt

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 10:25 pm

amother [ Burlywood ] wrote:

I'm sorry about your son's disorder and I wish him and your whole family good health.

I do want to ask you something though, so I hope you come back to answer....

Covid-19 is not the only dangerous virus. Before we ever heard of Corona, people died every year from flu and other viruses. Usually people who are old, or immunocompromised, or had some other pre-existing conditions that made them vulnerable. Not exclusively, but mostly.

So now wearing a mask is en vogue to stop the spread of Covid.

But why weren't you afraid to go out before Covid when people were not wearing masks?

This is the thing I can't understand. I get that there are vulnerable people and I do feel for them. Honestly.

I am just tyring to figure out why they were never terrified to go out before and now yes?

Nobody before said we need to wear masks everywhere we go so we don't selfishly kill all the weak people who might die if they get the flu.

Where was your concern before Covid?

amother

Lawngreen

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 10:40 pm

amother [ Cobalt ] wrote:

Agree.

1. People die from car accidents way more than the virus, yet it doesnt stop people from entering a car several times a day...

2. There is no proof at all that this virus affects kids.

3. I literally can't breathe in a mask. I feel like fainting. (Yes, Im preg and low low in iron and other stuff). Sorry, wearing a mask all day is very unhealthy.

amother

Burlywood

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 10:42 pm

amother [ Cobalt ] wrote:

It's a good question. Firstly, I ( along with most probably every mother of a child whose health is compromised) Always DO have a lingering concern that he will get sick. I was careful before carona not to let him put things in his mouth or lick other kids toys without washing them. I made sure we all washed our hands when we came home from stores. I stayed away from anymore I knew who was sick . I stayed away from Gymboree type/ public play places .
But , it wasn't the same level of concern for a few reasons ;
Firstly , covid 19 is a novel virus. Unlike the flu or other illnesses, we are just beginning to understand how it works and we don't really know how to treat it deal with it yet. There isn't such a thing as tama flu for covid yet. At this stage , if someone is hospitalized , it's even possible that the treatment they will be given will hurt more than it will help. ( for example , around Purim time , those that got very sick and were hospitalized were put on ventilators . Now they are starting to realize that those patients aren't doing as well as those that they help back from being put on ventilators . And I'm sure in hindsight , in a few months we will learn a bunch of new things )
Secondly , ( and perhaps because of the first reason I listed ) the death rate is much much higher than the flu. I haven't looked up the exact numbers recently but I know for a fact that covid is much much more deadly than even a really severe flu strain . So it's not a great comparison imo.
Third of all, covid is a pandemic right now . It's highly infectious and ravaging basically the whole world . Unlike the flu. The numbers just aren't the same .
And so , I think that a largely unknown illness with a really high infection rate that is currently spreading at an alarming rate, that is much more deadly than the flu or other viruses going around requires different measures for the time being. Such as masks.
I hope that clarifies all your questions . Feel free to ask for clarification if any point wasn't clear .

DrMom

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 10:45 pm

amother [ Fuchsia ] wrote:

Your arguments are kind of like telling people not to use condoms because lots of people don't use them properly, so how can they possibly prevent the spread of AIDS and other venereal diseases?

amother

Burlywood

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 10:47 pm

amother [ Lawngreen ] wrote:

1) yes but people wear seatbelts . You do everything you can to be safe and then you live your life . I'm not telling people to stay home because they might infect others . I'm telling people to take a basic precaution to protect people.

2) my doctor is concerned based on my sons medical history which I'm sure he has thought about and understands . Also my child isn't the only one in a high risk category . There are definitely people who are in extremely high risk categories

3) I also have difficulty breathing in one and can imagine it's very hard when your pregnant . But nobody is asking people to wear a mask all day . They are asking people to do so I'm confined closed spaces . Also it's one thing to decide not to wear a mask because you feel it'll make you sick. It's another thing to mock the whole idea like op. That's just in very poor taste .

amother

Ivory

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 10:49 pm

amother [ Lawngreen ] wrote:

I can’t wear a mask due to health reasons. I live in nj and the law here says I don’t need to wear a mask, I don’t need a doctor’s note and the store is not allowed to ask me to specify why. I printed out a copy of the law and am keeping it in my purse.

amother

Ruby

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 10:59 pm

Cobalt, as a parent of immunocompromised child, we always live with that kind of fear. However, we do hishtadlus that Hashem has provided.

For the flu, theres a yearly vaccine. While my child actually doesn't mount an immune response (meaning its worthless to my child) everyone else in the household gets a flu shot to protect the immunocompromised child from getting the flu. There are also treatments to lessen the flu symptoms.

When measles was running rampant last year, my child wore a mask all year.

We all do what we need to. This is a pandemic and its NOT over. Not even here in NY. Our family dr in Manhattan told me yesterday that they have 2 documented cases of patients that had covid 19 with antibodies, were negative and now months later got it again. Obviously, they got it from someone - they didn't go anywhere else. The least we can do is wear masks - we Jews are supposed to be a group that think about others...

amother

Mustard

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 11:09 pm

Wow op, I’m usually one loving humorous and sarcastic posts, but imho (not that you need to care about it Wink

) this is a bit in poor taste... sorry, don’t mean to offend you but it hurt to read...

In regards to the point burlywood brings up- and cobalts question about why fear Covid more than other viruses.

Here’s my perspective:

1) we do fear flu & rsv etc

2 were always careful especially in the cold/flu season & take precautions. No, not the extent of keeping kids home from school, but yest at a certain point had kids change clothing when came home from school.

3) when Covid19 was rampant in my area & hospitals were overwhelmed, even though it seemed like we were already over the virus and we were in some other very desperate situations, we still took very very strict precautions & didn’t accept offered help we really needed- but that wasn’t because I was Davka scared for covid19 at that point. It was because I didn’t want to land up in the PICU with something like rhinoentero virus (the common cold).

4) reiterating burlywoods point about not having a clear cut protocol yet on how to treat Covid & less people being immune to it.

5) there was talk that covid19 is more easily transmitted then some other respiratory viruses.

6) covid19 seems to be particularly harsh in the way it hits people who get it more severe.

And finally

5) hopefully people will remember to take flu & the common cold a bit more serious and not be out in the public to avoid spread. I think (& hope!) there is more awareness now on how viruses can spread and how easy it is to help stop or st least slow the spread.

So please, remember to wear a mask when in an enclosed space & keep the purell handy Smile

Good health to all Cheers

Last edited by amother on Sat, Jul 11 2020, 11:29 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Mustard

Sat, Jul 11 2020, 11:19 pm

amother [ Ruby ] wrote:

This!

And lawngreen, my kid battled Covid for over 3 months. It was a crazy roller coaster. Bh we managed it out of the hospital in our home ‘picu’ but don’t wish this on anyone. So...