Mask and gloves

Collo · Senior Member

Mask and gloves

Izabarack · Guru

I am due to donate blood Friday. I will report on the Blood Bank's attitude to masks and gloves. Apparently, not getting too close to other people, avoiding anyone coughing or sneezing, and lots of hand washing is sufficient to put the chances of getting infected in the Lotto odds.

No point in wearing a mask if not close to people and gloves are not better than washing your hands, lots! If the virus is on the gloves and you touch your face, how is that different to touching your face with bare hands contaminated with the virus?

Iza

The Travelling Dillberries · Guru

Collo wrote:
Went into Ballarat today for the weekly grocery shop in my mask and gloves and l was very disappointed to see hardly anyone wearing gloves and virtually no one wearing a mask.
Not good enough, have a look at what is happening in Europe and America. This virus can kill you.
Come on everyone, do the right thing...its not that hard.
Collo

Good on you Collo, I have been into town several times, mask n gloves, the last week and I can count on one hand the number of people taking maximum precautions, very disappointing. Had a guy come to do a quote this morning with no protection. Decked him out before he came in the house., unbelievable!!

blaze · Guru

If you are not ill, there is no need to mask up and just wash hands regular with soap and water. There is no medical advice to wear either
cheers
blaze

Whenarewethere · Guru

I was in Coles today there were a few too many pinch points where customers were cheek by jowl!

If they put arrows on the floor they could easily route everyone through the store. Not difficult stuff.

The Travelling Dillberries · Guru

blaze wrote:
If you are not ill, there is no need to mask up and just wash hands regular with soap and water. There is no medical advice to wear either
cheers
blaze

Yes Blaze, i find that in itself pretty unbelievable. Spread by contact and inhalation, not much common sense out there!

Izabarack · Guru

Advice re: gloves, just now from a health spokesperson - gloves do nothing over frequent hand washing. Touching your face is the transmission vector.

Gloves may convince people they are safe and do not need to wash hands. Been shopping? How many people wash hands or use sanitiser before getting their car keys out of their pocket?

Iza

Whenarewethere · Guru

When have you last washed your glasses, watch, TV remote, handle of toilet brush, light switches, washing machine buttons, mobile, keyboards, garage remote, steering wheel......

dogbox · Guru

one of the benefits of wearing a mask even one that doesn't fit correctly is that you reduce the times you touch you face

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Whenarewethere wrote:
When have you last washed your glasses, watch, TV remote, handle of toilet brush, light switches, washing machine buttons, mobile, keyboards, garage remote, steering wheel......

Yesterday!

I have for many years now. I use disinfectant wipes. I have a few in a zip lock bag I have in pocket. I also have a small bottle of hand sanitiser. Lately I carry one of the green shopping bags with me and have wallet etc in it. Looks better than a 'man bag' and gives something to put small shopping in.

I use public washing machines and have always wiped them with disinfectant wipes then add a washing sanitiser to final rinse. Better than nothing.

Just think of whats on a public toilet door handle, yuk! Emergency use only for me are public toilets anyway.

Cupie · Guru

Dougwe X2

The expert advice & I was just reading it today, is that masks are not recommended unless you are infected or if you are a Doctor/Nurse et al working with infected people.

Agree with hand washing rather than gloves.

ps... where can you buy gloves or masks. Sanitiser & hand wash purchase is a bit of a lottery too.

Cupie · Guru

dogbox wrote:
one of the benefits of wearing a mask even one that doesn't fit correctly is that you reduce the times you touch you face

The expert's view was that poorly fitting masks result in touching the face more often to adjust the mask.

Don't forget attention to the protocol for removing & disposing of protective equipment.

Whenarewethere · Guru

If one uses safety equipment regularly you feel confident using it.

Face shield, Uvex Xv 36db green earmuffs & face mask. (but I only have P1 activated carbon masks, better than nothing)

PeterInSa · Guru

Masks, I will be wearing one when I visit the Supermarket.

In my opinion, I think the government is not pushing for the public to wear masks, because they are in short supply, and I think in Oz, people think the wearer has a virus and not that the wearer is protecting him/herself from others with the virus. Content of an email I received today....
(I don't know if the stats are true, its in a digital newspaper so it must be???????)

Check out the following link
ca.yahoo.com/news/hong-kong-coronavirus-cases-deaths-105634996.html

especially the following sentences ..
Despite its proximity to mainland China, Hong Kong has recorded just 714 coronavirus cases and only four deaths.
.. and
A survey found more than 97% of Hong Kong people use face masks to prevent themselves from droplets and the infection.
We do it ourselves, no matter what the government says. In January, when the government said there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission, no one listened.
The government also made no recommendation for face masks, [yet] 97% of our citizens wear face masks.

Izabarack · Guru

Blood bank today and no one was wearing masks and donors are not required to don one either. I go to a mobile van with 4 seats. Today, alternate seats were not used and only two donors in the van at one time. I was given a biro on arrival to fill in the usual forms and surrendered it at the end of the paperwork when it got a dose of sanitiser before going back in the pile. Screening was on travel history, movement around shopping centres, contact with likely infected people, and state of wellness over last two weeks. Discussion about masks was that the correct type is one to use as a false sense of safety may come with using a less than correct item. Wearing masks is good if they cause you to more aware of touching your face and bad if you adjust your mask and accidentally touch your face. Coincidence does not show effectiveness or cause. Those who choose to wear masks are most likely to be concerned about catching the illness and are most likely to avoid close contact and also practice appropriate personal hygiene. Wearing a mask is an indicator of a whole range of behaviours likely to protect against infection. All that said, who cares if you choose to wear a mask?

Gloves? Blood Bank people wear gloves as standard practice. They also strip the gloves while avoiding contact with the outside of used gloves. As I was going shopping after my donation, I asked. Advice was to sanitise or wash hands at every opportunity , sanitise hands before getting the car keys out and maybe shower and wash clothes when you get home. As said, who cares if you wear gloves when out? Gloves are not likely to be more effective than personal hygiene and avoiding close contact with others.

Iza

Izabarack · Guru

Daughter works in a Supermarket. Briefed today about being careful of people wearing masks and the glove wearers too. At least 50 mask and glove wearers approached daughter for service today. Standard practice is to pull the mask down, invariably touching their face on the down and the up.

Blood Bank people used 5 pairs of gloves while collecting info and blood from me today. Contrast the ordinary citizen doing some shopping. One pair of gloves seems to do the whole trip, no matter how many shops or places get visited. Watched one glove wearing woman leave the supermarket today. Watched her put the shopping in her car, return the trolley, then drive away still wearing the gloves. As Cupie alluded above, just removing PPE is a potential problem, particularly removing gloves without contaminating the hands they were protecting.

Iza

Tony Bev · Guru

After our 14 days (decided off our own bat), self isolation, at home base

Went out for a normal PSA blood test

Asked the health worker about wearing masks, she replied that at the moment, health workers (at the Pathology clinic) have not been given masks
There were signs on the window, saying that if you had a Doctors referral for Coronavirus, or Measles testing, then do not come inside, and there was a telephone number
There was a hand sanitiser on the counter, which you used before and after
The lady stood 2 metres away, while filling in the questionnaire, and only came up to you, to take the blood

Saw very few people wearing masks, and no gloves at supermarket
Saw no children, in the supermarket

Supermarket would have been down to about one sixth of normal shoppers, with X on the floor, about 2 metres apart
Person outside, with what looked like a hand held counter
Toilet rolls were very conspicuous, by their absence

Traffic on road, would have been down to about one quarter of normal vehicles, and I saw no caravan/RV/wizz bangs travellers

PeterInSa · Guru

Went to a Super Market today at a quiet time I thought 1pm ( I rarely do the shopping)

Only went with Credit card in one pocket and licence in the other.

Wore a Mask and Cap thought about disposal gloves but went with sanitizer. The vented/valve mask slightly fogged the glasses so did not wear clear glasses.

Used Coles wipes to wipe down the trolley Handle and they provided a disposal bin.

Store busier than I thought, was the only one there to wear a mask

Paid by credit card, Tap and Go, no Pin Code required ( must have been under $100 did not look.).

Products that go into the Frig I tried to keep in separate bags to the rest, however U pack and the Coles Checkout person did not have enough room for my stuff so stacked on top of each other and was serving the next customer, who did not have a trolley to keep the distance then had a discussion with the Checkout girl re leaving her CC at home and having to pay cash.

Back at the Car, sanitized my hands, unlocked car/boot put in shopping bags into boot along with mask into a disposal bag. Hand Sanitize again as well as the remote and CC.

Shoes off prior to going inside, clothes off and into the washing machine, then a shower, as super markets would have to be the best point of transmission, as products are touched numerous times.

When home, used disinfectant wipes for items that need to go into fridge, then I was going to put everything else in the pergola for a couple of days to de contaminate, but SWMBO did the wipe over.

Note: The above is my version of a knowledgeable Forum Friend's comments from another Forum, he has had experience in working with infectious diseases, on the same forum, a member from Bulgaria, also leaves the non refrigerated products in his car boot 24 hours. I think he also deals with people at his workplace and changes his mask every 2 hours and for heavy people traffic every hour ( to protect him from others).

Peter

-- Edited by PeterInSa on Friday 3rd of April 2020 08:20:10 PM

Gaylehere · Guru

Tap and Go at supermarkets being increased to $200. This is/will be rolled out over the next few days and will be for a limited period of time.