Wearing a mask.

[roscoe]

Here in central Wisconsin, we have seen very little of the covid fallout.
Few cases, very few deaths, so far. In a third, almost half of the state, we've had only 50 deaths.
Very few hospitalized.

Very few businesses closed as most were linked to essential industries, ag, forestry,
healthcare, hardware, groceries, auto/transportation/fuel, construction, etc.

A few employers mandated masks.
Mine did on May 18th, a bit after the horse left the barn.
And as of yesterday, our governor mandated masks statewide.

So, today I am out and about, wearing my Green Bay Packer mask.

Stopped at several gas stations, a grocery store, a restaurant, and a park where
50+ people were holding a volleyball tourney of some sort.

Seems people were really giving us some looks for wearing the masks.

None of the volleyball players wore them.
None of the 4 employees at the restaurant.
Maybe half of the customers at the 3 gas stations and grocery store.

Just curious, if you are under a mask mandate, are people wearing them?

Are you getting the look if you do or don't wear one?

Don't go political on this or they will close it.

 

[RGrew176]

I wear mine where I am required to do so. Otherwise it's off.

 

[Scott Danforth]

here is Florida, my county alone has had close to 5000 cases and 186 deaths

nowhere near as bad as Broward and Dade counties.

out in public, everyone is wearing masks.

 

[dingbat]

The Maryland metro areas where hit pretty hard the first go around.

Second wave now making the rounds through the younger crowd. Three people in my youngest daughters inner circle have been diagnosed asymptomatic in the past 3 weeks

Masks required in public or anywhere social distancing guidelines can not be adhered too.

No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no service...

 

[DeepCMark58A]

I live in the country and drive 80 miles into the suburbs to work. In the city there is widespread mask usage, out in the country there are few people wearing a mask. Local bar restaurant opened up in town again, I will not be going in for a while.

 

[gm280]

Here in Georgia they decided to NOT require face masks as a mandated/Executive Order. Instead they recommend you wear one any time you are out, but no law as to such. And the reason is, how do you enforce such a mandate to wear a mask? If a person is required by law to wear one and a person doesn't have their mask covering their nose, are they in violation of the law? Is the material the correct type, or the size, or how it is worn even? While I think it is a good idea to wear one out and about, a vague law is asking for law suits. Individual stores require them and that is their right to do so and we do wear them if we are out. JMHO

 

[tpenfield]

The summer months have brought a resurgence of cases in some areas that were doing well. In my area (Massachusetts), masks out in public are common place. Stores all require masks and some limit the number of people that can enter.

Once in a while I go into my office in Boston, and just about everyone out on the street is wearing a mask, so you feel awkward, if not wearing one.

Locally, there have been a few publicized 'events' where parties were held and coronavirus cases resulted, causing graduation ceremony cancellations, public beach life guards all put in isolation, (so the beaches went without lifeguards for a while), etc. . . .

I often would forget to bring a mask when going places, so I finally put a bunch of masks on the shifter of each of our cars, along with the hand sanitizer in the console.

As I see it, masks are a good way that we can resume some sense of normal and not have to go into 'lock-down' as was the case in March-May of this year. Masks and sanitizer are probably the best 'tools' we have right now to reduce the spread of the virus. It seems like the death rate is running about 4% of the cases, with about a 6 week lag of case surges to death surges. I really would not look forward to getting an illness that had a 4% death rate.

FWIW - Here is the latest 'heat' map of cases in the USA. Many places that were doing quite well a few months ago are now having a tough go of it.



.
The numbers in MA were looking real good a month ago, but they are starting to creep up. My Admiral's parents were in FL up until the beginning of June - we went down there and brought them up north, just in time it seems.

 

[aspeck]

Masks have been required in PA since the start of Rona. Businesses were shut down and then reopened slowly. Bars and restaurants are only allowed 25% capacity for inside seating and you must wear a mask in a restaurant whenever you are not seated at your table. As of 3 or 4 weeks ago the mask rules was changed to wearing a mask in a public space inside and outside (unless you can maintain 6 feet of separation on outside events).

Inside gatherings are limited to 10 or fewer people and outside gatherings of 250 or fewer people (I think) ... churches are exempt, but encouraged to follow those guidelines.

Our county has had 288 cases and 3 deaths (183 cases and 3 deaths came from one of our large medium security State Correctional Facilities). Some in our county have running lists of what businesses enforce the mask law and which do not, encouraging people to avoid businesses who do not.

I also keep a supply of masks and hand sanitizer in my vehicle.

 

[harringtondav]

No mandate in Iowa. But Admiral and I carry one, + sanitizer in our vehicles. I wear one any time I enter a business, and clean my hands and auto surfaces before leaving. ....small inconvenience to help stay healthy, ourselves and others.

Menards big box requires wearing one, had has an employee enforcing the rule.

My boating pal's wife caught COVID. She's a social butterfly, with large events with friends and family. People seem to believe friends and family are safe and COVID free. Too bad the bug doesn't care who you are.

 

[Scott Danforth]

just an FYI.....getting tested sucks.......

its not the fact that you spend a fair amount of time waiting in line for the test, or the test itself where they try to test the back of your head from the inside (they swab about 4" up your nostril).....its also the waiting, anticipation and worry until you get the results

we had a younger social butterfly in the accounting department at work pop positive about a month ago and everyone was tested. luckily no-one else in the company tested positive. we all now wear a mask when talking to someone or entering someones office

 

[southkogs]

TN's governor was really trying to avoid issuing a mask mandate state wide. However, the counties have been. Nashville has been under one for a while, and my county finally mandated masks about two weeks ago. I don't mind wearing one for short times, so I put one on when they are required. But I've had trouble not feeling claustrophobic in them, so I take them off as soon as I can.

In the office, there are only a few of us. We're spread out in the building right now, so unless there is someone outside of the group here we don't wear them. We had a couple of secondary cases (children of workers / clients) along the way, but the few people who were in contact got tested and nothing came of it.

For the most part, if I'm going in a store or a restaurant for a while I'm in a mask. Otherwise, I'm not.

 

[sphelps]

It’s a hodgepodge mostly where I live . I would say a majority of folks are wearing them along with the businesses.
The people that are wearing them on their chin and tucked under their noses is what gets me .. May as well not have them on at all ... I have a couple of double layer with pocket Fl Gator mask that tie on that I clean regularly I like .
But they do get drenched in sweat fairly quick when outside.. Have been wearing the paper ones around the ears lately . Just because they are a little cooler .

 

[gm280]

What really surprises me is the numbers of early morning "parties" we read about and hear about in the news, both locally and across the nation. Usually the local parties consist of shootings and some one getting murdered. So I guess compared to Corona Virus, that is a lot quicker. Go figure... Back in the days when I was young and stupid (the stupid part never ended), parties were usually about fun. Not so much these days. Guns are always present it seems and "shots fired" is the usual theme... And then we hear about disproportional numbers of Corona Virus infections all the time. Who would ever guess! Common sense isn't common anymore...

 

[redneck joe]

Any covering will help. Perfect, no, but something yes.

I live in small town, and out a bit at that. prob 30% of people wear them.

I am required to a work (mfg plant) but the stupid thing is when people walk up to my window to talk to me the pull it down so they can spit on me, which is the direct reason to wear a mask. The people I work directly with are mostly chin wearers. One lives in Frankin TN so much larger population with greater chances of contracting so that concerns me, but he just got fired so no worries any longer.

I've steered clear of this subject here but now that the cat is running loose - masks are not meant to prevent us catching it, tho it will help - it is about slowing the spread of germs like they taught us in fourth grade. This s..t is here to stay. Not gonna get rid of it. Until a vaccine and selective evolution have come into play, it is what it is. In the first round small our county had ~40 active cases tops, usually in the 20's. We now have ~200. We have two hospitals in our county. They will fill up quickly.

 

[gm280]

I wonder whether money can pass it from one person to the next? Case in point; a person wipes their nose and puts on their face mask and buys anything at any place, they hand the clerk money with that same hand they just wiped their nose with and put their mask on. So the transfer begins nonchalantly and no one knows the better...Of course we all are washing our hands a million times a day, but it is so easy to transfer anything when you really think about it. Amazing humans live as long as we do.

Another situation to think about. You go to the grocery store and end up in the produce section. You scan through the many vegetables and test the melons, tomatoes, peaches, oranges, bananas etc. to see which ones are fresh and ripe. And those are the same fruits and vegetables that so many others tested as well to see which ones are fresh...transfer begins.

Same in any store, how many have handled the same items you handle when making your decision to buy anything? As cautious as we think we are, there is no real idea of protecting everyone from transferring any disease in reality, short of "staying home" !. And then you go to your mailbox to get the mail............

 

[aspeck]

gm280 , from what I have read, studied, and the "official" response of my insurance carrier, the short answer is, yes, it CAN be transferred that way, but it is not LIKELY. It generally takes a lot more handling than that to put enough of the virus on a surface to transfer to another. And although it was tested in a lab to live from several hours to several days in a lab, they have found that in the real world it is not as hearty as initially thought.

If we, as a whole country ... and world, develop better hygiene, this thing is beatable.

 

[gm280]

gm280 , from what I have read, studied, and the "official" response of my insurance carrier, the short answer is, yes, it CAN be transferred that way, but it is not LIKELY. It generally takes a lot more handling than that to put enough of the virus on a surface to transfer to another. And although it was tested in a lab to live from several hours to several days in a lab, they have found that in the real world it is not as hearty as initially thought.

If we, as a whole country ... and world, develop better hygiene, this thing is beatable.

Actually aspeck "IF" everyone took the pandemic serious from the very get go, instead of introducing political sides into the equation, and stayed home for three weeks straight, it would have all been over by now. But we know with so many different personalities in just this country, you will never ever get a total consensus to anything like that ever.

So many have their own ideas and opinions and there is nothing going to change them however it works out. Since the typical quarantine is two weeks, three weeks would have totally allowed the virus to die out with no one to contract it. But you see how that worked out...

 

[roscoe]

Actually aspeck "IF" everyone took the pandemic serious from the very get go, instead of introducing political sides into the equation, and stayed home for three weeks straight, it would have all been over by now. But we know with so many different personalities in just this country, you will never ever get a total consensus to anything like that ever.

So many have their own ideas and opinions and there is nothing going to change them however it works out. Since the typical quarantine is two weeks, three weeks would have totally allowed the virus to die out with no one to contract it. But you see how that worked out...

I've got to say no way on wiping it out with a 3 week quarantine.
There are several instances where military and fishing vessels left port, all were tested, quarantined, etc. And then 38 or 43 days later, the crews started getting sick.

This thing is gonna be around for a long long time.
just like the common cold coronavirus.
There may be a vaccine, maybe not, There isn't one for aids, sars, ebola, the common cold.

Some good news they stopped talking about, is the genetic studies released back on May 7th, that found the virus has mutated many times, and has gotten weaker, causing less severe symptoms and less deaths.

They have also stopped reporting the % of cases that had 2, 3, or 4 underlying medical conditions. ? ?

Here, 7% of the cases were people over 70, and account for 71% of the deaths.


In Wisconsin, 3 counties were hit hard early on. Not so much since.


Since June 1st, the number of cases has gone up 250% , but the deaths have only gone up by 30%. And the hospitalization rate has dropped substantially, lower now with all the new cases than it was at any time in the last 4 months.

https://projects.jsonline.com/topic...19-cases-testing-and-deaths-in-wisconsin.html


Well, aren't these interesting times.

England has a new test, results in 90 minutes.

 

[briangcc]

Most stores I've been in recently in NY have signs on the door..... no mask, no entry, no service. This is mandated by NY.

Most people out and about outside the stores are abiding by this as well since we've been beaten over the head, in a good way, to wear masks where social distancing isn't possible.

My cousin mentioned during our recent family trip that Alexandria Bay (and in general the 1000 Islands area) was experiencing a spike in cases due to partying over the July 4th holiday....people were crammed into bars, eating in packed restaurants, etc and were now paying the price. During my walks there with my wife, we probably saw 75% compliance on wearing masks. The exceptions you could probably guess at these days....those ignorant of what this really means and those who think their $$$ buys them out of this.

You get those two groups onboard with masks and what this virus really means, you probably have much lower numbers across the board....infections and deaths.

 

[redneck joe]

Nashville seems to keep making national news with non compliance. There were some party buses out over the weekend, defying the mayors orders, with people on top drinking, dancing and spitting on everyone.

I agree that three weeks would not have eliminated. Being we are human and social creatures and need to get out to buy food and such, there would always have been some cases. As in a few Asian countries they locked down well but then a new round. It will be with us, forever. In what capacity/strength/mutation cannot say.