New Guidance for Wearing Masks Outdoors

Doctors wear surgical masks while they operate, to reduce spitting in the wound if they speak
Doctors scrub and disinfect their hands to the elbows
Doctors wear sterile gloves
Doctors wear sterile gowns, booties, hats
Instruments are scrubbed and sterilised
Operating rooms are scrubbed and sterilised
Operating rooms have UVc light sources to sterilize surfaces continually
Operating rooms have hepa air systems and ozone generators to disinfect the air
Patients are scrubbed and sterilised
All those things, and there is still a 37% post operative infection rate
When there is an outbreak the workers wear hazmat suits
Doctors during outbreaks wear hazmat suits
everybody during an outbreak wears hazmat suits
rag mask protects you ? Don't think so
Chickenwire umbrella (the holes in chicken wire are too big to stop water) the spaces in your fabric mask are too big to stop dust
I evade people, & wear the inner mask of a hazmat suit at minimum if I have to go where lowIQ people congregate: P100 grade mask, 100% of particles 100 times smaller than an n95 mask, smells do not pass through it.
most of the time I deal in real biohazard, I have hazmat suits.

I don't want to be in close contact with people who think fabric masks stop viruses.

My wife and I go regularly for walks and never wear a mask. That being said, we always go to remote areas and keep well away from people encountered (at least a six-foot distance). I believe that mask wearing outside is a precautionary measure that we will be able to stop doing as vaccination rates increase (70% or more). Hopefully, the sooner the better!

I noticed it seemed like nobody wore masks any longer outdoors here in PA. That must be why.

For me, to have young kids wear them in the school and outside? It prevents them from putting their hands in their mouths.

Frankly, I'm tired of the debate and will live my life using the best information at the time, making the best decision I can. And I won't tell others what to do, I will simply avoid those who seem to have what appears to be politically, not scientifically based beliefs.

I've actually stopped communicating with some people I've known my entire life. Something happened in early Jan. that was the final straw, for me.

I've been blessed to have not gotten the virus, to have a steady job with normal increases and bonuses, and so much work that it's like Y2K all over again. Multi year projects and my employer unable to fill positions. As we get older, it's fortunate. My brother is 10 years younger and he's been laid off 5X. Granted he makes tons of money at a 7.5 hour job, but, that's not for me.

Masks are primarily to stop the release of pathogens from a carrier. It is far better to stop the distribution and spread of a pathogen at the sources (infected people) than try to fend off the pathogen from infecting the general public.

But when there is a widespread outbreak, it is crucial for the general public to mask up and protect themselves.

Proof of that is the recent seasonal flu simply did not happen. People were socially distanced and masked up protecting themselves and each other from the highly contagious COVID-19 that the less contagious seasonal flu was effectively stopped in its tracks.

It is crucial to properly fit the mask, no leaks.

My wife and I have worn masks when walking the streets in our neighborhood. Traffic is insignificant, and we are never within six feet of others, so why bother?

1. At times that has been the state mandate, which was one reason.

2. A second reason for me was that people who drove or walked by and saw us might be slightly more likely to wear a mask someplace where it would actually help.

Just as taking the vaccine is not only about protecting yourself, but being part of an effort to suppress transmission to everyone's benefit, mask wearing also can have beneficial secondary effects.

While I fully support the CDC mask guidelines, I never saw the sense in wearing one outdoors when alone and out of sight of others.

...driving a car and wearing a mask. Trouble was, the person was alone in the car. Talk about being on the low end of the intellectual gene pool. And, we let them reproduce. Also: IMHO, Dr. Fauci should have been put out to pasture about 6 months ago. I don't know why we keep on listening to this guy. He changes his story on a daily basis. This doesn't do anyone any good. Thanks for letting me vent!

that stops em licking the windows

The fact we had a very low "normal" flu season should speak for the effectiveness of masks. Far from perfect.. the use of them is better than nothing. And given the consequence of catching the COVID.. wearing a mask is a small inconvenience.
But.. the world is full of folk that think seat belts are useless as are helmets.

I wear a mask outside when there is the chance that I will near other people. the rule has always been to wear a mask outdoors unless you will be no closer than 6 feet.

Just as with the vaccine, some people have trouble weighing the risks on the two sides of wearing a seat belt. I knew an intelligent and capable man who flat refused to consider wearing a seat belt. He was concerned that he might get trapped in the car in a fire.

Mind you, that could happen. But it is far out-weighed by the chances of surviving a rollover accident which would have ejected and killed you--something seat belts are very helpful on.

Good safety decisions nearly always involve striking a balance among good and bad consequences. So far as I can see, in current conditions, for nearly everyone who is allowed access, the COVID-19 vaccine balance is not close at all, but wildly in favor of getting it.

that on amazon, one can buy legit N95 masks again, like in 2019. Maybe the price has gone from $19 to $25, yes, significant, but everything has gone up. I'm talking about the ones that would be used for fiberglass and sanding, they are available to anyone. I don't think they are needed for day to day. For painting and sanding, yes. Otherwise, those disposable blue ones are fine. Although those are knock offs and not to be used for medical purposes. 15 cents v. $2.49....

There's no way I'm wearing a mask outside. F*** that, stupidity. This is just another way the gov sees how many non-thinking sheep there are.

N95s without the flap valve are available too.

I believe in the old saying "better safe than sorry"
'I am 78 and not in the best health, so I will not take the chance to get it.

If I were going to an outdoor event where people were close together (no social distancing), or if I was immuno-compromised, despite being fully vaccinated, I would wear a mask. I'm really not ready yet though to resume attending events like that myself.

But just walking around outdoors, on the street in our non-urban hometown, talking to neighbors while socially distanced, even though we had a general state mandate to wear masks outdoors that expires tomorrow in accord with CDC guidelines, we and others in our area ignored it and haven't been doing that for several months, even before being vaccinated. We just naturally stand apart and cross the street as joggers etc. approach.

Now in stores and such, we all still wear masks. Indoors with numerous strangers is a different ballgame. I don't see mask mandates there relaxing until we've got a 75%+ vaccination rate and few new infections; herd immunity, as they say.

People need to set politics aside and step up and get vaccinated if their health permits it. This is what happened when we needed to overcome polio, and it worked. Arguing that the safety and effectiveness of the covid vaccines have not been established is politics, not science. They generally work quite well, and it is safer to have one then not have one and risk virus complications as opposed to vaccine side effects at this point. That includes J&J with its very rare clot risk. It's in your personal interest to be vaccinated so you don't wind up on a ventilator.

To me all this is just common sense. Yes there's some degree of enhanced risk not wearing a mask all the time outside of the home. In my opinion it's quite low.

Well said.

I was wearing masks in public about a month before it was an official thing. People were staring at me. Just watching the way the spread happened it was obvious that the dominant transmission path was aerosol.

Another interesting change was the behavior of people in stores. Prior to the pandemic, people would openly cough, hack, sniffle and sneeze in the open. Once the pandemic hit, stores were silent and I never noticed any of that again.

One thing that has not gotten much press is that the number of flu cases last year was at an all time low. Attributed to isolation and masks to reduce transmission. In Asia if you are feeling ill you wear a mask to reduce spreading to others. It is a courtesy. It does help.

i dont wear a mask in the car with my wife or in the back yard, i always carry one i case someboby come out of the blue a sales person or who ever comes unxpectedly then i put it on, we both have had our covid shots. but i have seen people in a car alone wearing a mask and wondered why?

Saw those too, legit, about $41 for 50 of them?

It's really changed. Personally, I'm ok with them.

Why I know this anti ppe position existed before Covid? We went to visit a neighbor who was in the hospital prior to his passing away. The family was there. A nurse comes in and says, oh, so you decided not to wear a gown and mask? My wife and I said huh? We didn't know and nobody offered (his family was not). So she said oh, well, just as a precaution when you get home, throw all your clothes in the wash, shower, and change. It's not likely anything would happen but I'd be more concerned with the little one (son was 5 at the time). We honestly did not know and nobody said anything, we weren't being defiant or 1A 2A etc....

I have done this on a few occasions when I have several stops to make in a relatively short distance. It is easier to just leave the mask on in the car rather than to remove it and put it back on several times.

I know someone who doesn't want to remove their mask without clean hands. Now we know a little more but a few months ago when we bought groceries we presumed that our hands could be contaminated.

The first thing I do when getting in the car after shopping is use hand sanitizer. I also use a wipe on the grocery cart handle before using it. This may be unnecessary, but it has become a habit, doesn't hurt anything, and ... better safe than sorry I guess.

I have the luxury of working outdoors delivering fuel and except for a few sites that require all people on the property to wear a mask I don't. I find it humorous at many of these sites because a lot of people have the mask pulled down exposing their nose or even their entire face. If I go to a store or business I always put one on before entering. That's the rule the property owner posted. I honestly don't get all the people stating they have the right to not wear a mask on someone else's property and have to make a scene. I don't like wearing a mask but I put in on, go in the store and get my stuff. As soon as I leave the store I take it off.

Once again I read a message I could have written. I wonder if we're related.

And at the grocery store, there's another reason to keep a bottle of sanitizer in your pocket. It's to wet your fingertips enough to pry open those flimsy plastic bags in the produce section. I fear that the bags haven't changed and that makes me think that prior to the pandemic, I must have taken a couple fingertips to my tongue. Never again. I was very impressed with Trader Joe's this past week when I saw a little spray bottle of sanitizer by the plastic bag dispenser. It said something like Use spray on fingers to aid in opening bags.

During Covid I've done the family grocery shopping almost exclusively, nearly all at Trader Joe's. I've spent many minutes trying to get their bags open, for shallots and chicken... I'll have to look around and see whether they somewhere have a squirt bottle available.

I have a feeling that any TJ's not offering a small sanitizer in the produce section by the bags would positively respond to a request that they add one. What made Madison WI's TJ's special was the little sign suggesting it's there to aid in bag openings!

I'm so used to wearing a mask when out in public that I occasionally forget to take it off when I get in the car.

Most of the need is in the produce department.. I just walk over to where there are wet vegetables and touch the spray nozzles. Invariably they are wet enough to get your fingers wet enough to open those bags. Prior to COVID and masks.. a quick lick on the fingers did the trick.. probably not the most hygenic way.

How many have forgot they had a mask on and tried to wet their fingers with it on. doesn't work.

Well, the pandemic will end someday and we'll return to normal, but a new normal, huh? I now can't imagine licking my fingers after starting to push a shopping cart around, even with a spray and wipe of the cart before touching it. I do wonder about the future of restaurant/cafeteria self-service buffet lines as well. I wonder what else will be part of the new normal—and will we all agree that the new normal is better than the old?

If Covid did anything that we all can agree on during this pandemic, it's that the precautions most of us followed in the past year came close to totally eliminating this winter's annual flu season.

Most likely, they just don't really know. It seems like is was like that and now its like this and that was wrong, but this might be right. We are vaccinated and will just have to live our lives without fear.

I have never worn a mask outside either and passed other walkers/runners doing the same. But this is Texas and most don't believe in protecting people from themselves like many states do.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/30/politics/cdc-mask-guidance-ex...

At the very least, we should be supportive of the mask requirements imposed by the places we visit.

This topic has devolved and several posts were removed for violating POI Factory forum rules. I'm closing this discussion.

~Angela