Masks - yes or no?

More like a, then, misplaced "'ello, 'ello" attitude, Scrungee, by individual Policemen who didn't have "reasonable" reasons to use a power they didn't have in the first place without the authority of the Chief Constable.

 

So round your way they are consistently inconsistent

In our area they are just consistent. I think I shall stay here.

 

During a break at work today we had a coffee and "poke" at the problem of inconsistency of the way masks are being approved/disapproved, used/not used by by big business/local business and the General Public.
At the beginning nobody but nobody knew anything, as Global Medicine Authorities keep stating, about this particular Virus, it's infection rates, how deadly it could be, what long lasting effects it could have on those affected, or even how to treat it.
So, like most things, it has taken time and experience making decisions with the information supplied by Medical and Scientific Experts which, at the time, seemed more like guesses than facts with the inevitable mistakes, changes of opinion etc which has been painful to many families throughout the World with the losses they have suffered.
But if you step back a bit and take a breath it really comes down, mainly, to the individual as to whether they recognise how deadly Covid 19 is or even if they are socially responsible enough to care about taking measures that can help, to some degree, restrict the spreading of the Virus. Governments can pass as many Laws, restrictions, curfews, as they like but if any individual(s) think it's not even true that we have a Pandemic, or that's it's against their Human Rights, or they just don't give a damn about anyone else but themselves and will continue to ignore advice on basic medical opinions to wash hands frequently, wear a mask, etc, then infection and deaths will continue.
So, all in all, after putting down our cups of Coffee, we came to the conclusion that really the main factor in suppressing the Pandemic is the individual. You have only to look around you in the UK, see what is happening to the USA and other countries where individual social responsibility differ so dramatically to see how infection rates can soar or be kept under control to some degree.
I'm for wearing masks, although I don't really like it, now that I know more about the evidence of the benefits of wearing one. I've been wearing one when shopping for weeks, and in the office where I work since I returned to the Office, but I rather not see legislation passed making it an offence not to wear one everywhere.

 

We all know that's you, Scrungee, on a shopping expedition

 

If anyone is looking for reusable masks, I would recommend the Delphis ones from Robert Dyas (probably available elsewhere too). £20 for three washable masks that have an elasticated drawstring that goes around the back of your head (not your ears), soft for comfort yet seem to so far be durably constructed. Each pack comes with 10 filters that insert in a pocket on the inside of the mask, and filter out any particles bigger than 5 microns and each filter can be washed five times (washes in the mask), with 10 replacement filters costing £6 or thereabouts.
Better still, they are made in the UK.