If there has been one phrase used throughout this crisis that is guaranteed to raise my hackles it is "following the science".  Not that there is anything wrong with basing policy on sound scientific advice, but it has been used most cynically as a screen behind which to hide, and I'm afraid the government's scientific advisers have been rather too reluctant to call it out. When other governments were closing big sporting events, ours was telling us there was "no scientific evidence" that cramming tens of thousands of people tightly into confined areas was in any way conducive to spreading the virus.  Likewise our failure to conduct sufficient testing to be able to track the progress of the virus has apparently been "guided by the science", as has our inability to provide adequate protective equipment to frontline workers.  It is a catch-all cop-out which has promptly been found wanting each and every time it has been used. So it is with the wearing of masks.  It is true that they come with associated risks, in particular that they are incorrectly handled and that they can give those wearing them a false sense of security.  On the other hand it is now widely accepted that they do help to reduce the transmission of virus by those wearing them, which strikes me as a rather good reason for encouraging their widespread use. There is also the added benefit that seeing them being worn by others helps to reinforce the existence of the outbreak in the minds of those (and we've all met them) who seem still to be somehow oblivious to it all. Of course if the public wearing masks in any way prevents key workers from obtaining supplies then the latter must have priority every time.  But most of the masks I have seen being worn out in the community are makeshift and cheap, and not of the kind that would be considered sufficient protection in a hospital ward or a similarly high-risk environment.

Entire Thread

Topic	Date Posted	Posted By
Masks	02/04/20 06:29:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Masks	02/04/20 09:13:00	Raymond Havelock
Re:Re:Masks	02/04/20 09:34:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Re:Re:Masks	02/04/20 10:06:00	Guy Lambert
Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	02/04/20 10:20:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	02/04/20 12:03:00	Raymond Havelock
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	02/04/20 12:27:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	03/04/20 11:27:00	Susan Kelly
Re:Re:Masks	09/04/20 09:40:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Re:Masks	14/04/20 18:19:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Masks	03/04/20 13:47:00	Robert Ayres
Re:Re:Masks	03/04/20 15:37:00	Martin Webb
Re:Re:Re:Masks	04/04/20 00:34:00	Robert Ayres
Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	04/04/20 10:18:00	Raymond Havelock
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	05/04/20 07:11:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	05/04/20 07:36:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	09/04/20 09:52:00	Raymond Havelock
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	09/04/20 10:17:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Masks	18/04/20 14:26:00	Phil Andrews
Re:Re:Masks	04/06/20 17:23:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Re:Re:Masks	04/06/20 17:45:00	Andy Riley
Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	09/07/20 06:20:00	Nicholas Beard
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	09/07/20 09:05:00	Raymond Havelock
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	09/07/20 09:13:00	Vanessa Smith
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Masks	09/07/20 09:40:00	Paul Fisher

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