Masks
Interesting snippet on The Points Guy this morning about masks. Don't shoot the messenger! And a little bit ironic about Gary Kelly.
Masks are here to stay. That’s the message from White House Chief Medical Officer Doctor Anthony Fauci.
Fauci – also director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – told John Karl on ABC’s “This Week” that he did not see a time when masks were going away. He also suggested extra caution during travel and family gatherings.
The mask message came in response to a question about airline CEOs testifying on Capitol Hill last week who suggested that masks weren’t that vital.
Fauci said, “I think when you are dealing with a close space, even though the filtration is good, that you want to go that extra step.. you get a flight from Washington to San Francisco it’s a well over a five-hour flight. Even though you have a good filtrations system, I still believe that masks are a prudent thing to do and we should be doing it.”
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Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said last week, “I think the case is very strong that masks don’t add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment.”
Southwest later issued a statement saying, “Southwest Airlines continues to abide by the federal mask mandate for customers and employees both within the airport environment and onboard all Southwest aircraft.”
The next day, Kelly tested positive for COVID-19.
Comments
I read that story and just had to shake my head when I got to the last part.
I don't agree with this approach, but I wonder if COVID (Omicron, Delta, etc,) continues to hang around, will it get to the point where everyone (gov't, businesses, people) just says the heck with it and they end all restrictions even for people that test positive, and too bad for the non-vaccinated and imuno-compromised?
I'm sure hospitals would be thrilled-** NOT!**
The hospitals are overwhelmed again in some places already--not sure how much more they can take both here and across the globe. By the time I travel next internationally (September-Ireland) it will have been almost 3 years and I'm tired of this too. I may get to the point where I just say what the heck too--I'm not getting any younger.
Let us accept the masks as people in other countries do.While we toured Galapagos recently every one we saw wore masks;In March 2020 while we were in Seoul South Korea every one wore masks.After our return we went to local Costco last week;Felt very unsafe with unmasked people amid the Omicron surge.First world country like ours has no excuse for this stupidity.
Since airlines CEOs are talking about the effectiveness of masks, perhaps its time for the CDC and FDA to tell pilots how to fly planes. It's only fair.
No, I'm not missing the point. While the airline CEOs may know something about the air filtration in their planes, they know nothing about virology nor epidemiology. Their job is to maximize profits for their company. While the air in a plane may be cleaner than my house, I don't have 100 people in my living room for 5 hours at a stretch, almost sitting on each other's laps.
Yes, but that assumes the air expelled by Joe Omicron, sitting next to you (almost in your lap in coach
), is sucked up immediately and filtered by aircraft's environmental system instead of wafting past your face or pausing for a few seconds when you are taking a drink or a bite of food. I wouldn't worry if we were all wearing military oxygen masks and breathing 100% O2 and not breathing "filtered air." And, as Bruce said, what about the 100 - 300 people in close proximity or when they lose power or the cabin air stops when they start an engine, etc.
HEPA filters can "theoretically" remove 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns (µm) and larger. N-95 masks worn correctly (over NOSE and mouth and sealed against your face) provide similar protection (95% of .3 um particles). Unfortunately, COVID is ≈ .1 um, so while they can provide considerable protection, neither are 100% effective . . . . It just makes sense to have multiple layers of defense if available, kinda like wearing a base layer, thermal layer, and waterproof layer when stepping ashore in Antarctica.
Again, so far I trust the vaccine & booster will prevent me from getting really sick, but it won't provide 100% protection from me getting COVID and popping positive should someone pass a few molecules of this highly transmissable virus my way.
Sealord - Travel does include masks and vaccines so your statement doesn't make sense. When we travelled to Iceland with Silverseas we were tested and required to wear masks inside buildings. Also, our two trips with Tauck in September one on the Rhine and Moselle and the other was Switzerland Crown Jewels again we were tested and same requirement regarding masks. Our TA tried to keep us informed as the countries we visited changed their policy before we left and during our tours. We should all be thankful that we can travel and masks and vaccines are essential for our safety and the safety of our fellow travelers.
Noreen
Unfortunately, in the current environment masks, vaccines, Covid tests, etc. are as much a part of travel as airplanes, ships, what clothes to pack, etc.
Everyone is different with respect to risk acceptance and doing things, that in their minds, reduces that risk. Things like masks, pre-tour routines, etc. are all ways that people can, in their minds and by requirement in a lot of cases, reduce the risk to an acceptable level to allow travel.
When people post looking for help, assistance, guidance, tips, etc. for any aspect of travel (which in the current environment includes masks and vaccines) we should try to provide help, not demean or intimidate them (which I feel your post kind of does) because you are able to accept more risk and still feel comfortable traveling. You aren't required to read or respond to any posts in the forum.
Well said Smiling Sam.After all ,we want to enjoy our travels in the safest way.As a physician and a spouse of a physician,I fully recognize the value of masks in the current environment:masks worn properly and not as a neck ornament.I am still so surprised at how people in the countries we have visited recently and in the beginning of epidemic quickly adapted to masks.I remember our arrival date in Seoul last Feb coincided with the first cases reported about 200 miles away in a church gathering;yet we saw everyone using masks,temperature checks and other measures.Even though we went to Galapagos with much trepidation,so pleased that we saw people wearing masks;not just on Isabela.Health is so much more important than other issues.
Congrats Sam. I think 9 likes (at this writing) is a new record. Of course the cowardly moronic flagger put forth his/her stupidity, as well. I guess that makes it "fiar and balanced."
If they ever start requiring fentanyl as a prerequisite to travel, then I believe it would be a subject for this forum, as opposed to your post.
People asking about the requirements for travel, what ever they are, seeking help or guidance or providing responses, I feel is appropriate for this forum.
As an example, people might ask about the process to obtain a visa or renew a passport. These, per se, having nothing to do with travel, except that they are requirements for travel. I feel those are appropriate subjects for this forum. There was lots of discussion on one of the discussion threads about how the visa process worked when arriving in Cairo prior to the Egypt Jewel of the Nile tour. I found it to be very useful and relevant, even though it was about a travel requirement, not purely travel.
Discussing the merits of requiring a visa or a passport or a mask or a vaccine moves quickly into the political arena and should probably be avoided on this forum. I felt your post was political and therefore I 'Flag'ed your post. Just wanted everyone to know I'm not the phantom flagger. I will acknowledge any flagging I do.
Merry Christmas!
Fentanyl is a useful medication used during surgical procedures by anesthesiologists
Fentanyl doesn't kill. Idiots abusing it does.
For all you virologist's and medical experts on this board, and there seem to be a lot, you need to differenciate what type of mask you wear. This is a quote from a CNN medical expert; "Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There's no place for them in light of Omicron." So the next time you are on a plane and you put on the mask your friend made, it is useless and will give you and those around you no protection.
We wear N 95’s on planes. Everywhere else, we wear cloth masks. Our cloth masks are thick, made by a company that makes hospital scrubs, are anti bacterial…..yes, I know Covid is a virus, but you get the point……and they are tight fitting….so not all masks are equal….How you wear them is the most important thing of all.
If we could get to an airport where everyone is wearing a mask or even a plane where the person sitting next to us is wearing a mask, it would be nice, but so far we have had this happen twice in four flights. Thank goodness not been on a plane where there has been a fight…well, yet!
I have worn ONLY N95 masks since the beginning of this and still do. There's absolutely no reason to wear cloth masks now that N95 masks are no longer in short supply.
And don't confuse N95 masks with KN95 masks. The KN95s are made in China and undergo no certification or quality control. One way to quickly tell them apart is certified N95 masks have straps than go over your head, not your ears.
And I'm not sure how many virologists are on this forum, but this post has been partially sponsored by the Society to Encourage Correct Use of the Apostrophe.