Wow. In what universe is it OK to do that while symptomatic? The article did not describe the symptoms but by now everybody should know what they are.
Incidentally, the masks may have been what prevented transmission. Then again, you would have to repeat that “experiment” without the masks to find out. Which ain’t nobody gonna do.
On a different thread i posted how serving is difficult wearing a mask. Its the only major profession that requires more walking then nurses. And how after every shift I could barely walk and actually ruptured a muscle.
It got easier. i won’t be running to my car after work, but i don’t walk like Verbal Kint now.
They may have just had minor or vague symptoms and didn’t feel that bad. In the days before the positive result, one of the stylists went to places like the gym, restaurants, and shopping (from a different article). If they had severe symptoms, I don’t think they’d be doing things like going for a workout. Some people have no symptoms and only find out they are positive because their job or something requires them to get tested.
One thing to keep in mind here is that we don’t know what kind of masks they were wearing. It could have been anything from a P100 respirator to a loose bandanna tied across their face. Any conclusions about mask usage we draw from this situation should be based on the quality of the masks they were wearing.
Got one that hasn’t shown up in this thread yet -
Where I work all staff are required to wear a mask. The company issues masks to anyone who needs one and didn’t bring one from home. One of my coworkers had a very bad reaction to the standard-issue mask: red face, swelling of lips, hives, itching inside the mouth and throat and nose… It all happened within ten minutes of putting on the company-issued mask and the redness/swelling very clearly marked out where the mask touched her face.
Hmm… yes, looks like an allergy. So she was excused from wearing a mask that particular day because, obviously, there was a significant problem. I whipped up a couple of 100% cotton masks for her by the next morning, and she has since bought some rather nice ones that don’t cause her a problem.
So… very unlikely, but still possible, someone might not be wearing a mask due to a bad reaction to what a mask is made out of. But I’d still want the person to try to find an alternative that doesn’t cause a problem for them.
I think what you’re really trying to say is
Very elegant, couldn’t have said it better myself. Can I use it?
I can also say that I can’t bike while wearing a mask-- Not enough airflow. The one time I tried it, after being on the bike for about 20 minutes, I spent the next hour gasping for breath.
I imagine that this would generalize to many other sorts of physical activity. And there might be better masks that would still work, but that’s not the mask I have.
I have COPD. It’s a real hassle wearing a mask. I wear it when I’m out in public, but feel like I’m suffocating.
I see people exercising while wearing masks, and I feel envious. Maybe it’s the kind of masks I have or just me being neurotic, but I feel like I’m suffocating when I hike in one. I’ve stopped going to park trails (which have been jam packed lately) and just hike up and down the hills in my neighborhood when no one else is around, just so I don’t have to wear anything on my face.
Some sports companies are making masks for athletes, like this one: UA Sportsmask. One way they may help with breathability is by having a larger surface area for the fabric, which should make it easier for the air to pass through.
Great. Now the Agents of Cobra could be right on top of us and we wouldn’t have a clue.
I cycle and have not even tried a mask, because that would be my expectation. However, cycling generally does not involve close contact for more than a couple of seconds (passing on a multi-use trail), and exposure outdoors is apparently much safer than indoors due to the air circulation and UV light. So I don’t worry about it much. Since they closed my gym I have been cycling about 60 miles a week.
Here’s from a university:
If tests were 100% accurate, and you were just tested, sure.
I think masks provide the wearer at least a little protection, but that’s on you if you want that protection.
I’ve done some exercise wearing a mask. I’ve walked briskly around my neighborhood (briskly enough to work up a sweat) and one day when the pollen count was extremely high, I wore one of them doing yard work – mosty digging up roots out of a new bed.
Mostly, it’s been fine. Except when I was doing yard work, wearing a cotton mask. It was fine and it was fine and it was fine (except that I was covered with sweat) and then quite suddenly the mask was saturated with sweat, and I stopped being able to breath through it. I mean, I could breath a little with a lot of effort, but the mask made weird gargly noises as the air went through the saturated fabric.
Did I mention it was sudden. I was fine, and then one or two breaths later I it was REALLY hard to breath, and I took off the mask. There was still a lot of pollen, so I went indoors and swapped it for a dry mask, and was fine again.
If you test negative and you are immune to it I see no problem with you going out for a stroll.
So if someone can’t wear a mask for medical reasons and I own a business that requires both employees and customers to wear them do I have to accommodate them under ADA guidelines? I mean the ADA requires “reasonable” accommodations; is it reasonable during the current epidemic to allow a customer or employee **not **to wear a mask?
Well, yes, while cycling itself I’m not near other people, but if I’m on my bike, it’s because I’m going somewhere, often somewhere that does have other people. Which means that I have to put on my mask when I get there, which in turn means that I need to immediately find some place to wash my hands.
They so are not, though.
My daughter is a nurse currently in obstetrics. They recently had a near-term high-risk (age) patient who had a test out of extreme caution, which was positive. She’d been living with her husband and mother and were all extremely careful. Husband and mother tested negative. Patient has never had symptoms.
So the woman was hospitalized and induced. She gave birth, but was unable to have contact with the baby. She pumped her breasts and her husband fed the baby. They tested her on release from the hospital and she was negative. She was also negative for antibodies. The infectious disease specialists studying the case believe her first test was a false positive.
I’ve so far avoided dealing with individual specifics at work. There’s a sign on the door explaining in bold, large print that due to state mandate and current conditions, nobody is to enter my building unless masked.
If someone enters without a mask they’re told to leave, otherwise the police will be called. If someone attempts to explain, they’re interrupted and told again to get out or police will be called. So far, no one has pushed past this.
The mask traps a lot of moisture and hold it against your face. I imagine there are skin conditions that this could irritate.
Why? What would you have touched between leaving your house for the bike ride and having to put on your mask?