Public urged to wear face masks again as new Covid sub-variant sweeps Britain

Sly Saint

Sly Saint

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Britons have been told to wear face masks again, months after ditching the coverings, as the Arcturus Covid variant ignites thousands of new cases. The Omicron sub-variant has surged across several countries, with the potential of mask-wearing becoming commonplace on public transport again to try and curb the spread. In the UK, experts recommended people wear masks again after five deaths associated with XBB.1.16.

Speaking to the Daily Mail Online, Professor Stephen Griffin, chair of Independent SAGE, also warned that people consider regular testing again.

He warned that while it "may seem like a throwback to last year", the virus remains dangerous.

The doctor said that Covid "continues to do harm", especially to those who are "least able to cope".

With countrywide Covid-era restrictions having expired, individuals are once again responsible for preventing excess deaths, he added.

The focus is now on "individual risk", which is now "much lower" for most, but means that some will need to live with precautions.

Professor Griffin added: "If [the] Government won't act to enable everyone to 'live' with Covid, vulnerable people will continue to require precautions and, ideally, others will act with an appropriate level of altruism."

Arcturus is now rippling across several nations, and the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected 105 in the UK as of this week.

The UKHSA estimates that the variant makes up approximately 2.3 percent of all new cases.
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Public urged to wear face masks again as new Covid sub-variant sweeps Britain (msn.com)
 
We still wear masks when out and about. There are still some who wear masks in our locale, however most people don't. Even most seniors we see are not wearing masks.
People are still being hospitalized here and some are dieing.

It won't be long for the new variant in the UK to get here, if it isn't already here.
 
GP surgery & hospitals here no longer wearing masks, everyone back to 'normal'. So everyone has to sit there breathing in the soup of all the people coughing etc, sitting crammed together & no ventilation. I was the only person in there not just with an N95, but with any face covering at all.
 
At this point, the minimizing disinformation out of public health institutions is more likely to lead to people to defy those rules. At least in the population that doesn't see themselves as vulnerable. As in we may be seeing stuff like flash crowds basically breathing into each others' faces simply to send the message that they don't trust authorities anymore, probably some mask snatchers removing them straight from people's faces. And then of course you add the mass cognitive impairment from so many infections, it's such a recipe for disaster and social murder.

And frankly I can't fault anyone doing that. It's literally in the textbook of epidemics that you have to tell the truth, even if it's uncomfortable, precisely because otherwise this is what happens. We have been completely failed by the cowards we have instead of leaders, all thinking of their career first. When you lie to achieve your ends, the means become the ends, and so you end up with a whole lot of lies and not much else. Just where we are today.

The fix was obviously in when hospitals continued forcing people to ditch superior masks and the gloating and celebration among healthcare workers when mandates got dropped. The pandemic wasn't just politicized, it was fully politicized, and nowhere more than in the medical profession itself.
 
The WHO and CDC delayed telling the public for months that covid is airborne. I remember in 2020 reading articles by aerosol researchers that covid is airborne. I don't know why they weren't taken more seriously by the WHO and CDC, but god knows how many unnecessary deaths occurred because of this delay. I hope this doesn't happen the next time.

Here's a May 2021 article about the WHO's delay and possible reasons for it.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2021/05/04/who-coronavirus-airborne/?sh=1b1677714472
 
I hope mask manufacturers will improve designs since masks need to fit well. I think masks should have adjustable ear loops, chin wraps to prevent aerosols from entering gaps, and nose wires to customize fit.

More sizes would help, too. Many large people have a hard time finding masks that fit. An Asian friend of mine has tiny ears and had to really search before finding a mask with loops that would work.
 
MeSci said:
I went to the dentists recently and the dentist didn't wear a mask. I don't think anyone at the practice - employees or visitors - did (except me!).
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thats shocking. i mean regardless of covid thats revolting, i dont want my dentists breath going directly into my face. In my entire life i never had a dental appointment without the dentist wearing a mask, ugh!
 
JemPD said:
GP surgery & hospitals here no longer wearing masks, everyone back to 'normal'. So everyone has to sit there breathing in the soup of all the people coughing etc, sitting crammed together & no ventilation. I was the only person in there not just with an N95, but with any face covering at all.
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Same here, it was mandatory to wear masks in all healthcare settings until just a few days ago but not anymore.
 
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