Coronavirus prep

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  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I've told some stories here to vent about bad experiences. Here's a more positive one.

    My local bedroom-community post office has two stations at the counter, fortunately about 6 feet apart. Since precautions went into effect, they changed the traffic pattern so we go into the full-windowed small foyer then through one door (that used to be mostly for PO box access), into a line (with Xes on the floor at 6 foot distances) . Then people get called up to a counter where there's a plastic barrier above a pass-through space for packages & credit card swipe access. After service, one leaves out a 2nd door to the same full-visibility foyer as the in-door.

    Last time I was there, the two rather petite, properly masked counter women would each finish with a customer, step up on something (stepstool?) behind the counter, reach over to spray the customer side of the counter & the card swiper with cleaner, wipe it with a cloth, step back into her spot, then call up the next customer to stand on the service X in front of her counter. Consistent, for each customer.

    I don't see how they could do it better, or faster. Really good, from my perspective, best I could expect.

    Lovely. This is almost exactly what happens in the banks where I am. Except it's not the ladies behind the counter doing the cleaning. We have someone on the customer side of the counter watching to see when each transaction is finished, quickly running over to spray and wipe, then the next customer is allowed to move forward.

    Before this though, every customer must be wearing a mask in order to be allowed entry, temperature checked with a digital thermometer at the door, and hands sanitized before being allowed to join the line standing 6ft (2 meters) apart.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    Here in Illinois, the governor's mandate has been overturned - the law only allows for a 30 day public health mandate, and it's been in effect for 3x that long - and after that, my workplace has finally requested that employees wear masks. Not that they're doing a particularly good job of enforcing it, though. Supervisors have been required to wear masks for at least a month, and they've been wearing them mostly on their chins, not covering any of their breathing holes. That seems to be about the level of compliance they're seeking with employees, too. There are 3 theories: 1) The employee that caught Covid19 (just one!) died... 2) It's to shut up the employees that are asking for hazard pay... 3) It's tied to some of our coworkers vacationing in states that a new mandate requires a 2 week quarantine when returning from (but there are exemptions for essential workers, anyway, and UPS is not giving an extra 2 weeks off work just to quarantine.)

    After the mask requirement at work (Wednesday) a union representative had a table set up by the door with a petition for hazard pay. So, that seems to point to theory #2. That doesn't mean we're not all curious whatever happened to the driver that got sick... If it's a breach of HIPAA to tell us if he's died, I guess passing a card and collecting donations for the widow would be, too. I don't socialize with the drivers, so I don't even know which one has been absent for the past 6 weeks.

    With coworkers vacationing in Florida and New Jersey and returning to work with their naked faces and lack of social distancing, it's a wonder that more of us haven't gotten sick. I stopped wearing my masks at the beginning of June, when it started being 90 degrees inside, and volume picked up so that we were working twice the hours. After all, my mask protects all those other jerks and their lack of mask doesn't protect me... The extra discomfort isn't worthwhile in those circumstances. I've taken to spending my breaks in place so that nobody comes within 6 feet to socialize with me. My antisocial tendencies are serving me well.

    Back in March, I asked not to work at the bay I had previously worked at, because there's no room to social distance, and my supervisors have mostly honored my request. But due to the nature of the work, we change bays as the trucks arrive, and at least once a week I spend at least half an hour less than 2 feet from the next guy. I still figure I'm more likely to bring it to work than catch it there - my husband still works at the hospital, after all - but they're no longer having daily briefings, and they've stopped telling him to expect to catch it.

    I have not used hand sanitizer a single time since this madness started. I do my best not to touch my face, but since I'm taking the mask off to drink water every 15 minutes or so, so I don't dehydrate, I don't think I'm doing a great job of that. There's a single large container of hand sanitizer next to the bathroom that it is not feasible to visit every time I have to unmask to drink - besides, if I'm Right There, I'll just go in and wash with soap. The best part of this whole mess is that we've had paper towels and soap regularly since March. That's where they keep the wipes, too. Guess how often the equipment gets wiped, then? The SHARED equipment. Yeah.

    Anyway, I guess think about that when you collect your packages from the front porch. We're choosing between keeping the PPE on, or keeping hydrated. The masks are definitely interfering with my hydration strategy.

    So, here’s the thing about hand sanitizer. According to CDC guidelines, we are supposed to clean our hands when donning masks, and again before doffing them, and again after taking them off. Now, when I’m in my car, about to go into a grocery store, I don’t have soap and water, so hand sanitizer, it is. Put on the mask, sanitize. Do the shopping, sanitize. Check out? Sanitize. Get the groceries loaded? Sanitize and take the blasted mask off.

    People laugh at folks wearing their masks in their car on the highway and all I can think is that maybe they didn’t have sanitizer on them. 🤷‍♀️

    Wow!! That makes it more complicated than I realized. We keep sanitizer and wipes in the car. I use the sanitizer after returning from touching the keypad at the bank ATM. The I might occasionally wipe the steering wheel and door handles with the wipes. I actually saw a lady take her wipes with her to the ATM to disinfect the keypad before touching it. I also know a lady who washes her money everytime she gets cash. 🤔
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    Did everybody see the bus driver who was assaulted by a couple people, all over mask requirements; he died due to extensive brain injuries. :( WTF is wrong with people???? They need extensive jail time, hopefully in a Covid ward of some kind. I'm sorry, I wouldn't wish Covid on my enemies but really, to me that'd be justice working at its best.

    Is that the one in France? https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/french-bus-driver-beaten-death-after-asking-passengers-wear-face-n1233603

    I recall being surprised that stuff like that was apparently happening there too.

    A friend of mine took the bus recently, and she said most were wearing them, but not all. I wish the drivers were enforcing them here, or refusing to let people on. Possibly some are, some aren't.

    Unfortunately the driver would rather take a chance with the possible virus vs possible physical altercation.

    I don't think a physical altercation would be very likely here (you can't get on until you pay, you can't get on without a mask), at least not in the places I've taken buses. My friend said most people were wearing them, and the bus crowd tends to be older on average. Maybe in some parts of the South and West sides it would be different.

    I went to the post office downtown last week and had to ask for help finding a package at the desk. There are big signs that masks are required, and everyone was wearing them and standing on the dots that social distance those in line, but then some young woman with a bike (I also doubt bikes are allowed in the building) came up and stood right next to me without a mask. I moved sideways to get away from her (I was at the counter being helped, not in line), but didn't say anything because I am conflict avoidant in public and wasn't really in the mood for the "okay, Karen" or whatever thing she was likely to say, but I was slightly annoyed their security didn't tell her to put a mask on. But since I didn't say anything, I can't really complain, I suppose. I always find it surprising when people are just so blatant in disregarding the rules, though, since I can't imagine doing that.

    How does that work? Is the farebox attached to the outside of the bus? The places I've used buses, the fareboxes are inside the bus, next to the driver so s/he can see if you pay or not. And if you can't get on if you're not wearing a mask, does that mean that all the mask-wearers at a stop with one non-mask-wearer gets left behind? All the scenarios I'm imagining where this works involves a level of compliance that I wouldn't expect from someone who has already decided not to mask (e.g., the door opens for the mask-wearers, and the non-mask-wearer just doesn't get on because they're not supposed to).

    Even before COVID19, a bus driver here would simply drive to the nearest police station if they were contentious persons on board. Don't know if that would work in your area, but worth a try.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    edited July 2020
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I've tested with my oximeter before and after wearing a cloth mask at work for 2-3 hours, including walking up a hill and stairs and restocking the break room. No change.

    At times when I would typically be breathing hard it was a little uncomfortable but I was still able to catch my breath. Obviously just anecdotal but I have seen several doctors and nurses and say that people who struggle to breathe wearing a mask are claustrophobic and having a minor panic attack, and that even asthmatics and COPD patients can safely wear a mask.

    Considering folks in emergency medicine have been wearing masks for extended periods of time for many decades, you would think if it was even remotely dangerous there would be numerous wide-ranging studies showing proven adverse health effects. It is also quite common in other countries during flu season, yet there is no international call to avoid masks. Seems odd if they are a health risk.

    Essential workers should at least be getting breaks throughout the day where they can get a couple of minutes of fresh air. If not, the issue isn't that mask directives are a problem but that their employer is mistreating them. Which I'm sure is happening by the way.

    In my office we are required to wear a mask whenever we are within 6 ft of another person and whenever it's reasonable to think you could be, like in the hallway. It's a small building, so that pretty much means all the time, except when I'm in my office with the door closed.

    I have always been able to catch my breath, but sucking in air hard enough to bring the mask to my mouth - which puts it far more danger of getting wet - which isn't good for it.

    I'm not claustrophobic, and I know what panic attacks feel like. I have had them.

    I just do my best to limit instances where I need them. Grocery shopping once a week. No extra outings.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    edited July 2020
    lokihen wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I've tested with my oximeter before and after wearing a cloth mask at work for 2-3 hours, including walking up a hill and stairs and restocking the break room. No change.

    At times when I would typically be breathing hard it was a little uncomfortable but I was still able to catch my breath. Obviously just anecdotal but I have seen several doctors and nurses and say that people who struggle to breathe wearing a mask are claustrophobic and having a minor panic attack, and that even asthmatics and COPD patients can safely wear a mask.

    Considering folks in emergency medicine have been wearing masks for extended periods of time for many decades, you would think if it was even remotely dangerous there would be numerous wide-ranging studies showing proven adverse health effects. It is also quite common in other countries during flu season, yet there is no international call to avoid masks. Seems odd if they are a health risk.

    Essential workers should at least be getting breaks throughout the day where they can get a couple of minutes of fresh air. If not, the issue isn't that mask directives are a problem but that their employer is mistreating them. Which I'm sure is happening by the way.

    In my office we are required to wear a mask whenever we are within 6 ft of another person and whenever it's reasonable to think you could be, like in the hallway. It's a small building, so that pretty much means all the time, except when I'm in my office with the door closed.

    I have always been able to catch my breath, but sucking in air hard enough to bring the mask to my mouth - which puts it far more danger of getting wet - which isn't good for it.

    I'm not claustrophobic, and I know what panic attacks feel like. I have had them.

    I just do my best to limit instances where I need them. Grocery shopping once a week. No extra outings.

    Why not change the mask so it can't be sucked in? Some sort of stiffening material sewn on or get the ones that look more like a duck's bill.

    Ducks bill? Link? I'm having a hard time picturing that.

    This is just regular cotton, fitted (not gathered) - one with a seam down the middle and fitted over the nose and chin. This one:

    https://www.target.com/p/kids-2pk-cloth-face-masks/-/A-80332858?preselect=7990964

    I've also noticed the same thing wearing my neck gaiter:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086GW37B9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    Not sure if that really shows it. A side on view would be better.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    Yes they are stiff material and poke out in front of you a bit like a ducks bill.
    There is sort of an air gap between your mouth/nose and the fabric.

    Yours truly wearing one.

    rpltujo8unpc.jpg

    I know what you mean, like a N95/KN95 type. Those are significantly more expensive, and it's generally frowned upon to wear those here still - they are still supposed to be saved for medical workers. I've only seen then for sale once. They were the same price for 3 as a box of 10 of the surgical mask style. Since they are disposable, it gets kind of expensive.

    They are also supposed to be harder to breathe through, just in my research. If I see them for sale, I may pick up a pack and try them.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member

    Those stiffer masks? Even harder to breathe through. I'm following the conversation because I have questions about how dangerous my mask is to me now that UPS is finally requiring them, and it's 90 degrees OUTSIDE, hotter in the warehouse with no air conditioning. I'm stopping to drink water every 15 minutes, but certainly I am not given enough time to sanitize hands before removing the mask and then after replacing it as I am expected to be able to catch my hydration in between pieces of work flowing past me on a conveyor belt. Ha. So, I'm contaminating the mask with whatever's on my hands each time (Oh, yeah, and the recommendation is to use soap and water when hands are visibly dirty, which is pretty much all day in a warehouse - remember how you guys were all gung-ho on the sanitizer a few days ago?) and then if I'm sick, spreading a concentrated dose of my own germs on all the packages thereafter.

    The past 2 days, I've been assigned outside my own area. Within 30 minutes my mask is not just damp from exhalations, but DRIPPING down my face with sweat. It would be nice not to be considered selfish not to wear a mask when my options are Maybe-if-I'm-sick-even-though-I-feel-well-someone-might-get-close-to-me-and-I-could-infect-them vs I'm-going-to-pass-out-from-dehydration-or-heat-stroke. Especially when I'm working in the far end of a trailer, 30 feet from my nearest co-worker.

    Sounds like you just need a new employer, instead of the dangerous slave-driver you have now. (wink of irony accompanied by light sarcasm, but not aimed specifically at you.... ;) )