Masks: How do you encourage people that they help?

My daughter, an ER nurse in Minneapolis, was here yesterday for an outdoor visit. She has been off work for 3 months due to her personal health risks, but is finally returning to a non-contact job tomorrow. However, she is closely involved with her union, so has been in daily contact with coworkers and management throughout her physical absence.

Now to get to the point - since the ENTIRE staff in the buildings, from cleaners to CEO, have been required to mask AT ALL TIMES, worker to worker and/or environmental transmission of Covid-19 has dropped by about 80 - 90%. These are not all brand new every shift N95 masks - those are for patient-facing staff - but rather surgical or cloth masks or N95 masks repeatedly sanitized and reused. Early in pandemic days, about an equal number of workers who never had patient contact were getting Covid as those who had regular contact - up to 100 people at a time were in quarantine. Right now, around 40-50 patient-facing personnel are out, but only 3 who never have patient contact. This is despite the fact that the still has many virus patients - and their Covid ICU continues to be above 50% capacity.

I encouraged her to get this information better quantified and get it to the department of health and the news outlets. So it appears that masks do help...

Sue

@robbie1956. My daughter and I wear glasses. She reminded me to wash my glasses after I'm out, just like washing my hands.

@zeiracorp- Yes, there are people who are doing this, reaching out to make scenes and try to humiliate people. Recently this happened at a local ice cream shop where some people barged their way into the store and refused to obey the sign to wear masks. The workers are young kids trying to make some money during vacation. These people went "at" them with the full force of the political agenda against wearing masks. It's just awful that politics has played a role in downplaying the seriousness of COVID-19. They say stupid things like, "I'm not going to live in fear for the rest of my life." Being polite is the only way to go is by being respectful as @astaingegerdm said. "respectful to wear a mask all the time out so one does not make others sick." Trying to argue with them just urges them on. I love a good debate but will not debate these fools. They are just blinded to the truth.

If I were out and someone was not wearing a mask I would turn my back and wait for them to pass or leave a store.

@robbie1956- Masks protect others in case you have COVID-19 and don't realize it. This is why it is so important for everyone to wear a mask.

Dr. Gregory Poland explains why:

COVID-19: Mayo Clinic expert answers questions about masks after CDC updates its recommendation
— https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-mayo-clinic-expert-answers-questions-about-masks-after-cdc-updates-its-recommendation/

COVID-19: How much protection do face masks offer?: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449

Does this clear things up for you?

That is really great news @sueinmn. Thank you for sharing. Hopefully the data/information can be shared outside to the media to encourage people to wear masks.

When I was at Mayo in Rochester a few weeks ago, I heard the same thing about the 80% - 90% drop in staff COVID19 cases when masks were required. The staff who are in direct contact with patients are also wearing clear protective eyewear, even over their own eyeglasses as an added layer of protection.

On a side note - I had to make an in-person bank transaction on Friday. The bank door was locked, and so I was met by a masked bank employee -in this instance, it was a small branch office so it was the office manager - who unlocked the door, and had me give my name and phone number when I entered. I was the only customer in the lobby, and I learned that it was for contact tracing if needed. After I completed my business, I thanked her for the added protection. I could not see her face that was hidden behind the mask, but her reaction indicated to me that she had never been thanked before!

@zeiracorp Yes, businesses can ask people who will not comply with mask requirements to leave, and in most places it is probably a misdemeanor not to do so. But here in the Twin Cities, our police are stretched beyond the limit by other events of the day, and have made it clear they cannot respond to such calls. In other parts of the country, law enforcement has been known to openly mock and/or defy masking requirements (the political thing again, I suppose.)

Finally, business owners are fearful of violence with so many people passionate about the matter, and nerves frayed by the pandemic and current events, and will not enforce or ask their employees to do it. I just leave businesses where people are not masked - even my favorite local hardware store, where everyone except the owners are masked and practicing safe distancing.
Sue

@sueinmn @zeiracorp. There's a video going around about this woman who went to Trafer Joe's, at first she had a mask on so she was let in. Then she took off her mask, when the staff told her

@sueinmn @zeiracorp ooops, didn't finish..what happened? Anyway when the staff told her to put her mask back on, she just went nuts and screamed that her doctor told her due to medical reasons, she cannot wear a mask, and it's against federal law to force her. She was so loud and obnoxious, there's nothing wrong with her lungs. My friend who owns a nail salon required her customer to have temperature taken and wash hands before going inside. Thus woman absolutely refused, so my friend denied her service. She went to Yelp and gave the salon a very nasty rating saying she was denied because of her race. This pandamic seems to bring out the worst in some people. When I see people without masks even while I am walking, I would walk farther away, no need to tempt fate.

Yes...good point.. glasses need wiping, washing...I wear them...but I have to pocket them when I put the mask on...I tend to fog up the lenses..but glad you mentioned it.