The coronavirus

mcgruff10 said:

So how effective are masks?   If both people are wearing them and talking and one person has covid the other person should be safe correct?  

i don't think we can get an accurate number that goes across the board since everyone is wearing different masks made by different materials with a different thread count. 

and i honestly don't know if you can say your second question definitively. but they certainly make a big difference. 

PJPOWER said:

mcgruff10 said:

So how effective are masks?   If both people are wearing them and talking and one person has covid the other person should be safe correct?  

I don’t know if I go as far as saying they are “safe”, but they have greatly decreased the odds of spreading it.  I don’t think it’s good for people to have a false sense of security because they are wearing a mask, as there is still a very real possibility of exposure.  Masks are definitely not 100% effective, but are better than nothing.

Yeah...you're mitigating, not eliminating, the risk. 

Masks are proven to cut the viral load. Also if both people are wearing it cuts risk down by about 80% i believe. So masks indoors are a must. Outdoors the circulating air dilutes viral particles.  So everything  ive read says if everyone  wears a face covering of any kind indoors it is a very good step towards less infection and lower  viral load.
There are 100s of videos on how to make them . Wash them everyday with your laundry. 
There are ones that require  no sewing at all. 

Spiritual_Chaos said:

How do people do with masks, do you have enough to switch everyday and throw them in with the washing... like I don't know socks... or do you handwash a few? Etc.

I have 4 or 5 I rotate through, then wash on the weekend. 

I've given up on the cloth masks that have to be washed. I also gave up on the made in China crap found all over Amazon. I just received my first box of 50 legit surgical masks from this company https://mask.demetech.us/SurgicalMask.html  They are well-made and fit securely. Made in USA. 

lastexitlondon said:

Re. Masks. 
N95 are the highest spec but for medical use.
Face coverings stop aerosolization and limit viral  load. So if everyone wears one cuts around 80% out.
There is a good test. Put mask in and try blow a lighter or candle out .

This. The non-95 provide a good amount of protection, especially if everyone is wearing them.  

Spiritual_Chaos said:

How do people do with masks, do you have enough to switch everyday and throw them in with the washing... like I don't know socks... or do you handwash a few? Etc.

I have both cloth and disposable (that makes them sound like diapers). I have about 10 cloth masks that I rotate each day, and then when I am down to two left, I hand wash the used ones and let them hand dry overnight. I don't have a washing machine in my apartment. However, if you do wash them in a machine, you should still hang dry them.

I think we are missing the  point here. The colour of mask matters not. Just wear one.