Same as you: in Wales the mask-wearing has continued, and is generally well-observed (in the small and middle-sized towns I frequent anyways).petej wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 11:02 pmI still wear a mask in shops etc as required in Wales which has been pretty consistent compared to England. The impact of masks is variable depending on the type of mask itself, the ventilation of the area, the vaccination status (vaccinated individuals tend to emit less and for a shorter duration), the wearing of masks might induce behaviour changes like giving people more space, knowledge of the levels of virus in an area also can lead to more cautious behaviour in population. The honest to your question is we don't enough about the omicron variant at this time.Ymx wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:41 pm I should add, I still wear a mask in supermarkets myself, by choice, and perhaps OCD. I don’t demand others do.
But I guess my question is, what’s the point in relation to the new variant which will prevail and has enough space to “drive a bus” through the holes in our pathetic face coverings?
I'm no expert, but the research examples of the different American towns where mask-wearing was and wasn't encouraged showed great benefits to the masks. Probably paired with the mask-wearers being more mindful of other measures as well, but the results were there.
I don't know how this new variant works, but with the variants so far, if mask-wearing can prevent hundreds if not thousands of infections per week, and in return prevent dozens of deaths alongside a week, then surely wearing a face mask is a very small effort. I fully understand complaints and questions about enforced vaccinations etc., but how anyone can get so worked up about wearing a face mask for 15 minutes in a shop or train is beyond me.
As mentioned: the masks are also a good physical reminder of the pandemic, making you aware that it's not all over yet and to just mind the basic measures.