Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:24 pm
#1878610
@kanga I think I can help a little with the reasoning at least.
Mask wearing by the public was discouraged at the start because PPE was at a premium and urgently needed by NHS staff. This in turn was because of the failure to respond properly to the lessons learned on Project Cygnus and elsewhere.
Once the PPE crisis was contained mask wearing was encouraged/required but the legacy of the doubt cast on the usefulness of mask wearing continued to have an impact.
There was also confusion about mask wearing being a protection for the wearer, protection for others or both.
The simple fact is that Covid is transmitted primarily by aerosols and to a lesser extent by droplets (the emphasis was on droplets and therefore surface hygiene at the start) . It follows that mask wearing reduces the volume of aerosols in the atmosphere and thus the the transmission risk.
Mask wearing by the public was discouraged at the start because PPE was at a premium and urgently needed by NHS staff. This in turn was because of the failure to respond properly to the lessons learned on Project Cygnus and elsewhere.
Once the PPE crisis was contained mask wearing was encouraged/required but the legacy of the doubt cast on the usefulness of mask wearing continued to have an impact.
There was also confusion about mask wearing being a protection for the wearer, protection for others or both.
The simple fact is that Covid is transmitted primarily by aerosols and to a lesser extent by droplets (the emphasis was on droplets and therefore surface hygiene at the start) . It follows that mask wearing reduces the volume of aerosols in the atmosphere and thus the the transmission risk.
John Milner Fairly tolerant PPL/IR flying a TB 20 from Gloucestershire and Flyer Club member