COVID-19 Musings - Masks

The topic for Week 14 of #SLVMemoryBank is Cover Up - Face masks. From Thursday 23 July the wearing of face masks in Melbourne when away from home has been mandatory.

Fortunately we had purchased masks with filters which we have now become used to wearing if going shopping or going for a walk as exercise.

The masks took some getting used to and it is definitely harder to breathe when walking uphill wearing a mask. There are lots of small hills in our area. When we go for a walk we share airpods to listen to listen to music on Spotify via the phone. The first time I went for  a walk wearing a mask I concentrated on breathing, initially through my mouth before relaxing enough to breath normally. By the end of the walk I was able to sing quietly to some of the music.One advantage of a mask is that you can sing quietly without the fear of attracting attention.

Currently I am experimenting with making masks in the hope of creating one that does not place too much pressure on my face causing neuralgia pains. 

First attempt but now that I have made one it should be easier to make others in differnt colours and fabrics.

Meanwhile other members of the family are, of course, wearing masks.

Children under 12 do not have to wear masks however they are all prepared.

Most people in our area wear masks and also observe social distancing. With Stage 4 restrictions which began in Melbourne on 3 August leaving home is further restricted to exercise outside your property (if essential) once a day for up to a maximum of one hour a day. Shopping is restricted allowing one person from each house shopping at a centre no further than 5 km from home. This should greatly reduce the number of people in the streets at one time.

When we went for a walk on the first day of Stage 4 restrictions we only saw about six people, mainly walking dogs. Everyone observed social distancing etiquette when passing other pedestrians. By contrast there were lots of people out the previous day, a number of the younger ones encroaching on the space of others.

Communication can be a problem when wearing a mask. I always used to smile at people when we passed but now I acknowledge them with a wave.

By the time restrictions are eased we should all be so used to wearing masks that we will continue wearing them until the danger from COVID-19 has passed. Last time people, especially in shopping centres, started to ignore social distancing. Wearing masks should help when that time comes again.

I started writing this post in July and it is now October and restrictions have been slightly modified. We can now go for a walk for up to two hours a day and more than one person can go shopping.  

 

The wearing of masks continues to be mandatory in Victoria and will problably continue to be so for some months yet. Most people comply however some people seem to have the strange idea that wearing a mask so that it only covers the chin or hangs like a necklace around the neck will protect the wearer, and anyone they they encounter, from COVID-19. Some people wear the mask with the nose exposed.

 

There is an an exception to mask wearing while you are smoking or having a drink. From time to time you see people, not wearing a mask, pushing trolleys while they have a cup in their hand. I guess they think that they are making a statement about having to wear a mask. In the supermarket yesterday we saw a superior young man walking around the supermarket with a cup in his hand. Presumably it was a cup of coffee but he did not appear to be drinking any of it.

 

Meanwhile, thank you to everyone who is doing the right thing when it comes to mask wearing.