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Travel and masks

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:39 am
by Allo V Psycho
Travelling to Europe soon (necessity, not holiday), and in a vulnerable category. What's the safest re-usable mask, currently? Is a mask and face shield helpful?

(Wasn't sure if this was best here or in pandemic area)

Cheers,

AvP

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:50 am
by WFJ
Allo V Psycho wrote:
Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:39 am
Travelling to Europe soon (necessity, not holiday), and in a vulnerable category. What's the safest re-usable mask, currently? Is a mask and face shield helpful?

(Wasn't sure if this was best here or in pandemic area)

Cheers,

AvP
What do you mean by re-usable and what country are you travelling to? In many countries, your only allowed options, in places where you must wear masks, are surgical masks or FFP2 masks. In which case FFP2 are safest, but should only be reused a couple of times at most (surgical masks are officially not reusable, even if most ignore this).

If you are in a vulnerable category and want to avoid being infected, avoid any cloth masks. They are generally useless for preventing your own infection.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 9:06 am
by Allo V Psycho
WFJ wrote:
Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:50 am
Allo V Psycho wrote:
Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:39 am
Travelling to Europe soon (necessity, not holiday), and in a vulnerable category. What's the safest re-usable mask, currently? Is a mask and face shield helpful?

(Wasn't sure if this was best here or in pandemic area)

Cheers,

AvP
What do you mean by re-usable and what country are you travelling to? In many countries, your only allowed options, in places where you must wear masks, are surgical masks or FFP2 masks. In which case FFP2 are safest, but should only be reused a couple of times at most (surgical masks are officially not reusable, even if most ignore this).

If you are in a vulnerable category and want to avoid being infected, avoid any cloth masks. They are generally useless for preventing your own infection.
Destination Poland.
Re-usable, I guess I mean washable, if such a thing can be safely done. But security is more important than economy here.
I guess I am thinking about FFP3 or something, but, as I think about it, perhaps the single use disposables might be best?

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 11:19 am
by WFJ
Only FFP2 or 3 masks offer any real protection for the wearer. Disposable surgical masks only help to stop you infecting other people. They are also a lot more comfortable to wear for longer periods than the surgical masks, as although the form a tighter seal around your cheeks and chin, they do not sit so close to your mouth and lower nose.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 3:17 pm
by Bird on a Fire
Moved thread to the pandemic subforum.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:27 pm
by Brightonian
Quick note, was thinking myself of FFP3 and on looking at Amazon reviews etc. it seems many are very poorly made (straps come off very easily) and I was suspicious of them anyway so I didn't get any in the end.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 6:13 pm
by Herainestold
The hierarchy is FFP2 or 3, surgical mask (recent Bangladesh cluster randomized trial showed surgical to be better than cloth) and cloth comes last.
Double masking, cloth over surgical (cloth helps seal surgical to face), is a workable alternative to FFP2 - obviously not as good.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:12 am
by Millennie Al
Since a good fit is essential for a mask to work, see the HSE guidance at https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/ppe- ... pe-rpe.htm It's amazing how many people you see with a mask that has a visible gap, rendering it useless.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:25 am
by headshot
I have a ton of FFP2 masks from work. I’d be happy to post you a few if you like.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:57 am
by sTeamTraen
If it helps: Depending on the country you are going to, you may find that you feel less vulnerable in public places than in the UK. Certainly here in Spain everyone is wearing a mask indoors and many are still doing so outdoors, and hospitality places are still taking distancing very seriously. You are also objectively less vulnerable because most of Europe has Covid rates about a quarter of the UK's at the moment.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 12:02 pm
by WFJ
Herainestold wrote:
Sun Sep 19, 2021 6:13 pm
The hierarchy is FFP2 or 3, surgical mask (recent Bangladesh cluster randomized trial showed surgical to be better than cloth) and cloth comes last.
Double masking, cloth over surgical (cloth helps seal surgical to face), is a workable alternative to FFP2 - obviously not as good.
No. This is terrible advice, especially to someone who has described themselves as vulnerable. For self protection, it is FFP2/3 or basically no protection.

ETA: but as sTeamTraen wrote, when out and about in Poland or many other EU countries, you would be at far lower risk than in the UK. Although flights/travelling are higher risk situations.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 12:08 pm
by shpalman
sTeamTraen wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:57 am
If it helps: Depending on the country you are going to, you may find that you feel less vulnerable in public places than in the UK. Certainly here in Spain everyone is wearing a mask indoors and many are still doing so outdoors, and hospitality places are still taking distancing very seriously. You are also objectively less vulnerable because most of Europe has Covid rates about a quarter of the UK's at the moment.
Cases, deaths, and the test positivity rate are all very low in Poland (but their vaccination coverage is also a bit low).

If it's anything like Slovakia in August, nobody will be wearing masks outside, but everyone will be wearing them in the supermarkets.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:25 pm
by discovolante
I bought FFP2 masks but found them almost impossible to wear without there being a huge gap particularly around my nose, even with a cloth mask over the top. Any tips?

ETA the cloth mask also had a wire over the bridge of the nose to bend and help with the seal but the FFP2 gets in the way and it all just gets too cumbersome to feel like it's being particularly effective.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:13 pm
by headshot
discovolante wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:25 pm
I bought FFP2 masks but found them almost impossible to wear without there being a huge gap particularly around my nose, even with a cloth mask over the top. Any tips?

ETA the cloth mask also had a wire over the bridge of the nose to bend and help with the seal but the FFP2 gets in the way and it all just gets too cumbersome to feel like it's being particularly effective.
Strange, the ones I've got make a really good seal and have a firm nose bridge wire.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:16 pm
by discovolante
headshot wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:13 pm
discovolante wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:25 pm
I bought FFP2 masks but found them almost impossible to wear without there being a huge gap particularly around my nose, even with a cloth mask over the top. Any tips?

ETA the cloth mask also had a wire over the bridge of the nose to bend and help with the seal but the FFP2 gets in the way and it all just gets too cumbersome to feel like it's being particularly effective.
Strange, the ones I've got make a really good seal and have a firm nose bridge wire.
Do you have a link?

I think the ones i had had *something* to help shape round the nose but it wasn't much use.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:46 pm
by Bird on a Fire
I bought some random ones in the supermarket (so no link I'm afraid) - they had a ribbon of wire on the nose bridge but it was really stiff and took a fair bit of playing before I could mould it to my fizzog. Got there eventually, though.

I could tell the seal was ok, because I had to run for my flight thanks to a baggage handlers' strike (protip: pay baggage handlers) and got properly steamed up which was lovely.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:50 pm
by headshot
discovolante wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:16 pm
headshot wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:13 pm
discovolante wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:25 pm
I bought FFP2 masks but found them almost impossible to wear without there being a huge gap particularly around my nose, even with a cloth mask over the top. Any tips?

ETA the cloth mask also had a wire over the bridge of the nose to bend and help with the seal but the FFP2 gets in the way and it all just gets too cumbersome to feel like it's being particularly effective.
Strange, the ones I've got make a really good seal and have a firm nose bridge wire.
Do you have a link?

I think the ones i had had *something* to help shape round the nose but it wasn't much use.
https://www.medisave.co.uk/ffp2-respira ... of-50.html

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:53 pm
by discovolante
headshot wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:50 pm
discovolante wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:16 pm
headshot wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:13 pm


Strange, the ones I've got make a really good seal and have a firm nose bridge wire.
Do you have a link?

I think the ones i had had *something* to help shape round the nose but it wasn't much use.
https://www.medisave.co.uk/ffp2-respira ... of-50.html
Thank you :)

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2021 6:38 am
by Brightonian
Twitter thread on how it's OK to reuse disposable masks. To cut down costs I've taken to using "single use" FFP2 masks for a couple of weeks at a time until they start to smell a bit. In practice, unless I'm on a long distance journey, I only really use one for 20 minutes every day or two in the supermarket.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2021 1:31 pm
by Stranger Mouse
headshot wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:50 pm
discovolante wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:16 pm
headshot wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:13 pm


Strange, the ones I've got make a really good seal and have a firm nose bridge wire.
Do you have a link?

I think the ones i had had *something* to help shape round the nose but it wasn't much use.
https://www.medisave.co.uk/ffp2-respira ... of-50.html
Thanks Headshot. One of the reasons I haven’t got FFP2 so far is because I couldn’t find any which didn’t have either terrible reviews or a sky high price.

I wonder if I can persuade my caree to wear one. How easy are they to breathe through?

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2021 2:24 pm
by discovolante
I use FFP3 sometimes, they're about a fiver a pop so only use them for long journeys on public transport but they're much comfier than FFP2.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2021 2:42 pm
by Opti
We used them when we came back to that London for 24hrs.
Virtually no one else was using anything.

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2021 2:43 pm
by headshot
Stranger Mouse wrote:
Sat Dec 25, 2021 1:31 pm
headshot wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:50 pm
discovolante wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:16 pm


Do you have a link?

I think the ones i had had *something* to help shape round the nose but it wasn't much use.
https://www.medisave.co.uk/ffp2-respira ... of-50.html
Thanks Headshot. One of the reasons I haven’t got FFP2 so far is because I couldn’t find any which didn’t have either terrible reviews or a sky high price.

I wonder if I can persuade my caree to wear one. How easy are they to breathe through?
These are very comfortable and easy to breathe through.

Frau HS has a smaller head than me (I’m 61cm) and prefers the fit of these: https://www.medisave.co.uk/ffp2-masks-white.html

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2021 3:35 pm
by Stranger Mouse
discovolante wrote:
Sat Dec 25, 2021 2:24 pm
I use FFP3 sometimes, they're about a fiver a pop so only use them for long journeys on public transport but they're much comfier than FFP2.
I thought they had a valve which meant they didn’t protect other people?

Re: Travel and masks

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:07 pm
by discovolante
Stranger Mouse wrote:
Sat Dec 25, 2021 3:35 pm
discovolante wrote:
Sat Dec 25, 2021 2:24 pm
I use FFP3 sometimes, they're about a fiver a pop so only use them for long journeys on public transport but they're much comfier than FFP2.
I thought they had a valve which meant they didn’t protect other people?
No you can get valveless ones.

Like this I think https://www.medisave.co.uk/ffp3-face-mask-9330.html