Flying with mask

[N860CR]

You’re reading too much into it. N860CR and I disagree on the approach to managing covid. That’s well known. I’d prefer my approach where I don’t have my travel disrupted. I’m not prepared to ‘take what comes’ if it means having to stay an extra week somewhere, get ‘recovered’ documents, rearrange tickets or buy new airfares, and be away from work.

And again, raising your mask with your dirty hands between bites is not going to prevent that. I’m not trying to be rude, but you need to accept reality. I’d certainly rather not have to deal with any eventualities either, but that’s part of life and I’m mature enough to accept that. You seem to be living in some fantasy land where you believe you can avoid contracting an endemic, contagious, extremely mild virus using largely pointless measures for eternity.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

And again, raising your mask with your dirty hands between bites is not going to prevent that. I’m not trying to be rude, but you need to accept reality. I’d certainly rather not have to deal with any eventualities either, but that’s part of life and I’m mature enough to accept that. You seem to be living in some fantasy land where you believe you can avoid contracting an endemic, contagious, extremely mild virus using largely pointless measures for eternity.

I just want the measures when i’m in close proximity with people. Which is what people should be doing anyway when they feel unwell with a cold or flu and coming in to work on public transport

And it’s not the issue of raising my mask with dirty hands… the mask is to stop me spreading it to others (and vv). As in the mask limiting the airborne spread. I dunno if my hands affect that.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Which is what people should be doing anyway when they feel unwell with a cold or flu and coming in to work on public transport

Why are people coming to work when they feel unwell in 2022? Casual workers could be a possible exception I suppose.

 

[justinbrett]

And it’s not the issue of raising my mask with dirty hands… the mask is to stop me spreading it to others (and vv). As in the mask limiting the airborne spread. I dunno if my hands affect that.

Every respectable health service says don't touch your mask, and if you do you need to change it. It's about spreading the virus from your hands to your face where you breathe it in. It's not rocket science.

The TSA rule of replacing in between bites and sips is absolutely ridiculous - and also they are not a health service.

 

[N860CR]

Every respectable health service says don't touch your mask, and if you do you need to change it. It's about spreading the virus from your hands to your face where you breathe it in. It's not rocket science.

The TSA rule of replacing in between bites and sips is absolutely ridiculous - and also they are not a health service.

It’s PPE 101 really. Once touched, said PPE is no longer sterile and should be disposed of. How many of those single use surgical masks have been floating around in peoples handbags, pockets, dashboard etc for who knows how long and then end up back on one’s face. Quite disgusting when you think about it.

 

[cwphoto]

You seem to be living in some fantasy land where you believe you can avoid contracting an endemic, contagious, extremely mild virus using largely pointless measures for eternity.

This bears repeating, humanity has truly lost it. Send the asteroid.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

It’s PPE 101 really. Once touched, said PPE is no longer sterile and should be disposed of. How many of those single use surgical masks have been floating around in peoples handbags, pockets, dashboard etc for who knows how long and then end up back on one’s face. Quite disgusting when you think about it.

The rule I use for PPE is one a day (particularly for N95 respirators that can be quite pricey). The only exception here is if I'm wearing PPE for an extended period of time during the day (i.e. the long 25+ domestic flights between Sydney and Toronto). The PPE I buy comes in a sealed bag meaning when it is not in use, I remove the PPE and place it back into the sterile bag. Before donning and doffing the PPE, I usually wash my hands thoroughly either with the gold standard soap+water or the next best thing, hand sanitizer. Don't get me wrong I'm sure my handling and donning and doffing does reduce the efficiency of the respirator slightly. But if you think an N95 respirator on its own is enough to protect you from COVID you are deluding yourself. In my case I employ multiple layers of protection including sitting at the nose of the pane (so there is no one in front of me), boarding the plane last to skip the COVID queues and being amongst the first to leave the plane.

One of the biggest mistakes people have made this whole pandemic has been placing all their chips on one thing (i.e. vaccination, masking). We need to build in layers of Swiss cheese to make COVID harder to reach us. For instance, I have yet to see a single study show that working outdoors maskless is any more dangerous than being in an indoor environment masked. Indeed, an argument could be said that being outdoors with with some physical distancing is safer than being in a crowded room for 10 hours with an N95 on.

-RooFlyer88

 

[N860CR]

The rule I use for PPE is one a day (particularly for N95 respirators that can be quite pricey). The only exception here is if I'm wearing PPE for an extended period of time during the day (i.e. the long 25+ domestic flights between Sydney and Toronto). The PPE I buy comes in a sealed bag meaning when it is not in use, I remove the PPE and place it back into the sterile bag. Before donning and doffing the PPE, I usually wash my hands thoroughly either with the gold standard soap+water or the next best thing, hand sanitizer. Don't get me wrong I'm sure my handling and donning and doffing does reduce the efficiency of the respirator slightly. But if you think an N95 respirator on its own is enough to protect you from COVID you are deluding yourself. In my case I employ multiple layers of protection including sitting at the nose of the pane (so there is no one in front of me), boarding the plane last to skip the COVID queues and being amongst the first to leave the plane.

One of the biggest mistakes people have made this whole pandemic has been placing all their chips on one thing (i.e. vaccination, masking). We need to build in layers of Swiss cheese to make COVID harder to reach us. For instance, I have yet to see a single study show that working outdoors maskless is any more dangerous than being in an indoor environment masked. Indeed, an argument could be said that being outdoors with with some physical distancing is safer than being in a crowded room for 10 hours with an N95 on.

-RooFlyer88

All well and good, but at this point it’s becoming somewhat pointless. I’d hazard a guess that you engage with people during your day? Given how widespread this is, this is when you’ll catch it. Friends, family, sitting at dinner, speaking to a colleague etc etc. If you’re wearing a mask during all those settings well then yes you may be minimizing the risk, but I do laugh a little when people walk into restaurants all masked up when they’re nowhere near anyone and then sit and laugh with friends for 2 hours.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

All well and good, but at this point it’s becoming somewhat pointless. I’d hazard a guess that you engage with people during your day? Given how widespread this is, this is when you’ll catch it. Friends, family, sitting at dinner, speaking to a colleague etc etc. If you’re wearing a mask during all those settings well then yes you may be minimizing the risk, but I do laugh a little when people walk into restaurants all masked up when they’re nowhere near anyone and then sit and laugh with friends for 2 hours.

Simple, I don't engage with people face to face most of the time. In any given week I'm in my office perhaps 2 or 3 times. When I do engage with people face to face they know the ground rules: mask on and 2 metres distance. When I get back to North America to meet family, later this year, we'll be meeting outdoors where you can't catch COVID. You're right that long term this isn't sustainable and that there will be times where I need to let my guard down. But the point here is risk minimization, not risk elimination. If I can reduce my risk of catching COVID from 80% down to 30%, with modest changes in what I do day to day it'll make all the difference for me who suffers from an autoimmune illness and is immunosuppressed.

-RooFlyer88

 

[N860CR]

Simple, I don't engage with people face to face most of the time. In any given week I'm in my office perhaps 2 or 3 times. When I do engage with people face to face they know the ground rules: mask on and 2 metres distance. When I get back to North America to meet family, later this year, we'll be meeting outdoors where you can't catch COVID. You're right that long term this isn't sustainable and that there will be times where I need to let my guard down. But the point here is risk minimization, not risk elimination. If I can reduce my risk of catching COVID from 80% down to 30%, with modest changes in what I do day to day it'll make all the difference for me who suffers from an autoimmune illness and is immunosuppressed.

-RooFlyer88

Ok well yes if that’s how you want to live your life then nobody is stopping you. I wouldn’t rely on assumptions like “you can’t catch covid outside”. Personality, I think you’re more likely to develop serious mental health issues from never engaging with people or coming within 2 metres of them without wearing a mask, but if it makes you feel better then do what you need to do.

 

[Must...Fly!]

we'll be meeting outdoors where you can't catch COVID.

Good thing you don't live in Melbourne then, the government made quite the song and dance about the apparent "fact" you can do exactly that. Anyone else remember the AAMI park saga?

 

[Chalkie]

You are correct that this is the written policy…

However, this is not my experience, and I was there during the Omicron surge in late January. Most people adopted Australian rules (taking off masks for the entire time they were eating or drinking) certainly in F, and the FAs did not object and would even continue to serve you if you didn’t have a mask. I only flew AA and AS so perhaps this is stricter on other airlines. But I took about 8 domestic flights and all were the same.

I found most of the lounges similar to Australian rules, masks off whilst seated.

All in all, I found US compliance with masks almost identical with Australia.

I just did 4 AA sectors (YYC-DFW, DFW-LGA, JFK-DFW, DFW-YYC) and used the Flagship Lounges at JFK and DFW. My experience was largely the same as yours. Mask announcements made at the beginning of the flight, but people removed them for meal service and there was no "enforcement" from the stewards and stewardesses. In the lounges people had them off while seated and eating/drinking. At DFW there were lots of people who didn't wear them at all in the FL.

 

[Quickstatus]

This basically sums it up.
When the mainstream media decides that mask mandate skits are now Ok, it now ok (but not before) to now says masks don’t make a difference without being cancelled

 

[Colin 2905]

Still an hour out of PER on a SYD-PER flight in Y, and I've pretty much decided two things:

No more flying for me until the mask requirement has been dropped, and only if there are J award seats available. If that means never flying again (after getting back to CBR), then so be it.

 

[SYD]

This will have some in conniptions.

A federal judge strikes down the mask mandate on planes and public transit.

The move comes less than a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended it through May.

www.nytimes.com