It is very frustrating and annoying that in hard times and especially during a pandemic, we see people exploiting the situation by selling items way above the market price. Unfortunately, it will nearly always be health-related items.
I did have a little chuckle to myself when I read the story from Australia about the hoarder who bought hundreds of packs of toilet rolls and hand sanitisers to resell on an online selling site, and his site was subsequently closed down, and rightly so. He supposedly used a team of people to buy the stuff to sell on at a profit. When his site was closed, he tried to return the items for a refund and the store manager, told him where to go, and according to one blurred picture, not in a very polite form either. Just put ‘Australian shopkeeper refuses a refund’ into a search engine and you will find the story if you don’t already know it. But I did laugh as in my opinion the person got exactly what he deserved and it cost him AUD 10,000 into the bargain – and I say ‘good.’
And here is my example, while searching on an online shopping site I found this advert, and once more I despair at the price these items are being sold for, but then it also concerns me at how much money people are prepared to pay to protect themselves during this crisis. This advert is for one mask. A couple of months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I bought a box of five, very similar masks, certainly masks with the same protection levels and just as good as these, and for each box of five it cost about £11, and this is showing £31 for one mask. And I wonder if people actually know what they are buying?
And in my opinion, this is why the Government should be upfront, and they should have the experts telling us what we should be doing on a daily or at last a weekly basis. There is an abundance of masks out there offering different levels of protection. And I believe it should be someone like our very own Health and Safety Executive, or a mask manufacturer telling us the ins and outs of wearing masks and their benefits. Certainly not Boris Johnson, not his stand-in and First Secretary for State, Dominic Rabb, who was once the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, and was Minister of State for Courts and Justice. Not even Matt Hancock who is Minister of State at the Department of Health.
Why is the Government so scared to get the experts to stand up and tell us what we need to know about these masks? Let’s face it; I doubt there are many if any MP’s who are experts in the department they are nominated to run. Does Johnson, Raab or Hancock know the difference between FFP1, 2 & 3 or N95, or what the N in 95 stands for, I doubt it very much? If you don’t know, I bet you would be quite surprised!
I would ask the same about Chris Whitty, according to an internet search he is Chief Medical Officer for England, Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care and Head of the National Institute for Health Research. Now he is a clever man; however you look at it, and he is often seen and heard at these briefs, and out of curiosity, I would love to know if any of the four know the difference with these masks – if any were to know, my money is on Whitty?
And here is my little argument on this subject, and it may even sound a bit contradictory, but being honest these people don’t need to know the difference do they? As a comparison, it’s a bit like the Managing Director of a large haulage company needing to know how to change the clutch on an articulated lorry! He doesn’t need to know because he has the people to do this for him, so these ministers don’t need the difference in the protection levels that these masks give people. They will have people in their teams who know. These ministers just make the important decisions based on information they are given, just like if the vehicle needs a new clutch or a simple seal changing!
But when it comes to changing a clutch, I’d rather hear all about it from someone who knows rather than someone with just a few facts, and possibly not understanding the process or technicalities. Wearing respirators is similar; we are in a situation whereby we are being told so many different things. So let’s get the experts up there to answer the questions from the media. I would like to hear a brief with a mask and medical expert sitting side by side, answering some important questions!
Admittedly the £31 mask above, offers high protection levels and is similar to the types the NHS require to carry out their jobs safely. However, any internet search will tell you that this style of mask is ‘non-reusable’ and that means the guidelines, certainly in industry, will say to us that they are thrown away after a standard eight-hour shift. Or if required to be changed sooner through damage or contamination, and it cannot be washed.
However, once again, the more we research this problem, the more we find that in the present situation, guidelines change. I have read on a couple of online sites that these can now be used again if the mask is looked after and it is functional and in a good useable condition.
I was going to say that on this subject I will abstain from giving my opinion, but why write without views. So, here goes. I am more inclined to agree with the second suggestion here. And as long as I had somewhere safe to keep the mask clean when I wasn’t using it, and so away from any form of infection or particles, including general dust, preferably by using one of those re-sealable food bags with the plastic zip. If I had wipes to give it a gentle clean down after each use, and as long as the mask stays in good condition, with no rips or tears or other signs of wear and tear, and it is never damaged, then I personally would re-use one of these types of NR (non-re-usable) masks.
The important thing here is that is my opinion, and that is what I would be prepared to do, that does not mean anyone else should do the same, it is not advice, it is only my opinion.
Stay safe, and thanks for reading.