| useruserB said: As much as I and many others dislike face coverings, the data just keeps on showing that they work, esp when coupled with other common sense mitigation measures. Previously we had the hamster study suggesting substantially less risk of transmission when wearing a mask and when transmission did occur, the disease was less severe. Now we have a conclusion to the infected Missouri hair stylists who exposed over 100 clients to coronavirus back in May because they worked while symptomatic(though they did only have mild symptoms) "Two Missouri hair stylists who saw dozens of clients while infected with the coronavirus did not pass the illness to any of their customers who were tested, health officials said. The health department also said Monday that in addition to required masks, the Great Clips had other policies like the distancing of chairs and staggered appointments that likely prevented the spread of the disease." So, it sounds like haircuts are probably safe if everyone is wearing a mask, properly distanced etc... |
Every bit helps keeping the viral load under the threshold where it can do harm. A mask won't protect you 100% but often less than a 50% reduction is enough to stop the virus from taking hold. A mask also does stop the bigger particles. Small aerosol particles do go through, but you need a lot more of those to get infected. A man doesn't shoot out up to a billion sperm for nothing ;)
Good ventilation is also key, few people inside and as a hairdresser you are mostly behind the client and not at the same level. I do have my doubts about going back to the dentist though. Plaque removal is a messy job, patients obviously can't wear face masks. The mouth hygienist would have to wear a N95 respirator to stay safe and not transfer anything to the next patient. They already wear surgical face masks normally but that won't be enough with prolonged close contact that generates lots of aerosol particles. I wonder if they'll use the N95 masks when they re-open (still closed for now) That's not 100% either, but much better than the standard surgical masks.
Canada has decided on a contact tracing app they want to introduce next month on a voluntary basis. What it does is, when someone gets tested positive, their anonymous unique ID gets flagged and all phones that have registered of having been closed to that ID will get alerted. Bluetooth is used to scan for other phones nearby and log the encounter when close to another phone for a certain period of time.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/pm-says-a-national-contact-tracing-app-is-coming-next-month-how-will-it-work-1.4989702
It does seem like a waste of money and time when it's only voluntary.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/4-takeaways-from-contact-tracing-apps-in-other-countries-1.4990497
In Iceland, developers launched “Rakning C-19” in early April and it was quickly downloaded by 38 per cent of the population, but its impact has been minimal. “The technology is more or less … I wouldn’t say useless,” Gestur Pálmason, a detective with the Icelandic Police Service overseeing contact tracing efforts, told the MIT Technology Review. “I would say [Rakning-19] has proven useful in a few cases, but it wasn’t a game changer for us.”
A study out of the University of Oxford inApril, shows that contact tracing apps can help stop an epidemic, but only if approximately 60 per cent of the population uses it.
In Singapore, “TraceTogether” launched in April, but its lead developer was quick to temper expectations surrounding the product. In a blog post, Jason May said the app would not be a “panacea” for the spread of the virus and that it is only meant to complement the existing tracing efforts. “You cannot ‘big data’ your way out of a ‘no data’ situation. Period,” May wrote in the post.
In the United Kingdom, a contact tracing app had been a focal point of its response to the virus, with an initial plan to release their app in mid-May, but now the British government has said it won’t be ready before winter. The U.K. government added that the delays are simply because it is no longer a priority, as they’ve noticed that people would rather hear any potential bad news from a human voice, rather than a notification on their phone.
In the United States, a survey from Avira indicates that more than 71 per cent of Americans would not download a contact tracing app if it were an option.
Every bit helps I guess, it can slightly speed up contact tracing.
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