2019 Novel Coronavirus

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Been back at the office ft for about 2.5 weeks. My face is not agreeing with the daily mask wearing. I already use sensitive skin laundry soap and change masks every day...but my cheeks are rashing out.
 
One thing I saw at the anime con with my daughter was several costumers wearing clear plastic masks so that it wouldn't hide their makeup. They look like only three points of contact, since they're worn like a pair of glass and rest on the ears/bridge of the nose. Maybe something like that is worth a shot since it gives a bit of a gap and isn't abrasive like the fabric masks are.
 
One thing I saw at the anime con with my daughter was several costumers wearing clear plastic masks so that it wouldn't hide their makeup. They look like only three points of contact, since they're worn like a pair of glass and rest on the ears/bridge of the nose. Maybe something like that is worth a shot since it gives a bit of a gap and isn't abrasive like the fabric masks are.
Do you mean a face shield? I know some places that require masks say that face shields don't count.
 
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I've seen folks wearing this type being told to change their mask or fail to fly. It isn't a mask. It's a modified shield.
Neck gaiters, bandanas, and a few other types of masks aren't approved for air travel either. I just flew, and saw the gate agent make a guy that looked to be wearing a standard cloth mask change to a surgical mask. I didn't hear the explanation of what was wrong with the one he was wearing, though.
 
Neck gaiters, bandanas, and a few other types of masks aren't approved for air travel either. I just flew, and saw the gate agent make a guy that looked to be wearing a standard cloth mask change to a surgical mask. I didn't hear the explanation of what was wrong with the one he was wearing, though.
Pretty sure masks with valves are also not approved. Could have been a cloth mask with a valve?
 
Yeah, I get hell for wearing a half face respirator through TSA because of the exhaust valve. NO issues at ticketing, check-in, or boarding gate. Get stopped at TSA and typically once on board by a curious attendant. IF you double mask (or put a KN95 inside the respirator to block free flow of air out the valve like I do), you can wear any mask that has an exhaust valve; just be prepared to explain it to the attendants.

On my recent flight to Guam, wore the respirator on Delta from LAX to HNL without question; an hour into the Delta flight from HNL to GUM; had to get the captain involved over my mask. Captain was satisfied, I was written up by the attendant but I wore my respirator and there were no further issues. Same flight and nearly all of the return flights, at least a dozen people immediately around me wearing chin straps, bandannas, neck gators or other cheap masks with valves and weren't questioned or told to wear the mask properly once. All personnel on the flight had to be either vaccinated or have a recent negative test to fly (or both).

The rules are not properly enforced by anyone, nor have the mask types been adequately tested by the powers that be.
 
The logic is fairly straightforward to understand as engineers: the purpose of the mask is to catch droplets / aerosols from your breath. So basically a filter. That's why face shields really don't do jack, and exhaust valves defeat the entire purpose. Exhaust valves are on respirators designed for YOUR protection, ie. to protect you against poison gases you only need filtration on the inhale, not the exhale. But with an infectious disease, you need it on both inhale and exhale.

The restrictions on bandanas and neck gaiters are probably a result of some published studies last year that showed they hardly did anything at all for capturing aerosols, while the standard 3-layer disposal surgical masks performed better than anything (which shouldn't be a surprise because that's what they are designed for - to prevent the health care worker from infecting patients).
 
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