Covid mask wearing protocol

[ggunn]

If not zero risk of giving Covid, why subject them to the possibility by going there? Can we not be patient?

I am being patient, but as risk declines it approaches zero asymtotically, that is, in absolute numbers the decline slows as it proceeds and never reaches zero. Old farts like me who were Firesign Theatre fans back in the day may recognize it as the Antelope Freeway Effect.

 

[ReefHound]

We are in Cozumel now. I do think they generally take it more serious than in Denver. Specifically:

- Mega and some restaurants squirt hand sanitizer in your hand when you arrive
- Blue Angel restaurant took everyone's temp and wrote them all down
- Most have the trays that you step in to sanitize your shoes. I've never seen that in the US
- Divemasters/boat captains are all diligent wearing masks and reminding divers to wear masks.

But is there any indication whatsoever that these measures have any tangible effect or are they just for show? Virtually all of the spread is thought to be from respiratory droplets and almost none through contact so all the sanitizing may be wasted effort. Provided you keep your fingers out of your mouth. The floor mats in particular seem disgusting. When I was there a few weeks in Sept I didn't see them changed out once. They looked more like breeding pools for germs not sanitizing pads. The adjacent towels were dark grey where they were once white. Not that I typically lick my shoes but I see these as counterproductive and more likely to be a source of contamination than a sanitizing.

Temp screening sounds great in theory but the execution not so much. I've worked with half dozen scanners and temped hundreds of people and they all read different and tend to read low. Any sweat will cause a real low reading. And if a place wants to "look" like they are being safe but not actually lose customers it is easy to calibrate them down. And there are plenty of things other than covid that can cause "fever". Such as sunburn.

 

[ReefHound]

If not zero risk of giving Covid, why subject them to the possibility by going there? Can we not be patient?

If we're going to wait for zero risk of covid then we might as well wait for zero risk of everything else too.

 

[Lorenzoid]

If we're going to wait for zero risk of covid then we might as well wait for zero risk of everything else too.

People seem to forget covid is a new risk that is in addition to, not instead of, all the other risks. Traveling during flu season is still the same risk it always was (although it might actually be lower going forward, if everyone continues to wear a mask). If I understand correctly, achieving herd immunity to the flu is not possible but is believed possible for covid. If this newest risk can be eliminated by staying put until we achieve herd immunity, I can do my part toward that.

 

[Coztick]

The wife was just talking to a friend that passed on her annual girls trip to Mexico.
Her friends are in Huatulco now and are required to have a covid test before returning home. Apparently the only place they could find wants $1500 USD per test...

 

[ChuckP]

But is there any indication whatsoever that these measures have any tangible effect or are they just for show? Virtually all of the spread is thought to be from respiratory droplets and almost none through contact so all the sanitizing may be wasted effort. Provided you keep your fingers out of your mouth. The floor mats in particular seem disgusting. When I was there a few weeks in Sept I didn't see them changed out once. They looked more like breeding pools for germs not sanitizing pads. The adjacent towels were dark grey where they were once white. Not that I typically lick my shoes but I see these as counterproductive and more likely to be a source of contamination than a sanitizing.

Temp screening sounds great in theory but the execution not so much. I've worked with half dozen scanners and temped hundreds of people and they all read different and tend to read low. Any sweat will cause a real low reading. And if a place wants to "look" like they are being safe but not actually lose customers it is easy to calibrate them down. And there are plenty of things other than covid that can cause "fever". Such as sunburn.

I really hate to say it this way - Are you miserable in your own life? The don't tell me WTF to do attitude, I'll just eat a bag of chips while walking down the sidewalk, I don't need to wear a mask........ Stay wherever you are at...

Yep, those things you walk on are certainly silly and probably do zero - who gives a ****. Walk on the damn thing and move on - it has sanitizer in it so it isn't a breeding pool for germs, a dog probably **** on the sidewalk right where you walked yesterday - does it matter?

Sanitizing may be a wasted effort - so what - does it hurt your precious feelings that things get sanitized?

Does it hurt you physically when the scan you with the temp monitor?

You and any other anti mask wearing individual - stay off this island and any other island - stay away from my family members in the US. It's pure ignorance to think the things we do here haven't helped prevent spread - sure it's not ebola we are talking about but for some it is - we aren't afforded the luxury medical facilities that the US has, so we need to be just a little bit safer than the next guy. We've learned to live with what really amounts to a little restriction and slight changes in our lifestyle - it's not that big of an issue..... deal with it or don't visit, it's that simple.

The selfishness that a few Americans show weighs heavily on the rest of us.

 

[ggunn]

Temp screening sounds great in theory but the execution not so much. I've worked with half dozen scanners and temped hundreds of people and they all read different and tend to read low. Any sweat will cause a real low reading. And if a place wants to "look" like they are being safe but not actually lose customers it is easy to calibrate them down. And there are plenty of things other than covid that can cause "fever". Such as sunburn.

I recently went to a doctor's appointment on a cold day. I got screened for temperature with a scanner on my forehead when I walked in; it read in the 70's.

 

[ChuckP]

The wife was just talking to a friend that passed on her annual girls trip to Mexico.
Her friends are in Huatulco now and are required to have a covid test before returning home. Apparently the only place they could find wants $1500 USD per test...

Have them check at any Costamed Medical Facility (private) or private hospital, tests in Cozumel are 2800 pesos, like 150 usd, they've had them for 5-6 months or so

 

[ggunn]

The selfishness that a few Americans show weighs heavily on the rest of us.

It weighs on us in the US as well.

 

[Coztick]

They use the same PCR test to diagnose the Flu. If the test can't differentiate between them, how do they claim that the flu is nonexistent this year?