To mask or not to mask?

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Since I don't have the option of working from home, I am glad that I work alone for the most part.

However, for at least one week per month, I do have to spend eight hours a day training the new guys. There is plenty of space here in the control room to keep good distance between us and we've locked down this place like Fort Knox!

No one is allowed in here except our six controllers, our supervisors and the cleaning lady, lol. Essential personnel only! The six of us work rotating shifts and the job only requires one person, so there is no need for multiple people up here at any given time, except when we make the relief and brief our co-worker coming on duty and when we have a trainee.

Now that the new CDC guidelines call for covering our faces (nose and mouth) when sharing the same airspace with others (outside of the home),
I think I will be reusing the limited N95s we are provided whenever I'm up here with others.

Guess I'll spray it with Lysol like this doctor does and hope for the best!:eek:
Or perhaps just leaving it out to dry....

How to Disinfect N95 Masks: Bottom Line
Leaving masks out to dry should disinfect them from the coronavirus, SARS, and influenza A in under 48 hours. 72 hours would be even more conservative.

Of course, more data is needed. Particularly needed is direct tests of viability on masks and with virus concentrations that would be common on masks.
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/disinfect-clean-n95-mask-virus-coronavirus/



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-ppe-gear-equipment-n95-masks-medical-doctors-nurses/
"This is me in the 1 (one) N95 mask I have to see patients in our suburban LA pediatric office," wrote Dr. Rebecca Mandel, a pediatrician in Los Angeles. "Sprayed it with Lysol tonight and hung it to dry to reuse in the morning."
_________________________________________________________________________________
I take my hat off to the doctors, nurses, EMTs and all of the medical and hospital staff who are on the front lines! Incredible people.
 
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@redtail your control room just screams “could be designed to be operated remotely” and should be for backup purposes anyway... someday.

Hopefully for future events for you guys anyway. Takes some engineering thought about connectivity outages and such, but can be done.

Stay safe.
 
The lack of understanding on this issue is astounding! Example if I drink enough screwdrivers (oj and vodka) I get drunk. If I drink enough mimosas (oj and champagne) I get drunk so obviously orange juice makes you drunk.
 
One day we will be able to look at all this in the mirror. Until then be safe, stay healthy, and let your loved ones know how much they mean to you.

Best wishes to all!
 
denverpilot said:
@redtail your control room just screams “could be designed to be operated remotely” and should be for backup purposes anyway... someday.

Hopefully for future events for you guys anyway. Takes some engineering thought about connectivity outages and such, but can be done.

Stay safe.
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I agree. It's been in the works for a longgg time now. Systems automation started years ago, but due to circumstances beyond my control (basically red tape and the contractor they hired) and beyond my pay scale to be involved with or discuss, we still have to mind the store.
We do have a couple of remote locations, but they aren't complete. So half of what we do can only be done from this central location.

I've been a controller for 20 years and with the agency for 34. At the rate things are going, I'll be long gone before it becomes a reality (either retired or dead or both), lol. I told my co-worker just yesterday, that, if I'm alive in October when I turn 55, I'll probably retire (although I really like my job). I have the time (30+ years), so once I turn 55, I could retire with full pension benefits according to my contract.
I was really considering staying on for a few more years, possibly til 60, but this pandemic has changed my mind considerably!

I know too many past co-workers who never made it to retirement (prior to the current events) and two days ago, I heard that one of the guys that I trained and used to work with (he transferred to another facility years ago), is on a ventilator fighting for his life! Covid-19 victim.

He's two years younger than me.
 
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Everskyward said:
I just found a couple N95s in my bathroom closet. Used. I wore them last year while helping a friend work on his sailboat. I think we were working with somewhat unfriendly chemicals. No clue why I didn't throw them away. I guess I'll spritz them with alcohol and use them.
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No no. Don't put alcohol or soaps on them. There is a electrostatic component to the filtering mechanism. Also, the fibers are coated with somethingortheother. If you use any solvent or soap on them, you do away with whatever makes them a N95. If they have sat in a closet for a year , they are pure as the driven snow as far as covid is concerned.
 
An observation at the grocery store yesterday:
People wearing masks were touching their faces MUCH more frequently than those not so attired...constantly readjusting said masks.
That is all. Carry on.
 
Reading the early posts in this thread is enlightening. As of yesterday, the official CDC recommendation announced at the White House coronavirus task force press conference is to wear masks whether you have symptoms or not since there's evidence infected asymptomatic folks can infect others. It would be nice if the promised "anybody who wants to get tested can get tested" were true.

The mixed messaging from the top reminds me of a Keystone Cops fiasco.
 
wrbix said:
An observation at the grocery store yesterday:
People wearing masks were touching their faces MUCH more frequently than those not so attired...constantly readjusting said masks.
That is all. Carry on.
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I have spent the last few weeks conditioning myself not to touch my face and to ignore things like an itch sensation. If you don't have access to disposable gloves or a handwashing facility for every time you don or doff a mask, the net benefit is uncertain at best.

Finally community spread has made it into our area. I am on-call in a acute care hospital today. Even though I have very little patient contact, it's a spooky place to work. Health screening at the door, lots of people in masks, suddenly ID readers have appeared at doors that didn't have them before. While you need to keep an eye on what you are doing, one has to be careful not to treat everyone you come in contact with as if they are exuding anthrax spores.
 
wrbix said:
An observation at the grocery store yesterday:
People wearing masks were touching their faces MUCH more frequently than those not so attired...constantly readjusting said masks.
That is all. Carry on.
Click to expand...

Actually, that is a great reason to wear a mask. Compulsively readjusting your face is much more acceptable in public than compulsively readjusting your six.
 
Stan Cooper said:
Reading the early posts in this thread is enlightening. As of yesterday, the official CDC recommendation announced at the White House coronavirus task force press conference is to wear masks whether you have symptoms or not since there's evidence infected asymptomatic folks can infect others. It would be nice if the promised "anybody who wants to get tested can get tested" were true.

The mixed messaging from the top reminds me of a Keystone Cops fiasco.
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I'm sure that in six months anyone will be able to be test. Otherwise, they'll need 100 million test kits, or more, and that's a large number to produce, and logistically a nightmare to distribute.
But if I'm still ticking when this is over, I'll get tested.
 
wrbix said:
An observation at the grocery store yesterday:
People wearing masks were touching their faces MUCH more frequently than those not so attired...constantly readjusting said masks.
That is all. Carry on.
Click to expand...
I was able to make a similar observation yesterday and one of those people was wearing and N95 mask and kept messing with it. I thought about saying that he obviously had no need for that type of mask since he was so uncomfortable with it on, but I did not.
 
steingar said:
Do be careful, but if you’re in the presence of anyone who has it your number is up.
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That is simply not true. there have been many many cases where people have shaken hands with or attended meetings with someone who tested positive a day or two later but did not develop any infection themselves.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
But if I'm still ticking when this is over, I'll get tested.
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At that point it would probably make more sense to be tested for antibodies rather than the virus itself. The FDA just approved a blood test that screens for antibodies. If you have the antibodies it means you've had the virus and have recovered and presumably now have some level of immunity.
 
Juliet Hotel said:
At that point it would probably make more sense to be tested for antibodies ......it means you've had the virus and have recovered and presumably now have some level of immunity.
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.....until next time it mutates to a variant against which there are no protective antibodies again. Then there we go again.
I’m starting to wonder if something like this is what will thin the human herd to ecologically acceptable levels.... lather/rinse/repeat.
 
wrbix said:
.....until next time it mutates to a variant against which there are no protective antibodies again. Then there we go again.
I’m starting to wonder if something like this is what will thin the human herd to ecologically acceptable levels.... lather/rinse/repeat.
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"Something like this" is the likeliest way that thinning will happen. But I doubt it will be this virus, except maybe indirectly if our poor reaction triggers a global economic depression. At this point, that seems almost certain to happen in this country; whether the ripple effects wreak havoc on a worldwide scale remains to be seen, though it's a definite possibility.

And so far, from everything I've read, the mutations have been minimal, so there is a good chance that antibodies will be effective for a while at least. The hope is that once they have the first effective vaccine, developing new ones for the variants that eventually emerge won't be as difficult.
 
redtail said:
I know too many past co-workers who never made it to retirement (prior to the current events) and two days ago, I heard that one of the guys that I trained and used to work with (he transferred to another facility years ago), is on a ventilator fighting for his life! Covid-19 victim.

He's two years younger than me.
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Very sorry to hear.

The story about dying while working is common. We can all fall into the trap.

I suspect a lot of people are re-evaluating big things like that right now.
 
steingar said:
Don’t actually know if any of this really matters. This is the most infective virus I’ve ever seen. Sadly I know why. Do be careful, but if you’re in the presence of anyone who has it your number is up. I am really worried about a lot of members on this board. I think 20 year olds can shrug this off. We older folks aren’t so fortunate. Isolation and social distancing are all you really have. The rest is a band aide on a sword wound.
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There is a chart out of infective behavior of various virii that shows this one as some number in the low 3 range whereas influenza is 1.8. I can’t find it right now.

Other things are way up there. 6s and even 12.

But this one’s party trick seems to be how long it remains physically intact outside a host.

Also ran across some interesting preliminary numbers that indicated if you were close quarters exposed to someone shedding it, for days, it tended to result in worse respiratory behavior.

The theory was that a few get in you and have to multiply, less symptoms since your body starts to fight right away... but if you’re doused in millions of the things you have many more cells multiplying it at the same time and it overwhelms the host.

All taken with an entire truckload of salt, of course.

But it does match the current treatment here... someone we know was hospitalized briefly. Her O2 sat fell to 82 upon arrival at the hospital. She was put on O2 overnight and fell to the 60s. In her 30s with some risk factors but she continued breathing on her own with labor so they monitored.

The second she popped back to the upper 80s they got her home O2 and kicked her ass out to home quarantine. Get her away from the infected hospital. Told her if she couldn’t breathe again, come back.

Her brother who had to drive her hasn’t shown symptoms but said the process was eerie. Drive thru. Drop the patient and LEAVE. Go away now.

Luckily she had a well charged phone. She was essentially cut off from everyone otherwise. Which led us to keeping a little bag with a cell charger near the door.

No idea if you could use it, but if she had been there even 24 hours, and not intubate and on a vent, nobody would know her status at all.
 
denverpilot said:
There is a chart out of infective behavior of various virii that shows this one as some number in the low 3 range whereas influenza is 1.8. I can’t find it right now.

Other things are way up there. 6s and even 12.

But this one’s party trick seems to be how long it remains physically intact outside a host.

Also ran across some interesting preliminary numbers that indicated if you were close quarters exposed to someone shedding it, for days, it tended to result in worse respiratory behavior.

The theory was that a few get in you and have to multiply, less symptoms since your body starts to fight right away... but if you’re doused in millions of the things you have many more cells multiplying it at the same time and it overwhelms the host.

All taken with an entire truckload of salt, of course.

But it does match the current treatment here... someone we know was hospitalized briefly. Her O2 sat fell to 82 upon arrival at the hospital. She was put on O2 overnight and fell to the 60s. In her 30s with some risk factors but she continued breathing on her own with labor so they monitored.

The second she popped back to the upper 80s they got her home O2 and kicked her ass out to home quarantine. Get her away from the infected hospital. Told her if she couldn’t breathe again, come back.

Her brother who had to drive her hasn’t shown symptoms but said the process was eerie. Drive thru. Drop the patient and LEAVE. Go away now.

Luckily she had a well charged phone. She was essentially cut off from everyone otherwise. Which led us to keeping a little bag with a cell charger near the door.

No idea if you could use it, but if she had been there even 24 hours, and not intubate and on a vent, nobody would know her status at all.
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Being the low-to-medium paranoid and slightly hypocondriac, I've got a small bag already packed near the door with cell charger, 2nd iPad, printed list of who to call (and tell them to take the dog to the kennel!) , pen, small pad of paper and my backup glasses. I'll grab the phone on the way out. But not having a job for 6 months, I've pretty much been in semi-quarantine anyway. No job, no reason to go anywhere but the grocery store.
 
murphey said:
Being the low-to-medium paranoid and slightly hypocondriac, I've got a small bag already packed near the door with cell charger, 2nd iPad, printed list of who to call (and tell them to take the dog to the kennel!) , pen, small pad of paper and my backup glasses. I'll grab the phone on the way out. But not having a job for 6 months, I've pretty much been in semi-quarantine anyway. No job, no reason to go anywhere but the grocery store.
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Sounds like a plan. You know the phone number if you get bored. I’ve talked to a few local CFIs and pilots just checking in on folk. No bad news so far.
 
Stan Cooper said:
Reading the early posts in this thread is enlightening. As of yesterday, the official CDC recommendation announced at the White House coronavirus task force press conference is to wear masks whether you have symptoms or not since there's evidence infected asymptomatic folks can infect others. It would be nice if the promised "anybody who wants to get tested can get tested" were true.

The mixed messaging from the top reminds me of a Keystone Cops fiasco.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the Keystone Cops job is to make us laugh unlike those whose job is to manage our nation's affairs.
 
weilke said:
I have spent the last few weeks conditioning myself not to touch my face and to ignore things like an itch sensation.
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Amazing to see how long my fingernails have grown in a couple of weeks.. LOL. Time to get a nail clipper :)

..one of those bad habits I've had all of my life and never got away from :/
 
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I told Mrs. Steingar she needed a plan to cut and run if I got it. If she stays in the house with infected me she'll die. Too many risk factors. I hope she took me seriously. She rarely does.
 
Getting closer. The hardware store in my little town, classified an essential business and the only one in the area, just got traced to being a point of virus contact and shut down. I haven't been in since March 27 and am well, so I think I'm OK. But I wore gloves, used a credit card and touch the touch screen with the edge of my wallet.
 
Chip Sylverne said:
Getting closer. The hardware store in my little town, classified an essential business and the only one in the area, just got traced to being a point of virus contact and shut down. I haven't been in since March 27 and am well, so I think I'm OK. But I wore gloves, used a credit card and touch the touch screen with the edge of my wallet.
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The manager of the ACE store tested positive. A friends son works there and was sent home. Don't know if anyone else will be positive....but it's likely.

Suit up....and be safe y'all. ;)
 
genna said:
Looks like we can talk only 1 month later. The total outcome is still unknown, but I think it's pretty safe to say that Flu, Swine Flu, Ebola, or pretty much anything that anyone alive has seen has been left far, far behind in terms of impact(and almost certainly lives taken).
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Looking back at a years worth of swine flu can easily see that covid-19 has surpassed those numbers of deaths in short order. Swine flu generally killed younger folks while covid generally kills older folks. In a year swine flu infected approximately 60mil in the US and killed approximately 12k. While covid has killed almost that in a few months!

So yeah the death rate is not looking promising at all especially for just a few months in. What strikes me though is swine flu apparently was more contagious. Covid infection numbers are quite low for as contagious as they say. But again we are only a few months in so....

We had a guy here at work who came in sick for a few days and then tested positive. He works in a shop with about 7 old people but gets around our building with 100's and they didnt shut down or send in a hazmat cleaning crew and over 2 weeks now and nobody else is sick. Another plant had a guy with a fever for a day at work in close proximity to many many people. He too tested positive and no other reports of infection and that was 3 weeks ago. If it was as contagious as they say we should have had our building shut down and the plant down the road because of mass infection. I'm not saying this as I'm not taking it lightly cause I dont want to be sick with nothing...not flu, the cold or covid. But it strikes me as odd.

And again I'm just a lowly blue collar pilot who can think for myself and not a doctor or a virologist.
 
I can tell you this, trying to talk to ATC with a surgical mask on is a PITA! I’ll still take it over gas mask any day.

5E0733FD-0A0E-4DC8-BC63-267321A7C786.jpeg
 
Velocity173 said:
I can tell you this, trying to talk to ATC with a surgical mask on is a PITA! I’ll still take it over gas mask any day.

View attachment 84438
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I once gave my Battalion Commander his APART and annual NVG eval during a 2.8 hour day and night flight while wearing full Chem/Bio suits with boots and gloves, protective masks, AN-PVS 6 goggles and the HUD. He was a tough bastard and enjoyed it. We made a point to not break the seal for the whole three hour ordeal!

As the leaders of our organizations, we meant to set an example for the crews to not cheat on their training.
 
IK04 said:
I once gave my Battalion Commander his APART and annual NVG eval during a 2.8 hour day and night flight while wearing full Chem/Bio suits with boots and gloves, protective masks, AN-PVS 6 goggles and the HUD. He was a tough bastard and enjoyed it. We made a point to not break the seal for the whole three hour ordeal!

As the leaders of our organizations, we meant to set an example for the crews to not cheat on their training.
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That was my last flight in the Army so I allowed that pilot in the pic to cheat. NBC eval with only mask. We were pushing wet bulb limits as well so no point in having him pass out on my last flight. That guy is actually flying 747s now.
 
redtail said:
I agree. It's been in the works for a longgg time now. Systems automation started years ago, but due to circumstances beyond my control (basically red tape and the contractor they hired) and beyond my pay scale to be involved with or discuss, we still have to mind the store.
We do have a couple of remote locations, but they aren't complete. So half of what we do can only be done from this central location.

I've been a controller for 20 years and with the agency for 34. At the rate things are going, I'll be long gone before it becomes a reality (either retired or dead or both), lol. I told my co-worker just yesterday, that, if I'm alive in October when I turn 55, I'll probably retire (although I really like my job). I have the time (30+ years), so once I turn 55, I could retire with full pension benefits according to my contract.
I was really considering staying on for a few more years, possibly til 60, but this pandemic has changed my mind considerably!

I know too many past co-workers who never made it to retirement (prior to the current events) and two days ago, I heard that one of the guys that I trained and used to work with (he transferred to another facility years ago), is on a ventilator fighting for his life! Covid-19 victim.

He's two years younger than me.
Click to expand...

Best wishes to your colleague, and enjoy your retirement.

As for masks, I wear one when I'm expected to, more as a repellent to self-appointed social-distancing hall monitors than for any other reason. It's the path of least resistance to being left alone. Whatever medical benefits it may have are gravy. I have my doubts about the latter, but I think the chances of it doing some good are probably higher than of it doing any harm.

Rich
 
Our state made a mandatory mask rule, except the way it’s worded you only need one if you can’t maintain 6’ distance so there’s a lot of room for interpretation. Also most of our local county boards and municipalities have announced they won’t enforce the rules anymore (rural IL is in some significant conflict with our governor who seems to be making all the decisions based on Chicago).

Anyway I didn’t make this post to get political. Point is just to be sure I don’t have issues I got a mask. Here I am grocery shopping last week....

AC08F716-8254-45FF-AC55-3D7CC0B6ED4B.jpeg
 
aren't there laws against walking into certain places with a mask on?...in the sense robbing banks, etc...
 
RJM62 said:
Best wishes to your colleague, and enjoy your retirement.

As for masks, I wear one when I'm expected to, more as a repellent to self-appointed social-distancing hall monitors than for any other reason. It's the path of least resistance to being left alone. Whatever medical benefits it may have are gravy. I have my doubts about the latter, but I think the chances of it doing some good are probably higher than of it doing any harm.

Rich
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We went out to eat last night, no masks. Sorry ya’all, this isn’t the movie “Contagion” as much as it is “1984.”

I’m with Elon. Make your own choices.
 
We had a family Zoom. My brother the retired immunologist, my niece the ER doctor and my other niece the surgeon gave this advice:
1. Take care of yourself and those close to you with a properly worn mask.
2. Avoid standing in crowds of unknown people. Stay upwind and keep moving.
3. Avoid dust (which lingers in the air longer than water droplets) including indoors and polluted cities.
4. If you get sick find a doctor willing to experiment. Most of the drugs being tested work when used early.
5. Studies show that fatalities occur in the old and the obese. If you are either than self quarantine.
 
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