Masking on long flights

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

“issue” is a fuzzy term.   I do not like wearing a mask, so I clearly have an “issue” with wearing masks.    Unfortunately, a lot of people are extraordinarily sensitive and feel that requiring wearing a mask is an invasion of their “rights”.    As in much else in life, sometimes you just need to do what you need to do.

 

 

Sorry if it was fuzzy.  Let me try to help.  I and some others have a concern about wearing a mask on a long haul flight.  It is a comfort issue.  It has nothing to do with constitutional rights.  Folks here are sharing their experience and tips.  Let's for once try not to turn this into another anti-masking debate.   

Edited October 8, 2021 by ldubs
Oops.

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, clo said:

Maybe compare it to speed limits or seat belts. I don't need them every minute I'm driving but those are the rules.

 

I think the concern is not that masks are needed now.  I think the concern is that once the pandemic is over, the mask requirements will not be removed.   I will actually look forward to getting to that day!  

[ldubs]

25 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

I have a couple of “tailored” cloth face masks - which very closely conform to the shape of my nose and cheekbones.  When I wear them, I experience NO fogging of my glasses. Also, you can apply anti-fogging wipe to your glasses. 

 

"apply anti-fogging wipe to your glasses." 

 

That is a great idea.  I need that.   

[Flatbush Flyer]

16 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

"apply anti-fogging wipe to your glasses." 

 

That is a great idea.  I need that.   

If you use “transition” lenses, make sure the anti-fogging solution is compatible.

[ldubs]

Just now, Flatbush Flyer said:

If you use “transition” lenses, make sure the anti-fogging solution is compatible.

 

Oh boy I do use those.   Thank you for the quick heads up.  

[Shmoo here]

4 hours ago, clo said:

Or don't and pay the consequences. I'm not ready to fly intl but when I do I'll wear the mask...maybe even if it's not required.

I had already purchased some masks before all this started for our flight to Europe because I was already concerned about a long flight and other "normal" viruses being passed around in the plane on a long flight.

 

Since that trip is now in it's 3rd postponement, I'm just hoping that it's going to happen soon.

[slidergirl]

I wore a mask at work for 8-9 hours a day.  I work at a condo project for a property management company.   Besides working the Front desk, I was the "bellman", hauling up to 250 lbs of luggage on those bell carts, the "ski valet" taking skis out/in to the condos, and walking the 7 floors multiple times/day (and much more). I'm a claustrophobic, so I tried all sorts of masks until I came across Cotopaxi.  2-layer cloth types with adjustable earstraps and a metal piece to bend to mold to your nose.  Absolute the best I had.  I wear readers and then sunglasses when I do the ski valet thing - I played around with the combo until I didn't fog.   

I may wear them again the Winter since we get a lot of guests from those places that never had mandates and plenty of people aren't vaccinated.  And, I like that I didn't worry about the flu last year!

 

I have trips next Summer with 11+hour flights - I'll wear the Cotopaxi masks if they are legal; if not, I'll grab some KN95s, or those blue surgical ones, I guess. 

[lissie]

10 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I think the concern is not that masks are needed now.  I think the concern is that once the pandemic is over, the mask requirements will not be removed.   I will actually look forward to getting to that day!  

Except they are being removed - see Denmark and Ireland for example 

[sparks1093]

17 hours ago, evandbob said:

We recently cruised the Carnival Mardi Gras with reduced capacity, indoor masking guidance and 95% vaxxed cruisers.  Purely non essential.

 

We felt safer on the ship than in our local supermarkets and big box stores where only 57% of our SW Florida neighbors are vaccinated.

But by traveling from an area that is unsafe to one that is safe aren't you increasing the risk of inadvertently transmitting the virus? And if you are really concerned about helping to keep others safe wouldn't you stay home? I personally am not that concerned about getting the virus or of going out of my way to protect other people (I will mask when required but I don't wear one if it's not) so I have no issue with traveling at this point in time since this is one of the reasons why I chose to be vaccinated. A lot of people want the government to mandate stricter requirements because it keeps them and others safe, but then they will continue to go out an about without the stricter requirements in place. 

[sparks1093]

11 minutes ago, lissie said:

Except they are being removed - see Denmark and Ireland for example 

Some countries are removing the requirement, but will all? The mask mandate was removed here in Vermont when we hit 80% vaccinated but there is a great deal of pressure to re-institute it.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, lissie said:

Except they are being removed - see Denmark and Ireland for example 

That is a very small sample. The question is when they are no longer needed, how quickly will most places remove them. Will some places remove them very slowly or not at all? When the CDC said there was no longer a requirement for fully vaccinated people to wear masks except in a few circumstances, they quickly changed that.

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Some countries are removing the requirement, but will all? The mask mandate was removed here in Vermont when we hit 80% vaccinated but there is a great deal of pressure to re-institute it.

A number of areas - California, for example - behaved intelligently and reinstated mandates as the new surge emerged.  Any well-governed country will presumably react responsibly.

[CPT Trips]

13 hours ago, slidergirl said:

SNIP

 

I may wear them again the Winter since we get a lot of guests from those places that never had mandates and plenty of people aren't vaccinated.  And, I like that I didn't worry about the flu last year!

 

I have trips next Summer with 11+hour flights - I'll wear the Cotopaxi masks if they are legal; if not, I'll grab some KN95s, or those blue surgical ones, I guess. 

Masks and distancing worked very well last winter against the flu.

I’m planning to mask when we travel in the future regardless of whether required or not. 

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

A number of areas - California, for example - behaved intelligently and reinstated mandates as the new surge emerged.  Any well-governed country will presumably react responsibly.

Our surge hasn't been as large as elsewhere and predominantly the people affected are the unvaccinated. If they don't want to be vaccinated or wear a mask that's their choice but I don't feel a large desire to wear a mask to protect them.

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Our surge hasn't been as large as elsewhere and predominantly the people affected are the unvaccinated. If they don't want to be vaccinated or wear a mask that's their choice but I don't feel a large desire to wear a mask to protect them.

How about children - not currently eligible for vaccination?  

[mom says]

6 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Our surge hasn't been as large as elsewhere and predominantly the people affected are the unvaccinated. If they don't want to be vaccinated or wear a mask that's their choice but I don't feel a large desire to wear a mask to protect them.

How about the ones who are medically unable to vaccinate? Or the vaccinated who are still immunocompromised? Or the vaccinated who are still vulnerable due to serious comorbidities? Do you feel any large desire to protect them?

Edited October 9, 2021 by mom says

[clo]

1 hour ago, mom says said:

How about the ones who are medically unable to vaccinate? Or the vaccinated who are still immunocompromised? Or the vaccinated who are still vulnerable due to serious comorbidities? Do you feel any large desire to protect them?

I've said this before but.... We weren't absolutely getting our flu shots every year. Until we had grandchildren. It made us realize that it's a bigger picture.

[navybankerteacher]

33 minutes ago, clo said:

I've said this before but.... We weren't absolutely getting our flu shots every year. Until we had grandchildren. It made us realize that it's a bigger picture.

For some people, it isn't the size of the picture:  if they aren't the focus, the rest is immaterial.

[2wheelin]

4 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

How about children - not currently eligible for vaccination?  

 

3 hours ago, mom says said:

How about the ones who are medically unable to vaccinate? Or the vaccinated who are still immunocompromised? Or the vaccinated who are still vulnerable due to serious comorbidities? Do you feel any large desire to protect them?

Again—the topic is masks on planes.

[sparks1093]

10 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

How about children - not currently eligible for vaccination?  

When I'm in a closed environment with a lot of children and I can't properly socially distance then I would wear a mask, but I rarely find myself in that situation. 

 

And what we are discussing (or what I was that led us to this point) is whether or not the current mandates work to keep people safe, both as individuals and as the public at large. I said that if I didn't feel that any of the current mandates properly kept people safe (and therefore I wanted to see more stringent requirements in place) that I wouldn't be participating in non-essential travel. 

Edited October 9, 2021 by sparks1093

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, mom says said:

How about the ones who are medically unable to vaccinate? Or the vaccinated who are still immunocompromised? Or the vaccinated who are still vulnerable due to serious comorbidities? Do you feel any large desire to protect them?

If they are out and about in public, no. If they are in a place where it's an enclosed environment (such as if I have to visit them in their home) then I would mask. I do mask when it is required, and here in Vermont it is required in hospitals and nursing homes. 

Edited October 9, 2021 by sparks1093

[evandbob]

45 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

When I'm in a closed environment with a lot of children and I can't properly socially distance then I would wear a mask, but I rarely find myself in that situation. 

 

And what we are discussing (or what I was that led us to this point) is whether or not the current mandates work to keep people safe, both as individuals and as the public at large. I said that if I didn't feel that any of the current mandates properly kept people safe (and therefore I wanted to see more stringent requirements in place) that I wouldn't be participating in non-essential travel. 

And that is certainly your choice.  Our non-essential travel on a ship was mitigated by a 95% vax rate for passengers, 100% vax rate for crew, and negative COVID tests taken 72 hrs  (since changed to 48) before sailing.  So we were very comfortable in our choice as well.

 

We're boarding a plane today for a 2 hr 15 min flight to NY to attend a funeral.  Depending on how essential or non-essential travel is defined, one may call this flight either.  We'll do our usual (sensible to us) COVID precautions in the air terminal, on board the plane, rental car  hotel room and funeral home.

 

I can only wish that our hometown in FL and NY had Vermont's vax rate!

[navybankerteacher]

7 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

 

Again—the topic is masks on planes.

Precisely -- masks on planes (as in other environments) are not just to protect the wearer -- but everyone.

[Keksie]

11 hours ago, mom says said:

How about the ones who are medically unable to vaccinate? Or the vaccinated who are still immunocompromised? Or the vaccinated who are still vulnerable due to serious comorbidities? Do you feel any large desire to protect them?

For me I have done what was needed to protect people.  I have my vaccinations and even my booster. Here children don't have to wear masks in school so I don't feel the need to wear one if I happen to see one.  As to the immunocompromised or people with serious comorbidities I would hope they have been advised by their doctors as to what to do to protect themselves.  

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, evandbob said:

And that is certainly your choice.  Our non-essential travel on a ship was mitigated by a 95% vax rate for passengers, 100% vax rate for crew, and negative COVID tests taken 72 hrs  (since changed to 48) before sailing.  So we were very comfortable in our choice as well.

 

We're boarding a plane today for a 2 hr 15 min flight to NY to attend a funeral.  Depending on how essential or non-essential travel is defined, one may call this flight either.  We'll do our usual (sensible to us) COVID precautions in the air terminal, on board the plane, rental car  hotel room and funeral home.

 

I can only wish that our hometown in FL and NY had Vermont's vax rate!

I consider funerals to be essential travel. I have my present view because of where I live and if I lived somewhere else my view might have a different view. Population 1700. 80% vaccination rate. Etc.