Jun 24, 2020, 6:06 am
Last edit by: NewbieRunner
Moderator announcement - June 23, 2020:
Flyertalk’s moderators generally take a hands-off approach when it comes to judging the accuracy of members’ statements. While that’s fine for travel debates, a pandemic is clearly a more serious issue.
A meta-analysis of 172 studies that looked at various interventions to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, SARS and MERS from an infected person to people close to them, published in The Lancet on June 1, found that mask wearing significantly reduces the risk of viral transmission.
Given the science, the forum moderators are disallowing any further posts that debate whether or not masks should be worn. Posts that do so will be deleted and members subject to discipline.
Please also note, we do not allow posting of conspiracy theories or racist terms used in place of Covid-19, coronavirus, etc.
- Coronavirus and Travel moderator team
Flyertalk’s moderators generally take a hands-off approach when it comes to judging the accuracy of members’ statements. While that’s fine for travel debates, a pandemic is clearly a more serious issue.
A meta-analysis of 172 studies that looked at various interventions to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, SARS and MERS from an infected person to people close to them, published in The Lancet on June 1, found that mask wearing significantly reduces the risk of viral transmission.
Given the science, the forum moderators are disallowing any further posts that debate whether or not masks should be worn. Posts that do so will be deleted and members subject to discipline.
Please also note, we do not allow posting of conspiracy theories or racist terms used in place of Covid-19, coronavirus, etc.
- Coronavirus and Travel moderator team
Coronavirus and masks/face coverings [Consolidated thread]
May 30, 2020, 10:09 am
#841
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,430
Yes, as you would expect. This is a pandemic. You would expect number of active cases to rise at the beginning when there is no population immunity. Assuming the numbers you have quoted are accurate (which they won't be because they will almost certainly underestimate the true number of cases), that is a mean doubling time of around 5 weeks (but obviously not the current doubling time which is likely to be much greater).
If you compare that to the mean doubling time of countries like the US/UK over the past couple of months, the Czech Republic has done much better than other countries. Believe me, having just over 2,000 active cases now compared to around 500 active cases a couple of months ago is a real marker of success!
If you compare that to the mean doubling time of countries like the US/UK over the past couple of months, the Czech Republic has done much better than other countries. Believe me, having just over 2,000 active cases now compared to around 500 active cases a couple of months ago is a real marker of success!
May 30, 2020, 11:40 am
#842
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: VIE
Programs: SAS EBS / *A Silver, Hilton Diamond, Radisson VIP, IHG Platinum
Posts: 3,757
Yes, as you would expect. This is a pandemic. You would expect number of active cases to rise at the beginning when there is no population immunity. Assuming the numbers you have quoted are accurate (which they won't be because they will almost certainly underestimate the true number of cases), that is a mean doubling time of around 5 weeks (but obviously not the current doubling time which is likely to be much greater).
If you compare that to the mean doubling time of countries like the US/UK over the past couple of months, the Czech Republic has done much better than other countries. Believe me, having just over 2,000 active cases now compared to around 500 active cases a couple of months ago is a real marker of success!
If you compare that to the mean doubling time of countries like the US/UK over the past couple of months, the Czech Republic has done much better than other countries. Believe me, having just over 2,000 active cases now compared to around 500 active cases a couple of months ago is a real marker of success!
By the way, Austria will also soften the mask requirement from mid-June, requiring them in fewer places than before (e.g. they will no longer be compulsory in shops).
May 30, 2020, 11:55 am
#843
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: HEL
Programs: lots of shiny metal cards
Posts: 14,105
The Finnish Ministry of Health carried out a meta-research (research of researches) on the usefulness of facemasks - the results were published yesterday and they show explicitly that face masks have negligible or no effect at all. Until now Finland has not had even an official recommendation for the public to use masks. The latest polls show that only about 8% of Finns use masks - still we have weathered the storm better than most.
May 30, 2020, 12:22 pm
#844
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: VIE
Programs: SAS EBS / *A Silver, Hilton Diamond, Radisson VIP, IHG Platinum
Posts: 3,757
Do you have a link please? I need to satisfy my confirmation bias 
May 30, 2020, 12:47 pm
#845
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,410
Since the pandemic started, I have been seeing a huge amount of self-hating by many Americans.
It basically boils down to stuff like
"We westerners are bad, we thing about individual rights, and that is why we are dying and refusing to wear masks"
"Look at those Asians, they are so good, their culture values sacrificing individual freedom for societal good, they are all following rules without questioning, they so good"
It basically boils down to stuff like
"We westerners are bad, we thing about individual rights, and that is why we are dying and refusing to wear masks"
"Look at those Asians, they are so good, their culture values sacrificing individual freedom for societal good, they are all following rules without questioning, they so good"
May 30, 2020, 12:55 pm
#846
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, UA Silver, Mobile Passport Unobtanium
Posts: 6,192
"Research has shown that widespread use of face masks have little or no effect on reducing the spread of upper respiratory infections, according to a report presented a government-appointed working group led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (MSAH) on Friday."There is no scientific evidence for its use," Emerita Professor Marjukka Mäkelä said at a press briefing to unveil the report.
The report was commissioned by the government to determine if there were grounds to recommend the widespread use of masks to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus. It looked at commercial mouth and nose coverings for use by members of the public as well as home-made masks."
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/r...k_use/11376476
The report was commissioned by the government to determine if there were grounds to recommend the widespread use of masks to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus. It looked at commercial mouth and nose coverings for use by members of the public as well as home-made masks."
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/r...k_use/11376476
May 30, 2020, 1:54 pm
#847
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: PHX
Programs: Delta DM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, HHonrs Diamond
Posts: 1,336
"Research has shown that widespread use of face masks have little or no effect on reducing the spread of upper respiratory infections, according to a report presented a government-appointed working group led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (MSAH) on Friday."There is no scientific evidence for its use," Emerita Professor Marjukka Mäkelä said at a press briefing to unveil the report.
The report was commissioned by the government to determine if there were grounds to recommend the widespread use of masks to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus. It looked at commercial mouth and nose coverings for use by members of the public as well as home-made masks."
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/r...k_use/11376476
The report was commissioned by the government to determine if there were grounds to recommend the widespread use of masks to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus. It looked at commercial mouth and nose coverings for use by members of the public as well as home-made masks."
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/r...k_use/11376476
Yet it is the right of every citizen to protect his/her own health in spite of government opinion if evidence proves otherwise. Not sure the virus spreads much differently there than in any other country.
May 30, 2020, 3:50 pm
#848
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,005
Except the guidance for social distancing is different for various countries. The virus is smart that way. It doesn’t spread more than a meter in Europe and six feet in US 
May 30, 2020, 7:40 pm
#849
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,392
Except it's not about that at all. This is about COMPLIANCE.
Please tell me why are people now wearing those damned mask when before the COVID-19, mask-wearing wasn't an issue?
The numbers are in line with most flu seasons, so why are you hysterical now. What's the change?
AND DEFINATELY A NO when you say mask-wearing is "a bit of inconvenience".
In fact, mask-wearing is very much a health hazard which leads to HyperCapnia.
Please tell me why are people now wearing those damned mask when before the COVID-19, mask-wearing wasn't an issue?
The numbers are in line with most flu seasons, so why are you hysterical now. What's the change?
AND DEFINATELY A NO when you say mask-wearing is "a bit of inconvenience".
In fact, mask-wearing is very much a health hazard which leads to HyperCapnia.
b) mask wearing most definitely is "a bit of inconvenience". Especially when you precede that by saying "covid isn't bad at all it's just like the flu" and then "masks are a health hazard"? no.
c) why do people wear masks now when before covid19 it wasn't an issue - rhetorical question? The answer is obvious.
d) cases are most definitely not "in line" with the seasonal flu, both cases and deaths. And it's only May. WITH social distancing/lockdown efforts worldwide.
May 31, 2020, 2:03 am
#850
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: New Zealand (when I'm home!)
Programs: Air NZ Elite
Posts: 1,218
I think everyone needs to just ignore the troll who has come in here and still somehow compared coronavirus to the flu. Let them be confused and ask themselves over and over again how anyone could be treating coronavirus any differently from the flu...
May 31, 2020, 6:20 am
#851
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: HEL
Programs: lots of shiny metal cards
Posts: 14,105
As said, the latest polls show 8% of Finns ever used a mask. When I went to do some shopping in the largest mall around here, I saw 3 locals and a Chinese couple wearing a mask out of many hundred shoppers. Still, the excess deaths in March (or was it April?) were negative - less people died than in the previous year. Currently we have a grand total of 68 people hospitalized and 10 people in IC - not bad, out of 5,5m, I daresay.
May 31, 2020, 8:29 am
#852
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: PHX
Programs: Delta DM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, HHonrs Diamond
Posts: 1,336
. Surgery residency is the riskiest job on earth.We wear masks 10-12 hours a day and thousands of these young surgeons keep dropping dead of hypercapnia (only one capital letter needed, BTW) in the middle of their cases.
We have to accept 500 to our surgical residency program just to graduate 12 who can survive the 5 years of mask wearing.
The poster's last name is an anagram of "mask" too. How cute.
May 31, 2020, 2:12 pm
#853
Formerly known as billinaz
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Goodyear,AZ for now then FL Spacecoast
Programs: US Airways Dividend Miles, American AAdvantage, Avis Preferred, Budget Rapid Rez, Hilton Honors
Posts: 1,145
So you are saying anyone with a medical condition should not fly?
Its not that they are flying, its that adding a layer directly over their nose impairing them is detrimental.
What does it matter anyway? It affects nobody else, just walk by and ignore it.
As for the ESAs, its along the same scale as "medical marijuana". Same scam, different name.
May 31, 2020, 2:55 pm
#854
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: PHX
Programs: Delta DM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, HHonrs Diamond
Posts: 1,336
There is not one medical condition in which wearing a loose-fitting ear loop mask for a flight is a contraindicated if the flight itself is not contraindicated.
May 31, 2020, 5:33 pm
#855
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Hawaii
Programs: AA EXP, HA PL, Hilton 💎, Marriott Ti, Wyndham/Caesars 💎, Hertz PC
Posts: 343
As for the ESAs, its along the same scale as "medical marijuana". Same scam, different name.