Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[SplashJacket]

Is there really any benefit to adding a surgical mask over a kn95?

I think the thought process is to increase the lifespan of the n95. Plus, in theory, it keeps your n95 dry in a moist situation.

 

[GoofGoof]

MIAMI — The White House is considering restrictions on domestic travel given emerging variants of COVID-19, according to the Miami Herald. This may include travel restrictions in several states, the newspaper says, including Florida and California. President Joe Biden's administration reportedly is worried that new outbreaks, like the U.K. variant, could provide setbacks in the fight against the coronavirus. Any decision to limit or restrict travel, the Herald reports citing two government officials, will be made with state and local governments. The newspaper notes no policy announcements are imminent.

I know it’s easy and fun to run with clickbait headlines and political talking points but if you actually read the details nobody in the government said there was even a thought of banning travel to/from FL. They are considering limiting or restricting travel to any area that has a spike in these variants which right now includes FL and CA. Limiting or restricting doesn’t mean an outright ban. It’s much more likely that the CDC would recommend people avoid traveling to those areas and it’s also possible they encourage either quarantines for anyone traveling to those areas or possibly testing. The bolder section is also left out of the clickbait headlines. The federal government is not planning to mandate anything. They are planning to work with state and local governments.

A CDC recommendation to avoid FL would still be pretty bad for WDW but there is no constitutional crisis here. The federal government can attempt to influence states and we‘ve seen for months now that travel quarantine restrictions are possible and very much legal.

 

[GimpYancIent]

I think the thought process is to increase the lifespan of the n95. Plus, in theory, it keeps your n95 dry in a moist situation.

Simply breathing will keep any mask moist.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I started double-masking last week and was initially concerned that my breathing would feel constricted. It took me a minute or so to adjust, but I can honestly say that I no longer perceive any difference between breathing through one mask and breathing through two.

It’s a good thing you started double masking last week. You were very lucky you did not catch COVID the past 11 months wearing only a single mask.

I wonder if WDW will again tweak the rules to require double masks?

 

[JoeCamel]

Simply breathing will keep any mask moist.

Not mine, I have unicorn breath (rainbows)

 

[DisneyCane]

I think the thought process is to increase the lifespan of the n95. Plus, in theory, it keeps your n95 dry in a moist situation.

I guess if kids are throwing water at the teacher keeping it dry would be useful! If doing that increased the lifespan of the n95 I would think it would have been recommended for front line healthcare workers when there was an n95 shortage.

If it makes the wearer feel better, more power to them but healthcare workers that have thier face right near the faces of COVID-19 patients don't double mask over an n95.

 

[LittleBuford]

It’s a good thing you started double masking last week. You were very lucky you did not catch COVID the past 11 months wearing only a single mask.

Are you being sarcastic?

 

[Touchdown]

Wearing a surgical mask over an N95 also extends the life of the N95 so that you can wear it 3 times (after leaving it sit for 48 hours in between use) before you need to toss it as opposed to only using it once. The dirty environmental particles will collect more on the surgical mask then the N95 (so that the vast majority of the germs and odors that do collect on the N95 are from your mouth)

 

[Heppenheimer]

I'm not going back to look if this was brought up already, but while people fight over what exactly was said by whom about domestic travel restrictions, note that the CDC changed its quarantine recommendations for people who are fully vaccinated (scroll down on the linked page to the section "Public Health Recommendations for Vaccinated Individuals" for the complete breakdown:

Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC

Find interim clinical considerations for the use of COVID-19 vaccines for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States.

www.cdc.gov

To summarize, if you have a known exposure to someone with COVID-19, but are greater than two weeks out from finishing your vaccine series (but less than 3 months), AND you do not have symptoms, you no longer need to quarantine.

I wonder if the next step will extend to eliminating state travel quarantines for people who are fully vaccinated.

 

[SpoiledBlueMilk]

Never.

Because it's not constitutional.

 

[Heppenheimer]

I guess if kids are throwing water at the teacher keeping it dry would be useful! If doing that increased the lifespan of the n95 I would think it would have been recommended for front line healthcare workers when there was an n95 shortage.

If it makes the wearer feel better, more power to them but healthcare workers that have thier face right near the faces of COVID-19 patients don't double mask over an n95.

We do sometimes use faceshields over the n95 masks, however.

 

[drizgirl]

It’s a good thing you started double masking last week. You were very lucky you did not catch COVID the past 11 months wearing only a single mask.

I wonder if WDW will again tweak the rules to require double masks?

No. But I'm guessing some of teacher's unions will add it to their list of demands.

 

[DisneyCane]

Wearing a surgical mask over an N95 also extends the life of the N95 so that you can wear it 3 times (after leaving it sit for 48 hours in between use) before you need to toss it as opposed to only using it once. The dirty environmental particles will collect more on the surgical mask then the N95 (so that the vast majority of the germs and odors that do collect on the N95 are from your mouth)

Is there another guideline I haven't found because this CDC guideline about reuse doesn't appear to mention anything about that?

 

[Mark52479]

No. But I'm guessing some of teacher's unions will add it to their list of demands.

Yeah I dont think Disney World will require double masks. For one, it will be hard for CM to go through every person to make sure they are wearing 2 masks.

and also, the CDC on their website is still saying 1 mask is good enough if that one mask has multiple layers.

 

[GimpYancIent]

It’s a good thing you started double masking last week. You were very lucky you did not catch COVID the past 11 months wearing only a single mask.

I wonder if WDW will again tweak the rules to require double masks?

Wearing a surgical mask over an N95 also extends the life of the N95 so that you can wear it 3 times (after leaving it sit for 48 hours in between use) before you need to toss it as opposed to only using it once. The dirty environmental particles will collect more on the surgical mask then the N95 (so that the vast majority of the germs and odors that do collect on the N95 are from your mouth)

It sounds like you are speaking about a clinic / hospital / medical environment. Out on the street or even in enclosed venues like stores the benefit would be very negligible at best. Walking, running, biking etc. out on trails, for instance, where other people are 20 or more yards away from you a mask is actually not even practical. The only benefit to double masking for every day non-medical / not high risk contact applications would be an increase in mask sales.

 

[seascape]

I own property in Florida, New York and New Jersey. Under what power does the Federal Government have the authority to take away the use of my Private Property? I have the Constitutional Right to use me property and am willing to join any class action lawsuit against the Biden Administration if such a ban were implemented.

 

[sullyinMT]

I'm not going back to look if this was brought up already, but while people fight over what exactly was said by whom about domestic travel restrictions, note that the CDC changed its quarantine recommendations for people who are fully vaccinated (scroll down on the linked page to the section "Public Health Recommendations for Vaccinated Individuals" for the complete breakdown:

Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC

Find interim clinical considerations for the use of COVID-19 vaccines for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States.

www.cdc.gov

To summarize, if you have a known exposure to someone with COVID-19, but are greater than two weeks out from finishing your vaccine series (but less than 3 months), AND you do not have symptoms, you no longer need to quarantine.

I wonder if the next step will extend to eliminating state travel quarantines for people who are fully vaccinated.

It has been brought up in the fray, but kinda overlooked.

I also wonder if, as we get more data from phase 3 participants and the vaccinated population at large, that 3 month time frame doesn’t extend as data permits.

 

[DisneyCane]

We do sometimes use faceshields over the n95 masks, however.

Isn't the purpose of the face shield to keep droplets from a sneeze or cough off of the skin of your face if a patient sneezes or coughs in very close proximity to you? I don't think they would do much to keep airborne particles from being inhaled due to the huge gap on three sides. I could be wrong but that has been my assumption.

 

[dreday3]

It has been brought up in the fray, but kinda overlooked.

I also wonder if, as we get more data from phase 3 participants and the vaccinated population at large, that 3 month time frame doesn’t extend as data permits.

I absolutely believe the timeframe will extend as data shows (which everyone believes it will) that the vaccine is providing longer than 3 months of protection.

And that's when I think traveling and being vaccinated is going to come into play...they are laying the groundwork for that eventual guidance.

 

[DisneyCane]

It has been brought up in the fray, but kinda overlooked.

I also wonder if, as we get more data from phase 3 participants and the vaccinated population at large, that 3 month time frame doesn’t extend as data permits.

I absolutely believe the timeframe will extend as data shows (which everyone believes it will) that the vaccine is providing longer than 3 months of protection.

And that's when I think traveling and being vaccinated is going to come into play...they are laying the groundwork for that eventual guidance.

I'd think it will keep getting extended (as data shows the effectiveness lasts more time) until they discover how long the protection lasts.

That will become the final guidance as well as the timeframe for getting a booster shot, unless it turns out that the protection lasts enough years for COVID-19 to be eradicated (which is unlikely but we can hope).