#i promise i wore all the ppe for this

[hylianengineer]

My job has really sucked for most of this week but today I got to turn solutions purple which was a nice little bit of joy. Look how pretty they are!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I move into my own apartment for an internship instead of with friends like I initially said I (more likely than not) would for a while?

CW: kinda long but I don’t think I can put a readmore on anon :(

I (20sNB) have an opportunity to do an internship in spring of 2024. My friend (20sF) and her husband (20sM, we’re all within ~3yrs of each other) have been working on renovating a single-wide trailer in a trailer park in the same town as the internship, and it will be done with them living in it for at least a good few months before my internship. I’ve helped them with renovations whenever I’m in town and they’ve promised/shown me the room they’re reserving to be my space because they’re so sure I’ll move in with them.

I’ll be honest, I was planning to at first. But that changed with a variety of factors contributing, including but not limited to:

The trailer was reportedly full of black mold. Abandoned dressers would be opened and a puff of mold dust would emerge from the doors. It was also previously a hoarder’s house possibly due to the amount of junk in and around the trailer. Nobody wore PPE during renovations as far as I’m aware, and seem to believe they’re “in the clear” as they’ve shown no side effects yet. They’ve literally kept up only exactly what’s required to legally say they’re ‘renovating’ instead of tearing everything down and reusing the foundation, but it’s still a concern for me due to the casual way it was brought up and addressed.

My friends admitted that the neighbors don’t like them much due to the loud noises day in and day out from the renovation, resulting in the cops being called on them several times as a noise complaint. I have a rough time as it is being close to strangers, and that anxiety/paranoia? isn’t alleviated by hearing that and seeing people come out of their own trailers to glare at us whenever we work on the property.

My cat (20F) would be moving in with me. She’s indoor-only, but cats are bound to run around at some point. There are numerous unvaccinated and unfixed strays in the park and I’m concerned for her health; she’s having a hard enough time just keeping down food, a virus or infection would make me put her down.

My friends own a Pomeranian that does not respect other animals and continuously harasses them by barking and chasing after them. My cat does NOT like dogs, and my repeated warnings that having them in the same room would result in the dog getting blinded and possibly even more severely injured have been waved away with “The dog will learn soon enough to leave her alone!”. I would also have two relatively small lizards with me, both of whom leave their terrariums regularly for general holding sessions and to run around while I clean their tanks. There is a nonzero chance of them being beyond the safety of the glass and the dog eating them as the dog has a high prey drive.

Being with them would save me and my parents MASSIVE amount of money as rent is nearly nonexistent with how low it is in the park; I would mostly help with other bills (such as water, electricity, groceries) and general housemate things like cleaning up after myself and helping cook or chip in for takeout every now and then. Both friends know how restricted my ability to really develop is in my house due to my family (such as not knowing how to make anything more complicated than air fryer food) and have expressed that they are eager to help me learn and watch me grow into who I am.

But for a while I’ve been very strongly leaning towards an apartment instead despite rent being crazy (my parents are willing to pay half but with 0 guarantee of a paid internship and uncertainty as to whether I can hold a part-time job at the same time it would still be a blow to my savings). It’s gotten to the point where my language is full of “My future apartment will have….” “When I move into an apartment do you think I should….” when discussing the matter with my parents with zero verbal room for considering living with my friends. Advantages to the apartment include having my own space, being much closer to my internship location (though my friends weren’t all that far out themselves), and no concerns about my pets being around strangers or other animals. My parents and grandma agree that an apartment sounds the safest for my pets’ physical health and my mental health.

However, I have yet to tell my friends. The F is a friend of a decade now, and the M and I aren’t exactly close but regard each other as siblings. While she might be hurt but understanding, I don’t know if I want to risk him or both of them blowing up on me for my decision after at least 6mo of helping here and there and encouraging them to finish renovating their own place. The closest I’ve gotten to saying anything is warning them that it isn’t guaranteed I’ll move in with them when they use language suggesting it is and that I’m trying to keep my mind open to all housing options, including renting a space in a family friend’s basement. Neither of them seem to have caught on to what I’m doing, though. So, WIBTA if I finally break it to them that I’ve decided on an apartment and move into a space without them? This might seem like a non-issue to outsiders but it very much is to me :(

(For slight additional context: my friend is typically very understanding and we do our best to communicate our feelings about joint activities especially. Her husband is the type of guy to get mad at the ‘politics’ of the new Barbie movie and the joke made out of the Kens.)

What are these acronyms?

[edupunkn00b]

Mad Lads, Chapter 4: Wounds

Prev - Wounds - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

The Mad Lads return from their battle with Hesper and now Logan really doesn’t know what to think.

Rated: M - WC: - CW: Hospital, non graphic injuries, medication, swearing. Random guy imprisoned in the basement. -

Rhythmic, high-pitched beeping battered his ears. Eyelids blinked open but soon squeezed shut against the hot pain shooting through his skull and down his spine. “Too bright,” he tried to mumble past his dry throat. No sound came out. He was cold, his arms and legs bare, his favorite hoodie… somewhere else.

The boy shivered and tried to sit up. He could barely move. The ear-piercing beeping sped up, growing syncopatic as he thrashed in what he now realized was a narrow bed with bars on either side. A door hissed open and a tight, warbly voice cried out from the hallway. “Code purple! I need help in here, now! Code purple! He’s awake!”

The room exploded in activity. Gloved hands appeared, grabbing his legs, his arms, his head. He fought back, twisting away from one of them only to push closer to someone on his other side. In the struggle, he yanked out the tubes stuck in both arms and another below his ribs. Someone swore. “He’s gonna need a new central line!”

“Where the fuck am I? What are you doing to me?” The boy’s voice doubled and tripled on itself and two of the nurses fell to the floor, hands pressed to their ears.

“Dammit, they weren’t in PPE,” another voice hissed. “Get them out of here.”

He squinted against the lights aimed at his eyes. He could just make out the figures in the room. Eight or nine adults surrounded his bed. Each wore hospital scrubs, bonnets like the ones on the vidscreens. Thick goggles hid most of what little skin poked out above their face masks.

They all wore bright orange earmuffs.

The boy craned his neck and saw two more people in green scrubs sprawled on the floor, unconscious. He shivered. Dead? The others in the room simply stepped over them as they rushed about, toting bags of fluid and instrument trays. One of them wheeled a silver cart next to the bed. The top was covered in shiny metal tools, curved and sharp. They picked up a tool with a long handle and a jagged, glinting tip.

Before he could even think about it, the boy ripped one arm away and out of the restraints. He shoved the nurse with the sharp thing away from him. “Don’t touch me! Don't fucking touch me!" The other staff began to back away as he used his free arm to tug and pull at his other restraints.

“Now, Mr. Morado, calm down. Everything will be fine. We just need you to—”

“Fuck that! ” He leapt out of the bed and was at the door before he finished the first word. How the— He shook his head. It didn’t matter. “I’m getting out of here and you’re not touching me with—”

He ran smack into someone in the hallway. At the speed he was moving, he should’ve knocked him right off his feet. Instead the man stood tall and smiled down at him with firm, gentle, multi-chromatic eyes.

“Hush now, child. Everything’s going to be alright.” Smooth and honey sweet, the man’s voice filled his ears and his mind. It blocked out the sound of the hospital PA system, the frightened shouts coming from behind the nurse’s station, even his own heart thudding in his chest. He looked down, bare feet slipping in the blood pouring from his abdomen where he’d ripped out the tangle of tubes and wires.

The boy’s vision blackened at the edges. He stumbled closer to the man and fell into his arms as the darkness fell over him.

“Everything's going to be alright, child,” Janus promised again. He cradled the boy in his arms close to his chest, then carried him back to his bed.

~

Janus sat in the last row of the Mad Lads’ transport and put up a low-esper interference field. None of them were happy about the way Hesper had slipped away, but Janus of all people should’ve known it had been little more than a honeypot.

Not a trap meant to hurt them, of course. No, never that. Hesper’s fucking principles meant he’d never stoop so low as to actually harm them.

Harm others, though? Harm anyone who, in his twisted little balance sheet had done enough damage that their death had sufficient… utils? No, that Janus wouldn’t—couldn’t—put past him.

No. No, today’s alarm had merely been Hesper testing out the boundaries of their monitoring, with the CarbonEx board of directors the sticky bait that kept them busy long enough for him to get away. Janus knew that move.

He’d taught him that move.

So Janus kept up the interference field. The rest of the team had no need to bear the weight of his own self-admonishment. In these tight quarters, with everyone’s senses dialed up to eleven with the adrenaline of the fight… Janus’ guilt spilling over into their minds would be inevitable without it.

“Hey, Jan?”

Janus cracked one eye open. Virgil had slid into the seat next to him, a security screen in his hands. “Something wrong at HQ?” Dammit, maybe this wasn’t over yet.

“No, it’s not Hesper.” Virgil was near enough now to hear some of his worries. “We’re safe, it’s…” He frowned and handed him the screen. It was zoomed in to the main room, three different cameras spliced together to show a 280° interior view of the main door. Splashed across the screen was Machina, well, Logan, briefly dangling from his mech before falling to the floor with enough force to jostle one of the cameras.

Janus gasped when the mech fell toward him, letting out a sharp breath when it hit the wall instead. It was eerily reminiscent of the video of his attack at the DC. He could only imagine what it had been like through Logan’s eyes.

It was only then he realized the feed was silent. “Are the sound pick-ups damaged?”

“It’s not live…” He shook his head, eyes fixed on Logan as he clawed his way out from the gap between his mech and the wall. “I… I muted the recording,” he finally explained with a shudder.

They watched him struggle to open his chair and climb up into it. “Pat?” Janus called up to the front of the transport. There was nothing but green-blue sea out the viewport. “How far out are we?”

“About an hour from HQ. All those hops chasing his signal took us a ways out in the boonies.” He swiveled in his seat. “Everything okay?”

The rose growing in Roman’s palm disappeared and his head jerked up at the concern in Patton’s voice. Janus was quick to nod. “Everything’s fine,” he lied. “What’s the delay on this?” he asked Virgil when the others seemed at least temporarily mollified by his answer.

“Twenty minutes,” he shrugged. He tapped at the screen and the video feed replayed at triple speed until it slowed, the camera angles automatically tracking Logan’s movement from the common room to the medbay. “This is live.”

They watched as he cleaned the wound at the back of his head, wincing at the bright red seeping through the gauze. “Pain killers are too high for him to reach like that,” Janus muttered. “Why didn’t he use the mech?”

“It doesn’t fit.” Virgil shook his head. “I saw him try it when I rolled back the recording.”

Janus nodded, eyes fixed on the video feed. Virgil patted his hand and shrugged. “Hold on to that.” He smiled, or at least tried to, and jerked his head toward the front of the transport. “I’ll go keep them company.”

“Thank you, Virge,” Janus murmured as he left, and watched Logan finish up, then roll down the dormitory hall. He tapped the screen to kill the feed. With the base’s impact detection and other internal alarms, they’d be alerted if Logan needed help. Janus didn’t need to spy as he went to his room to rest. They’d be back soon.

~

Logan had just made it back to the ground level when a bell dinged in the common room. Moving slowly, he rolled down the hall and peered out just as the floor opened and the Mad Lads climbed back up the way they’d left.

No-one appeared to be injured, though they moved slowly, staying close to each other. The Prince leaned in to the little back rub Patton gave him, and Ultraviolet nodded when Silvertongue gripped his shoulder and gave him a tight smile. Faces drawn and stiff, they looked exhausted.

Or dejected.

“How about I make us all something to drink?” Patton said, putting on a smile.

The Prince collapsed face down on the couch with a groan. “That sounds nice, Padre,” he mumbled. Silvertongue settled in a chair near the main door, fingers steepled. He didn’t speak aloud to anyone, but silence could mean anything from him.

Plopping down near The Prince’s head, Ultraviolet played with his hair and smiled up at the last standing Mad Lad. “Yeah, thanks, Pat.”

Patton tilted his head and looked right at Logan, dashing his hope that he might have been unnoticed from his vantage point. “I hope you’ll join us, Machina,” he said with a rapid nod.

Four sets of eyes locked on to him.

“If—if it wouldn’t be an imposition,” he nodded. Until he understood who they’d imprisoned in the basement—and why— he needed to keep up the appearance of a grateful if reluctant guest. “Per—perhaps I may be of service i—in the kitchen?”

“Oh, Kid—Machina, sorry,” Patton winced. “I haven’t finished reorganizing the kitchen… it’s, uh…”

Silvertongue turned to look at him, his eyes lingering briefly at the reddish brown stain near the door. Dammit, he hadn’t noticed the blood. “The kitchen is not yet accessible for you,” Silvertongue murmured. “But perhaps you will allow me to examine your wound?”

“It—it—it’s nothing, I…” he shrugged. Ultraviolet’s eyes darted over to his mech sitting in the corner. They know. How could they know?

“Security cameras,” Silvertongue murmured and rose to his feet.

“Y—you’ve been watch—watching me?”

“No.” Ultraviolet shook his head. “Well, not intentionally. The system noted an impact against the door and pinged me. I checked the feeds and… We saw you get hurt.”

“I turned it off when you went down the hall to your room,” Silvertongue added. “Bedrooms and bathrooms do not have cameras.”

The Prince mumbled something too quiet for him to hear and Logan nodded. “I see.” Silvertongue was still standing, waiting for permission to check his head. “Can I say no?”

“Of course you may,” he purred. “I wish you wouldn’t.”

Logan searched their faces. Patton gave him a little smile then excused himself to the kitchen. A mix of annoyance and guilt flashed over Ultraviolet’s face and he turned away. The Prince… The Prince wouldn’t even look at him.

He nodded. “I suppose it would be wise.”

Silvertongue actually smiled and led him to the medbay.

~

Thankfully, the medbeds were eminently adjustable and Logan could set it to a comfortable height so he could move himself onto one, sparing him the indignity of Silvertongue picking him up like a child. Or an invalid.

Without your suit, though, isn’t that exactly what you are?

Silvertongue wasted no time and worked quietly, muttering quiet apologies when his probing drew a pained sound from the back of Logan’s throat. “You did a good job cleaning the wound. I apologize we did not have the foresight to properly equip the lower shelves and drawers.” He paused, and Logan stiffened at the light brush against his mind, mental fingers checking if a wire was live the old-fashioned—and dangerous—way.

Silvertongue retreated and spoke his question aloud. “I am… surprised to see you out of your mech. Is the chair more comfortable?”

“Y—well…” Logan shifted on the table, fighting to reconcile the gentleness of Silvertongue’s touch and words with the man imprisoned in the basement. They would be able to see what had happened on the video, might have already seen his aborted exploration in the suit. “It doesn’t fit through the doorways.”

“Ah,” he breathed.

“It’s fine,” Logan muttered. “I’ll make do.”

Silvertongue nodded and continued his examination. When he was done, he moved to the counter and opened two drawers. “We ordinarily keep excess supplies in the lower drawers, but we don’t have any pain killers within reach.” Within your reach, he didn’t speak, but the thought echoed through his mind just the same. “Would moving them here be acceptable to you?”

“Yes,” he said quickly, too surprised to consider his answer. “Than—thank you.”

He tinkered with the contents of the top shelf for a moment and finally pulled down a large kit. “Perhaps there are be other items in here you would find useful.” He unzipped the cover and laid out creams and ointments, tiny bottles of various pills. “Do you take any regular medications?”

“I… I had been prescribed a nerve blocker.” Logan shook his head. “Dialadine. I stopped once the supply from the hospital ran out. It’s… cost prohibitive.”

Nodding, Silvertongue tapped a screen on the inner cabinet door. “Anything else?”

“I—ibuprofen,” he stuttered. Silvertongue pulled a large bottle down from the cabinet. “A—and vitamin D.”

He tapped at the screen again, but when Logan fell silent, Silvertongue frowned. “You weren’t prescribed… psychotropics of any kind? Paroxetine? Zenlat? Not even topiramate?”

Shrinking in his chair, Logan shook his head. Did they want to drug him? Maybe they wanted drugs to keep the prisoner in the basement sedated? But they seemed to have no problem obtaining… anything they wanted.

Silvertongue was staring at him. “Your doctors prescribed you nothing for PTSD?”

“Insurance would only cover what was strictly medically necessary.”

Silvertongue swore and a wave of frustration and outrage crashed and fizzled in Logan’s mind.

Not outrage at him, though. Outrage for him. Outrage on his behalf.

It was over in a moment, the traces dancing along the edges of his perception. Silvertongue had folded his hands behind his back and his face was a placid, calm mask. “I know someone, if you’d be willing to meet with him.” He met Logan’s eyes. “You can trust him.”

“I’ll consider it,” Logan promised. “I…” The Mad Lads had left before they’d had any discussions about the logistics of this arrangement. And what his financial responsibilities would be. He looked down at the floor. “I am uncertain how to… contribute.”

Silvertongue paused, then brought the medicine kit to the medbed. “You literally built yourself a mech single-handedly—” Logan’s head shot up, expecting ridicule or disgust to accompany the near pun. But Silvertongue’s smile was warm. “Even before any of this, you demonstrated you have the heart of a hero, you’re brave, and you keep your head in the heat of the moment.”

Logan’s face warmed and his mouth went dry, unsure how to handle such open praise.

“I am certain your skills will come in handy with the team.”

He worked his mouth for several long seconds before he finally managed to whisper. “Th—thank you. I—” His deeper concern was not yet answered. “I…” He looked around the medbay. “I imagine HQ is expensive to maintain. I… I do not have… financial resources to contribute.”

“Oh.” Silvertongue blinked, confusion painted across his face, then he smiled again. “Oh! Machina, no. No-one expects that of you. Between Patton and I and the occasional income from various missions… we have it covered. We’re a team.”

Logan stared, the praise, the promise of no longer needing to worry about how he’d afford medicine or food… It was dizzying.

It was almost enough to forget his questions about the prisoner in the basement. Was he really allowed to say ‘no?’ Was the man downstairs the last person who turned down a position on their team?

Silvertongue misinterpreted his hesitance. “You’ve had a lot to absorb. Here.” He turned the kit and set a few bins from the drawer next to it. “Put anything you might find useful in these and we’ll move it to the lower drawers. Take your time, I’ll go check on Patton’s progress.”

He nodded dumbly and managed a small smile before he pulled out anything he recognized from the medicine kit, and a few things he’d only heard of, and organized them in the trays.

His questions would have to wait for another day.

[concerningwolves]

the world really has become so much more hostile towards neurodivergent and deaf people - really anyone with communication difficulties and disabilities, particularly invisible ones - throughout this pandemic. even social justice advocates and/or leftists have become really hostile in these last six months and it’s just... it’s exhausting. i can’t talk about how painful mask-wearing is without someone “progressive” telling me that i have to wear one. i know i do! and guess what? “this is extremely difficult for me” and “this is extremely important to do” are statements that can, y’know, co-exist. they are both true.

and it’s not like i don’t understand why this is happening. As I understand it, the series of events has gone something like this:

masks/PPE became mandatory in public (with laws and regulations varying around the world, of course) to inhibit the spread of the virus

certain groups – largely older, upper-class white people, celebrities, and the more affluent – refused to wear masks. In America, this had a very political undercurrent that spread via the internet; these people acted like being forced to wear masks was a violation of their rights, or like it was some sort of... political statement? not to wear one?

Aforementioned groups start saying things like they can’t wear masks because it’s uncomfortable, feels weird, makes breathing hard etc. Others claim that there’s no point in wearing masks, since the virus “only” kills the elderly and chronically ill (yikes). Misinformation and false news spreads about how masks lower your blood oxygen, stop your breathing, and other such bullshit.

Everyone with a shred of moral decency has to work twice as hard to be socially responsible. You wind up with this schism, where on one side you have people refusing to wear masks and making false claims about them to further their own agendas, and then there’s people making genuine good faith efforts to be socially responsible.

It becomes common to see savage take-downs on Twitter where some old white guy says “Wearing masks makes it impossible to breathe” and someone else replies saying “Tell that to the doctor who wore one for four hours to deliver my baby”. These get screenshotted and shared around the internet to widespread approval.

People who genuinely struggle to wear masks get shunted out of the conversation. It doesn’t matter that we try to do our part, everyone is suddenly so keen to be Woke and Responsible™ that just saying “Wearing masks isn’t easy for everyone” gets you attacked. Nobody seems to want to listen.

Earlier in 2020 I tried to talk about this and got slammed with the expected “uh yeah everyone can wear masks sweetie. if you don’t want to wear one just don’t go out”. But you know what else I got? A flood of asks and replies from people thanking me for talking about it, because either they or members of their family had the same/similar struggles, and felt like they couldn’t talk about it. That still resonates with me. And when I say “resonates” I mean “I start tearing up because there is nothing worse than being told by a supposed ally that your pain is inconvenient or doesn’t matter”.

So just.... be a bit more empathetic, please? Yes, be aware of misinformation. Yes, continue to challenge those who refuse to wear masks for selfish reasons. Yes, do everything you can to look after others during this terrible time. But for the love all the gods and good things, remember that this isn’t a black and white issue. Have an actual conversation! Explore options! Listen to other people! I promise you it’s a LOT more productive to say “Okay, here’s what we can do to help you” or “Here are some ideas to make PPE/Masks more comfortable” than it is to lash out.

[geminiswords]

The star-signs during the modern apocalypse

Aries. You went in all-guns-blazing Backing out when you realised You built an army on behalf of someone who didn’t deserve it An old friend confused about what they wanted Channel your energy towards saving the many, not the few Or chase your heart’s desire Regrets happen when you follow the crowd Herd immunity was a terrible plan in hindsight We’ve all caught it apart from you That’s good You don’t want what we have anyway

Taurus. You shouted at me in front of our neighbours All in the name of self-care You wanted to know the difference between Right and wrong I told you there was nothing to it, my love And you bought me lunch Whilst I painted your beautiful face Return to your guilty pleasures Focus on something else Your trivial lifestyle  And keep our quarrels private Please Sew your mouth shut Until the end of the world, at least

Gemini. You were the so-called-friend They called when they needed advice We didn’t want you here at the beginning We didn’t want weeds in our bed But you charmed us somehow, and now we’re sorry You were so good A passive entity waiting to strike Documenting everything But you never moved Waited around for Mr Right Picked and tossed aside For someone better

Cancer. I never realised The human touch could be so tender But you didn’t listen to our warnings The lovers you left on the side of the road Treated like royalty then left to die Taurus was angry When you climbed back into your shell Until the the end of the season Left us to clean up by ourselves You’re forgiven

Leo. We wanted a distraction So you put on my favourite hat And did a cat-walk in the living room You never took anything seriously Until the moonlight shone on the spot you tried to cover up With toothpaste Burned a hole through your ego Long legs up to your neck Half-swallowed by my stupid hat So you ate it first A game of who wore it better I’ll remember you As an untamed mass of inside jokes

Virgo. You expected us to respond instantly You told us to carry on as normal Make light of it like Scorpio But we weren’t allowed to wash ourselves Without a Peeping Tom at our foggy windows Yes, we saw you Hit your vulnerable parts with ease An axe through your perfect heart If only you judged us half as much As you judge yourself We might have got somewhere

Libra. They never suspected you You fed us every day at 6 o’clock Five courses following the rules of the food pyramid Kept us to a regular routine So we wouldn’t notice the destruction outside Involved yourself in a messy love triangle A cheap thrill Gaining our love with freshly-prepared meals I admired you from a distance The innocent deer revealed by my headlights Who’s side are you on? The parent-pigs turned to tripe

Scorpio. You probably started the end of the world Or else will soon save us With your amazing ideas You keep to yourself Admit it The revolver in the study Committed overkill Kicked us whilst we were down You revelled in the sight of our squirming bodies And kept our clothes clean Just to see us naked Disinfected with a taste of your own medicine Bleached out the magic words That would have saved us  Your gullible victims Hey, you’ve got to get out of this what you can I don’t blame you

Sagittarius. You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you? An unusual situation but you feel at home And suddenly we’re creatures of the earth Home-grown and made of stardust Connected to one another Whether we like it or not Forced to think like you The way you always think too deeply With eyes that have seen too much This isn’t your first rodeo The bravest of us all

Capricorn. We begged you to let your guard down Like you did the first time We know you’ve given up on saving the world We won’t take advantage again A promise immediately broken Trust no sign And work on your legacy Humming to that annoying tune you like Spreading your coffee-breath like a virus Encouraging Leo’s fancies You leave everyone a piece of you in your will And we go wow, they actually cared Who knew?

Aquarius. You’ve taught us a lesson As you watch from your solitary cliff Home-schooling the babies Along with Sagittarius We wonder how you both climbed so high No expression, not a crack in your demeanour The silent watcher on the wall Everything fell apart around you And you didn’t stir Said nothing But you laugh on the inside Just like god

Pisces. Oh darling, I’ll protect you Even though you picked them over me Even though your lack of self-worth drives me insane Even though you haven’t brushed your hair in a week They don’t deserve you And the PPE irritates your skin Too good for this world But we can watch the end together My favourite ghost Mr Right

[guylty]

Hello hello hello! A week has passed and I am back from my mini break. I am going to indulge in a little travel report here, so those of you who have no interest in sitting through someone else’s holiday pictures – no offense taken, I totally understand! – please just scroll down to where you see the header for the round-up. All your tumblr Armitage needs will be satisfied down there 😉.

Tbh, it was lovely to leave the confines of my home town and finally venture out a little bit farther afield. In fact, it only occurred to me as we were on the road, that I hadn’t left Dublin at all since mid-January 😱. Ireland is not really that big – it reaches about 500 km (300m) from top to bottom – but the terrain here is characterised by rocks and hills, which makes for small, windy roads, especially as the infrastructure does not need to be as car-friendly as in other, more populated countries in the world. So don’t be surprised if you see the estimated travel time in the map below.

Yes, it takes more than 4 hours to travel 287km (178m) in Ireland. 😁 If you look really closely at the map you will actually notice a black jagged line running through the land. That is the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Our route this time took us the Northern Irish way, crossing into NI near Belturbet and then exiting again via Pettigo. The border is still “green”, i.e. there is no visible sign that you have actually moved from one jurisdiction to another. (I can usually only tell by the difference in road surface 😂 and the fact that the speed signs are suddenly in miles/h and not in kilometer/h any more. It’ll be interesting to see the Brexit regulation work out the issue of the United Kingdom’s *only* land border while keeping both EU customs rules as well as inner-Irish peace…) This is the shortest way of getting up from Dublin in the centre of the East coast, into the Northwestern corner of Ireland, which is part of the Republic and called County Donegal.

Our journey took us even longer than the estimated 4 hours, but then we also had to switch drivers in order to relieve my mother-in-law (77) and take a lunch break. We eventually arrived in Dunfanaghy in the late afternoon where my father-in-law had specifically booked rooms with a view in the plush Arnold’s Hotel. At first I was a bit taken aback at the layer of dust in our otherwise lovely room but then I realised that it meant the room had not been used in months and we were the first occupants since reopening the day prior, i.e. no lingering viruses there… From our luxurious king-size bed we had views out to the beach. (Click all images to enlarge!)

View from the bed

Village idyll

Busy despite the Covid crisis

Dunfanaghy beach at low tide

I have to say I was a bit skeptical as regards the attitude of the holiday makers towards keeping safe from the virus, though. Dunfanaghy was packed to the gills with tourists, particularly from Northern Ireland. (The weekend actually coincided with the traditional, Protestant celebrations of the Battle of the Boyne on the 12th of July every year. This is a significant date in NI, marking the victory of Protestant king William III over Catholic king James II, celebrated with drums, huge bonfires and marches by the Orange Order. It continues to be a controversial tradition within NI, with (some) Catholics offended by the celebration of this victory, while (some) Protestants insist on their right to express their traditions.) As part of the UK, NI has had a different approach to the Covid crisis than the Republic, and tbh I was not really that impressed with the general lack of social distancing displayed last week. (It goes without saying that it was *not only* NI people who were far too close for my comfort; there obviously were also plenty of Irish holiday makers there, too.) Within the hotel, there were hand-sanitisers at all exits and corridors, so it was easy to keep hands clean. In the restaurant, the staff wore PPE masks and the guests were seated well apart as fewer tables than normal were set up. So I felt relatively safe in there. But I hardly saw any face masks worn in the village, people were congregating in big groups outside pubs and shops, and it felt as if there were no covid restrictions at all. All that made me very angry. On our walks, particularly in the very busy Glenveagh National Park, people would not keep distance even though the paths were more than 2 meters wide, and on the parking lot, cars parked directly side-by-side. But then again, at least we were outside, and Glenveagh is an absolutely stunning place.

Glenveagh

Glenveagh Castle

In the kitchen garden of Glenveagh

Bag End?

Entrance to the kitchen garden

Wild life very close by

I have been to Glenveagh a good few times before. It’s a stunning valley with a 19th century hunting lodge castle at the centre. There is a formal garden through which you enter the castle grounds, but what I had not see until now was the amazing kitchen garden. The little gardener’s cottage under the large tree somehow reminded me of Bag End.

The best thing, of course, is the beaches and dunes and the mighty North Atlantic.

Tramore Strand

Horn Head

View of Tramore from the dunes

Horn Head from Dunfanaghy

I was thinking of Squirrel/Radagast who had commented about wild flowers before I left for the North, and I took a good few photos of flowers.

Native Irish orchid

Calla lily – associated with the Irish struggle for freedom

The weather was – Irish. We had two days that were predominantly dry, with only a little bit of drizzle here and there. Only on our last day the weather really turned against us, which was annoying as we had planned to go walking with my in-laws a bit. But well, a bit of wet doesn’t deter my hardy in-laws. There is no bad weather – only inappropriate clothing. So we trudged off on a two-hour walk in the Ards Forest. I think I was the only who got drenched to the skin. Yep, even after 20 years I still haven’t learnt… or bought the right equipment.

Typical family picnic. In the rain. Sharing 1 bottle of Guinness, 2 apples and 2 sandwiches. No lie.

However, we did also get a bit of sunset in, and so the trip’s best memory is this – a sundowner from Horn Head with the ragged shape of Tory Island in the background.

So, that was my summer holiday 2020. Four nights away with family. It was actually really lovely, especially as my f-i-l is now getting really old. This may have been his last trip up to Donegal. It was lovely to spend time with him and my m-i-l who are still very active and who are interesting to chat to. I was especially delighted that Little Miss Guylty came along, too – not just for myself but also for the grandparents for whom her presence is particularly special. And I had four nights of sound sleep that really recharged my batteries. So much so that I can now jump energetically into this week’s tumblr round-up:

  Badtennantwolf has put together a set of icons. I am including the set here for the first four pictures of RA at SDCC in 2015 as we recently had a chat about that occasion (and the famous dragon beanie throw) elsewhere

Richardarmitagefanpage reminds us of a Hobbit Extended Editions rewatch organised by One Ring Net for 21 July

Some dramatic Guy of Gisborne gifs, season 3, by riepu10

LOL. Including this mainly for the spot-on caption by thewarriorandtheking

*sniggers* Mezzmerizedbyrichard has come to the aid of many hot and bothered Mr Thornton admirers…

I have always been somewhat intrigued by that pock mark on Richard’s arm. Maybe he had it removed or something, because I also remember pictures from around the same time where he sported a blue plaster on his bicep. Picture posted by hobbitoferebor

Goodness me. 13 years ago. Yes, he looks a good bit younger. And full-on Gisborne-sideburns. Gifs by riepu10

Eyelash porn courtesy by mezzmerizedbyrichard

Ignore the wig and enjoy the nose! Richard as Claude Monet, giffed by mezzmerizedbyrichard

Lehnsharks’ Thorin drawings

BTS footage of Richard as Thorin was few and far between, so here are a few precious scenes, giffed by riepu10

Daniel Miller/Trevor Price looking ominous… Gifs by riepu10

One of nfcomics’ What A Guy Wants… interesting metaphor…

There we go. Sorry for the whole long holiday crap. I can faithfully promise that that is it for this year *sardonic laugh*.

However, before I go and more importantly, just a quick reminder:

It’ll be August soon and that means… RA birthday auction time!!! Donations of items have been coming in and it is high time for me to start organising and promoting, soon. Watch this space for more info!

Have a lovely weekend,

Sonja ❤️

  2020 Armitage Weekly Round-up #28 Hello hello hello! A week has passed and I am back from my mini break. I am going to indulge in a little travel report here, so those of you who have no interest in sitting through someone else's holiday pictures - no offense taken, I totally understand!

[newluddite]

The Plague continues.

It is the only topic in most of the news streams.  People are dying you know.

The item on our CBC stream was that Canada has a slightly higher death rate than other countries.  Overall they say 6ish percent.  Other countries it is 5ish or lower.

Such numbers are questionable generally.  Basically they also say that there are about double the cases than officially detected.  If that is so then it is more like 3%.  The historic Spanish Flu was 2.5% overall.

They describe the problem being that as we have better health care more sick and vulnerable are around to get sick and it hits them harder.  More are dying because we are healthier?

There are also stories of people dying say from say heart disease because life saving treatments were cancelled or postponed.  One was a father of 2 young kids in Alberta who needed open heart surgery.  Heartbreaking is that.  Notice to fathers of young kids, if you love them lose weight and exercise.  I did.

In the land of free white people the conservative politicians are fighting over masks and hand sanitizer.  They don't want them used.  In Georgia the governor is suing mayors of big cities to prevent them from imposing mask requirements.  Similar things in Arizona.  California is taking a hit even though they are not being as stupid. New York which was hit so very hard early is doing well because the political leaders got on  the job and worked to fix things. 

One news item was about an Army Veteran who made a big fuss on TV about not going to wear a Fucking mask as it was all an overblown conspiracy. He died from the overblown conspiracy.  Weird thing is that people who believe conspiracies will think he is not dead, just being held against his will under a pizza joint by the evil liberal democrats. I am sorry for his family, but yes he was stupid.

I have a lot of sympathy for politicians who see business and the economy take huge hits.  They want to go back to normal.  They just do not know what normal is now.  They see China reporting net growth while the West is statistically in deep recession. There are things here though they do not understand.  In China life is literally cheap.  For everyone who dies there are ten that are ready to take that place.  Information is controlled. Bad news is suppressed. Also the government in China lies.  Do not believe them without verification.

I work for a Chinese company.  I have done business in China for decades.  If you are aware of certain things you can survive and even thrive working with them. This is no more racist than appreciating the way any country or person does business. It is part of the culture. For example do not expect to be fully paid if you ever do business with a Trump.  In China they will assure and promise everything until you have signed.  Then there are excuses. When product is delivered it will not be as you expect. First there will be denial, then good reasons, then we did our best, then admission of fault if you push hard. The reports of PPE being taken off a plane to go to someone else who offered more was no surprise to me. Do not pay in advance ever. 

For the west the choice is simple lives or money.  The hard part is the line between how many lives for how many dollars.

Here in BC we are doing pretty well. Cases pop up here and there as the bug is not gone.  But hospitals are not flooded and they are going back to normal operation. Strangely the visits to emergency rooms for non-covid almost stopped for a couple months.  Makes you wonder about what was different.

Things can open up if you are careful.  Last night I had dinner at a nice restaurant.  The tables were spaced apart.  The server wore a mask and they kept things really as clean as they should anyway.  I gave her a generous tip as servers have been off for a long time and I wanted to help. 

Life in general will go on.  We just have to find what the new normal is. 

[jaxstuart]

Lockdown in Trieste day 39

The number of new cases in Italy today is the highest since 12th April, at 3,494 bringing the total to 172,434. There were 575 new deaths bringing the total to 22,745. Deaths have been stable for the past 5 days, but should start to go down soon. I believe the increase in new cases is because of increased testing, 65,705 tests were carried out in the past day. The decrease in numbers is much slower than the increase was, but it is steady. Lombardy continues to be the biggest problem area, over 1,000 of the new cases today were from that region.

Our region saw 58 new cases and 3 new deaths, bringing the totals to 2,675 and 220. Trieste has a death count of 111.  There are only 23 people in intensive care now. There is talk of bringing the naval hospital ship (pictured) from Genoa to Trieste to treat the elderly people infected who were evacuated from care homes.

Spain had a good day with only 3,120 new cases and 163 new deaths.  The UK continues to suffer high numbers with 5,599 new cases and 847 new deaths.

The US continues with very high numbers, declining very slowly but still on the plateau, with nearly 30,000 new cases yesterday.

The world reached a sad milestone today of more than 150,000 deaths. I fear there will be many more to come.

There is good news in Slovenia, with low numbers of new infections and deaths, and some restrictions now lifted, with more promised for after the May holidays. Italy is planning to test a sample of 150,000 people within the next week, and Slovenia is planning to test 1,200. Maybe it is a coincidence that they have a similar plan but hopefully it is the start of some joint effort throughout Europe.

The Italian news reported some plans for phase 2, the team of experts appointed by the government is still working on the strategy. There is talk of staged re-openings in three macro areas, north, central and south. Unfortunately for us, we are in the north region which is by far the worst affected, however they do report that there will be subdivisions within the macro areas that will be treated differently. The macro regions may be opened for 15 days with monitoring thereafter to check the spread of the disease. The experts have said it will be important to rapidly identify outbreaks through testing, then trace contacts and put those affected into isolation. Red areas might be created.  They have been considering how to secure factories and offices, and also the mobility of workers. There may have to be multiple shifts, and home working will be encouraged. The commissioner has signed a tracking app order to prepare the user license for free use, this will be vital for stage 2.

800 pharmacists have been infected with the virus so far in Italy. We owe all pharmacists and everyone else working with the public a huge debt. The UK will run out of protective gowns this week, and Doctors and Nurses may be asked to treat patients with plastic aprons instead. A video recorded by a nurse from the US went viral, her N95 masks were confiscated and she was asked to work with inferior masks not suitable for airborne diseases. 10 nurses in California were suspended for refusing to work without adequate equipment. I know there is a world shortage of protective gear but surely it should be the top priority of every government to turn over whatever production possible to manufacture PPE for health workers. Some Italian textile companies converted their production to face masks and protective gowns.

I should have been in London today for a meeting, but instead I worked at home, with my cat Muffin on the desk beside me. I had a very busy day with a Skype conference call with my colleagues, a webinar hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce, followed by a video call with a client. We need to start producing marketing materials for the leasing of a large warehouse project, to commence as soon as everyone gets back to work. Under normal circumstances in this industry we would never start such a project in June or July due to summer holiday absences, but this year all bets are off, it is not clear whether anyone will even get a holiday, or if they do, where they will be able to go. The rules as we know them no longer apply and we will have to respond to market changes as they happen.

I was happy to be able to get medicine for my friend who is recovering from an operation and deliver it to her home on my scooter. It is such a pleasure driving around Trieste on my Vespa with no traffic. Under normal circumstances, going anywhere in this city on a scooter is a ride of hell. Unruly traffic that mainly consists of other scooters overtaking on all sides and racing to get away from the traffic lights is terrifying, although it is always nice to drive along the seafront with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair.

I walked Bluebell to the park and sat in the sun in the rose garden for a while, and joined the flashmob concert crew to sing ‘Copenhagen’ in honour of my Son in Denmark. I wore my beautiful new handmade mask, and got some admiring glances from other Triestinis.

[covid19updater]

COVID19 UPDATES: 03/21/2020

Quote for the day: "Right now, ladies and gentlemen, I think we have to face the very real possibility that we are on our own." ---Stephen King, UNDER THE DOME

US: Fox Business host Lou Dobbs in self quarantine after staffer tests positive for Covid-19 - Hill

California: New Los Angeles San Fernando Valley, Sylmar, CA Tents and Security up and running at OliveView Medical Center in front of ER it is a drive in tent then another decontamination

US: Could Trump declare national coronavirus shutdown? Momentum is rising. LINK

US:  #NEW: President Trump has declared a major disaster in #NewYork State due to #coronavirus; orders federal assistance. - BNO

California: #California: L.A. County gives up on containing #coronavirus, tells doctors to skip testing of some patients

RUMINT: Tennessee: Picture supposedly of part of parking deck at Vanderbilt Medical Center converted over to bed space. LINK

RUMINT (Mississippi): Evening! Have to go back to work tomorrow after 5 glorious days off. Been getting reports from my coworkers that they are being refused masks when taking care of possible CoVid pts. Um, no. I LOVE my job, but I'm not down to die for a company that will replace me before I'm in the ground. We've had a positive patient who was on the floor for 3 days before the test came back positive. Nobody wore any PPE other than the standard gloves. Numerous staff were exposed, one is in her 3rd trimester and one told the hospital they'll get her badge in the mail. Her 4 yo has pneumonia and now they think it could be CoVid that her mom may have brought home. Please, please, please raise hell wherever you are in the world for your healthcare workers to get the proper PPE as YOUR life may depend on it. I mean from EMS on the streets, to the docs in the hospital and everyone who works in a hospital. It takes all of us to run it, not just doctors and nurses. Stay home, wash your hands and pray for us on the front lines, including those in trade jobs who are busting their asses to keep us healthcare workers in business!

Massachusetts: 60 people quarantined at a assisted living facility on Cape Cod in Massachusetts after a resident tests positive.

NYC: Majority of NYC’s coronavirus cases are men between 18 and 49 years old LINK

RUMINT (UK): Morning from Southern England! It's cold but there's sunshine for today and most of the coming week. Still have a consultant job (work from home) for the next four weeks at least. Might have been exposed 9 or 10 days ago, the person I sat with in Germany (he's from the UK) in the office for two/three days is now very unwell (and his wife has become sick) with what appears to be COVID19. They aren't testing most people unless they need a hospital admission, so he hasn't been tested yet. By the sounds of it, he will need admitting to hospital. None of us, his work colleagues are sick (yet). Got an email yesterday from the Taxman (HMRC) for my business. They are throwing the kitchen sink at this. Suddenly after years of austerity under Cameron and May (all false looking at things now), they can pull a couple of trillion pounds (and yes, since this has just started with 350 billion, it will probably take a couple of trillion) out of thin air and basically most people don't need to work. Starting to look like the cycles of boom and bust were fake, engineered to keep most of us poor. Anyway, I basically don't have to pay tax this year (personal or corporate), even the quarterly payments of VAT I collect for the government (equiv to $11,000 every three months) don't have to be paid. There is no interest on any loans. In summary, the government APPEAR to know that this is the end of the UK (and the world) if they don't throw everything at this. The speed at which this has been organised is incredible. They know if they don't pay people out of their pockets, then the country would descend into anarchy and they would be just as fucked because society would break down, no supply chain for anything and EVERYONE would be dead in weeks except for the few in the UK like us who are armed and have six months of supplies. They are managing to keep everyone on the same page in the UK for now with these financial arrangements. The people of this country don't realise how VERY close to the edge everything is and just how VERY bad things are about to get. The virus is now everywhere, in every town and the main vector will be supermarkets now. These next two weeks will see all hospital overwhelmed as they go past surge capacity in the next three days.

Germany: BREAKING - The number of young #COVID19 patients is on the rise in Germany. "The youngest symptomatic patients are in their early 20s. We see the entire demographic age spectrum, whether in the normal ward or ICU," says Chief Physician of the Infectiology at a Munich clinic.

Spain: +233 deaths and +3.355 cases. So 24.926 cases and 1.326 deaths in Spain!

RUMINT (Hong Kong): ..... it’s complete madness right. HK largely on lockdown since end Jan. It looked like it was stabilising so some people started going back to working then the numbers just spike again. No idea how it ends

Russia: Footage of ambulances lined up bringing COVID19 patients to hospital in Moscow. LINK

China: A 26-yr-old woman surnamed Huang in South China's Guangxi Province was retested positive for nucleic acid 31 days after discharge. Huang was confirmed on Jan 30, and was treated in hospital. After being cured on Feb 10, she was retested positive in hospital on Mar 12.

New York: #BREAKING US STATE OF NEW YORK REPORTS 3,254 NEW CASES OF CORONAVIRUS, RAISING TOTAL TO 10,356 CASES - GOVERNOR

New York: Younger people listen up: 55% of NYS #Coronavirus cases are ages 18-49.Young people aren’t invincible. You can get this and you can give it to someone older you love. You shouldn’t endanger your own health & you certainly shouldn't endanger other people's health. #StayAtHome

New York: NY Governor Cuomo: "You have to expect at the end of the day, 40% to 80% of the population is going to be infected. So the only question is how fast is the rate...and can you slow that rate so your hospital system can deal with it."

New Jersey: Top New Jersey health official Judith Persichilli says everyone will get coronavirus.  New Jersey’s top public health official says everyone, including her, will eventually contract the coronavirus. “I’m definitely going to get it. We all are,” Judith Persichilli told NJ.com. “I’m just waiting.”

Italy: CORONAVIRUS DEATH TOLL IN WORST-AFFECTED ITALIAN REGION LOMBARDY RISES BY 546 IN PAST 24 HOURS TO 3,095 - OFFICIALS

New York: UPDATE: NYC Covid-19 cases rise to 7,530 approximately 1,300 higher than Cuomo announced an hour ago with 45 deaths - NBCNY

Eugene Gu, MD: The combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to treat the coronavirus has not been proven safe and effective through large scale clinical trials. There is only anecdotal evidence from case reports in countries overseas. Promising them as miracle drugs gives false hope.  I know this is an emergency and we are desperate. But as a physician, I took a solemn oath to “first, do no harm.” That means not testing off label drugs on human patients that may have side effects like vision and hearing loss, heart problems, and death for an unproven benefit.

UK: Rioting and looting have already started in London. LINK

Georgia: View of the TSA security line at Atlanta’s airport. LINK

Italy: BIG BREAKING: Italy reports 6557 new cases of #Coronavirus and 793 new deaths.Total number of Confirmed cases reach 53,578 and Total death toll reaches 4825. Fatality rate= 9%

US: John Bolton declares China 'responsible' for coronavirus outbreak, says world must hold them 'accountable' LINK

UK:  CORONAVIRUS DEATH TOLL IN THE UK HAS REACHED 233 AFTER NHS ENGLAND SAID A FURTHER 53 PEOPLE HAD DIED IN ENGLAND AFTER TESTING POSITIVE

US: BREAKING - US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife will be tested for #COVID19 this afternoon.

UK: Frontline NHS staff risk "cross infecting everybody" because they are not getting the recommended protective equipment, a consultant has warned.The face mask, short gloves and apron worn by NHS staff is far short of the World Health Organization recommendations, Dr Lisa Anderson of St George's Hospital, London, said. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the government to "sort this out". LINK

US:  BREAKING: Ground stop now in effect — all departures stopped — for JFK, LGA, EWR due to positive covid-19 tests. Other regional airspace sectors halted through key “gates” through NY air traffic areas. -Sources

World: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide has surpassed 300,000, an increase of 50,000 in one day

Europe: - France: 1,847 new cases, 112 new deaths - UK: 1,035 new cases, 56 new deaths

US: Mark Dice’s commentary on celebrities and COVID19. LINK

New Orleans: A Medical worker describes his experiences treating COVID19. LINK

US: USA + 4759 new cases = 24,142 cases + 32 new RIP = 288 RIP

Israel: Official statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry was just posted, calling on all Israelis worldwide to return to Israel before a full lockdown is imposed and cancellation of all flights.

Ukraine: 10 new COVID19 infections registered in Chernivtsi region, 1 in Zhytomyr region, 2 in Kyiv region, 1 in Donetsk region, 2 in Ivano-Frankivsk and 2 in Kyiv city. Total 47 confirmed cases in Ukraine

Florida: FL Gov. DeSantis says the test results coming today "are coming from the last two weeks." South Florida "is a challenge now" he says in terms of COVID-19.

US: Newsweek: Inside the Government Continuity of Operations Plans. LINK

US: Newsweek: Inisde the Military plans to stop civil disturbances from COVID19. LINK

US: To help put the size of the Navy's hospital ships into perspective, this is a photo of USNS Mercy alongside the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. LINK

[bbcbreakingnews]

Face shields worn by hairdressers DON’T protect against Covid-19, health officials say

Face shields worn by hairdressers are not protective against Covid-19 and are not a safe alternative to masks, health chiefs in Switzerland have claimed.

Swiss officials investigated an outbreak of ‘several’ coronavirus cases that occurred at a hotel in a village in the Alps — even though employers took precautions.

Experts revealed only those who wore plastic visors were infected. But no-one who wore a mask, either alone or in addition to a face shield, caught the coronavirus, according to the study. 

Clear visors are recommended by the UK Government for hairdressers, barbers, nail technicians and tattooists as a barrier between them and the customer.

But it claims no other protection needs to be worn by either the worker or customer in order to protect against the coronavirus.

Experts say there is a lack of strong scientific evidence to support face shields and virus-laden droplets may still be able to enter the mouth.

Face shields worn by hairdressers (pictured) are not protective against Covid-19, health officials in Switzerland have warned

An outbreak of ‘several’ coronavirus cases at a hotel in Switzerland revealed those who only worse plastic visors (like the one pictured) were infected 

The hotel outbreak occurred in the village of Pontresina, Graübunden region, where several employees and at least one guest tested positive for the virus. 

Local health officials determined that all those infected had been relying solely on a face shield to protect themselves.

‘The visors do not serve as an alternative to hygiene masks,’ Yann Hulmann, of the Federal Office of Public Health, told local media 20 Minutes. 

He added: ‘Visors can be worn with masks to further enhance your own protection.’

The World Health Organization says face shields can help prevent the virus, but only in combination with other safety measures such as wearing a mask (pictured)

The government claims no other protection needs to be worn by either the worker or customer in order to protect against the coronavirus

ARE FACE SHIELDS PROTECTIVE? 

In a scramble to find ways to protect people from catching the coronavirus, masks, goggles, visors and gloves have all been touted as possible layers of protection.

Some people have even been seen with homemade attempts, such as wearing lunchboxes or water bottles over their faces.

But do visors work?

Some research has shown that people are at risk of becoming more seriously ill with COVID-19 if they receive a larger ‘viral load’ – the first dose of viruses that they are infected with.

Epidemiologist Dr Eli Perencevich and a team of scientists at the University of Iowa said a visor could reduce the amount of virus someone inhaled by up to 92 per cent form 2m away from the source.

They said: ‘Face shields… should be included as part of strategies to safely and significantly reduce transmission in the community setting.’

Dr Robert Glatter, a doctor at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that early data was ‘promising’.

But research carried out before the pandemic does not show any clear benefits of using visors on their own, other scientists say.

A study by the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) done in 2016 found there is no proof to back up claims that face shields work on their own.

He said viruses or bacteria could come in through around the edges of the visor and still cause infection — and said they should only be used in addition to other PPE. 

Lawrence Young, a virologist and oncologist, University of Warwick, told MailOnline: ‘I don’t know of any systematic studies properly evaluating the benefits of face shields.’

He noted an ‘interesting’ review led by the University of Hong which  comprehensively explored the different types of facial protection measures, including masks. 

The team highlighted the fact that ‘strong evidence is lacking in terms of the effectiveness of face shields against the transmission of viral respiratory diseases’. 

Writing in the journal Oral Diseases, the team add: ‘Because most face shields do not form a tight seal around the side of the face and chin area, they do not offer protection against aerosols leaking in from the margins of the face shields.’

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The World Health Organization (WHO) says face shields can help prevent the virus, scientifically called SARS-CoV-2.

But the agency says they only work in combination with other safety measures such as wearing a mask, social distancing, and frequent hand-washing. 

And the Federal Office of Public Health — the Swiss government’s health agency —now says: ‘Visors are no substitute for a face mask. 

‘They protect the eyes from possible infection through droplets, but the possibility of infection via the nose or mouth cannot be excluded.’ 

But according to the Department of Health in the UK: ‘There is no requirement for the client to wear any additional protection such as a mask or face covering, when the practitioner is wearing a visor.’

In guidance for workplaces such as hairdressers and barbers, spas, beauty salons, tattoo and photo-shoot studios, ministers have recommended face visors to ensure they can operate in a Covid-19 secure way.

Guidance says: ‘Both disposable and re-usable visors are available. A re-usable visor must be cleaned and sanitised regularly using normal cleaning products. 

‘Visors must fit the user and be worn properly. It should cover the forehead, extend below the chin, and wrap around the side of the face. A screen may be used by practitioners working with clients’ hands. 

‘There is no benefit to either the client or the practitioner of wearing additional PPE [personal protective equipment].’

It is not clear what the Department of Health base their advice on and MailOnline has contact the government branch for comment. 

But ministers have repeatedly said throughout the crisis they have been ‘following the science’ to draw up guidance and policies. 

Officials say social distancing and regular handwashing are still the most effective methods of preventing the transmission of Covid-19. 

But there are concerns the precautions people are taking will slip if face shields create a false sense of security. 

To date there has been little scientific evidence to encourage the use of face shields to protect against the coronavirus — despite there being huge debate about whether face coverings and masks are effective.

Lawrence Young, a virologist and oncologist, University of Warwick, told MailOnline: ‘I don’t know of any systematic studies properly evaluating the benefits of face shields.’

He noted an ‘interesting’ review led by the University of Hong which  explored the different types of facial protection measures in detail. 

Writing in the journal Oral Diseases, the team highlighted the fact that ‘strong evidence is lacking in terms of the effectiveness of face shields against the transmission of viral respiratory diseases’. 

If a face shield does not completely cover the entirety of the face, it leaves room for droplets expelled by the mouth and nose to escape. 

Droplets are the main form of Covid-19 transmission, the WHO says, and the outbreak in Switzerland suggests the visors worn by the hotel staff do not act as a barrier against infection. 

The WHO is also looking over evidence that the coronavirus is airborne, meaning it can be inhaled in much smaller particles. 

If the face visor is not tightly sealed, it would allow the wearer to breathe in the air — and possibly virus particles — around them. 

Face visors are also worn by doctors, nurses and other hospital workers on the Covid-19 frontline, but with the addition of a fitted surgical face mask. 

Professor Young said: ‘Face shields are useful when PPE is in short demand – they are robust, durable and can easily be disinfected.’ 

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