A few weeks ago I wanted to order some more n95 dust masks as mine are dirty, and home depot was already sold out, but even then one was going for 25$ on Ebay. I decided I would vaccuum the ones I had, and wipe the areas that touch my face with rubbing alcohol and let them air out good.
Pre crisis, Home Depot would sell two with the ‘cool valve’ for under 8$ of their HDX brand, but then one was 25$ and home depot had none. I did find one new unused one today in my workshop, just about the same time that the news channels were saying all construction and painting companies should donate them to the hospitals.
I have Nurse as a neighbor and will be donating it to her. Her hospital only has a few cases but the hospital administration has already been forcing them to use one for multiple days back to back, which is asinine.
I’ve seen people wearing them in stores, the little aluminum is usually on their chins instead of bent to the shape of their noses. None have been appreciated being told they are wearing it incorrectly, and thus ineffectively.
These n95 masks with the ‘cool valve’, which allows exhalations to exit much easier and keep the mask drier, do not protect others from a sick person’s cough as well as one without the valve would. I always wondered how quickly they actually close on inhalation. These ‘cool valve’ ones are likely a poor choice, for this virus, but it beats a bandanna tied over one’s face.
I might cut out and foil a fin or two, but some non surfboard projects are higher on my list for this downtime. Not looking forward to needing more groceries soon. But perhaps the hoarders have no more room, and shelves will not be mostly empty of my regular fixings.
Seems a lot of people are not doing any social isolating, or changing their ways and some even perhaps treating it like a vacation. Everybody seems to be driving as if there are no more speed limits, and texting while driving is apparently no longer even frowned upon. If we are depending on mass altruism to slow the spread/flatten the curve, I’ve witnessed few examples of it when out walking my dog or getting groceries, just a whole bunch of ‘me first!, always!’
Not doing my misanthopic tendencies any good, I’ve had a lot of practice self isolating long before this virus jumped from bat to human, then human to human 3.5ish months ago.