@chmcnm But there are only so many healthcare workers and first responders; soon, I believe there will be enough for all of them, and then there will be enough for colleges followed by members of the general public to buy them.
The college my D20 committed to for fall 2020 has already said they will at least start the year with classes online and possibly allow students in dorms but in singles only. She is thinking about staying home and doing community college for 2 years since here in California it is close to free. This is something she never wanted to do prior to Covid-19.
I think not. Try it. You’re putting the bandanna around your face on the bias, the stretchy direction of the fabric. It stretches to cover your nose and chin.
I have masks of different types around my house that I’ve made and tried: N95 we had for fires, mask made from an old T-shirt, mask sewn with pleats, mask sewn with a shaping seam over the nose, a stretchy lycra buff that goes over the nose, and the bandanna. The bandanna is one of the ones that is most fitted around the edges. I don’t the fabric is particularly good about filtering, because bandannas are not made of a tight weave fabric, but it’s a mask that fits more tightly than the ones I’ve sewn. Cowboys wore dust-blocking bandannas for a reason, after all.
What is this belief based on? Although I do appreciate your posts, one does need to support their statements.
Just reporting what I have seen…people wearing them and clearly there are gaps on the bottom. And no thanks, I’m not going to try it because a virus the size of covid-19 goes right thru typical cloth bandanna material.
Do you know how many they use per day? A lot…if they’re practicing safe standards. Could be anywhere from 2 to many if they’re busy with patients.
2.86 million RN’s in US
700k LPN’s
almost 1 million EMS personnel in US
1.1 million doctors in the US
800k police officers in US
Then there’s nursing home workers, national defense concerns, etc.
I very much doubt they’re sourcing or even trying to source N95s. N95 masks are uncomfortable and hot to wear for a long period of time. Also, have you seen frontline doctors and nurses being interviewed? They’ve got scars on their faces from the edges of the masks.
People in many Asian countries are wearing surgical masks or homemade masks as a matter of course now. If Asians can do it, so can college students.
Why is it hard to understand that different people have different strengths, different desires, and/or relationships with family members that are less than conducive to 15 months of close living, etc.?
I just believe it because of economics (Law of Supply and Demand); they will continue to mass-produce them as long as a profit can be made, until enough are produced that they can no longer make a profit. Maybe they meant surgical masks. That’s just what I believe.
Yes, but that still doesn’t mean there will be enough for all the healthcare providers in the world, let alone the general public. I hope there will be some for the general public, but it’s just a hope. 3M for example is still sending millions of masks offshore.
The problem is that we outsourced making N95 masks to China years ago. We don’t have the equipment and materials to just flip the switch. 3M and MSA are working on it but it will take time. Just finding the materials on US soil isn’t easy.
Surgical masks are just about useless. May as well use a bandana. Lol.
I won’t even go into how we sent masks to China when the pandemic started and then received substandard ones in return recently. That’s a discussion for another day.
If DS19’s school allowed taking a gap year I doubt he’d take it even if all his courses ended up being online only. He is lucky to have a very well paying job for the summer that he could continue with indefinitely but he’ll be very glad when it comes to an end. He really enjoys school and is a true academic as it is but he’s going to be even more appreciative of going back to school in September regardless of what form that takes. He’s also going to be much more motivated to find a different job next summer. He’s lived a fairly sheltered and privileged life but is by no means entitled. He is fully appreciative and cognizant of his privilege. He is also well aware of how fortunate he is to have a job this summer, not to mention a well paying one, when so many are out of work. Even so this is his first paying job and he’s getting a crash course in the reality of how mundane work is for a large portion of the population. Things wouldn’t be as bad if he had the social aspects of working to offset the challenges of the job, but he’s working remotely from his bedroom. He doesn’t even have getting together with his friends in the evening or on the weekend to look forward to. For him it’s going to be a very long joyless summer and September can’t come soon enough even if that means on-line courses.
Isaac Newton spent 18 months on his mother’s farm during a pandemic at the age of 23. He discovered the general binomial theorem, the differential and integral calculus, the theory of colors, and the laws of gravity.
Students could make a decision to learn some subject (gasp) on their own. 
@MommaCat What college is that? I haven’t heard of any school saying that they are definitely starting online.
I find it utterly implausible that students (or faculty for that matter) would wear N95 masks with any reliability. Regardless of the proposed consequences. Period.
First off surgical masks are not useless. Secondly, when on Michigan’s campus as my son stayed there till last week. Almost 100% of students were wearing a face mask. Yes, many internationals but with many they wear them for pollution/dust and are used to it. Even with a loss of some international students I hope that they ones on campus will make it easier and more acceptable for the rest of the students to just wear them when needed. Hope this comes out correctly…Some covering does help and not getting into this going round and round. Covering your mouth and nose “can” be helpful. How much is debatable. Yes, going to be tough in closed quarters and I do really think you are going to see a surge in single apartments or doubles off campus at schools that allow them.
San Jose State has said it’s starting online.
According to CNN, University of Tennessee will bring students back to its campuses this fall.
https://www.utk.edu/coronavirus/updates/returning-to-campus-this-fall
@homerdog CSULB - Long Beach
My point was that the schools can’t select the formal plan until they know what the state and local rules will be.
For example, CU Boulder has released the usual vague statements, but this week the City and County passed laws requiring masks to be worn inside any public space and outside when within 6 feet. CU says everyone on campus will be required to comply with local and state laws, so students should plan to wear a mask inside except in their dorm room, and often outside when they move from class to class.
These new laws are the floor and I expect CU will add requirements as we get closer to the first day of school. Also, the city and county requirements for restaurants should be released in the next few weeks and CU will most likely agree to abide. That’s when students and parents will have a clearer picture of how the cafeterias will operate.
Parent pro tip: Make sure your student has as many masks as underwear.