Thread by @LittleSausage

I work in an industry that takes safety very seriously. Our staff are exposed to incredible danger every day.

One of those dangers is respiratory illness, caused by inhalation of contaminants.

These staff are provided with FFP3 masks and have to be "face fitted" by someone who knows what they're doing. This is because they do actually work when fitted properly.

The thing is, they do not form a tight fit on anyone with facial hair. Some parts of the business actually mandate that everyone's face is completely clean-shaven; not even a Homer Simpson shadow is permitted because otherwise your face mask is rendered useless.

Other parts of the business are a bit more happy-clappy and won't mandate clean-shavenness, but do mandate another form of protection. This is usually a full-face respirator jobbie.

So when I see bearded cops with blue surgical masks berating people because their face isn't covered as they walk through a train station or do their shopping, I get really fucking angry.

https://twitter.com/samlewis1983/status/1389136457621774337?s=19

Those masks do nothing apart from preventing one from gobbing on someone. They are *literally* worse than useless and yet they are deemed a "necessity". 'Cos covid.

Like this guy who, terrifyingly, is a teacher:

https://twitter.com/Maycontainnutzz/status/1389232215641440262?s=19

All sense and knowledge has gone out of the window; there is absolutely no point in wearing them apart from for show.

I wish people would use their brains and actually think about what they're being told to do, and to ask WHY.

Why are tiny children, who learn their social cues from the facial expressions of adults deprived of something they need in order to develop?

Why are teenagers being made to sit in class breathing in their own stale air for 7 hours?

Why are teachers not questioning this?

Why are parents going along with this?