Will you return to Covid restrictions and mask wearing?

[lockinlove]

I have been working in molecular microbiology and infectious disease and recently aiding in the virology units at U of T and Sinai

We have been asked by the Canadian government to start tracking and researching the newest strain of covid that is spreading. We have also been asked our thoughts on enforcing mask-wearing again.

Sorry, I know that we are all tired of this and most are well passed it by now but considering we are being asked our opinion on this matter it means there are conversations going on where there is a possibility of enforcing covid restrictions again.

Many people we have asked this question have a pretty common response. It's either yes or "they will have to arrest me. I am not doing it again".


While it does show escape properties (of the immune system) and growth and mutation properties, it still seems to be a low health risk.

For what it's worth, we have recommended no mask-wearing or restrictions as it is a low public health risk but for some reason, the government doesn't always side with our views even though we are the professionals.

Just curious how people out there feel given this forum has a pretty good mixture from people all around the world.

​

 

[goatwack]

Much as it irks me, as to masks' already debunked uselessness as people walk around with their designer, saliva-steeped face cloths, people are only going to do as to what's mandated by their politicians.

So all the bravado and Twi......sorry 'X'- induced outrage soon goes out of the window upon realizing that businesses etc will dictate as to who enters their premises and so forth, and so will more than likely comply (again) if need be. Much like you'd see people queue outside supermarkets in those little marked segments, as social distancing becomes enabled.

Whether I despise the notion or not, if businesses and services make it a 'thing' once more, faux protestations tend to go out of the window, because as we've seen last time round, people are easily brought to heel, and quick to condemn opposing actions....

Mind you, I'd expect any return of mask- wearing to be negligible, or for much shorter durations, as I don't believe most would abide by prolonged lockdowns and mask mandates, that's the difference.

I know that employees at Lionsgate Studios in Hollywood have already brought them back for a time, in their offices.....but only on the 3rd and 5th floor. The 4th is apparently not affected!

 

[slot_zombie]

They'll have to clap me in irons before I stick a nappy on my face.

Although last time all it took was a quiet "I'm exempt" if asked. No confrontations.

Can't see it happening tbh, most have moved on.

 

[Video_Poker_Pro]

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me

 

[Oscar Arnhem]

Say No to Face Diapers

 

[goatwack]

It's more of a question of 'when', not 'if' really. Goodness knows the media's informed us of impending new strains for about the last two. three months, to much collective groaning. And so it matters little what the everyman thinks, as politicians are going to follow whatever they've been fed, and be reactionary. Didn't we already see that?

Vague guidelines get passed on to businesses, who then implement them to varying degrees. I know many establishments that kept those in place, months after they were lifted elsewhere. And whilst overall fairly relaxed in the UK, many countries' citizens did not have the luxury of being able to choose, and still don't.....

If left optional based on each venue and service as to whether masks are necessary, I'd choose not to. Yet if every place is beside themselves with enforcing temporary mask- usage, what options are there? Cover the windows with newspaper and order off Amazon indefinitely? ?

 

[dunover]

Not conclusive proof of anything but when I went to ICE London 2022 I wore a mask nearly all the time, especially on the Covid express (London Underground) where people from all over the world are packed cheek-by-jowl. No Covid.

Roll on this year 2023, never wore a mask at all, yep, a positive Covid test when I got back, along with a few others in my circle.

 

[L&L-Jan]

Im soon heading for my 9th booster, its important to take the vaccine and wear masks to protect yourself and your loved ones.

 

[mack341]

The pound and budget shop owners will be hoping for a covid resurgence, recently saw one of those test kits on the shelves priced up at £10 odd, and loads of masks and hand gel.

I think I saw a stat that 5 billion tonnes of plastic [slow or non breaking down] has been dumped in the oceans due to masks, you'd think virtue signaller Justin or the swedish lass would have something to say about that!

A longer while back I heard about a dual covid/flu jab coming this autumn, a covid re-emergence right about now would be awfully convenient (commercial) timing for the pharma giants making the stuff.

As Goatie says if the businesses and shops insist on a mask or you can piss off out, then it is very hard to object.

 

[Webzcas]

@lockinlove interested in your take on whether the standard £1/$1/€1 face masks offer protection if any? It is my understanding that unless you are wearing an N95 mask or equivalent, they offer little to none.

I have had Covid twice, had the vaccine three times and adhered to all lockdowns when they were enforced. But no more. No more vaccines for me, no enforced wearing of face masks and I certainly will not comply with any future lockdowns should any come into effect for a covid strain.

Now if this was something like Ebola on a pandemic scale, my attitude would be markedly different. But the damage to businesses, peoples well being and mental health during the Covid pandemic is immeasurable.

I am certainly not going down that route again. I will take my chances thanks.

 

[Webzcas]

Much as it irks me, as to masks' already debunked uselessness as people walk around with their designer, saliva-steeped face cloths, people are only going to do as to what's mandated by their politicians.

I have a lanyard that gets around that ;-)

 

[goatwack]

Perhaps if more people took the professional approach to mask-wearing, then we could beat Covid back into the depths from whence it came!

 

[lockinlove]

@lockinlove interested in your take on whether the standard £1/$1/€1 face masks offer protection if any? It is my understanding that unless you are wearing an N95 mask or equivalent, they offer little to none.

I have had Covid twice, had the vaccine three times and adhered to all lockdowns when they were enforced. But no more. No more vaccines for me, no enforced wearing of face masks and I certainly will not comply with any future lockdowns should any come into effect for a covid strain.

Now if this was something like Ebola on a pandemic scale, my attitude would be markedly different. But the damage to businesses, peoples well being and mental health during the Covid pandemic is immeasurable.

I am certainly not going down that route again. I will take my chances thanks.

Not really no.

First of all, you need to wear a mask properly, second of all it isn't just about putting a mask on. There is a process first (washing hands etc.) but those cheap masks aren't very effective.

If you pay attention to people who wear masks when not enforced, they are engaging in other practices that increase their efficacy rate slightly. Hand washing, avoiding groups of people, and keeping their distance.

People wearing a mask, and walking down the street by themselves is not effective at all. We have found these people to have general anxiety disorders and/or are not properly educated. A small percentage are virtue signaling. That's why in my previous post, I expressed that if you see people wearing masks, you just leave them be. A certain percentage have anxiety disorders and it helps keep them calm when out in public.

Do higher-quality masks work? Yes. Not 100% but they do. There is a reason why hospitals and labs wore them prior to covid and it wasn't for fashion

 

[lockinlove]

Im soon heading for my 9th booster, its important to take the vaccine and wear masks to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Some people have bars in their homes to have a drink at night.

Does your look like this and instead of a drink on the rocks at night do you have a booster on the rocks?

 

[satchnz]

The wearing of masks and other Covid mandates became a political issue early on, regardless of the science (right or wrong), or common sense. It didn’t help that governments around the world largely made a mockery of the situation through their own actions. Think Trump, Bolsonaro, and probably the worst of them all - the UK government.

Those in charge would have a very difficult time trying to reintroduce any Covid restrictions now.

 

[maxd]

FWIW I've never stopped wearing a mask when I'm anywhere near the public -- certified N95 masks -- or when I need to be near persons outside my household, and have continued to restrict my contact with other people to an absolute minimum. No public events, no public spaces, no gatherings, etc etc. Anything coming into the house -- groceries included -- either gets scrubbed down or quarantined for two weeks.

In the neighbourhood where I lived during the first couple years of Covid I saw WAY too many people in the area leaving their homes in ambulances or hearses -- it was an area with a significant elderly population -- to brush Covid off as so many people seem eager to.

Yeah, I know, I'm Mr. Covid Paranoid but it ain't over yet as far as I'm concerned and I'm of no mind to play Russian Roulette with my long term health. Even my relatives think I'm being foolish but I'm perfectly content to be one of the "better safe than sorry" crowd, thank you very much. And so far, no Covid cases in our house.

 

[goatwack]

All fine and dandy, people are free to act according to their own lived experiences, and safeguard their own well- being, a complete non- issue as far as I can see!

What I dread is the inevitable hysteria whipped up the media, and enforced through various means so that the whole vaxxer/ anti-vaxxer divisions begin anew. Surely the most annoying aspect, given that these are individual choices, and should not be imposed on anyone.....

 

[Jono777]

Just wait till Jamie sees this thread....

As a regular job, resurrecting the original Covid thread, he will think all of his Christmases have come at once

FWIW, I am not Covid paranoid, far from it and am not having any more jabs. I will however take the common sense approach when it comes to larger crowds and when I see the coughers and splutters and avoid when in Morrisons etc.

 

[mack341]

Some things I'll still avoid even as a part-time covid denier Like those cheap greeting card shops, especially inside a shopping centre so the air is not refreshed, normally full of people with at least a couple coughing and farting in close proximity. [towards you ]

But there is a flipside, afaik the immune system is stronger if it faces challenges [that it can overcome - not ebola!], by employing lots of avoidance strategies for respiratory bugs it could come back to bite you in the bum eventually.

Once vaccinated [unlike myself] catching covid can act like a booster shot, so that's an upside to exposure, rather than your antibody protection melting away unchallenged.

 

[sufferinsilence]

I'd rather wear a mask when necessary than going back to full, or even partial, lockdowns.

Having asthma I prefer trying not to catch respiratory diseases at all. If a mask helps even a tiny bit I'm all for it.

I also noticed when there are no mask requirements and you wear one people stay away from you a tad more, it's a win-win really

 

[dealer wins]

I never did comply with any of it from day 1, and certainly didnt take any of the bioweapon injections.

Thank the god lord I have a partner who feels the same, and most of my family and 50%+ of my friends.

 

[goatwack]

A recent review published by the Royal Society has stated that non- pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) used before the rollout of vaccines, had varying degrees of success, most of it nearer the beginning of the Covid outbreak.

This of course includes masks, as well as social distancing, border controls and so forth.

Yet contrast that with the Cochrane's Institute's findings published in February, which state that masks have circa 5% effectiveness (so, useless then) and ya gots yo'self very mixed messaging!

Actually, probably not that confusing, notwithstanding one's personal proclivity and bias, and what they ultimately choose to believe.

Yet simply put:

Royal Society = Government- sponsored body, relaying its findings back to the Government, E.U and U.N

Cochrane = British charitable organisation conducting multi-national field research and studies, and seen as the benchmark of scientific analyses

I don't know, it's just too difficult

 

[dealer wins]

NHS staff know the score, they are not taking the death darts anymore, and this Autumn takeup will be under 30% guaranteed!!

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[09237653]

in the UK we are just pretending it doesn't exist any more, no testing being done and vaccines have to be paid for under 65s now, cant see any restrictions coming back here any time soon- gov managed to kill most of the vulnerable the first time around anyway.

 

[nisosbar]

Masks are not effective at preventing transmission, but they are a good way of hiding when you are in public, so I do like that bit (hiding from homeless drug addicts who harass commuters, etc.).

But the public were lied to by paid snake oil salesmen in the public health establishment, doing the bidding of the drug therapy quacks, calling hydroxychloriquine 'horse paste', as if it were inert glue. Such outrageousness. So I feel the same anger as do those who say hell, no. And I will NEVER again trust government health authorities.

On a side note, I don't know if Casinomeister had/has a policy about "COVID misinformation" (a/k/a public debate) and banning accounts if they posted things contrary to messages from public health authorities. But other forums I post at did have such a policy, though I'm not sure what the incentive was - if they were paid a stipend of some kind, or bonus...?

 

[nisosbar]

I'd rather wear a mask when necessary than going back to full, or even partial, lockdowns.

Having asthma I prefer trying not to catch respiratory diseases at all. If a mask helps even a tiny bit I'm all for it.

I also noticed when there are no mask requirements and you wear one people stay away from you a tad more, it's a win-win really

Yeah, I just made the same point - masks are good at making people avoid you, and at diverting their attention to the unmasked.

 

[mack341]

Would a successful, effective vaccine lead to results like this?

[I must admit I'm surprised by the total number of covid deaths: 8,000 plus for 2023, you wouldn't know by the news and we're still in august.]

 

[Guntis]

My GF works in NHS, she's vaccinated and had COVID 7 or 8 times during all this time. When she had that so-called covid she looked like she just had a bit of temperature, nothing else, similar to what one experiences with a common cold. We live together and i never caught anything from her. I'm not vaccinated. For masks, i used to wear them only in places where they were mandatory (shops, public transport, etc.) and in situations when it made sense to have one on.

As for the patients in her hospital, the ones who were dying were generally those who had 10 minutes to live anyway.

 

[mina1929]

We are are still wearing masks in most Aged Care Facilities in Australia but only until next month I am hoping.

I don't see the point as most of us don't wear it properly and forget to put it on at times, people are over it as it has been too long now. Most of our residents had Covid and recovered well, no deaths.

I believe in freedom of choice, wear a mask, get vaccinated if you want and if not that's fine too. Everyone is different and I respect that

 

[lockinlove]

FWIW I've never stopped wearing a mask when I'm anywhere near the public -- certified N95 masks -- or when I need to be near persons outside my household, and have continued to restrict my contact with other people to an absolute minimum. No public events, no public spaces, no gatherings, etc etc. Anything coming into the house -- groceries included -- either gets scrubbed down or quarantined for two weeks.

In the neighbourhood where I lived during the first couple years of Covid I saw WAY too many people in the area leaving their homes in ambulances or hearses -- it was an area with a significant elderly population -- to brush Covid off as so many people seem eager to.

Yeah, I know, I'm Mr. Covid Paranoid but it ain't over yet as far as I'm concerned and I'm of no mind to play Russian Roulette with my long term health. Even my relatives think I'm being foolish but I'm perfectly content to be one of the "better safe than sorry" crowd, thank you very much. And so far, no Covid cases in our house.

N95 and KN95 and even surgical masks offer quite a bit of protection.

The virus diameter is approximately 0.125 microns.

Many masks tested by us show it can catch particles 5-10x SMALLER than covid particles.

Here is where the confusion starts and ends. People writing articles or making YouTube videos are expressing it is just the virus by itself floating around. Which is not often the case. The virus will be inside droplets through speaking. coughing, sneezing etc therefore making the 'virus' larger where the mask will catch it.

Those cheap masks/cloths we found to protect somewhere in the range of 5%-20% of covid particles. So if someone wants to wear a mask, it's not a good idea to count on the cheap masks with odds like that.

We also tested if covid can enter through the eyes via mucosal membranes. The fluid from our eyes goes into our naval nasal cavity and our naval nasal cavity..well..you understand where im going with this. So the answer is yes! This is why the face shield exists

Some people might be wondering why are we even talking about this? Well governments right now are having conversations about restrictions. We even have many school boards here in conversation about enforcing masks/restrictions again. Will it happen again? I have no idea. One of their worries is if people will even comply and believe it or not they aren't sure if people can handle it again mentally. I guess we will see!

 

[lockinlove]

NHS staff know the score, they are not taking the death darts anymore, and this Autumn takeup will be under 30% guaranteed!!

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Not many around the world are taking it anymore when they see the fatality rate is so low.

 

[lockinlove]

A recent review published by the Royal Society has stated that non- pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) used before the rollout of vaccines, had varying degrees of success, most of it nearer the beginning of the Covid outbreak.

This of course includes masks, as well as social distancing, border controls and so forth.

Yet contrast that with the Cochrane's Institute's findings published in February, which state that masks have circa 5% effectiveness (so, useless then) and ya gots yo'self very mixed messaging!

Actually, probably not that confusing, notwithstanding one's personal proclivity and bias, and what they ultimately choose to believe.

Yet simply put:

Royal Society = Government- sponsored body, relaying its findings back to the Government, E.U and U.N

Cochrane = British charitable organisation conducting multi-national field research and studies, and seen as the benchmark of scientific analyses

I don't know, it's just too difficult

It depends on the study and how it was done. If they are only factoring in the particle size itself and not including the droplets itself then that would affect the study.

I do know the Cochrane article you are talking about and I know they got some heat for it and made a statement of some sort backtracking and calling their conclusions inconclusive. I can't quite remember it all but I do remember one of the CEO's or something came out and spoke about it.

Mixed messaging is the single biggest issue. Not covid itself.

 

[nisosbar]

Masks cover half the face, making nonverbal cues more difficult to interpret. The face is an amazing tell as to someone's feeling or thoughts.

In addition, N95 masks grip the face like a vise. No effing way am I going to let some bureaucrat or crook taking bribes from the drug companies tell me to walk around wrapped up like a mummy.

So I guess the calculus is, do I put an ineffective, non-N95 mask on my face when I go out in order to virtue signal that I am pro-corruption, pro-drug lobby, or do I remove it so that I can effectively communicate with other members of society?

Because no ordinary person is going to wear an N95 mask, and even if they did, they would not wear it properly, making it just as ineffective as the cheap ones.

 

[maxd]

... N95 masks grip the face like a vise. ... Because no ordinary person is going to wear an N95 mask ...

I guess it's a "to each their own" situation because as I'd mentioned earlier I wear N95 masks quite often -- sometimes for prolonged periods -- and I've never experienced the "like a vise" or "mummification" that you've described. They're certainly no fun to wear -- personally I find them difficult to adjust properly (I wear glasses) and pretty uncomfortable on my ears even when adjusted -- but I'd rather wear an N95 mask voluntarily than be forced to wear a respirator in the hospital. That said I recognise that everyone is going to chose for themselves whether the discomfort is worth it or not.

Many moons ago my wife and I had the necessary conversation about the precautions and it came down to this: if, in the end, the sceptics had it right would we regret having been overly -- and perhaps needlessly -- cautious? Given the risk at hand as we knew it at the time our answers were "no". From there on the inconvenience and bother of remaining cautious was just that, inconvenience. I can, and do, live with that though I have to admit that the Mrs has been the one doing most of the research and remaining firm on the precautions. On my own I expect I might have waffled and wavered, for no good reason AFAICT.

- Max

 

[satchnz]

We also tested if covid can enter through the eyes via mucosal membranes. The fluid from our eyes goes into our naval cavity and our naval cavity..well..you understand where im going with this. So the answer is yes! This is why the face shield exists

So we’re going to have to wear belly masks next?? ?

 

[goatwack]

It depends on the study and how it was done. If they are only factoring in the particle size itself and not including the droplets itself then that would affect the study.

I do know the Cochrane article you are talking about and I know they got some heat for it and made a statement of some sort backtracking and calling their conclusions inconclusive. I can't quite remember it all but I do remember one of the CEO's or something came out and spoke about it.

Mixed messaging is the single biggest issue. Not covid itself.

Yes, there is quite the contradictory studies in circulation, to the point where it boils down to one's interpretation of the 'facts', and how they wish to apply those when making these decision pertaining to one's own life!

All the more confusing is the breadth of quality control - or lack thereof - when it comes to the supposed KN94 & 95 masks being churned out en masse, with a recently resurfaced study suggesting they're riddled with toxic volatile organic compounds, and that their prolonged usage could cause a myriad of associated health complications, chiefly by thermoplastics.

Likely not the reason why they'd be used in small bouts, and not over long periods. Whereas cloth masks are deemed relatively safe, yet would likely be ineffective in other ways, namely preventing mouth- breathers from imparting whatever gifts they wish to give to those they come into contact with, not to mention the associated germ parties that would form from those that forego even cleaning them, or discard them onto pavements for others to discover.....

Either way, I have little confidence in the merits of both supposed medical- grade N masks, nor the flimsy designer face rags that act as fashionable placebos and are just as likely to be counter-productive to the whole endeavour. And as more studies come to the fore, I think we'll get to a better understanding of their effectiveness.....but as of yet, it's a bit of a charade, truth be told

 

[lockinlove]

So we’re going to have to wear belly masks next?? ?

hahaha and its too late to edit it. Nasal people! Nasal!

 

[dealer wins]

Lovely, who doesnt like a bit of cancer and seizures. Mask up lol

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[nisosbar]

I guess it's a "to each their own" situation because as I'd mentioned earlier I wear N95 masks quite often -- sometimes for prolonged periods -- and I've never experienced the "like a vise" or "mummification" that you've described. They're certainly no fun to wear -- personally I find them difficult to adjust properly (I wear glasses) and pretty uncomfortable on my ears even when adjusted -- but I'd rather wear an N95 mask voluntarily than be forced to wear a respirator in the hospital. That said I recognise that everyone is going to chose for themselves whether the discomfort is worth it or not.

Many moons ago my wife and I had the necessary conversation about the precautions and it came down to this: if, in the end, the sceptics had it right would we regret having been overly -- and perhaps needlessly -- cautious? Given the risk at hand as we knew it at the time our answers were "no". From there on the inconvenience and bother of remaining cautious was just that, inconvenience. I can, and do, live with that though I have to admit that the Mrs has been the one doing most of the research and remaining firm on the precautions. On my own I expect I might have waffled and wavered, for no good reason AFAICT.

- Max

No problem - I have always been okay with other people wearing masks in public or otherwise doing their own things when it come to health practices. Yes, even pre-COVID. I apologize if I sounded dismissive of people who have well-founded fears of complications from COVID - that was not my intent.

If I sound angry, it's because this damn mask is too effing tight. No seriously though, I posted upthread (again, seriously) that I like to go about my business as anonymously as I can, as I pass hundreds of strangers every single day (if I am out). Masks make hiding easier, so I do actually like the option of wearing one to sort of hide in public while not looking like a weirdo trying to hide in public.

I also resent - in a general sense - the censorship campaign surrounding publication of any statements or opinions running counter to state/corporation-approved dogma regarding the COVID therapies re: safety and effectiveness. So that probably colors some of my views, too.

 

[maxd]

Yup, no doubt those masks are snug. I think of it as the comforting embrace of knowing that the Covid monster isn't going to bite my a** that day.

 

[goatwack]

Lovely, who doesnt like a bit of cancer and seizures. Mask up lol

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Dudebro.....look up two posts and you'll find I already mentioned that. C- for attention- deficit

I don't believe even medical- grade masks are intended for extensive use, surely. I'd imagine the mask turnover's pretty high say in the medical profession, for the very reasons stated!

So wear them too long, they propel chemical resins and toxins, to go with respiratory issues. Couple that with the majority of users that wear them for durations, only to have momentary 'lapses' whereby they cough, sneeze, touch their face or mask, rub their eyes etc., somehow of the belief they're protecting themselves and others

All the pandemic has ultimately proven is how unhygienic the masses are. People would happily share their hygiene apathy before in public, that's nothing new. Yet when people flouted basic etiquette under their designer mouthwear it really took the biscuit. Little wonder they're termed The Great Unwashed - they ain't wrong!

Only place masks ought to feature prominently is on public transport, that's one place where they're surely needed, and where many Asian countries treat it like it's not even an issue.

Fact is, I highly doubt many use the masks as intended, and most will view them as an accessory, or simply pantomime. And those clinging to the belief that their overuse is beneficial long-term have seemingly had a number done on them, aka Munchausen Syndrome. Not much else to say

 

[maxd]

Lovely, who doesnt like a bit of cancer and seizures. Mask up lol

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Read on in the article:

However, there are ways to reduce the danger, they said. 'Exposure can be significantly reduced if a mask is opened and left to sit for at least 30 min,' the researchers wrote.

This suggests that the packaging of these masks could play a role in the amount of chemicals they have.

In other words whatever they found -- or think they found -- apparently applies to masks just removed from their sealed packaging which is likely the actual source of the problem. N95 masks are typically reused several times before being discarded so one would expect that whatever risk there was would have long since dissipated under normal use, as the study itself suggested. Typical Daily Mail pseudo-journalism, never pass on an opportunity to alarm people with bogus or misconstrued information.

 

[Webzcas]

This is my point, I would not bother wearing any of the disposable face masks, apart from my one with the Ukrainian flag, with tractor towing a Russian tank on, as they offer little to no protection whatsoever.

The only masks I would wear if I felt it deemed necessary would be the N95 or their equivalent, as they are proven to offer some degree of protection.

That said at this current moment in time, I would not go back to wearing a mask, even if the govt decreed we had to. I will happily take my chances.

However, that said, I completely understand why some people would wear them ( N95 masks ) when outside their own home environment. Who am I to tell someone what they should or shouldn't do.

 

[mack341]

I've just remembered this

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Foreign visitors have been upset by China’s anal swab tests for COVID-19, prompting complaints of inconvenience and even psychological trauma, and stoking debate over their necessity.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control says the test is performed with a sterile cotton swab, which looks like a very long ear bud, that is inserted 3 cm to 5 cm (1.2 inches to 2 inches) into the anus before being gently rotated out.

Early this week, Tokyo complained about the tests on some Japanese travellers to China, saying they had caused “great psychological pain”

South Korean visitors can now submit stool samples instead of “Chinese authorities taking them directly”, Choi Young-Sam, a spokesman of the South Korean foreign ministry, said on Tuesday [I knew his dad choi old-sam ]

Galicia, in northwest Spain, has performed them on some hospitalised patients, a few newborns and those with psychiatric illnesses for whom it was impossible to administer nasal swabs, its health department told Reuters.

 

[Webzcas]

Oh my god. That is another destination I have no plans to go to now...

 

[goatwack]

Yes, same here. China was high on my holiday list, but now it's been crossed off alongside North Korea ?‍

 

[Jono777]

I've just remembered this

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Foreign visitors have been upset by China’s anal swab tests for COVID-19, prompting complaints of inconvenience and even psychological trauma, and stoking debate over their necessity.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control says the test is performed with a sterile cotton swab, which looks like a very long ear bud, that is inserted 3 cm to 5 cm (1.2 inches to 2 inches) into the anus before being gently rotated out.

Early this week, Tokyo complained about the tests on some Japanese travellers to China, saying they had caused “great psychological pain”

South Korean visitors can now submit stool samples instead of “Chinese authorities taking them directly”, Choi Young-Sam, a spokesman of the South Korean foreign ministry, said on Tuesday [I knew his dad choi old-sam ]

Galicia, in northwest Spain, has performed them on some hospitalised patients, a few newborns and those with psychiatric illnesses for whom it was impossible to administer nasal swabs, its health department told Reuters.

This is a joke, right?

Please tell me this is a joke!

 

[goatwack]

This is a joke, right?

Please tell me this is a joke!

No Joke. When Mei Ai Ping reaches for that cotton swab it's kind of a done deal

 

[slot_zombie]

Yes, same here. China was high on my holiday list, but now it's been crossed off alongside North Korea ?‍

It just got added to mine..

I'll go now.

 

[Jono777]

No Joke. When Mei Ai Ping reaches for that cotton swab it's kind of a done deal

Always struggled to find any but also continually looked for any positives for being regularly skint and never having a passport, think I may have finally found one!