Face Masks
 

I was informed by a Hong Kong resident that it is illegal to import face masks into Hong Kong. I had intended to courier some to a friend but they advised against it saying they would be confiscated, and that I should not declare them in baggage on arrival into Hong Kong airport for the same reason.

My immediate reaction was that someone in Exco must have the licence to import them and doesn't want their nice little earner to be grey-marketed. Or is it that the emergency legislation that was put in during the street protests is still on the statute books?

Is my informant correct?

Fake news. They are not on the list of proscribed items such as tazers, CS gas, pepper spray, batons, bazookas, and Kalashnikovs etc.
Usual bs sadly.
Customs website has published a denial already.
Note that if you attempt to ship in amounts that could be considered commercial commodities, that’s a different matter.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....e329e3071.jpeg

Brought in three boxes over the weekend from ANC station for various departments in Cathay City. HKG based crewmembers both had several boxes for themselves. No issues at all.

Many thanks for the replies. I thought that it sounded unlikely.

We lived through SARS and we'll get through this one, and the next one. Take care out there.

Japan, 5th January.

Bought three packs of x7 face masks today and the lady at the counter took one back. "Only two per customer, please", she said.

Actually I felt lucky as even here in Japan they all get snapped up with every new delivery. Watching live parliamentary debate in the Tokyo Diet yesterday and the government minister for health was being grilled on the reasons for a total absence of masks available in Japan, and what they might be planning to do about it.

I didn't wear them in SARS and I will only wear them now if somebody asks me politely to wear one. The ones I am sending are for a dental hygienist who needs them to avoid the spray during scale and polish. Her supplier has run out.

+1

What the people who are running scared don't seem to realise is that many of us are quite happily continuing our (mask-less) lives as normal. This week I was at a Scrabble tournament and a fully-booked Superbowl buffet breakfast, and I have pub trivia quizzes, wine tastings, BBQs and other social events lined up in the next week or two, at which masks will be completely absent.

Tests have shown this virus can survive for up to 9 days on surfaces.
Much more important to avoid touching your eyes ,nose and mouth and get a good supply of those high alcohol content hand gels etc

May I please ask you to post a link to the source tests to which you refer.

As for the locals wearing masks, if it gets them through their day, and keeps them happy, then good for them. I'll stick with good hand hygiene as my main defence.

I went out to one of my favourite bar bar and restaurant areas 2 nights ago, as did many others to support these places as many are starting to financially struggle, and being mainly western customers, none were wearing masks. I did notice a lot of hand sanitizing going on.

Some of the places in town that pilots have been known to drink at over the years, sanitising your hands has always been a good idea, covid19 or not

https://www.journalofhospitalinfecti...046-3/fulltexthttps://www.news-medical.net/news/20...o-kill-it.aspx

geez you're lazy, second result on google..

Not saying it's not the case but tests have not shown it stays on surfaces for 9 days. They are analysing previous studies of other viruses.

Tip passed to me. Dip your mask in a four or five to one solution of TCP or equivalent for increased protection. Seems a sensible addition.

Apparently the best thing to kill the virus is hydrogen peroxide

The truth about face masks and some proper tips from an expert
 

A few words from someone who knows about hygiene precautions. Firstly, please don't rely on the type of mask you see everyone wearing. They are entirely ineffective at stopping virus movements; you need one classified as FFP3 (Filtering Face Piece level 3) and to have undergone a 'fit' test to ensure it fits you. Even then the protection is relatively short-lived. Why do we surgeons wear simple masks while operating? Really just to stop bits of dribble, breakfast and similar falling in patients' wounds.

The slightly better news is that unless someone pretty much sneezes ON you, you are unlikely to get a big enough viral load on your mucous membranes to start infection by breathing. Not impossible, but you need to play the odds. So if you may think you may have CV that's when you wear the simple mask - to reduce how much you shed.

Current internal NHS documents are saying that Covid-19 lasts about 48 hours on surfaces. Therefore, you are best off reducing the viral load on your hands as much as possible. Here are the rules, and I encourage you to adopt these from now for ever, as they are what will protect you from all sorts of infections, including things like norovirus, influenza, hepatitis A (although you are probably immunised against that) and many others:· Always carry tissues and use them to catch coughs or sneezes. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel.

· Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Try to avoid touching handles - turn the tap off with your elbow if it isn't proximity triggered and if there is a towel hold the door handle with it to exit before discarding it.

· Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

· Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

Covid-19 is a new strain of Coronavirus and we are still learning about it. There is an incubation period of up to 14 days, which is why those self-isolating are asked to do so for that period. We don’t yet know precisely when someone who has the virus is and isn’t infectious, which is why people are asked to self-isolate to prevent the spread of infection.

I have recently gone through YVR, and for the first time I had to check in at a computer terminal before seeing immigration. Now these terminals are all touch screen, and there was no attempt to clean these between users. So if someone has a viral infection, that's a great way to spread it! So what was my first action when I could after using the screen? Was it a) putting on a mask or b) washing my hands thoroughly at the first public washroom I could find?

BFM
One of the most sensible posts on this issue for a while.
Whilst the population are being incrementally educated regarding hand hygiene and transmission, it will have little effect on our local Asian population who just think they're all going to die if they don't wear a face mask. Whether it's a cheapo badly fitted one or not, but hey, it gets them through their day.

It still comes down to:
stop touching unnecessary objects, and clean your hands properly and regularly
.

How about stopping the disgusting wet-market “feature” in this part of the world? And instead of running around in masks, how about educating people to improve their hygiene standards in the first place? And stop eating bats and rats would also go a long way.

All of these diseases seem to originate in the same location. Just sayin.

Where’s the like button?

I recomend watching this. Very well done.
You can find it on YouTube.
Search - "Contagion - Trailer, Warner Bros. Entertainment"