I was here before SARS and they were doing it. Unfortunatley, while it sounds a good idea, most here seem to use cheap chinese masks, which do nothing other than provide an illusion. Once the mask is moist from breathing, the germs are able to pass through and be expelled when they cough or sneeze.
Unless they are changed every few minutes. To be effective they need to use expensive proper fitting sub-micron filtration mask.
Or just stop using their sick days as a free holiday and stay at home when they are sick.
Rule of thumb for masks: If you can smell cigarette smoke through it they are useless.
Ok, so perhaps I'm right to hold my breath when walking past someone with a mask or sitting as far away from them on a bus. I certainly do wish to tell off people who sit next to me and are sniffling.
I wore a mask at work today. I'm not ill, but for the last few days I've been drained, and I suspect my immune system is running pretty low at the moment, so wearing a mask decreases the chance of me catching anything. Esp considering I work with 500+ people, and deal with a lot customer face to face.
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I wear a mask as I get more room on the bus/train when I do.
I wear one when I'm sick. Diseases in this part of the world are particularly nasty, and every ounce of prevention helps. I got VERY sick sitting near two European tourists who were sneezing up a storm; I wish they had been wearing masks, or that I had one of my own at the time!