"It doesn't have to be a mask. It can be a scarf," Trump said:" in a certain way, a scarf is better"

[Demovictory9]

Trump suggests wearing a scarf against coronavirus. The CDC isn’t so sure.
“And I think in a certain way, depending on the fabric, I think in a certain way, a scarf is better, it’s actually better,” the president said Wednesday.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/01/trump-scarf-coronavirus-mask-160589

President Donald Trump on Wednesday recommended wearing a scarf over the face to prevent the spread of coronavirus, even though the efficacy of such a measure remains unknown.

Trump was asked during his daily news briefing whether he felt the public should be wearing masks when protective gear was in short supply for health care workers. The president responded that it wouldn’t hurt for the public to wear masks, but that scarves could be a perfectly suitable substitute if the wearing of masks en masse took them away from health care workers.

“It doesn’t have to be a mask. It can be a scarf,” Trump said. “What here is using scarves. And I think in a certain way, depending on the fabric, I think I do see people doing in a certain way, a scarf is better, it’s actually better.”


There is no evidence to support the claim that scarves are better than face masks in protecting against coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists homemade face protection, such as bandannas and scarves, as a last resort for health care workers who might be exposed to the disease when proper protection is in short supply.

But the agency specifies that those cloth substitutes cannot be classified as personal protective equipment because “their capability to protect [health care providers] is unknown.” The CDC recommends using additional face guards if health care workers must resort to using bandannas, scarves and other substitutes.


CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

[Grokenstein]

1. Shut up, Donny.

Everything out of your mouth is garbage.

[dchill]

2. It's best to believe the president...

...if you're suicidal.

[spin]

3. Oddly it seems Canadians are using scarfs against COVID-19. ...

Stay home and wear your scarf’: How the accessory became a weapon in Toronto’s fight against COVID-19
David Rider
By David RiderCity Hall Bureau Chief

Hands up, everybody who thought the humble scarf would become a star-powered symbol of Toronto’s fight against a deadly global pandemic.

But here we are, in a strange new world where it’s illegal to gather in groups of more than five and an accessory last fashionable in the 1970s is being used to teach public-health lessons and potentially save lives.

Scarves have gone, well, viral.

Neck coverings’ ties to the fight against COVID-19 began when people watching weekday news conferences by Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, noticed she always wore a scarf — and never the same scarf twice.

Somebody started a Twitter account called “Dr. de Villa’s scarf” to applaud and chronicle her collection — floral, striped, owls and more — as she calmly detailed the growing spread of the dangerous virus and efforts to help contain it.

***snip***

Cult fame broke mainstream thanks to Toronto Raptors’ playful seven-foot centre Serge Ibaka, who has made his “art” neck drapes a key part of his winning wardrobe. He was watching the city’s COVID-19 efforts.

“Serge wanted to check in with, and say thank you to, the people working so hard to look after us, so we reached out to public health to see if their staff were up for a chat. They were! It was great,” says Raptors’ spokesperson Jennifer Quinn.

Ibaka did a FaceTime chat with de Villa and her team. Her second-in-command, Dr. Vinita Dubey, praised him for staying home and noted people who need to seek help from medical professionals, and don’t own a mask, can pull up a scarf to cover their face.
https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2020/03/29/stay-home-and-wear-your-scarf-how-the-accessory-became-a-weapon-in-torontos-fight-against-covid-19.html

[renate]

4. I have no interest in the ramblings of a loon, but

If wearing a scarf, however inadequate, in public becomes the norm so that people don’t feel like weirdos for being cautious, I’m thrilled.

Even a suboptimal protection is better than none. But it’s a lot worse than what we’d have if he’d taken an unpleasant situation seriously instead of pretending it would go away if he lied about it....

[stopdiggin]

6. agree that any form of encouragement ...

but .. is it categorically IMPOSSIBLE for the man to make any statement .. without at least some portion of it being a LIE? Is it a rule or something?

[Totally Tunsie]

5. Someone needs to tell him he needs to put a plastic bag

over his head, and tie it tightly.

"Really, Sir - It's the best protection...protection like you've never had before."

[Raine]

7. I'll wear a scarf for the time being

I haven't had time to make a mask yet. A scarf is better then nothing, geesh I don't care whose suggestion it was!

[lapfog_1]

8. Oh FFS, the virus is smaller than 2 microns in size.

the cloth masks (cotton, etc) might as well be made of yarn.

The N95 mask is barely able to filter the virus out, achieving only 95% on particles that are .3 microns or smaller.