Free N95 Masks
 

Other than at Sam's Club, I have not seen the free N95 masks that are supposed to be distributed to everyone who wants them. I was very lucky to obtain three free masks at Sam's Club a few days after the supply was to be available to the public. I've been waiting to see the masks available in drug stores but have not seen any displays for them. Have you seen these N95 masks available anywhere? Where?

nope

Winn Dixie 466A

They had them at Winn-Dixie at Sumter this afternoon with a limit of 3 per customer. They seemed sort of cheaply made from a compressed paper-like material. They are piled into a bin and not sterile at all.

Will let those who have to spend most of their waking hours working with the public. They need them far more than me.

How long do they expect 3 masks to last?

Walmart had free mask today

I don't expect the masks to be sterile but at least "clean". The masks I got at Sam's Club are made by 3M and are packaged individually.

The ones at Winn-Dixie were made by Honeywell. They were nested together in unwrapped stacks. To get three, you had reach in the pile, take a stack and pull three away from the others. I’ll pass on wearing them.

If washable quite awhile unless you have to wear it all day

The 3M N95 masks are each good for up to 5 full-time uses before they should be discarded. Obviously if you choose to wear lipstick and foundation under the mask, or eat a really greasy pizza right before putting the mask back on, or sweat a lot while wearing it, it won't last as long.

If you wear a surgical mask under the N95 mask (some people do) then it'll probably last even longer than 5 uses.

Not a washable product. Prior to Covid N95s were worn for TB cases then discarded in special bag after case.

By June of 2020 N95s were worn for 1 day, in the OR, then bagged with your info, sent off site to a company for sterilization. Then returned in a sealed sterile bag. How or if they were processed no one knew.

Most just wore same mask until a new one acquired, lack of inventory.

So healthcare workers wore same mask exposed to one on one contact Covid patients for up to 16 hours multiple days.

The general public should have no problem wearing them for multiple hours, multiple days. You don’t see many healthcare workers leaving their work place wearing a N95.

It is too bad N-95 masks were not made more available many, many months ago. A large study out of a university in Denmark showed that ordinary cloth masks are virtually useless in stopping the spread of COVID.

Sheep and Free
 

#1 nothing is FREE…………… #2 Mask are for Sheep that need lead and can’t find their own way!

Why not just wear a box of masks???? We are 3 years into this and people are now looking for better protection. REALLY??????

That and people not wearing masks properly make them useless. I will continue to be maskless as I’ve been for 9 months.

And yet there is no shortage of people wearing cloth and paper masks in stores, at the squares, walking on sidewalks, and my personal favorite---driving alone in their car with a mask on. Actually, that is now my second favorite. My new favorite is the person who posted they enter a restaurant "with their mask on and proudly walk past the "scornful" looks of others" (until they get seated then take it off). Certainly they have that right, but I'm having trouble understanding why they are proud of such behavior. Stupidity?? Virtue signaling? Craving attention???? Perhaps they have a low standard for judging which of their "accomplishments" in life they are proud of:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

M95 Masks
 

You can get 3 at the Neighborhood Walmart on 466a right by Colony Plaza. They are made by 3M and individually packaged.

If you sneeze in it do you have to change masks? Or do you take it off to sneeze and put it back on? Asking for a friend

Take it off to sneeze?????:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl: Absolutely, as well as take it off to cough in someone's face, spit, and drool. My apologies in advance if that was actually a serious question.

If you sneeze in it, the expelled mucus will dry and form an extra tight seal around the edges. The bonus is that it will be an exfoliating peel when you remove it in 2038 when they finally let you take it off.

The only time I change mine, is if I throw up barf after drinking too much.
Elastic cannot take the weight when mask is full.
Sneezing and smoking cigar through mask is fine though.:icon_wink:

Ok, that's two of us health care professionals that did not give a serious answer. So just in case it was a serious question, NO, DO NOT REMOVE IT TO SNEEZE. Whether you choose to wear it further or toss it is up to you (and how many "free" N95's you've managed to collect)

The real irony here is the attitude that many of you exhibit. You complain bitterly about the "freeloaders" looking for government handouts. Yet your hand is out, isn't it? Buy N95s for yourself -- they are readily available on Amazon. And frankly, when I'm out and about, most of you are maskless anyway.

Denigrate someone trying to stay safe? Wow.

How do you smoke a cigar with a mask on? I cut a tight fitting hole in mine, and another small one on the side for my Old Fashioned drink straw.

That's strange, since most of the posters that "complain bitterly" about freeloaders, myself included, have also stated that they will not be ordering any "free" masks, or tests, or anything else that is "free". Besides, I have no complaint with those that truly need a test or mask and can't afford it---My problem is with those that have explicitly stated that they probably will never use either, but they'll get them BECAUSE they are free.

Masks
 

The CVS on 44 and Main Street had them.

Thanks. Will be flying soon & believe them to have better protection for that situation

Not at all. I applaud people who are following protocol. I wear a mask. I'm just tired of the complainers.

I buy my own and wear them regularly when in the grocery or the pharmacy and especially at all medical appointments. Not everyone who wears a mask indoors in public is a blind sheep. Some of us are immunocompromised and need to protect ourselves when around other people indoors. I have a blood cancer; my white blood cell count, mainly the granulocytes, is critically low; this means I am susceptible to any infection, not just Covid. I can't go dancing, can't go to concerts or movies, can't attend church in person, can't eat indoors at restaurants, can't grocery shop without a mask, can't attend indoor social gatherings, etc. If you see someone wearing a mask indoors, please give them space because they may be immunocompromised and not a blind sheep.

campers world sells them.....

Also, if I stick my head under water with mask on it should really seal good. Will they still be free in 2038? :duck:

Freshly brought to you from China. Sterile?

I am seeking a doctor to permanently surgically sow mask on my face with straw adapter. That has two benefits, I don’t have to worry about being unmasked for the few years I got left and I get weight loss program. Win win situation just like shopping at Winn Dixie! I find Something strange about Covid, nothing seems to prevent getting this man made influenza except stay away from crowds regardless of the venue?

Masks ...........
 

Referring to your note about mask availability: Winn Dixie has been offering free masks. As with anything free around The Villages....they go fast!

complaining that you have to wait to get something 'for free', and then complaining about the free stuff when you get it

as 'the church lady' on SNL would say, "Isn't that special"

Thanks for the post & I’m a believer in wearing a mask but to wear special mask & changing them every which stitch & make some company rich from selling me mask all the time, I would rather wear my my moldy breath damp mask 100 times than to be standing close to someone that doesn’t wear a mask & breathing their diseased stinking breath. I’ll take a chance with my washable mask. But thanks for the info about the N95 mask!

Masks and testing kits
 

Look closely, most are made in China

Are those the masks our “buy American” president got from China, just like the free test kits he is now distributing which all say “made in China” on them. What a joke!