Covid

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

I wouldn't work under those conditions either

Too strict, or not strict enough?

Some are floating the idea that after December 23, 2021, only unvaccinated players (and officials) will have to wear masks.

I'm all for masks, but due to privacy concerns, I'm for everybody continuing to wear masks. Private businesses are free to do whatever they want to do in terms of "mask discrimination", but schools are government controlled public places, no need to put a "label" on a minor that says "not vaccinated".

Adolescents have enough to deal with, even without COVID, no need for unneeded additional stress.

Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp. (Leviticus 13:45-46)

[SNIPERBBB]

They're utterly useless. Its feel-goodism at best, unfortunately its most likely simple harassment by those that really don't have a clue or just like the power trip they've been on for almost two years.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

They're utterly useless. Its feel-goodism at best, unfortunately its most likely simple harassment by those that really don't have a clue or just like the power trip they've been on for almost two years.

Yeah, and from experience I can tell you it’s a double standard for officials and players/coaches wearing their masks properly. Players wear them like chin straps and nobody bats an eye, but when officials do that they get turned in. Exactly the reason I told my high school assigner I won’t be officiating in a mask this year and that if he wants to use me, I will only go to schools without such mandates.

Fortunately none of my college leagues are requiring masks this year although there is one league where we are supposed to put them on when not actively officiating (it’s laughably stupid that I have to pull my gaiter up during a timeout when I’m 25 feet away from the team huddle).

It’s totally theatrical most of these restrictions.

[Raymond]

HS: all have been consistent in requiring/reminding fans to wear masks and for officials when not on the court

College: only have had one school that has been strict in requiring us to wear masks while not on the court.

Have had multiple college supervisors (and one commissioner) remind us we should be masking whenever we engage the table personnel and if we have lengthy engagement with coaches.

Have not experienced any power trips, unreasonable requests, harassment or any other hyperbolic situations. Mostly adults being adults, like life should be.

[JRutledge]

No. But I work a D2 conference that does. If you are not vaccinated there, you cannot work. High schools do not even require testing, but we have to wear masks all the time for the games.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Officials, players, coaches, and fans will all wear masks at all times, however, enforcement for players will not be the responsibility of the officials this year, but the responsibility of game management.

Originally Posted by SC Official

Players wear them like chin straps ...

Unfortunately, I also find this true in my games this year. Had a point guard play 32 minutes with a mask under her chin last week. I didn't say a word, not my job this year.

Last year I had to remind several players over the course of a shortened season to wear their masks properly, with only two, or three, "sit a ticks" for failure to comply.

While I like that I don't have to be the "Mask Police" this year, I also feel less safe. I wish that game management would do their job properly.

[SC Official]

I absolutely refuse to be the mask police in games I officiate (of course, I won’t work anywhere I have to officiate in a mask anymore). It’s bad enough that we have to enforce fashion police rules.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SC Official

I absolutely refuse to be the mask police in games I officiate. It’s bad enough that we have to enforce fashion police rules.

Agree and agree. Last year we didn't have a choice if we wanted to work. Took some flak from a few parents in the bleachers for doing my job. Glad that they put the responsibility on game management this year, but still wish that they would do their job properly.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SC Official

I absolutely refuse to be the mask police in games I officiate (of course, I won’t work anywhere I have to officiate in a mask anymore). It’s bad enough that we have to enforce fashion police rules.

We were specifically asked to keep that with the school and coaches. We play no role in that even though the participants are to be masked.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

We were specifically asked to keep that with the school and coaches. We play no role in that even though the participants are to be masked.

Same here in Connecticut. Last year officials were the "Mask Police".



JRutledge: Do the coaches, site directors, and athletic directors in Indiana and Illinois do good job of making sure that the players are wearing masks properly because game management is doing a poor job of doing that so far this season in Connecticut.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

We were specifically asked to keep that with the school and coaches. We play no role in that even though the participants are to be masked.

Peace

And that’s exactly the way it should be and the way it is this year in my area. Unfortunately last year we were tasked with being the mask police which was completely ridiculous and next to impossible.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

They're utterly useless.

It's a respiratory droplet infection.

While the efficiency of various types of masks can be debated, there can be no debate that wearing a mask is better than not wearing a mask, for both the mask wearer (protecting one's self, and others) and for those that don't wear a mask in the presence of others who are masked who may have COVID, either symptomatic, or asymptomatic.

Mask wearing is a simple, common sense, and low-cost strategy to mitigate COVID transmission, with few serious side effects.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8084286/

Would mask wearing have prevented 800,000 deaths? No it wouldn't, but even a decrease of 1,000 deaths would have made mask wearing worth it.

Doctors wear masks during surgery for a reason and it's not to look cool.

[thumpferee]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

It's a respiratory droplet infection.

While the efficiency of various types of masks can be debated, there can be no debate that wearing a mask is better than not wearing a mask, for both the mask wearer (protecting one's self, and others) and for those that don't wear a mask in the presence of others who may have COVID, either symptomatic or asymptomatic and are masked.

Mask wearing is a simple, common sense, and low-cost strategy to mitigate COVID transmission, with few serious side effects.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8084286/

Doctors wear masks during surgery for a reason and it's not to look cool.

Surgeons don't wear gaiters!

[SNIPERBBB]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

It's a respiratory droplet infection.

While the efficiency of various types of masks can be debated, there can be no debate that wearing a mask is better than not wearing a mask, for both the mask wearer (protecting one's self, and others) and for those that don't wear a mask in the presence of others who may have COVID, either symptomatic, or asymptomatic, and are masked.

Mask wearing is a simple, common sense, and low-cost strategy to mitigate COVID transmission, with few serious side effects.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8084286/

Would mask wearing have prevented 800,000 deaths? No it wouldn't, but even a decrease of 1,000 deaths would have made mask wearing worth it.

Doctors wear masks during surgery for a reason and it's not to look cool.

Surgeons wear surgical masks to keep from spitting their gum or sneezing into someones open body cavity.

Absolutely no study has shown that surgical masks do anyrhing for respiratory viruses. Real-time data has shown that masks in highly compliant countries and states where massks were mandated did little to reduce cases. Even fitted n95 have limited effectiveness and need to be changed often

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

Surgeons wear surgical masks to keep from spitting their gum or sneezing into someones open body cavity. Absolutely no study has shown that surgical masks do anything for respiratory viruses.

Read the National Institute of Health article again. Certainly better than a study one finds on Facebook, Twitter, Instagraph, or My Space.

This study cites dozens of studies that say the same thing, masks work.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8084286/

The effectiveness of masks in population-wide scenarios has been proven to be significant … community-based research has demonstrated the efficacy of cloth masks in slowing down the spread of COVID-19 ... For the general public, the use of cloth masks in public settings, such as grocery stores and places of worship, especially in regions with known or suspected widespread transmission, or in situations where physical distancing is not possible, has been encouraged by the WHO and many policy makers ... consistent and proper usage of facial coverings can help minimize symptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during close contact ... COVID-19 transmission rates are generally lower in countries and regions where citizens are accustomed or required to adopt universal masking, such as many parts of Asia. Simulations and mathematical models have also predicted that the adoption of universal masking would substantially curtail the spread of COVID-19 ... observational studies have presented real-world evidence that suggests mask-wearing helps mitigate community transmission of COVID-19 ... face mask mandates reduced the number of newly reported SARS-CoV-2 infections between 15 and 75% within the first 20 days of their introduction ... study focused on 15 states and Washington D.C., in which all able individuals were mandated to wear a face mask in public settings. Similarly, it was found that face mask mandates were associated with a lower COVID-19 daily growth rate, and that this effect increased over time after the mandates were put in place ... study found that within the first few weeks after the mask mandate came into effect, the average weekly number of newly diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infections decreased by 25–31% ... mask mandates accounting for an estimated 36–46% reduction in weekly case numbers ... all available epidemiologic evidence suggests that community-wide mask-wearing results in reduced rates of COVID-19 infections.