A new protocol has been instituted at the hospital today.
All patient facing staff must wear an N95 mask for all patient interactions.
Apart from the added pressure on my ears, it’s not too uncomfortable. The main downsides are (apart the expense and use of consumables, presumably bad for the environment) that it makes my nose run and makes me want to sneeze, and every nose blowing requires the complete dismantling of the entire edifice on my head, which must be counterproductive surely? Secondly, no one can hear what each other is saying, so my long detailed story about our first patient’s past history was completely missed by everyone, even though they looked like they were paying attention and they nodded politely at the time. Finally the surgeon confessed he hadn’t heard a word I said and everyone else agreed. Very Emperor’s New Clothes.