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Amazon begins temperature checks and will provide surgical masks at warehouses

(www.reuters.com)
265 points ajaviaad | 3 comments | 02 Apr 20 14:47 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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oski ◴[02 Apr 20 15:34 UTC] No.22760141[source]▶
This response from Amazon is better than nothing, but given that recent figures show that up to 25% of people may be asymptomatic, might these temperature checks give people a false sense of security? They should have any employee with _any_ symptoms stay home and self-quarantine for longer than 3 days.

They should really focus on getting face masks for employees faster by using nonmedical fabric masks, which can help prevent asymptomatic transmission by blocking respiratory droplets from spreading. The article says the surgical masks won't arrive until next week. And they should really be using some alternative fabric mask, rather than surgical masks which should go to healthcare workers.

Each day that interventions are delayed makes a huge difference.

More thoughts at https://shouldiwearafacemask.com

(Edited to remove suggestion to close until they get masks with a compromise to use nonmedical fabric masks.)

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1. all_blue_chucks ◴[02 Apr 20 17:04 UTC] No.22761117[source]▶
"False sense of security" is a frequently misapplied concept. Your post is such an example.

Something that reduces a risk (e.g. virus spread) by 5% provides very real security improvements. There is nothing "false" about it. Your concept of "false sense of security" would only apply if someone promised a 5% measure provided 100% security - and nobody is doing that.

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2. oski ◴[02 Apr 20 17:18 UTC] No.22761275[source]▶
The “false sense of security” I refer to is for employees who go to work and get their temperature checked and think they are fine since they don’t have a fever.

This is a “false sense of security” because one can have the virus and be contagious without a fever or any symptoms at all.

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3. all_blue_chucks ◴[02 Apr 20 18:25 UTC] No.22761994[source]▶
People have misconceptions about the virus regardless. Fever checks are not the cause.