Welp, my state has bitten the bullet. Masks are now going to be mandatory here in Melbourne for the foreseeable future, starting from Thursday. I have a couple on order; will need to look into getting a few disposables to tide me over until they arrive. (Biyi and her parents already have masks.)

I'll be interested to see how well people adapt. Hopefully there won't be too many yahoos. I've already had one law firm in my Facebook feed advising people not to wear a mask and contest the fine in court, so there's proof positive that a law degree isn't an effective proxy for an IQ test.

We used bandanas until we got our cloth masks in the mail. I got 50 of them so I could just toss them in the wash frequently. Then DH had me order another 100 so he could give them out to his basketball kids and their families. They were only $30 for 50. I like all the pretty ones I see, but just plain white works fine for me.

Some of the cloth masks are really thin, the ones my manager bought for us are practically see through so they don't offer much protection. If the masks you ordered have a filter pocket then there are various things you can use to add an extra layer of protection.

Brazil is one of the few places that seems to be determined to fuck shit up as much as we are back home!

Well I went from Minnesota, which is doing pretty well, to Sao Paulo, which is doing as well as a giant city in a hard hit country can expect to do. The worst parts in Brazil are the rural parts and the Northern cities, beplus the favelas in Rio and to a lesser extent SP. My very wealthy bubble has lots of outdoor space (for a city) and both the Brazilians and the non-Brazilians in my social circle are taking things seriously. I don't feel at too much risk here, now that I'm here.

Some of the cloth masks are really thin

Yeah, we have the triple thick ones and they apparently have some anti-microbial finish that lasts up to 10 washes or some such. Mostly I just try and stay away from people!

I am a delicate flower and this is my first summer back in humidity. so there!

Staying away from people seems like the move! Trying to stay out of the sun yesterday, I was less than 6 feet away from a family friend, but we were masked and outside and definitely 3+ feet, so I'm going to call that low-risk enough.

Gris-I'm kinda looking forward to a view from Brazil, even if it is from a safe distance and through a window.

BT- seconding using bandanas until proper masks can be obtained. Make sure it's doubled up over your face. At least they are cotton and super easy to wash!

I tried ordering a couple of the simple countoured, center-seam non-pleated mask options in large child/small adult sizes since I have a tiny face and "One size fits all" masks inevitably cover both my double chin, part of my neck, and my eyes. Annoying. Well, the non-pleated options are annoying in a different way. The smaller size stays out of my eyes (Yay!) but also makes talking challenging. Rubs against tip of nose and tip of chin during conversation and rides up and down accordingly. So those are out for work where I am masked up regularly and still have to do annoying things like "talk to coworkers" but remain excellent for short duration wearings like going into a store for cat litter (one of the few things I just can't conscience making my letter carrier deliver to my door. Dang stuff is heavy.)

So now I have three kinds of masks: pleated with ties for long-term wearing, non-pleated with ear loops and center seam for short-term wearing, and a handful of ancient N95s for super risky non-avoidable activity (e.g. air travel.)

I ordered some stretchy fabric masks from Shon Simon that won't be in for at least another week so having them delivered to Mom's place and will report on comfort levels since the price point is excellent and they would be a great base for artistic customization with fabric paints or screen printing (if you are into that kind of thing.)

This time next week I'll be on the other side of the country, after a first hand experience of pandemic air travel (via Alaska Airlines.)

Also, working on Sundays is AMAZING. There is only one other person in my ginormous building and he's in a different lab space. I am listening to podcasts WITHOUT EARPHONES and might take a nap in the afternoon if I feel like it. Yaaaaaaaaaas.

Some of the cloth masks are really thin, the ones my manager bought for us are practically see through so they don't offer much protection. If the masks you ordered have a filter pocket then there are various things you can use to add an extra layer of protection.

Yes, I looked for a triple-layered mask option. Best to get a good one, I think we'll be needing them for some time now. Hopefully it'll do the job ok. (The mask edict was just announced today. I'll be interested to see what steps the state govt takes to ensure they're available for the entire city by Thursday.)