I have no real trust in my local community (theres quite a few anti-vaccine people here).

  • amino@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    9 hours ago

    check to see if there’s a mask bloc near you as they offer free respirators to anyone who needs them and they organize political actions to encourage mask wearing in all public spaces. https://maskbloc.org/. I also highly recommend r/Masks4All, their wiki is packed with so many tips on how to save money when buying masks in bulk. if you’re comfortable with wearing an elastomeric respirator, your wallet is gonna thank you immensely as the price per lifetime use is laughably cheaper compared to buying disposable respirators multiple times per year. one model that I like is Honeywell 7700 with P100 filters.

    one of the most effective individual actions you can take is fit-testing your respirator to make sure it’s not leaking. stick to N95 respirators and higher and do a qualitative fit test at home. some mask blocs buy Portacount machines communally so they can offer free fit testing to the people who contact them. if that’s not available locally, contact workplace safety companies to book a quantitative fit test with specialized equipment that you probably couldn’t afford to buy for yourself. some of them also rent out Portacount machines although more rarely.

    get educated on the swiss cheese model and stack up prevention methods instead of relying on a standalone one-size-fits-all solution.

    you might wanna carry around an air purifier or build your own DIY model that’s cheaper and more effective than most options on the market. you can also run it on a portable battery since the fans only consume 10W at max load. check out the r/crboxes subreddit if you need to ask questions, they’re full of helpful people.

    get connected with your local disability community as they have been battling eugenics for decades and developing novel ways of surviving pandemics since forever. ask your local immunocompromised neighbors what measures they’re taking to stay alive. even if you’re able-bodied, their safety measures will undoubtedly benefit you as well.

    I’m leaving this option for last because it’s not affordable for most people, but you might wanna look into Far-UVC lighting to disinfect the air. https://cybernightmarket.com/products/mini-far-uvc-lights-set