Mask compliance in UK vs abroad

[FabricedeSauveterre]

I’m in Italy at the moment and am struck by the difference in mask compliance. In the UK it seems like there are a lot of sunflower lanyards and non mask wearers, even before the relaxation of the rules which might have made us all lax. In Italy I have noticed precisely zero adults without masks. It seems totally socially unacceptable and is strictly enforced. Only very small children without masks on and the occasional rebel pops their nose out.

If you are in a different country what have you noticed about mask compliance?

I am not criticising or doubting those who say they can’t wear masks and have exceptions btw but am interested why we find that socially acceptable or have legislation for medical exemptions to mask wearing but other countries don’t accept it.

@A596881B

Mistlewoeandwhine it’s not we don’t care, it’s because we’re not paid enough (usually minimum wage) to police the wearing of masks. The abuse some of us received for asking people to wear a mask was unbelievable!

I think this is the big difference tbh. Here in Spain you get told you aren't coming in without a mask. If you insisted and caused a scene the police would be called. The police would probably attend too and fine you. Nobody insists, they just wear the mask.

I think this is the big difference tbh. Here in Spain you get told you aren't coming in without a mask. If you insisted and caused a scene the police would be called. The police would probably attend too and fine you. Nobody insists, they just wear the mask

nobody is going to mess around with the Spanish police - that is the difference.

@DaisyDreaming

My English friend went to Scotland in the summer and was shocked at all the mask wearing, a lack of sunflower lanyards and shops serving outside (small town).

In France you have to have a doctors letter explaining exactly why you can’t wear a mask.!

I agree with having to have a doctor's letter - but how would you ever get one in the UK when you can't even get to speak to your GP, never mind actually see them?

There's a barbers shop in my town where every single member of staff and customer appears to be exempt. Quite astonishing, really (and the people who run it are Kurds, not Brits, although the customers are generally British I assume). I walked past it a few minutes ago and nobody in there was wearing a mask - with the door closed! Same on Monday, too.

‘ Some of these places sound like hellholes’

Was just thinking dactyl the same thing! Fines, ostracism from society, police shouting at people.... Utterly dystopian. Not the aspirational ,’compliant’ exemplars some posters clearly think they are living in. Glad to be in England!

@pianolessons1

There are a load of selfish idiots in the UK, who will no doubt pile on here to say that wearing a mask makes them anxious etc etc. Amazing how every other country has such higher rates of mask use.

I do agree with this. Clearly, there are no anxious / other excuses people in these compliant countries. Just in the UK, because people here are “special “

@morechocolateneededtoday

People in the UK are so precious, it's lazy, selfish and drives me crazy

Couldn't agree more. Call anyone out on an exemption and you are accused of being ableist but it was astonishing the number of people who were supposedly exempt on flight when we went on holiday in Aug 2020. Reached our destination where none of their exemptions were permitted and the option was to wear one or take plane back to UK. Funnily enough, they all managed to wear one the entire time they were abroad (35+ degree heat and mandated outdoors)

Love it

@LGalLondon

I wouldn't say it's selfish when there are so many scientists/immunologists/virologists who say they don't work & can be damaging to your own lungs with long-term use. When the government say it's such a concern that we must wear them in certain places, but nightclubs are still open to all? Does the virus not get you there then? After all the recent party scams that have come out from the government, I think it's pretty silly anyone still blindly following their rules when they clearly don't believe they're necessary themselves... people are starting to wake up

Which ones?

I have found this thread really disturbing to read. So many people pleased that they are living in dystopian, totalitarian police states. Such an absence of empathy for people genuinely unable to wear a mask. I find the words ‘mask compliance’ particularly sinister. As for those happy they live in places where toddlers have to wear masks.... I have no words.

Is this how you want to live? In a society where everyone creeps about with dirty bits of cloth on the bottom half on their faces because they think it protects them from a virus? Being shouted at by power crazed bullying officials if you don’t have one on? Is this the life you want for your children? Because the more people like you normalise it, the harder it will be to go back to a world where we don’t have to go out with our faces covered and can breathe clean air rather than through a smelly, polluting bit of fabric or plastic.

The scary thing is I think many of you have allowed yourselves to be brainwashed into believing this is a good way to live and will be unable to let go of your comfort blanket masks if the time comes when they are no longer required.

Hiding this thread now, it has seriously challenged my faith in humanity.

Lots if good comparisons with Sweden
Actually the Swedish government admitted they’d got it wrong and apologised. They’re latest advice (see below) is to comply with mask wearing restrictions.

Sweden 8 December

Only in the UK is all this I can't wear a mask because........ It needs to be one rule for everyone or it's a completely pointless exercise.

I don't live in a totalitarian police state, no, and I've never seen the local police literally shout at people like some posters exaggerate say on here. The officials are neither power-crazed or bullies like you suggest, they are just normal police officers. Who have the authority to challenge you if you're not complying with the law.

Were you calling France a totalitarian police state a few years ago, because the police had the authority to stop you on the motorway if you were speeding, or to fine you if you didn't have a breathalyser in your car? Were you calling Spain a totalitarian police state, because it was the law there to carry photo ID on you at all times and the police had the authority to ask for it?

There is a medium ground between a totalitarian state with shouty police, and a half-arsed rule that people don't bother following because they know it won't be enforced.

People who are genuinely unable to wear masks, are exempt from wearing them in these countries too. I don't use my mask as a comfort blanket, nor have I been brainwashed into thinking compulsory mask wearing should stay here forever.

The fact is, enforcement of rules varies greatly from country to country. The police has different authority in different parts of the world, it doesn't mean people are terrified of them there. In some countries, it even has the authority to launch an inquiry into illegal activities performed by the government in power for which there is apparently no evidence ...

@Caggietambellblack

I have found this thread really disturbing to read. So many people pleased that they are living in dystopian, totalitarian police states. Such an absence of empathy for people genuinely unable to wear a mask. I find the words ‘mask compliance’ particularly sinister. As for those happy they live in places where toddlers have to wear masks.... I have no words.

Is this how you want to live? In a society where everyone creeps about with dirty bits of cloth on the bottom half on their faces because they think it protects them from a virus? Being shouted at by power crazed bullying officials if you don’t have one on? Is this the life you want for your children? Because the more people like you normalise it, the harder it will be to go back to a world where we don’t have to go out with our faces covered and can breathe clean air rather than through a smelly, polluting bit of fabric or plastic.

The scary thing is I think many of you have allowed yourselves to be brainwashed into believing this is a good way to live and will be unable to let go of your comfort blanket masks if the time comes when they are no longer required.

Hiding this thread now, it has seriously challenged my faith in humanity.

Are you on glue? I live in Spain. It's not a police state. We have had to wear masks since summer 2020 but our schools have been open since then and things are largely back to normal, or at least were before omicron. I don't wear dirty bits of cloth on my face, I don't know why you do. The price of surgical masks is government controlled so I can but a pack of ten for less than a euro. So I wear a clean surgical mask which also happens to be much more lightweight and comfortable anyway.

@ Caggietambellblack I find it interesting that you have called the majority brainwashed and hidden the thread. Masks are not polluting bits of fabric people who throw them away are indiscriminate.
Equally people that wear them more than once are a pain.
They do make a difference and you don’t get nasties from wearing them. You would be wearing one if your child had a serious illness. Your storming off demonstrates that you haven’t read any peer reviewed evidence. Just tosh on the internet.
You wouldn’t be admitted to one of my clinics without one.

Central Europe here. We’ve just had some quite strict rules relaxed as numbers have dropped from 20,000 per day to around 1,000. Until this week we had to wear masks in the street. You now have to wear them in shops, on public transport snd in crowded outdoor places like Christmas markets. You are only allowed into shops (with the exception of supermarkets and pharmacies) and malls, and cinemas and theatres on production of a green certificate. Unvaccinated people are curfewed from 220 to 0500. People are mask compliant. If you don’t wear a mask, they won’t let you into shops, malls, public transport. There are medical exceptions but these require a medical letter.

8 people on my bus home tonight (London). 4 wearing masks......

@Caggietambellblack

I have found this thread really disturbing to read. So many people pleased that they are living in dystopian, totalitarian police states. Such an absence of empathy for people genuinely unable to wear a mask. I find the words ‘mask compliance’ particularly sinister. As for those happy they live in places where toddlers have to wear masks.... I have no words.

Is this how you want to live? In a society where everyone creeps about with dirty bits of cloth on the bottom half on their faces because they think it protects them from a virus? Being shouted at by power crazed bullying officials if you don’t have one on? Is this the life you want for your children? Because the more people like you normalise it, the harder it will be to go back to a world where we don’t have to go out with our faces covered and can breathe clean air rather than through a smelly, polluting bit of fabric or plastic.

The scary thing is I think many of you have allowed yourselves to be brainwashed into believing this is a good way to live and will be unable to let go of your comfort blanket masks if the time comes when they are no longer required.

Hiding this thread now, it has seriously challenged my faith in humanity.

If YOU wear dirty cloth on your face (yuck) then you're part of the problem. Most of us change our surgical hygienic masks several times a day like we're supposed to.

People aren't creeping about in my state.
Dc have been in school for most of the pandemic, I been to exercise classes, supermarkets etc just wearing my mask.

Would I prefer to be without a mask yes.
But COVID levels in schools are a lot lower for example because of vaccination and mask wearing.

Also we wash our masks, like the rest of clothes.

Don't worry about us, we are just cracking on with getting through the pandemic.

Not abroad but my friend from New York came over just after mask wearing rules were relaxed in August and was astounded that people weren't wearing masks as she said absolutely everyone wears them over there.

Where I live numbers wearing masks dropped really low during the Autumn but now almost everyone seems to be wearing them again. The one exception I have noticed is that very few retail staff seem to be wearing them this time.

France here, very very few not wearing a mask indoors, the one I saw recently was openly challenged by another member of the public and then put it on. I also gave birth in a mask last year as per the rules, I was originally worried about this when I heard the rule but turns out in the middle of late stage labour you've got bigger concerns and forget what's on your face!

I'm not abroad, but as a Londoner I've noticed a big variation in compliance depending on the time of day. There's much, much better compliance during the rush hour, both morning and evening. It seems like regular commuters are taking it much more seriously. It seems to be the out-of-towners coming in for shopping trips who aren't wearing masks, and yes, I'm going to use "provincial" as an insult here because it's frankly pathetic. If commuters can wear masks then I don't see why other people can't. I travel at varying times of day and the difference is quite astounding.

Taiyo

I'm in Japan. Everyone wears a mask here, young kids, old people, people in wheelchairs, people with asthma. Just babies who don't.

A lot of Japanese people are very confused by footage on the news of people abroad not wearing masks“

Japanese people are generally far more considerate of others than people in the UK. Many were wearing masks if they had a cold when we first visited in the late 1980s.
That 6 year olds manage perfectly well in school there whilst 30/40/50 etc. somethings here blither on about their civil rights is embarrassing.

Went to Tescos this afternoon. Last week hardly anyone was wearing a mask. Today, apart from the checkout staff, I didn't see anyone not wearing one. It's quite a turnaround.

The checkout staff don't wear masks??

Went to a packed Trafford centre today and was shocked to see about 40% of people had chosen not to wear masks. The food courts were so packed and I felt a bit ill when I came out of McDonald’s. I was surrounded on all sides by people not wearing masks.