Anyone still wearing a face mask in all enclosed spaces?

[Newabodemode]

I'm just curious as I attend a regular meeting with work bringing together a range of people from other companies. There's one colleague who I've got to know a bit over the past couple of years. He wears a valved face mask whenever he is indoors or any enclosed space, other than in his own home. It's the heavier duty type with a valve, not the blue and white surgical kind, and he only drinks through a straw using the valve, and doesn't eat until he's outside or back at home. I've not met anyone else who still masks other than if they've a heavy cold but have to be around other people on public transport etc or are visiting older relatives.

His partner has CFS/ME/long COVID and he says he masks to protect her. I know they have a young toddler who the wife stays home to care for.

Even when my father in law was going through heavy chemotherapy recently he wasn't told to mask while he was immunocompromised nor for others around him to. My own father lived with a complex and rare immune system disorder for years and took immunosuppressants for years and no mask advice was given (albeit this was pre-pandemic).

I am genuinely trying to understand both the level of risk involved in this situation and how a baby and now toddler fits into this risk management.

Everyone is very accommodating and polite but a couple of people have commented privately that the mask makes communication hard and it can be difficult to hear what this person's saying at times. We work around it obviously but my mind just goes to 'will he have to do this forever?'.
Does everyone living with someone who has long COVID, ME or CFS mask like this? Is it medically advised? Or are some people more at risk than others?

I know one person, and it makes me sad.

I do but not all enclosed spaces, it depends on how my bloods are at the time
it’s not just for Covid for me, it’s anything

I am genuinely trying to understand both the level of risk involved in this situation and how a baby and now toddler fits into this risk management

This was my first thought too, are they not going to let their toddler socialise with other kids and bring home the usual childhood viruses that all kids get?

I only know one person to still masks and she uses a powered wheelchair and has major lung issues among other things.

i doubt your colleague has been advised by an nhs doctor to mask, but if he chooses to use a mask at least he is doing it properly. A flimsy mask for a meeting that comes off for snacks is really dumb.

That feels so extreme 😞, but i bet his wife is grateful. What a good husband if nothing else!

I've seen face masks around london, I maybe see one everytime i'm out

Toddlers are the mankiest of manks so good luck with that

I work in retail and would say I see a handful of people everyday who still wear masks . I just assume they either have a vulnerable person at home or they are ill themselves. Its just one of them personal choice things.

Why? My consultant and GP have both said to use one

To add to what I wrote if I had a child or partner at home going through chemo I absolutely would wear a mask. The general public are disgusting and will think nothing of coughing and sneezing directly in your face or stand there with money in their mouth before passing it over and don't even get me started on the state people leave the toilets in. People are grim

No. I wore them in the dr til fairly recently, well last year or so and when my son’s friend’s mum had cancer I wore one if I was
giving her son a lift, but that’s all

I was quite chill during the Covid pandemic but I find myself thinking masks are a good idea! I had a particularly miserable cold virus a few weeks ago (nothing too worrying, just bloody unpleasant) and I found myself wishing that either I, or who ever I caught it from, had worn a mask instead of sharing the germs!

Mask wearing was popular in a number of countries in Asia even pre-pandemic. I wish it had caught on here for people who can’t avoid going out when they are unwell. It’s polite!

I wear one when I have a cold to stop me passing it on to everyone (or reduce the chance). I picked it up while living in Japan where everyone does this.

I have chemo every three weeks, work on a supermarket checkout and never wear a mask.

You are my favourite type of person ❤️

I think wearing masks when you've a cold etc is a good thing. Not always practical but where you can do so it helps. I've also seen that more often since COVID. Pre COVID it was only really Japanese tourists I ever saw and wearing surgical masks mainly, not heavy duty ones with valves. But I'm talking about someone wearing one all the time, year round, whether they've a cold or not. And to protect someone they live with, no themselves directly. Given the numbers of people living with compromised immune systems or living with people who have them, I'd expect to see this more often is all. Maybe people are still shielding as well?

No never did wear one

Nope

I know someone who wears one due to a family member with long covid.

I wore one for the first time in a while today. I've had chemo recently and had to go into hospital for a check up. I've got a cold and didn't want to pass any germs on to other patients.

I know one person like this. And it's very, very sad.

No, obviously not. This guy and his wife are clearly either deluded or paranoid, but it's a shame for their child.

By 'I'd expect to see this more often', I mean, if it was generally being advised medically.

It sounds like he and/or his wife have severe health anxiety. I would worry for their toddler too. Are they not going to let him out? Or make him wear a mask at nursery or primary school?

Each to their own when it comes to adults but their toddler needs to be out mixing with other people so that sounds desperately worrying

There's an older student at my sons secondary school who still wears the same type of mask. She even walks along a big road on the way to school, with no one even near her, wearing it.

I think until you’ve experienced long Covid yourself or seen someone you love suffer with it then it will be hard to understand.

I was personally very anti- lockdown and would only wear a flimsy mask when made to.

I was very fit and active running 30 miles a week and seemingly strong immune system. I picked up long Covid in Nov 2024 after a mild infection. Current estimates vary but around 10% of all Covid infections lead to long Covid. Women aged 45-55 over represented.

I believe people should fully live their lives but do be aware of this. It’s debilitating and many don’t recover.

Maybe his wife has started to get better and another Covid infection would set her back years? Maybe as he’s seen what long Covid does first hand he’s quite keen to avoid that.

Good for him. It makes no difference to you. He is only wearing it when close contact is unavoidable.

I do think we should take infection control more seriously in the is country. With hepa filters, more hand sanitisers, air flow etc. Less of a presentism culture. If people want to
wear a medical grade mask in certain situations then good for them.