..to expect people to wear a mask on the bus or have I misinterpreted 'mandatory'?

[RingPiece]

Got the bus home from work today. I was under the impression that face coverings were now mandatory but out of 13 people on the lower deck, only five were wearing a mask. Also, the bus was pretty crowded and whilst no one was sitting next to each other (unless they were traveling together), the people standing were very close together. I passed countless other buses, both single and double decker, and saw at least half of the passengers not wearing any form of face covering.

I thought it was compulsory. Whose responsibility is it to ensure this is happening? I know some people are exempt but surely there can't be that many. What does mandatory mean? Will this only be enforced by random infrequent checks such as ticket officers boarding? If so, this only happens once in a blue moon so what's the point?

Lots of questions there!

I really don’t think adding wearing masks to the bloody massive list of things people are just desperate to judge everyone else about is helpful at all.

It is just not acceptable for people to be challenged over a lack of mask wearing at all. Why should anyone have to explain themselves and their medical conditions (which counts as sensitive personal data) to all and sundry? Why should people be made to feel (more) anxious about going out because they’ll be judged, stared at and possibly challenged aggressively by arseholes everywhere they go?

How about everyone just stops monitoring everyone else and gets on with their own bloody lives?

I’m in South Africa and we’ve had to wear masks while going out in public for nearly 3 months. You cannot enter a shop without one and you should not go outside at all without one. We all wear them to do exercise/walk the dog/ride bikes etc...

You have to wear them in the workplace and at school (my 2 year old doesn’t wear one but my 5 year old certainly does and has to).

It’s far from ideal and I don’t like it but you find one that’s comfortable and we have to get on with it. My immediate family is not vulnerable but we’re doing it to protect those who are...

I’ll probably get a pasting here, but ai really don’t agree with any exemptions. Thia is a public health situation and if masks are mandatory, then everyone should wear them, otherwise what is the point?

So, if I have a mask or face covering touching one side of my face and can end up on my knees in excruciating pain that's acceptable is it?

I am asthmatic and the WHO advises us to NOT wear masks. I have been told this by my GP and read the UK Gov and WHO guidelines. Thanks.

@Montsti are there exemptions for people who struggle to wear masks for health reasons?

I thought it was a face covering, not a mask?

@ lifestooshort123 There is an equalities act in this country. Disabled people have rights.

You simply cannot insist that there’s a public health crisis so everyone must wear a mask because disabled people have the right to a reasonable adjustment so they’re not unfairly excluded from life.

Even if we’re willing to accept that it’s ok to just incarcerate people in their own homes indefinitely (because that’s what not allowing them out without a mask does), at the very least they have a right to medical treatment. Is it OK to refuse that because someone cannot wear a bloody mask?

Indeed, we are going to have significant ongoing public health problems because the NHS has not been offering a whole range of treatment due to Covid, or people have been unable to access it. That is a very big problem indeed. Let’s not make it even worse.

I remain anxious that disabled people, who have a reasonable adjustment which allows them to access public transport without a face covering, will be harassed by members of the public for not wearing one.

As a PP says, the WHO advise people with asthma not to wear masks. Asthma is a very common condition - about 5.4 million people in the UK are receiving asthma treatment. That's around 1 in 12 adults. Some may be able to tolerate a light face covering, but many won't and will find it harder to breathe with one on, which could trigger a life threatening asthma attack. On average 3 people die from asthma attacks every day in the UK.

Disabled people need this reasonable adjustment to enable them to get to work, to the supermarket and to the pharmacy/GP/hospital if needed. I have disability which means I cannot drive. I have another disability which affects my mobility. I'm asthmatic and would struggle with a mask. Fortunately I can work from home and have been doing so since 16 March. However, if I needed to get to my central London office I would have to catch a train, followed by a bus or tube if I wasn't able to walk the 20 mins from the station to the office that day.

It's just not possible to ban disabled people from public transport.

@Clearyweary that is so disgustingly ableist.

@Victoria6386 We have been in lockdown, that is why death rates have fallen. As we come out of lockdown we need to take precautions to ensure we keep the virus under control so we don't end up back in bloody lockdown. It really is not difficult to understand.

And just to be clear, the actual legislation says anyone with a disability that affects them wearing a mask is exempt - not just the definition within the equality act where it has to last six months. The law is very clear that people who cannot wear masks are not required to.

As far as I can see this is not a problem with valid exemptions or disability. The OP has reported that half are not wearing masks. There seems to be a lack of understanding and community cooperation now.

I do blame the woolly public health messages, and lack of trust now in advice, especially as so many high profile people don’t do it themselves.

I don’t want to wear a mask. But I will. My child is SN and exempt but I will at least try to see if they will tolerate wearing one. If not, obviously fine. However there seems to be a lack of bothering which might come from not understanding how effective mask wearing could be.

I don't think there should be any question that people with the official exemptions should have to wear face masks. The issue is that without proper enforcement, there are a lot of people who are perfectly able to wear one who will choose not to. Like the early days of lockdown where people were encouraged to do the right thing but many chose not to.

I'm Scottish but living in SE Asia right now. I am horrified at the lack of community spirit that I am seeing here in order to get rid of a nasty virus. I have mild asthma and absolutely hate wearing a mask and can get a bit gaspy for breath and very, very hot no matter what type but I do it. I do it for the other people in my vicinity not for me.

What is it with the British that they seem to think that whatever works in Asia and continental Europe is not going to work for them! The whole of Asia manage to wear masks in much, much hotter temperatures without much complaint.

I think around 70% need to wear masks to really make a difference, a bit like herd immunity and for those with anxiety and other conditions just a loose wrap or a clear facial shield is just as good.

All the public health measures introduced should be done with an expectation of less than 100% compliance. You just aren't going to get that and measures should reflect conditions in the real world. And if rates of compliance are very low, then you have to ask whether the measure is appropriate in the first place.

Enforcement (especially by busybodies in the community) will just create greater stigma for people with disabilities and health conditions.

It's also possible that people who have perfectly good reasons for not wearing a face covering are disproportionately represented among bus users, for a whole range of reasons. So it may not be at all surprising if 50% of the people you can see sitting downstairs on a bus aren't wearing them.

I have mild asthma and absolutely hate wearing a mask and can get a bit gaspy for breath and very, very hot no matter what type but I do it. I do it for the other people in my vicinity not for me.

Well good for you. But what about someone who won't just be a bit uncomfortable but is at risk of an asthma attack. People do die - every single day - of asthma attacks. Someone can look perfectly healthy (in fact, very fit indeed) because their asthma is well controlled with drugs, but force them to wear a mask and it might look very different indeed.

ExtremelyBoldSquirrel
I totally agree with you - it was the infantile language on the post I was commenting on.
I'm lucky enough to be in remission from TN but many sufferers can't even bear the feeling of a breeze on their face let alone a mask. I do sympathise, honestly!

It's not just the passengers.

Some TFL staff don't wear masks as well.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

It's not just the passengers.

Some TFL staff don't wear masks as well.

Maybe the staff might be exempt too...

"I don't think it's up to the bus drivers to enforce or refuse entry as that would be a huge and horrible job for them especially where I live."
Who else is going to enforce the rules? Considering many transport drivers have died from Covid-19, I would think it is in the driver's interest to protect themselves and others from contracting the virus. One if the reasons the Govt have brought this in is to protect the lives of drivers.

"Thought this was unfair on them though because what are they actually meant to do if the person gets on after being told no? They're hardly going to drag them off."
They should do whatever they normally do when people on their buses break the law. If someone refuses to wear a face-covering without good reason and refuses to alight the bus, the driver should radio it in so that the police can be called, stop the bus and refuse to budge. Hopefully not going anywhere will ensure other passengers urge them to get off. Otherwise, await the arrival of the police who should ensure lawbreakers suffer penalties.

It's not just the passengers.

Some TFL staff don't wear masks as well.

Transport staff are specifically exempt by the rules.

@NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite

"I don't think it's up to the bus drivers to enforce or refuse entry as that would be a huge and horrible job for them especially where I live." Who else is going to enforce the rules? Considering many transport drivers have died from Covid-19, I would think it is in the driver's interest to protect themselves and others from contracting the virus. One if the reasons the Govt have brought this in is to protect the lives of drivers.

"Thought this was unfair on them though because what are they actually meant to do if the person gets on after being told no? They're hardly going to drag them off."
They should do whatever they normally do when people on their buses break the law. If someone refuses to wear a face-covering without good reason and refuses to alight the bus, the driver should radio it in so that the police can be called, stop the bus and refuse to budge. Hopefully not going anywhere will ensure other passengers urge them to get off. Otherwise, await the arrival of the police who should ensure lawbreakers suffer penalties.

You’re talking out of your backside. Transport operators can not enforce this.

I have mild asthma and absolutely hate wearing a mask and can get a bit gaspy for breath and very, very hot no matter what type but I do it. I do it for the other people in my vicinity not for me.

What about people with severe asthma who can't wear face-coverings? A lady posted earlier (either on here or another thread) to say she's had one asthma attack in years and it was when she was wearing a mask. My mum has asthma (mild, like yours) and can wear a mask, but she's not arrogant enough to suggest that everyone else with asthma should be able to cope just because she can!

Transport staff are specifically exempt by the rules.

It’s really odd that some of them wear masks properly. Some use them as a scarf, and others don’t bother at all.

@Montsti

I’m in South Africa and we’ve had to wear masks while going out in public for nearly 3 months. You cannot enter a shop without one and you should not go outside at all without one. We all wear them to do exercise/walk the dog/ride bikes etc...

You have to wear them in the workplace and at school (my 2 year old doesn’t wear one but my 5 year old certainly does and has to).

It’s far from ideal and I don’t like it but you find one that’s comfortable and we have to get on with it. My immediate family is not vulnerable but we’re doing it to protect those who are...

Wearing masks outside while walking a dog is literally not protecting anyone though! There’s no evidence for that!