To not understand why people have a problem with wearing a mask?

[Changednamesorry]

Where I live masks are mandatory for everyone over the age of 6 in any public indoor space (shop, train station, doctor's surgery etc) and where it is not possible to guarantee the 2m distance. 100 euro fine for non compliance.

Of course some people break this rule but the vast majority wear masks including a lot of kids younger than 6. My mum and dad in the UK also wear masks when out atm.... But they also said its ay best a 40% uptake and that in the supermarket the staff don't wear them!!!

Here on MumsNet i see lots of people saying that they "won't wear a mask".... Why? It's to protect others so surely its a good thing to do even if they are a bit uncomfortable?
In Asian countries (China, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea) mask wearing is and always has been done to protect others.

Why?

I’m terribly claustrophobic and they make me panic. Plus, they steam my glasses up

I’ve made some and I keep a couple in my bag if I need them

I wear one when I have to, but not in general.

I was walking the dog on the beach quite late last night - tide was right out so huge, open space and only 1 other person on the beach who started shouting at me (from so far away that I couldn’t actually hear him until he got closer) about my lack of mask. We were outside, tens of metres away from each other, it’s just not needed.

“Just wear the damn thing for a short period of time when you're going out on public, and try and think about other people as well.“

But people are doing just that. Every bus I have seen has had every passenger wearing one. I assume those who can’t or don’t want to are just avoiding public transport or don’t need it. Horrible if some people are being excluded by it though.

However, we are allowed to complain about things we don’t like. They haven’t issued any guidance against that

Plus hospitals and care homes etc are still experiencing shortages so I struggle with seeing people walking around with surgical masks on.

They're probably not surgical masks. My local shop is selling masks that look like surgical masks but the box explicitly says non medical face mask. I bought one to see what they were like and they're very scratchy in comparison to the surgical masks we use at work.

I would like to wear one and have tried. I'm asthmatic and was struggling to breathe,I also found it difficult to see as it made my glasses steam up. I've since been told by my asthma nurse to not wear one.
I work in a supermarket and am worried what will happen if it's made compulsory to wear one.

Because Brits are simply so special.

Honestly, Brexit didn't make me want to leave, but god, this unbelievable whining is making me look elsewhere. I used to love it here. I also liked Brits with their quirks, but the whining. The non stop "Well I can't because x" whining.

*Because it’s a symbol of fear and repression

It’s about keeping the populace in check, and fearful

There is not much Covid around now

We already have so many silly rules

At the start of the pandemic, it would have made sense and I would have obliged

But now it’s just a combination of virtue signalling and fear mongering (and the horse has already bolted ) and pointless

I don’t want to do a pointless thing just to virtue signal about being caring/careful/socially responsible*

Idiot🙄

Much to a lot of people's dismay, masks are currently only mandatory on public transport and in hospitals/healthcare settings. Otherwise it's personal choice.

You can't castigate and criticise people for choosing not to wear masks when it's not mandatory - if you want to wear one, crack on, but you need to accept that other people are going to make different choices.

I carry around a buff in case I'm ever in a situation where I need to wear one but I have ASD and find it very, very hard to have something covering my mouth and nose. I work in the outdoors so luckily don't require one for work, and I drive, so don't need to rely on public transport.

I'm really fed up with posts on here from people who seem to have decided that their personal preference is now law, and are criticising strangers according to their own interpretation of how useful masks are. Until the government decides they're mandatory at all times/in all enclosed spaces, just do what you want to do and keep your nose out of other people's choices.

Alias I am permitted to hold that opinion, NHS worker or not, you know.

I don't subscribe to the NHS worker as sainted, because that allows the governments you elect to refuse us pay rises as we do it for the vocational love, the purity of our souls.

Nope.

It has been our increasing observation that anything anyone 'isn't that keen on', or is naturally 'a little worried about having or doing' is now considered an anxiety disorder worthy of a panic attack.

If masks are so ineffective, why do surgeons wear them?

And regarding:

Split between
1.Laziness can't be arsed attitude

1. Won't affect me attitude

3.Actual medical reason 4.Snowflakes. .... there is a 5. People who (barring an actual medical reason), Get On With It.

Imo the vast majority of people are incorrectly wearing them. You see them constantly fiddling with them, only covering their mouth, pulling them down to speak

Imo by fiddling with them and then touching items you are in fact increasing your chances of spreading the virus and indeed picking it up

I agree.
Not to mention the people wearing a mask so they think itis ok to no longer social disctance.

Still don’t see any convincing argument here why I should wear one for my 8 hour shift

So no..... I’m not

Carry on with your bits of damp material across your face.

If masks are so ineffective, why do surgeons wear them?

Can you honestly not see the difference between an operating theatre and going shopping at Tesco?

Why don’t people read the information released. It is mandatory to wear a face covering (doesn’t have to be a mask) on public transport. No one is saying that you need to wear one at other times.

some people are so selfish.

Lol the surgeons masks are proper medical grade not a floral Etsy number!

Oh @Parker231 have you not read the thread???

If masks are so ineffective, why do surgeons wear them?

Because you don’t tend to have open bodies with internal organs on display in the supermarket or on the street? Just a wild stab in the dark there....

Because you don’t tend to have open bodies with internal organs on display in the supermarket or on the street?

You haven’t been to my local Asda...

@SchrodingersImmigrant - leave then🤣

@Parker231

Why don’t people read the information released. It is mandatory to wear a face covering (doesn’t have to be a mask) on public transport. No one is saying that you need to wear one at other times.

some people are so selfish.

Lots of people are saying that. I've read threads criticising people for not wearing them in all sorts of scenarios - in the shops, working as delivery drivers, working indoors - someone criticised their cleaner last week for not wanting to wear one while she was cleaning indoors on her own! Madness.

Until masks are made mandatory everywhere, people need to butt out. Wear one if you want, but don't pretend it makes you better than those who chose not to.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Because Brits are simply so special.

Honestly, Brexit didn't make me want to leave, but god, this unbelievable whining is making me look elsewhere. I used to love it here. I also liked Brits with their quirks, but the whining. The non stop "Well I can't because x" whining.

Hang on, who is the "special" one in this picture?

If you don't like it here, you are more than welcome to leave at any time.

Coming here and whining about us whining is living up to your posting name but not in the way you intended.

Well, I'll wear one if it's mandatory (like on the train) but they are unpleasant especially in the heat.

I’m far too up myself to be shopping at Asda @PurpleDaisies. We don’t have any of the kidney flapping, lung waving riffraff at Waitrose you know

If masks are so ineffective, why do surgeons wear them?

This wins the prize for the most fucking absurd comment I've ever seen on Mumsnet. By that logic why aren't you wearing scrubs, surgical gown, gloves and plastic shoe bags wherever you go?

And working for the nhs doesn't give you a blanket right to decree who is and isn't suffering from anxiety. For all we know you could be a receptionist/porter/cafeteria staff and not actually medically qualified in any way. In any event, I hope you're not working in mental health.

@Pikachubaby

Because it’s a symbol of fear and repression

It’s about keeping the populace in check, and fearful

There is not much Covid around now

We already have so many silly rules

At the start of the pandemic, it would have made sense and I would have obliged

But now it’s just a combination of virtue signalling and fear mongering (and the horse has already bolted ) and pointless

I don’t want to do a pointless thing just to virtue signal about being caring/careful/socially responsible

🤦🏻‍♀️ FFS.

Mask wearing is an odd thing though - you aren't doing it to protect yourself, you are doing it to protect others. I guess that makes people less inclined to wear them.

Most things you do to protect yourself and there is a clear benefit to you. Not so with masks.

I don't wear one but my reason is my dad only has hearing in one ear and relies on lip reading. He has had to leave the house once for a blood test and the nurse was wearing one and he couldn't cope :-( Has anyone thought about deaf people!