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?

Last time I checked, a deaf person not wearing a mask wont hear any better.

The types that go over the ears can interfere with hearing aids as there will be some movement, and moving hearing aids can be really uncomfortable and intrusive for some people.

Obviously depends on the person, but if someone has auditory processing issues and wears a hearing aid, those seemingly tiny changes in volume/sound quality can be absolutely unbearable.

NHS so I have to wear one all day. Its uncomfortable and hot and I hate it. It is definitely harder to breathe wearing it. Dreading the hot weather later this week

Ok well you may be sedated if on a ventilatior but not if you come out the other side with your lungs in shit and you have to use a nebuliser 2/3 times a day. It's not hard to put a bloody mask on ffs it doesn't matter who you are protecting yourself or others. Jesus Christ you'd swear some people were being asked to amputate an arm!!

I wore one for the first time today to view a house. I was in there 15 mins and by then always starting to be light headed as not getting enough air through it (cotton 3 layer mask as recommended here in Wales for occasions you are indoors but can’t socially distance). It was pretty uncomfortable and hot.
Simply - it’s not compulsory. I don’t like it. I’m pretty sure I’ve already had covid. I won’t wear one unless and until it’s compulsory.

No! We have sheeplike given every basic liberty and young people's mental health is at rock bottom. No I won't wear a mask because of some tilting at windmills (look it up) or fighting nonexistent threats.
You wear a mask if you want to cower under a rock -I won't.

It's not hard to put a bloody mask on ffs it doesn't matter who you are protecting yourself or others. Jesus Christ you'd swear some people were being asked to amputate an arm!!

DS is autistic and has severe anxiety. He had to wear a mask for a hospital appointment and ended up having a screaming meltdown during which he tried to run away, was hitting himself, was retching, and ended up under a table where it took me and two nurses over half an hour to coax him out.

Now have a think about what you just posted and accept that for some people it fucking IS hard to wear a mask.

I already wear a large black eye patch (not a fashion statement) and if I wear a mask as well I will look and feel like Cyclops. Might as well go for a Phantom of the Opera all in one eye/ nose/ mouth mask or just a bag over my head.

It's not hard to put a bloody mask on ffs it doesn't matter who you are protecting yourself or others.

Have you actually bothered reading some of the posts where people have explained the reasons they can't wear a mask?

@elephantsbreath2

Ok well you may be sedated if on a ventilatior but not if you come out the other side with your lungs in shit and you have to use a nebuliser 2/3 times a day. It's not hard to put a bloody mask on ffs it doesn't matter who you are protecting yourself or others. Jesus Christ you'd swear some people were being asked to amputate an arm!!

So ... this mask protects other people not you ... and is preparing you for your ventilator .... meanwhile the non mask wearers won't catch it if you keep wearing your mask?

I mean ... your position is ridiculous anyway ... but at least think it through

You like wearing a mask so you will like wearing your ventilator?

1. I'm asthmatic and struggle to breathe with them on.

1. They become damp and irritable and not hygienic at all after about 20 mins.

1. When I wear my glasses they steam up.

I'm following the guidelines about social distancing and masks and assume everyone I see not wearing one has a mental or physical disability that prevents them from also following the guidelines.

@UmbrellaHat you don't need a mask for rock occupation, it's things like shopping, etc.

But if you “just don’t like it” then try getting over it and actually doing something to stop spreading this virus which has already killed over 40000 people and counting.

The point is that there is scarce evidence that wearing a mask (except for people taking care of the sick in hospitals and care homes) IS actually any help in stopping virus spreading. There are many more useful things that can be done that that, and mask wearing may stop people doing those more useful things. Eg, not bothering about social distancing or washing hands or best of all, staying at home when ill because hey, I’m OK, I’m virtuously wearing a mask (albeit a filthy damp one that I’ve fiddled with constantly and keep taking off every time I cough or chat or drink or climb the stairs), I’m good.

The main reason the Government has mandated them on public transport is because a section of the population at low risk of infection was irrationally scared of leaving their homes, and needed psychological reassurance to get on public transport and go back to work.

Masks for the masses are a cheap psychological trick. They give (false) feelings of security and virtue and compliance. If they make you feel better, great, but don’t expect others to feel the same way. It’s to the Government’s great credit that they have not mandated them for walking around the streets, or in schools or supermarkets, all of which have very low risk of infection (outdoors is near zero), because the science does not justify it all.

I work in a pharmacy, I am also partially deaf.
I absolutely hate them, between my mask and other people wearing them plus the Perspex screen on the counter I struggle to hear properly.
I have one colleague who refused to work if all the staff on her shift aren’t wearing them and my boss gave in to her to shut her up, so now I have to struggle and put up with it to make her happy.
Not one of my colleagues has had Covid nor are any of them in an at risk group.

As well as ASD I've got PTSD from physical abuse that included being strangled. Anything that restricts my breathing is an absolute no. Since I won't (can't) wear a mask then I just make sure I do social distancing.

I'm well aware of the issues with hearing aids, lip reading and masks.

However, in terms of health care settings, masks are nothing new. We need to get better and move towards masks with windows - not use deaf people as an excuse not to wear them.

Yeah, a mask makes my hearing aids squeak but on public transport I can turn them off.

Literally no one gives a shit about the deaf and hard of hearing until it suits their agenda.

They steam my glasses 👓 up and I can't see where I'm going.

I don't love the mask wearing because I'm hard of hearing and often rely on being able to see someone's mouth to understand what they're saying, when someone is wearing a mask I also can't really grasp any facial expression which means I can't even fathom a guess at what they're saying, it's hard in work but I totally understand why people wear them. It doesn't bother me massively as I'm comfortable saying I'm sorry I'm heard of hearing I can't hear you but I can see both sides tbh

It’s become very political in America (surprise, surprise doesn’t everything? ) with Trumpsters claiming wearing masks removes freedoms filming themselves trying to get store employees fired for asking them to wear masks.

@BankofNook - your poor son! To be honest, I'm now scared of needing medical attention, as the GP requires the wearing of a mask and I'm not sure how I could manage it.

As someone who grew up in singapore, I have a theory why people in asia are so ok with wearing masks and not people in UK/USA. Asian societies tend to be more homogenous and conformist; only singapore is multicultural but there is a very strong emphasis growing up on a shared identity and social cohesion to a degree that wouldn't really be accepted in a more democratic liberal society. Hence, i feel like we have more uniform face expressions and as society is about working together, it is not as important to read someone's expression as you just assume that they have similar/wholly uninteresting thoughts

However, in UK/USA, people are raised very much to be individuals and hence have very disparate face expressions. I have no problem wearing a mask, but I find it challenging when a lot of people are wearing masks. I cannot tell if someone is aggressive or friendly. I therefore cannot read a situation. In Singapore/other asian countries, there isn't a need at all to read people's expressions as I assume everyone is just doing their own thing and would not be a threat. Everyone is quite private anyway so its not like they would be interested in random interactions with strangers.

I live somewhere where infection rates are really low, the streets aren't crowded, I don't go to supermarkets except at the end of the day, and I don't go on public transport. As a result, I don't come into close contact with other people - so I don't wear a mask/face-covering on a regular basis, and tbh not many people in the town do. I have a pack of 3 disposable ones which I'll wear if I have to go anywhere they are compulsory or strongly requested - like today when I went to give blood.

Also in regards to the supermarket staff not wearing them, I think it was proven that surgical masks aren't effective at all after a certain amount of time (not 100% sure but have seen articles etc) and in the supermarket I work in management are providing 1/2 masks per shift, just not enough if you're on the shop floor for 8-9 hours.

Also in asian societies, there is a bigger emphasis on doing things for the good of society. Literally no one i know in singapore has complained about the masks. I am sure they find it uncomfortable. My cousin in singapore has autism. Many kids in singapore have autism. But they all do it not only because its the law, but because they know that wearing masks decrease community transmission.

If you refuse to wear a mask in singapore, you would get screamed at by so many people that you would probably regret not wearing a mask.

Have you actually worn one for an extended period OP? They are extremely uncomfortable. It's become the socially acceptable thing to do as people want to feel they have some control in a time where many other decisions have been taken out of their control. The science on the benefits of non-medical masks is extremely limited.