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?

But if you “just don’t like it” then try getting over it

Why? To suit you?

1 in 2700 people have this now. The chances of me having anything to spread to anyone is very low, hence the mask is pointless.

I’m very quickly getting to the point where me and mine have done our bit to protect random people getting the virus. Just how long are we meant to keep putting ourselves at the bottom of the pile for the “good of society”?

I have no plans to be in a situation to need to cover my face under current guidance.

I have auditory processing difficulties and lip read a lot plus masks muffle speech. I can guess when a supermarket work asks me to "mwmphle pwimphle wumph" because that's the stage of the transaction where I need to get the bank card into action. Open conversation is far harder. My hearing deteriorates with stress.

I get claustrophic and struggle with humid air. I have been known to have panic attacks in swimming pool changing areas because of sensory overwhelm finished off by humidity. I struggle with manky recycled air quality.

I don't want to scare the shit out of my autistic child who relies heavily on manually deciphering non verbal communication and can't cope with the distortion caused by things like face paint or masks. This is a child who finds trousers totally intolerable.

I have not been in a risky environment for 3 months. The chances of me breathing out Covid 19 at present are only slightly higher than the risks of farting out Ebola.

The majority of masks being worn out and about are badly fitting, manhandled or encourage poor distancing and false security. A large proportion of mask (and glove) wearers are a liability with poorer hygiene than non mask wearers who think more conciously about their behaviour.

I will not wear one unless there is absolutely no alternative.

I have to say I'm not complaining, I do think they are a good idea, DH wears one when he goes out.
I really wish I could cover my face and feel calm enough to get on, but I can't, I really have tried. Some people on this thread seem to be suggesting people are just being awkward or faking. I'm worried it will become mandatory for staff in schools because I won't be able to wear one all day but I will continue to try and find something I can cope with. I can use a visor, and have been when doing intimate care (read changing wet pants) as there is no pressure on my face but I don't think the level of protection is the same.

cupcakegirl13

I find them incredibly claustrophobic and panic when I’m wearing one , I feel like I can’t breath. That said I’m just avoiding all places where it’s better to wear one so as not to put myself or others at risk.

THIS

I don't wear one because it's not hygienic and I don't believe it is protective unless worn properly - and most people don't.

Surgical masks in theatre are changed, yet I see people wearing a mask then putting it in their pocket and wearing it again.

Before lockdown I was at the airport and I saw one girl wearing one half way down her face shovelling McDonald's fries into her mouth. She didn't wash her hands in-between the fries and the half hearted removal of the mask.

Yes I believe masks (medical grade) and used properly protect, but right now peoples use transform them into formites!

The only way to get the protection from the masks would be for Government to advise on a standardised mask and to provide out an idiots guide to PPE. Caveated with the fact that they must be free because people are struggling so much right now, they don't need the extra expense.

**cupcakegirl13

I find them incredibly claustrophobic and panic when I’m wearing one , I feel like I can’t breath. That said I’m just avoiding all places where it’s better to wear one so as not to put myself or others at risk.**

Exactly the same for me too, with the addition of steamed up glasses and hayfever. Tbh I'd be fiddling with it so much and pulling it aside to get some cool air that it would be worse than useless.

@Fizzfan - the figure is supposedly 1 in 1,700, not 1 in 2,700 as you keep stating. I like wearing one because selfish bastards who can't be arsed to inconvenience themselves slightly give me a wide berth, it seems to spook them.

@FizzFan

I think you and fundamentally differ in our moral outlook. I’ve had a bereavement at the weekend due to Covid and another two from February onwards. My family are all HCPs in some form or other (Drs, Nurses, Healthcare management). I don’t mind making the tiny hardship of wearing a mask and sticking by the rules if it means other people don’t have to go through this. We’ve already had cancer treatment for a relative out on hold, I’ve had trouble getting vital medication to keep me alive...really wearing a mask is nothing in comparison. And certainly doesn’t put you at the bottom of the pile.

@FizzFan I agree with all your reasons, especially "they'll be slow to abolish the requirement". That's my main concern with rewriting the laws; I bet many of them will be in place for years. I saw a headline today saying "Boris axes 2m rule"; except it hasn't been axed at all, merely tweaked a tiny bit.

The only mask I'll wear on public transport is a transparent face shield; the opaque masks are sinister. I might wear a Scream mask if I'm feeling rebellious (so you know how to spot me).

And perhaps if politicians and the media didn't have a habit of regularly lying and exaggerating other "disasters" (not covid), I and others might take them more seriously in general. That ship has sailed though - they've cried wolf too many times.

Some people won’t because they are selfish and only think of themselves and not the risk they could be causing someone else.

I haven't seen any real evidence that they are effective, they are uncomfortable, I make an effort instead to remain distanced from others. They way it feels and looks makes me feel caustraphobic. If I saw some real evidence that they made a difference I'd reconsider.

Also I've been the only person on my bus for the last three days on the top of the bus so I've been wearing it on the bus and then taking it off once I'm upstairs because there is no point when it's just me on the bus!

Firstly, because im asthmatic and can't physically breathe while wearing a mask. Secondly, because i refuse to be controlled like an obedient piece of meat.

I got on a bus today, as I don't currently drive.
It was roasting anyway, wearing a mask made it even harder to breathe. Not fun.

Like pp have said because they're impossible to wear with glasses (steam up) and they make me feel claustrophobic.
Also for every scientist or expert who says they help, there is another who says they don't (especially because most people don't use them properly), so I'm not convinced they make much if any difference.
I would of course wear one wherever it was mandatory, but I will avoid those places where I can.

I will wear a mask, if and only when forced. That's not yet. A few reasons

1 my asd daughter is terrified of them and people in them
2 I lost part of my left ear in an accident which makes it very hard and requires tit tape stuck to my sensitive ear to keep the thing on
3 see above- I'm partially deaf and frankly it's a lonely lonely world when people hide their lips . I become fully deaf
4 the misuse is rampant!!!! People touching them being the lower end of misuse, wearing them under their nose (I saw 4 of these today in sainsburys) pulling them down into their necks( another 3 whilst queuing in the heat to get in) , and even cutting holes in them (FairPlay only seen their once so far and not today) 🤦‍♀️

I won’t wear one unless I’m in one of the specific situations where they’re mandatory. I’ll be trying very hard not to put myself in those situations. I’m happy adhering to what the government has said we need to do, not the extra requirements some mumsnetters have imposed.

Masks cause serious communication difficulties for those relying on lip reading. Those people often have things more difficult anyway so I’m not doing anything to make it even harder.

Not many other people are wearing them, some of us have to wear them for 9hr periods at work and are not going to endure wearing them at other times if not compulsory also seems like locking the door after the horse has bolted imo, it should have been mandatory from the start if they wanted us to wear masks, not as weee coming out the other end of a pandemic.

Because just the thought of it brings back memories of a painful experience.if somewhere requires a mask then I won't (can't) go there.

I don’t mind making the tiny hardship of wearing a mask

It's not a tiny hardship for everyone though. I didn't even ask my psychiatrist for an exemption letter, he wrote one for me because he knew I'd find it problematic due to my history. Yes, it would probably help if everyone who could wear one did without finding reasons as to why they shouldn't but calling everyone selfish etc as a previous poster did doesn't exactly help either.

I wear them all day long at work for 8hr + shifts. They are extremely uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time especially in hot weather and buildings / wards without air con. Attempting to deliver mental health support to unwell inpatients is near impossible because they struggle to read facial expressions and can't detect empathy and understanding. It therefore increases their anxiety as well as ours as members of staff trying to support them. My partner passed out in his mask and visor work last week due to not being able to get enough air and the room being extremely hot. Outside of work is my only respite from them currently. I'm going to take it if I can.

Went to our local (big) M&S food hall on Sunday.
Not one of the checkout staff had chosen to wear a mask - except one see through face shield wearer, who was so hot that her hair was plastered wet against the inside of the shield.

Of the customers, maybe 10% were in masks, the vast majority of whom were east Asian. Everyone else was simply keeping a distance from others and doing a bit of trolley handle wiping at the entrance. Which is as it should be - all totally legal and common sense. You’d have to be spectacularly unlucky to be near someone for long enough in a large supermarket to catch COVID and most shoppers seem to have realised that now.

Ah no, I'm in Germany but thanks anyway :) I don't really want to spend money on masks since I don't especially want to wear one and will only wear it as long as I have to. So I will stick to the 6 we have accumulated which were 3 free ones from DH's work, and 3 that my friend made for us.

I just made the assumption because of your description of the rules :o

I wear a mask 9+ hours a day at work, it's a physical job and honestly in this heat its a real struggle. I'm taking extra breaks outside just so I can breathe for 5 minutes. It's horrendous.

So no, I won't choose to wear one for a minute longer than necessary

I wore a mask for the first time on the train on Sunday.

Had a migraine all evening into the next day and woke up with small spots near my nostrils.

Could be a coincidence though.

Some people won’t because they are selfish and only think of themselves and not the risk they could be causing someone else

I wonder how many of those doing the "you must wear masks for the sake of others" have voted for the Tories. The party of the individual for the past ten years. (going by the attitudes ive seen towards people with medical conditions who cant wear masks because of those conditions id say there is a correlation) Because the party of the individual has managed to keep getting in for the past decade. But now they discover that capitalism and only caring about your individual self doesnt work during a pandemic Well whod a thunk it. So now they want to move the goalposts.