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?

Because the majority of people find them mildly uncomfortable and people are genuinely entitled selfish morons who only care about themselves. I obviously understand people with disabilities & real medical reasons, but I really don't understand when I see people who say "but I have asthma, so can't wear one" I have asthma, and I know Id rather be slightly struggling for the 30mins I'm wearing the mask, then risk catching/passing along covid?

I'll have to start carrying one in case i need to go somewhere they will make me wear one but I'm not going to start wearing it everywhere. Like i said, for 14 weeks we didn't need to and now apparently we do. Wheres the evidence?

“ I know Id rather be slightly struggling for the 30mins I'm wearing the mask, then risk catching/passing along covid?”

What situations are you referring to? Because public transport makes sense, you could be close to someone for more than 15 mins easily. Someone saying “you want others to die if you won’t wear a mask you selfish bastard!” when referring to going into a place where it’s easy to stay far apart and you’re only passing people for a moment is just virtue signalling and choosing to ascribe unpleasant attitudes to others

Why wouldn’t people just assume someone had a good reason for not wearing a mask?

My glasses steam up. This makes me have to stop in the middle of an aisle, remove glasses (and possibly mask). Wait to clean glasses or for them to de-mist, put them back on then repeat countless times in one expedition.

It's mandatory where you live and it isn't here. That will create an obvious difference in uptake.

I've worn a mask at the supermarket (it didnt make my glasses fog up) and on public transport (although I very rarely use it atm.) I am lucky as i have no medical or psychological conditions and didnt find it a problem.
However, and really not intending to be goady, on here (and I havent discussed it in detail in RL) there are a lot of people who would find it difficult or almost impossible to wear one. ...I'm wondering if the same MN style discussions happen in countries where mask wearing is much more prevalent, or a legal requirement? Do they have a similar proportion of people unable to wear masks and what do they do? Are they not allowed out?

My Dsis says she was on the tube the other day and only 1 other person was wearing a mask.

Incidentally I was shocked at how many people were deaf in uk. (According to a pp statistics) 1 in 6 people?

Why wouldn’t people just assume someone had a good reason for not wearing a mask?

Because this is Mumsnet where apparently everyone has the worst motives. PIL are excited and want to meet their new grandchild when you're exhausted? They're not just overenthusiastic, they're bullies and narcissists, go no contact. New neighbour has their TV too loud and you can hear it too? No chance at all that they just haven't realised that you can hear it and would happily turn it down if they knew. No, they're selfish bastards who only think of themselves. Old lady smiled at you in a shop when your toddler was having a tantrum and your baby was crying and said 'you've got your hands full'? Not a chance that she was just trying to be reassuring to a struggling mum because she was remembering those days herself. No, she was a dried up interfering haggard old bitch, jealous of your youth and probably wanting to touch your child with her disgusting hands that she hasn't washed for years.

I find it ironic that all the people who constantly shout about how everyone else is so awful and selfish apart from them sound so very self centred and completely incapable of showing consideration to other people themselves.

Most countries will have exemptions for people with my son's disability and those that don't will have questionable human rights regarding disabled people and don't generally make adjustments for them.

The paper masks make.me terribly itchy its unbearable. I have to wear one every day and I cant concentrate on my job

I don’t wear one because I don’t have to and I don’t want to. They are uncomfortable. I don’t need to catch public transport.

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

God this is such depressing reading.

Of course there are people with genuine reasons for not wearing one, be they relayed to physical or mental health. There are always exceptions and it's right that there should be.

But the majority of people could wear one. Yes, they're quite uncomfortable and different to get used to. Yes, it's summer and it's hot. Yes, it's not mandatory except for on public transport.

But for god's sake. It's not like the UK govt (and lord knows I'm no fan of how they've dealt with all this) are the only govt asking people to wear masks. Pretty much every country is. Because it probably does reduce transmission and alongside good hygiene and social distancing, it's something proactive we can all do to try and help reduce the number of cases, and that can only be a good thing.

But no. Too many people just don't want to and that's fine, apparently. You can get masks for as little as £2, people are making cotton ones for just a few pound, they generally aren't difficult to get hold of and are affordable for most people (the govt really does need to addr as though how to help people who can't afford them).

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.

@duckfinger

I am so sorry that judgemental posts from others that don't know circumstances for people's (your) choices upsets you. Please try to ignore them. Most of us are aware that people have very different reasons and circumstances for things. We are also aware that mask wearing when you are also practising social distancing out and about in the fresh air is quite a bit about virtue signalling and not that helpful. Having read numerous studies now about transmission (Pub Med and some good basic ones shared on here recently) then it is clear than the vast amount of transmission is indoors from close proximity for an extended period of time.

Look after yourself x

You don't know anything about people's circumstances. My trauma is extremely real and effects many aspects of my life, lots of things I missed out on as I was too afraid to go out without my dad or my brothers or later my husband.
Mask wearing is impossible for me but I am trying to find something I can cope with. How dare you belittle people's lived experience.

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.

I am thinking about other people. The 12million with low hearing levels. That’s one in six of us.

Masks are only mandatory in certain circumstances. I don’t know why some mumsnetters seem intent on castigating people for not adhering to their own version of what’s recommended by the government.

it's something proactive we can all do to try and help reduce the number of cases, and that can only be a good thing.

People need to acknowledge there are downsides to everyone wearing masks.

www.bmj.com/content/bmj/369/bmj.m2372.full.pdf

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-wales-52659083

But for god's sake. It's not like the UK govt (and lord knows I'm no fan of how they've dealt with all this) are the only govt asking people to wear masks. Pretty much every country is. Because it probably does reduce transmission and alongside good hygiene and social distancing, it's something proactive we can all do to try and help reduce the number of cases, and that can only be a good thing.

So why didn't the government tell us to wear them 14 weeks ago? There's been so many stupid pointless rules that made no sense whatsoever. This is another one.

From Twitter: Perhaps quote of day from Whitty: "if people don't take mitigation seriously, if people hear a distorted version of what's been said that says this is all fine now, it's gone away and start to behave that they would have before the virus then we will get an uptack, for sure."

This.

I went on the tube yesterday and about 40% of people were either not wearing a mask or wearing it on chin or nose showing. I found I was touching face a lot more and I pulled it off as soon as off the train....ineffective and a total waste of time, I won't be doing it in the future

You won’t be going on the tube or you won’t be wearing a mask on the tube user?

my reason is actually quite simple.

I don't have any. They are expensive, and I am not going out to anywhere where I can buy one.

If we get disposables, there are 5 in the family, that soon adds up.

I will make a couple as soon as I have time, but working from home with 3 kids is manic at the moment.

I will of course wear one if it is compulsory

I came back to work yesterday, most of the time I can distance but when I can't I wear a mask. It's not comfortable and I've been given four different types

I can see why ppl don't wear them unless it's compulsory

www.gov.uk/government/news/face-coverings-to-become-mandatory-on-public-transport

At the moment it’s only mandatory on public transport for the general public. That obviously could change.

People seem to think wearing a mask/face covering protects themselves, the purpose is to protect others and it doesn’t have to be a mask, just a face covering which doesn’t mist up glasses or irate your face.

You say those with medical conditions must be a tiny minority? You mean like the 12% of the population with asthma? Add in the others and there are quite a few. Many people wearing them even though it causes difficulties and others avoiding places where they need to be worn so not sure what your gripe is.

I have to wear one in work. I won't outside of work. 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, even to smoke! 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 also think people have this misconception of being 'safe' when they wear a mask, or worse thinking they can go out with a cough etc as they are wearing a mask. Then there's the whole query over how effective they actually are, how long they are effective for and how to correctly dispose of them / wash them. I would love to know what South Koreans for example think of our government guidelines over how to make a mask from a small t shirt! Plus hospitals and care homes etc are still experiencing shortages so I struggle with seeing people walking around with surgical masks on.

Thurlow - just because a number of governments are recommending face masks in some context doesn't actually mean it's worthwhile. Have you stopped to think it could be more...political? Rather than scientific? The scientific data suggest that wearing masks has little impact and could have a detrimental impact on virus transmission because people forget other rules. However governments need to be seen to do something and it's much easier to say 'wear a mask' rather than properly enforce social distancing. Whether it works or not is not actually that relevant....