Face masks. To feel that we have all been through enough....

[NiknicK]

And shouldn’t have to wear face masks if we don’t want to. I know it’s not officially been confirmed yet, but it’s expected to be today, and I don’t get it. If face masks truly help prevent the spreading of the virus, then why on earth wasn’t it made compulsory at the beginning of this pandemic, why now? I know you’ll all likely call me selfish but I can’t do it. I have to wear a mask for ten minutes once or twice month to collect mine and dh’s medication and I find it unbearable even for that small amount of time. They make my face itch and make me want to touch my face more, I can’t breathe properly and get panicky, they slide up as they’re too big for my face and hit my eye lids. My ds is autistic and I suspect I have some traits eg sensory issues, and the thought of having to wear these masks when I find shopping stressful enough as it is, fills me with dread. AIBU?

Perhaps if some of the people who have been seriously ill with this virus had been less obese as many were,including the fool governing us,they might not have got it so badly.

Oh, come now. The death rates in Sweden are incredibly high compared to Norway...are we saying they are proportionally fatter than the Norwegians or are we going to accept the obvious, that human interventions in responding to the virus is the bigger factor?

I would be happy to take them to the shops without masks. We are very lucky in the fact that we are all well, and are likely to recover if we do catch it. We are currently going to the supermarket with no issues, just wash our hands when we get home. However, I would rather have some sort of social distancing kept in place than people crowding around us with masks on.

I live in a country where mask wearing has been compulsory in shops, public transport etc for a while. You will get used to it. Now as well as taking my purse and handbag out, I have a mask or 2 with me too. It’s the only way to get on with life. My daughter went back to school for a few days and they all had to wear masks for 7 hours a day- not pleasant but they all coped because they had to. I don’t get the UK resistance against masks. Science proves if worn correctly they are effective. You won’t die if you wear one, you can breathe easily- how come drs and nurses wear them for hours on end?

@NiknicK- having read all your other posts & having a child with Autism myself I understand where you are coming from.
I have posted above trying to explain the rationale behind changing advise as I understand it. However I do not agree with people calling you selfish/entitled etc. How is that helpful people? Be kind to everyone, we never fully know what they are going through.
I am sorry you have had to read these. Hope the masks rule doesn’t make you retreat into lockdown mode again. I know help with caring for autistic child etc is going to be hard to come by in current circumstances- but if there is anyone else who can help you for a day or two , maybe your DP, then do try to give yourself a break (or rather regular breaks from it all) . You clearly are struggling & having no clear end point to this is challenging times is not helpful for anyone’s mental health. Just sending you best wishes.
I personally don’t think the mask is the enemy here - it’s the change in lifestyles enforced on us by this novel virus & being constantly told what to do & what not to do (made me realise how my autistic DS must feel!)
But the need of the hour is for us all to continue to do our bit & fight it together adapting to the guidelines of this “new normal” as long as it’s needed.

For what it’s worth in this world of people happy to agree to this the whole make wearing in shops is the biggest hurdle yet. I also feel it’s absolutely horrible and no I don’t need anyone to tell me I’m selfish and I must not care about other people. I don’t k ow when we stopped being allowed to have feelings and thought that went against the government and the masses.

Oh @NiknicK Boo bloody hoo! I’m a nurse and I wear mine up to 12 hours every shift. And I also live in Scotland where it has been mandatory to wear a mask in shops and enclosed spaces since last Friday. Just buck the hell up and get on with it!

I am rather incredulous at those questioning the "science" behind this NOW, because this has been part of the ongoing global public health conversation for the past 4 or 5 months.

The CDC advised the use of reusable masks for the general public back in April. This is when we (& many other countries besides the UK) started using them. The WHO has also advised their use and the evidence for efficacy is available in the Lancet, JAMA, Johns Hopkins etc etc.

I would have assumed / hoped that people would have done a tiny bit of their own research from epidemiologists, virologists etc from other countries and not just listened to what politicians (who studied Classics or Economics at Uni & are trying to further their own agenda) say.

[quote FelicisNox]@NiknicK all I see on your comments is one excuse after the next.

I work in a hospital and we still have multiple wards full of Covid patients of all ages so allow me to impart some wisdom:

• no you wouldn't necessarily know if you had the virus just because you're susceptible to colds: we now screen staff weekly (in the last 4 weeks) many have had ZERO symptoms yet their antibody tests have come back positive so they've had it at some point and haven't had so much as a twitch. Your logic is flawed because you simply don't understand what you're dealing with or how this virus works. E.g we are now seeing increasing instances of "contained Covid" where patients are generally unwell (unusual symptoms) and when we screen them with a swab it comes back negative but it's showing up on chest x-rays.

• the public were not issued or instructed re: appropriate PPE from the get go because A) our government was slow to react B ) everyone was instructed to stay at home and the majority did C) there wasn't enough PPE to go around and as another person said, the last thing the NHS/healthcare services needed was the public draining their resources unnecessarily.

• practice wearing your mask at home and breathe through your nose not through your mouth. It takes practice, even I hate wearing masks and I wear them for 8hrs a day but outside of work I wear the cloth masks (£3.50 on Boohoo.com).

TBH I'm sick of seeing this whiny, self absorbed rubbish on here. Whatever you think you've had to put up in the last 3 months I can assure it is NOTHING compared to what myself and my colleagues have gone through.

Sometimes in life we have to do things we don't like for the greater good.... some of my colleagues (2) have DIED as a direct result of catching Covid from patients, one of whom was pregnant.

If you don't want to wear a mask, don't. But if you get sick and spread it around that's on you so just think about that and how you would feel if someone died because you're a carrier and you weren't aware.

I'm so tired of this god awful entitled attitude.[/quote]
^this!!!! Agree with everything you said. I'm sorry to hear about your colleagues that must've been a horrible feeling

I wish people would just wear a mask and stop whining. If people don't want to wear a mask, that's fine - just stay home and stop complaining.
And please stop asking why this wasn't brought in earlier and why now that sort of crap because we now know Boris is a bigger twat (and more incompetent) than I thought he was.

Look at countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong and even S Korea they have somewhat contained covid by primarily making people wearing masks (as well as good hygiene). A lot of these places don't have the luxury of space (2m social distance in shops? Impossible. Not even on the pedestrian and public transport) But by having people wear masks, these countries have continued to remain somewhat normal so people get to keep their jobs and save the economy.

Wearing a mask is not comfortable. We all know that. But for the sake of my health, my family's health and those who are vulnerable, I'd choose masks 100%. No question asked.

YABU
There is more than one kind of face mask available to make or buy. If the one you have is uncomfortable, get another type. The World Health Organization has been advising people to wear masks to control the spread of the infection since the start of the pandemic, the UK government was too slow to react, didn’t provide adequate mask supplies to carers and medical professionals and are generally dithering in their response to the pandemic. The UK has a disproportionately high infection and death rate compared to the rest of Europe. Wear a mask to reduce the likelihood of a second wave that will crush the NHS.

If you don't want to go through worse, wear a mask I really don't see the big deal... I have worn one to the shops throughout. For your protection not mine.

There are lots of different styles of mask, some will be more comfortable than others.

I have made some fabric masks in various weights of cotton fabric. The lighter weight ones are more comfortable but perhaps offer less protection for the wearer (although any mask probably reduces transmission). The lightweight disposable ones are comfortable, but could work out expensive if you are changing them regularly and need to use several a week (or day, even). The elastic loops on the disposable ones can be tightened by twisting or knotting the loops, or if they irritate your ears you could attach cord or shoelaces to the loops then tie at the back of your head (you would need to wash the ties before reuse). It's a matter of experimenting and adapting.

I think if everyone wears masks and they fit reasonably snugly then it will help to reduce transmission, so I'm in favour of them, although I'm grateful we don't have to wear them outdoors, as my face gets quite hot just wearing one around a shop for 30 mins.

@runnerduck34 exactly - it was totally confusing listening to the minister this morning trying to explain why masks work in shops but not in offices, and why it’s safe to go back to offices even though no masks. Either they help or they don’t help, and if it’s safe to spend all day in an office without one then why is it unsafe to go to Tesco for five minutes or sit on an aeroplane for five hours?

This debate is just becoming so emotional. On one side you have people who just want to do Something - understandable given everyone’s loss of agency over the last few months, and the fear that many feel on leaving the house - and have hopefully alighted on this as a new Thing To Do which (to most) seems relatively inconvenient and might help.

On the other side you have some no-Nanny-staters who have had enough of being told what to do by a hapless Government which seems to only listen to scientists when it suits what they want to do anyway; some others who think masks in shops make as much sense as crucifixes around the neck to ward off the plague; and finally those like OP who have genuine MH or other health concerns about wearing them.

Once you have chosen the mast to nail your colours to, then it’s time to pick from the vast global smorgasbord of conflicting and varied quality scientific research/advice and political opinion to find some that supports your case.

And finally, (more the pro mask people than the antis if this MN thread is anything to go by), full of moral righteousness you can get on with throwing some serious abuse at the other side - because attacking people in this way always converts them to your point of view and makes them do what you want. Tell them to grow the f up, get a f* life, call them entitled, selfish, granny killers, sheeple, “the muzzled“, diaper-wearers or conspiracy theorists, then tell them if they don’t wear a mask they’ll die in agony on a ventilator or if they do they’ll all end up like Communist China.

YABU. The masks are to protect vulnerable people. As someone due to come out of shielding I'm sure my husband and son wouldn't have much sympathy if I died as a result of your and other people's neglect. Been through a lot? Try being confined to your house for 3 months

Why do so many other countries across the world not seem to have this aversion to masks that we seem to have. I don’t see the big deal (even though I absolutely hate wearing one). We’ve (everyone) been locked in our houses, our children have missed education and friends, we’ve been apart from loved ones, lost jobs, had people close to us die from Covid. A mask is nothing compared to all of that and really the least most people can do.

You need to grow up, stop whingeing and get on with it. Thank your lucky stars you don't have someone in your household shielding.

OP if you don’t like wearing a mask, get your shopping delivered. I’ve had Covid and ended up in hospital with pneumonia although thankfully not ICU. I’m still poorly weeks and weeks later and not back to being able to take a deep breath.

If you can’t wear one, don’t go out. Simple. I know it’s hard but don’t put yourself at risk of getting as ill as I have been.

If you still think you’ve been through enough and you can’t bring yourself go wear one, can I suggest you watch some videos of ICU doctors and nurses explaining how bad it can get - I think some people need a reminder now that the number of fatalities has reduced.
There’s a lot between mild illness and death. Don’t catch it.

It's already mandatory in scotland

Interestingly I got my first online supermarket delivery for a while today. I booked this after my first experience of mandatory mask wearing in Scotland. The delivery drivers said - "I don't blame you.Since they've brought in the mask rule no one is following social distancing in store."

This was my experience too - no SD, incorrect mask wearing, completely stressful experience for me as glasses kept steaming up and despite my best attempts touching my face to adjust mask/glasses.
So we'll see i suppose. I found it much less stressful a week ago before mandatory face coverings. People generally were more polite and willing to give you space. Not now

Try the virustatic shields, they are like lightweight snoods and really comfy. They are impregnated with antiviral stuff and are 98% effective against Covid despite being really thin and lightweight. www.virustaticshield.com

I am a nurse, I wear a mask for a 12 hour shift all day long, I take it off when I have my lunch break or when going to the bathroom and yes, the mask has hit my eyes several times during day but it's a must. People have died just because they were too close to somebody's breath... I think the mask could potentially save your and your son's life. The more you wear them the quicker you'll get used to them. We're all in this together, you can do it.

I'm
Half way through reading the thread but I think the one point you are clearly missing,OP, is that this isn't over; whether you are fed up with it or not. This thing can get so much worse if we don't take serious precautions.
Listen to the people who have been having to wear masks for ages, you get used to it. If you choose to you will get over it. There is a tiny percentage of the population that genuinely can't wear masks and the rest of us have to pull up our big girl pants and get on with it to protect them. It is utterly futile digging your heels in over this. Just get on with it.

What raises my attention is a lot of the masks available are actually made in Wuhan.

I was part of the team buying PPE in response to the pandemic.

As several posts have said, at the start of all this we knew little about how the virus could spread and masks and other equipment were in extremely short supply so the last thing we needed was every man and his dog buying up all the stocks when nurses needed them. In addition, during the main lockdown far fewer people were out and about and it was this that has really cut the spread.

We can now see that countries where mask wearing is more culturally acceptable/normal (Asia) or where there is greater compliance with regulations (e.g. Germany) have controlled the virus better. The UK government has now recognised this and introduced rules to help. The kind of mask or face covering we will be wearing in shops are not designed to protect the wearer but rather to stop anyone who is infected from spreading the disease so it cannot just be a matter of choice. Your mask protects other people, not yourself.
On the other hand, if you do want to wear full clinical protection then you will need to buy a CE marked device that fits so tightly it leaves a mark on your face and discard it after a single use.

YABU
If face masks help to reduce the spread of the virus then we all have to muck in for everyone’s sake.
The policy changes as more information becomes available.
We have all had enough.