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?

[walksen]

Absurd that the policy is a mask is needed indoors for a shop but not in a school where you will be confined with 30 odd people in a much smaller space for hours at a time.

[lilgreen]

I’m happy to wear one if it means a lower chance of a second lockdown.

[Unescorted]

It's not ridiculous. It's numerate.

1500 people die a day anyway. 45,000 are deaths WITH not OF COVID

I am not sure if you put the additional (above the 5 year rolling average from the ONS) 56,722 deaths between week ending 13th March and 26th June down to numeracy or semantics.

[lilgreen]

But I work in a primary school and am worried about September when the whole class is back. I’ll be staying a metre away from the children but they’ll be side by side!

[Duggeehugs82]

Its obvious why the government didnt want the public wearing them at start of pandemic, as they wanted all the workers who needed them to get them and if everyone brought one they wouldnt be able to. I have asthma i also have a autistic child . I havent had a break from from her for 16 weeks, its extremely tough. I have been wearing a mask inside anywhere. I just am. I am aware of the need and it helps others and im doing that. Im pleased government has made it compulsory. Some people r just not socially distancing. And if if wearing a mask then we should. I have actually been struggling to hear what people have said to me when they wear a mask, as i realise i lip read most of conversations and cant with someone with mask on.

[NiknicK]

Well those ten days are fine with me as it’ll give me chance to go and spend a shed load of money on bulk buying foods my ds will need do that I don’t have to go out.

[icelollycraving]

I work in retail and have to wear one at work. I don’t like them (does anyone?!) but suck it up.
I would say about a third of our customers are wearing one already. About a third refuse to sanitise or wash their hands and get arsey. I’d say maybe 5% of our customers are respectful of social distancing. People think it’s over and seem to just have what I call ‘Covid fatigue’.
Mine is not an essential product. Refusing entry to our boutique is going to be interesting. The high street is already utterly hammered.
Stop whining, other countries are just bloody doing it without all this sodding angst.

[ChasingRainbows19]

More research is being done all the time and we should listen and learn. If this restricts the virus even a little while it is lower in the community and help to avoid more lockdowns surely it’s worth it? Especially as we start spending more time inside as it becomes autumn/winter?

We should of done it earlier , but lots of should haves In the handling of the pandemic by this government.

Don’t rely on the antibodies no one is actually sure how long they last.

I’ve worn one every day in work, it gets easier and it’s only while you are in a shop not for 13 hours. It doesn’t restrict o2 or overload you with co2. I’ve done my sats myself and they were the same with or without a mask.

Honestly the resistance is bonkers. It’s not about compliance it’s about keeping each other safe. If I wear one to help keep you safe why won’t you help keep me safe? It’s a real pandemic that has swept the world and is continuing to do so. A good percentage of people won’t know they have it and can still spread it!

[JinglingHellsBells]

@NiknicK It's people like you with that attitude that makes my blood boil.

It might be a slight 'inconvenience' but it's a lot better than dying or being on a ventilator.

How you can possibly object to something that may stop transmission is unbelievable.

It's pure selfishness.

I went shopping in a supermarket last week and wore one and it was fine.

You don't even have to wear a mask- you can use a scarf and tie it across your face.

And as for criticism of the government- don't you get that this is a new virus. Science is learning more each day. That is why the advice has changed.

[Sn0tnose]

I get what you’re saying but is no one else fed up of constantly being told what to do. Of course everyone is fed up with it. But we’re not teenagers so we suck it up and get on with it. I have tremendous amounts of sympathy for you if you’ll struggle to cope because of sensory issues, mental health etc and if it’s just you venting, then crack on, but, really, anyone who’s going to refuse to comply because they’re just a bit fed up with it needs to grow the fuck up. We’re all sick and tired of it, it’s not fun for any of us, we’re all feeling resentful of dickheads and we’re all worried about the economy.

The BBC have reported this today; The UK could see about 120,000 new coronavirus deaths in a second wave of infections this winter, scientists say. Asked to model a "reasonable" worst-case scenario, they suggest a range between 24,500 and 251,000 of virus-related deaths in hospitals alone, peaking in January and February. To date, there have been 44,830 official deaths in the UK, but this has slowed with only 1,100 in July. The estimate does not take into account any lockdowns, treatments or vaccines. And the scientists say: "The risk... could be reduced if we take action immediately". The report, requested by the UK's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, stresses there is still a high degree of uncertainty over how the coronavirus pandemic will play out this winter. But research suggests the virus can survive longer in colder conditions and is more likely to spread when people spend more time indoors. And experts are concerned the NHS will be under extreme pressure, not just from a resurgence of coronavirus but also from seasonal flu and a backlog of regular, non-coronavirus workload. The health service is already severely disrupted in the aftermath of the first pandemic wave, with a waiting list that could stand at 10 million by the end of this year, the report says.‘ I don’t agree with how this whole thing has been handled at all, but if wearing a mask means that we still have an NHS and some sort of economy left in the future, then it’s not the biggest hardship.

[Willowmartha1]

Just means I'll have to shop without my dd she finds shopping at the moment very stressful (ASD) with all the new shop layouts and so she will find it even more so if she has to wear a mask !

[JinglingHellsBells]

@NiknicK You are determined to be awkward! If your son is under 11, he doesn't need one. And you will just have to get used to it. Stop whinging.

[lilgreen]

I’m not fed up of being told what to do because it’s not just for the lols is it? It’s for my benefit and everyone around me.I’ve been wearing a mask in the supermarket anyway as people just don’t keep their distance.

[FourTeaFallOut]

I don't think it's fair or reasonable to ask teachers to go in to that density of working environment without ppe. But, if that is to be the case, then we can all go some way to mitigate that risk for them by reducing transmission in all other ways possible? Thankfully, that now includes wearing masks in shops.

[lifestooshort123]

Stop whining, other countries are just bloody doing it without all this sodding angst.
This. This. This!
Don't want to wear a mask then stay at home - I didn't know there were so many entitled, selfish people in our country. I wonder how many there were in WW2 when the gas masks were issued? Would you have been an objector then?

[midgebabe]

If bough masks fit poorly, there are plenty of suggestions on making them online

The uk gov site currently describes a 2 layer mask, but 3 layers needed in Wales
The addition of a pipe cleaner through the top seam can help with fit, especially useful if you meat glasses

[TheLegendOfZelda]

Wearing a mask doesn't mean you will still have an nhs or an economy, sorry. Both those things are fucked.

The good news is that online deliveries are available for my area with slots starting tomorrow - so much for the gloomsters! It will save me £££. Should have done it years ago.

Instead of traipsing round depressing shops, op, go out with your son on long walks, picnics in the fresh air, playdates with friends. There are better ways to spend life than indoors surrounded by unhealthy people in manky masks. Plus it's cheaper. I'm going to move everything online or back into private spheres eg eating at each others houses rather than out. Who wants the hassle?

[feelingverylazytoday]

@NiknicK

I have to go to different shops to buy certain brands of food as my autistic son will only eat certain foods so this will be a nightmare. Sorry if no one understands that and just feels I’m being selfish.

I have to do that with my autistic daughter. I put my mask on before I go into the first shop and leave it on until I come out of the last shop. Wearing a mask doesn't make it any more difficult than usual, tbh.

[BuzzButterfly7]

Yanbu I dont want to wear a muzzle. FU Boris.

[12boo]

@Iloveyoutothefridgeandback

Initial research suggested that PPE wasn't very useful in stopping the spread. We have a lot more information now and can confidently say that PPE does reduce transmission.

There was also a huge shortage of PPE at the start of the pandemic so it was being reserved for frontline doctors and nurses. This is no longer the case. There is enough PPE to go around.

The fact is, wearing a mask doesn't do much in stopping you from contracting the virus from others. However, it is very effective at stopping others from contracting the virus from you. So it isn't one of those things where you can say "I'm happy to take the risk" because when you don't wear a mask it isn't your own health you're risking, but the health of others around you.

This

[larrygrylls]

Niknick,

You cannot be ‘fed up with it now’ and decide face masks are not for you. It would be like being fed up with safety ropes 3/4 of the way up a mountain.

The U.K. got many thinks wrong with Covid 19 and we are learning as we go. The ‘science’ (as in the vast majority of peer reviewed research) shows that masks are protective, and countries where wearing them is the norm are doing far better than where they are considered an infringement upon civil liberties.

I get that you have had a tough time and been pretty compliant. However, those calling masks muzzles and believing that we are ‘over it now’ are just not that smart (certainly not scientific). If we just get back to normal life the virus will return (why wouldn’t it?) and we will be back to square one.

If we can tolerate a few more months, we should have a vaccine, and then it really will all be over.

[Apple1971]

Masks are not necessarily about protecting you - they are about protecting others. If we are ever going to deal with this virus we have to stop thinking that ‘I’m ok / I don’t want to do this’ and think about others instead.

You just need to experiment with different masks and find one that is comfortable.

I am asthmatic - I found cloth masks (triple layered ones) quite hard to breath in but paper ones are ok. I’ll also think about the masks with filters.

My partner is a nurse and has to wear one all day for 12 hours. She is claustrophobic and at first found it hard too - but has no choice. So it’s just a case of making it work.

[NameChange84]

The reason why people are being told what to do is because of people like you who think they should be able to do what they want, be exempt from this and allowed to go there and so on.

This.

No one likes wearing a mask but it’s the right thing to do, along with social distancing.

These threads really leave me shaking my head and wondering how the people of today would have coped in WW2 or modern day Syria, the Yemen etc.

Yes we are being told what to do. Because we need to. To save lives. To save the economy. To start on the trajectory to getting back to not being told what to do.

Everyone finds wearing a mask uncomfortable. Yes, I do understand the health aspect (I have chronic health problems myself) but the fact that hardly any one is wearing a mask when I’m out in public makes me think it’s not about health for the vast majority of the public. So what is it...vanity? Rebellion? Downright selfishness?

I often see comments on here along the lines of “I won’t wear them to the supermarket, bank etc but I do wear them when visiting my PIL”...so it’s ok to infect someone else’s parents or a young immunocompromised mother but not your loved ones?

There are lots of options when it comes to face coverings. I’m sure if people try they could find something.

Why would you not want to protect people and decrease the time it will take to get back to normal?

[JinglingHellsBells]

One good thing that may come out of all of this is the fact we may live our lives more simply and just not go out buying 'stuff' we no longer need.

The rate of consumerism and waste with what we throw away is shocking for the planet.

I am very sorry for people working in retail and hospitality who may lose their jobs. But the High St has been in decline for a long time. Most shopping can be done online anyway.

What lockdown has shown me is how little I really do need to go into shops. Yes, I like to browse, but I can manage without for most things.

So on the rare occasion when I might go into a shop- once a week?- I'm happy to wear a face covering.

[FourTeaFallOut]

A muzzle