Masks - GET A GRIP.

[Changednamesorry]

Ok.

So. Lots of whinging about masks at the moment as BoJo finally hauls his arse into gear and says that you have to wear them in the shops and on public transport.

In Catalunya where I live masks are obligatory. Every time you are in public. Including in the street. Inside and out. The exceptions are

Medical conditions (you need a paper justifying this)
When playing sport
Children under the age of 6
If eating or drinking

If you don't comply - 100 euro fine. No arguments.

Most people here were already wearing masks anyway (because we saw the horror at the beginning of the pandemic here and we know what a real lockdown is like - not allowed out at all, children locked inside for nearly 3 months, etc)

People arent whining and complaining nor imagining how they can invent aome excuse to mean that the rules don't apply to them and the overwhelming majority of people are wearing them all the time.

Tourists not so much but they getting fined. Good.

So England. PLEASE. Stop with the selfishness. Literally dozens of countries have mandatory mask wearing and citizens comply because they care about each other and don't spend their time acting entitled and "I'm all right Jack"

There are articles in the European press about this. Literally "English people are selfish - is it any wonder they are so resistant to wear masks". It's embarrassing. As a nation, as a society, it's time to grow up and just put the mask on like everyone else.

English people. You aren't special. You are starting to look like the kid who gets thw whole class detention because they just keep on breaking the rules.

Wear the mask. Please. It's for the safety of everyone.

And if you ABSOLUTELY MUST come to Spain on holiday, even more so.

You are starting to look like the kid who gets thw whole class detention because they just keep on breaking the rules.

Very apt description to be honest.

I remember an energy experiment in Europe where a town's electrical use was monitored and the schoolkids would turn things off at home to see the total lower. It was commented - by Brits - that if the UK ran the same experiment people would run to flip on every switch in the house to see if they could break it. They were proud

There's always whining with every enforced change here. Remember the drama over the carrier bag charge...

I'm baffled by the amount of people claiming they can't wear a mask. If you "can't" wear a mask, then don't go out. Simple. I find them uncomfortable but I still wear one whenever I leave the house

I totally agree with the OP.

Her tone is just about right for the importance of the situation. She is pleading with people to do their bit, to play their part in protecting their fellow human begins FFS.

Too many people in the UK are digging their heels in and refuse to wear mask because... well, just because, it would seem.

Wearing a mask protects others. It's not comfortable, but it's no great hardship for the sake of protecting lives. I go to one supermarket once a week. I must have seen about 5 people each time wearing masks since the end of March.

Lindy2

Thank you for that explanation.

@Changednamesorry

Is this sort of thing OK where you are ^^

Very well said, OP.

100% YANBU

#JWAFM

@goldfinchfan

I am currently ashamed of being British.

To those who do not want to wear a mask I say:
Wear a fucking mask......you might even be saving lives.
or don't you want to do that?

I do want to save lives. That's why I'd rather continue working from home and having my shopping delivered. I don't need a mask at the moment as I am never in a situation where one is required - not just under the law in England at the moment - generally.

The rules are being changed to force everyone back to commuting and into the 'covid - secure' workplace as soon as possible because commercial property values are dropping like stones and sandwich shops are going under.

Where is all of this whining and moaning coming from? To be honest it sounds like it's lifted straight from FB community boards and they're hardly representative of real life.
I walked down the High Street this morning and didn't witness any moaning, just some people wearing masks and some not because it's not yet compulsory, but they all seemed to be going about their shopping in a socially distanced fashion, queuing outside shops where required, using hand sanitiser and keeping their distance from others they passed on the street.
Maybe steer clear of social media your lives will be much happier for it.

Completely agree OP. Actually I noticed at the weekend that mask wearing had increased just with the possibility that it might become mandatory. MN is particularly fragile about this kind of thing, imho

@stickygotstuck plenty of people in my area not wearing masks for weeks and the days for my area have not risen....so go figure...

I'm not ashamed of being British.

If being British means not automatically doing everything you are told without question then sign me up twice. Fair comment. Public debate. Healthy skepticism combined with respect for sound, evidenced views. Sign me up.

We have to wear masks, furlough will end, we'll STILL be wearing masks, winter arrives, STILL wearing masks. That's why so many ppl are against it. The new cases and hospitalisation figures are lowest ever, shops have been open over a week, beaches, VE Day, protests, footballers playing: masks not mandatory. This is why some ppl don't want to wear one, it's because they don't see the need.

@cyclingmad

My neighbour said that to me last week. He tested positive on Friday.

My... One wonders how the current namby-pamby crop of humans would cope in the face of the appearance of a real pandemic, such as the Black Death, which killed off half of Europe. "Get a grip" goes both ways. Those scared out of their wits might do those who actually want to live a favour and retire to bunkers, wrapped in cotton wool, where they will be "safe" for the rest of their lives - until, that is, they die, just like the rest of us. We've got too cosy and become too unused to death and disease, which - despite our best efforts - are both unavoidable and necessary natural facts. So much talk of overpopulation in the media and among scientists these days and yet this is the reaction to a (apparently) fairly mild threat to a subsection of our inarguably overabundant species. Bring back memento moris! "Remember [that you have] to die."

And the next disease? And the one after that? They will surely come. This cannot be the answer.

And hi. I love this forum and have lurked, mainly in the feminist section, for years. But I just had to say something about this, as I remain utterly baffled by the general reaction to this.

Very well put OP.

I feel sceptical about masks as the evidence is unclear at best and it seems to be a measure that's too late (if it works) and, if it doesn't, it's just there to make people FEEL like something's being done. Lately there have been 500-odd cases daily. Out of 60 million people. Some areas have virtually none. The chances of being breathed on by someone with it are minuscule.

But that aside, my big problem is that I honestly feel that mask-wearing will never go away and we'll be stuck with it forever, and that's not a permanent lifestyle change I think is desirable. At what point will Boris feel able to say 'it's ok, you don't need protecting any more' without squeals of rage from the risk-averse masses? As long as people keep saying 'why take a risk, however small', 'I am saving lives by wearing a mask' and other febrile Covid one-up-manships, there will never be the right time to stop it. There'll always be other infectious diseases out there we should be 'keeping each other safe' from and these awful unnatural measures will be here to stay.

There should be a time limit put on it now (or a criterion of virus levels, say, by which we agree to repeal the law).

YANBU. We had a British MP calling masks a "monstrous imposition" today. I mean, really eyes roll forever.

Plus the usual "I am soooo contrarian and therefore of superior intelligence to the rest of you sheep" suspects talking about "muzzles" and "nappies".

Giving me an excellent way to finally weed out people on Facebook though.

Well said!

I am horrified by how many people where I live are arsey, whiney and me me me about wearing masks.

Unfortunately our poor quality mental health services have failed to help people in genuine need whilst creating a significant population of whiny, victim identified, special people who are self centered, massively entitled and complain all day long if their every need is not catered to.

It's a piece of cloth FFS.

Not wearing a mask on public transport because it makes you feel anxious or is "triggering" reminds me of a woman I used to see on the bus with her snarly, snappy extremely aggressive "therapy dog", a large bull terrier.

When the dog snapped at people and scared them she would smile proudly and announce that the dog was very caring and protective towards her because of her complex trauma diagnosis. I sw her get into various heated exchanged when the dog snapped at people, including children. "But I cannot travel without him because of mental health!" was her oft repeated refrain.

I imagine some dystopian, supernatural world in which the "therapy" dog was invisible and was at significant risk of mauling people. In this supernatural world any bite injuries only manifest several days after the attack and when they did so could leave people dead or disabled for the rest of their lives.

The invisible dog is like the virus. Is it realy acceptable for the woman to travel on the bus every day with her dog?

I wear a mask all day at work, my face is sore & irritated, My solution to not wearing a mask for shopping is online shopping with delivery. Sorted

So much talk of overpopulation in the media and among scientists these days and yet this is the reaction to a (apparently) fairly mild threat to a subsection of our inarguably overabundant species.

Yikes. I take it you don’t have of these disposable children / loved ones yourself. You’re on a one way street to eugenics there...

Agree totally with Op.

However look at all the MN posts about can I do this against the guidelines and the use your common sense responses, ie yes of course you can it’s doesnt matter if the rules are broken coz we are special

It’s been a long time coming and if it helps stop or slow down a second wave then great.

There was another post on one of these threads which is correct, it’s only the UK and the US whinging about masks, everyone else’s is just getting on with it

So can those on MN complaining about it stop and get with the programme

It's all a bit late in the day. Don't wear a mask today but do wear one from the 24th. Go into lockdown late, etc.