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.

And your Brits abroad description makes me cringe with embarrassment. I've seen it myself many times (obviously not covid related). Just awful.

The boards last night were alive with moaning

TBF, the mumsnet populace in general loves nothing more than to moan about anything. As someone who no longer lives in England but still frequents this forum, I often have to remind myself that most Brits aren't like mumsnetters. Otherwise I'd find myself hating the place.

just leave out your masks. But why? Exceptionalism personified,

Disgraceful imo.

@saltycat

just leave out your masks. But why? Exceptionalism personified,

Disgraceful imo.

Agree so much, bot not allowed to now.

OH I answered my own post lol

But there we are.

least you agreed with yourself, it could have been worse

When I hear or read about people complaining about either lockdown or masks, I think about the world wars, WW2 in particular. People, mostly in London and other English cities, went through horrific experiences. I live in Scotland, and those cities weren’t so impacted. England, and London bore the brunt of it. But anyway, I also think about the people who bang on about the British stiff upper lip spirit and best of British and all the rest. I’m not sure complaining about masks and lockdown fits with that view we have of Britain. This generation wouldn’t have coped with the Blitz if we can’t cope with a mask or two. I’ve read several diaries, etc., of personal experiences during the war, and I don’t recall reading complaints about blackout regulations. Some about rationing, but only towards the end. Anyway, I was pondering on it today. I’m not comparing war to a virus, but I suppose in a sense this virus is a new war. While I’m not comparing them, I do think if we can’t cope with a paper mask we certainly wouldn’t have coped with gas masks.

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

This sort of attitude really angers me.

I have two disabled children who cannot wear masks. Believe me, we have been at home. One of them hasn’t been further than our garden since March - the other much the same except he’s also been to two hospital appointments. They can’t go back to nursery. It is fucking brutal and we cannot do this much longer. I cannot even explain how tough the days are right now.

They are too young to be required to wear a mask fortunately, but I know plenty of people with older children who have similar needs. We cannot all stay at home indefinitely.

The problem is not the people who cannot wear masks. The problem is the people who will exploit the fact that there’s no official exemption scheme because they just don’t want to wear one.

I can wear a mask. It massively distresses my children so we stay at home. When we’ve had to go out to the hospital we’ve worn them and it’s been horrendous but we’ve done it anyway. People who can wear them need to wear them. People who can’t should not be expected to stay at home forever, especially as many of them will be very vulnerable. And the government guidelines state that those with certain illnesses or disabilities don’t need to. Unfortunately the selfishness of a few will yet again lead to disabled people being interrogated and abused in the street by people who think they have the right to do so.

For all those moaning they are embarrassed to be British or live here please pack your bags and naff off then, you won't be missed. Go on, off you go, nothing stopping you.

Scotland has been following the wearing of masks and every time ive been out since 10th july 99% of people are wearing them

I’m so tired of this myth that no one complained during the war

@RedtreesRedtrees

I’m so tired of this myth that no one complained during the war

I agree. It's bullshit, and bad behaviour was rife.

I wore a mask today.

I did not ;

• Die
• Drop my oxygen saturation
• Feel outrage at the denial of a civil liberty
• Spread #Covid_19

Just do it. Even if you don't like it. It's not that hard ffs!

I wear a mask pretty much all of the time when you combine my job with shopping, but jeez, I get fed up of people coming on to remind us how we should all do as they tell us.

Oaktree that’s fine if you’re happy wearing one great.

I get fed up of people coming on to remind us how we should all do as they tell us.

Exactly this.

“I get fed up of people coming on to remind us how we should all do as they tell us.”

I think some people are actually enjoying aspects of this crisis.

I agree with the OP, but I haven't heard of anyone complaining about this at all. I am in England, so probably in a better place to comment than those who are not.

RedtreesRedtrees

I'm struggling to understand your stance on this.

We wear seltbelts in vehicles to protect us and others in accidents. We make sure our children are strapped into car seats. They are uncomfortable but we do it.
We wear helmets on motor bikes, bicycles, and other sports, skiing, climbing etc and make our children wear them on scooters. They are uncomfortable, but we wear them.
We wear hard hats on building sites and steel toe capped boots in workshops. They are uncomfortable but we wear them.
We wear Tyvek suits in industry, for example, paint spraying.
We wear a huge range of masks for all sorts of processes to protect ourselves from dust, volatile vapours, fumes and all manner of particulats and aerosols. They are uncomfortable but we wear them.
And then there are all the bio hazards.....

What is this issue with wearing one thin layer of cotton or similar for the short time you are shopping to help stop the spread of this novel virus?

The problem is that we have had so many mixed messages from BJ and I am very cynical about the reasoning behind wearing a mask shopping. I am thinking it’s to get people into the shops to spend money and not for health reasons. I did ask someone working in Sainsbury’s if any of her colleagues had had covid and she said absolutely no one in the store had been ill. It’s a huge superstore so lots of workers involved!

Gnomeisland I don’t do any of those activities. I really dislike wearing a mask so I, like many people, will simply skip the shops until the policy changes.

Couldn't agree more OP. UK (the government having handled this crisis badly and so many people people not getting a grip still) is a complete laughingstock globally now.

In England, here. No, you are NBU at all. Such a simple thing for people with no health complications to do for their fellow human beings.

It’s part of the culture to be a bit stubborn and question authority, but they always do the right thing and once decided will comply better than the more relaxed cultures 😂😂😂😂

Shop workers are not being mandated to wear masks 🙄 I mean seriously come on, everyone going into a shop has to but not the workers....yeah that makes sense not. So you see why people might be moaning.