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.

Totally agree that it’s wrong to say you’ll not wear a mask but what I can get my head around is “I get no pleasure in wearing a mask so I’ll do the things that require a mask a bit less“ I’m hoping that’s what people mean

HowFastIsTooFast
I don't get your point? Seat belts were opposed and heavily debated. It was the view of the majority that the risks of not wearing them justified the law imposing them. In the end they became policy and people comply (or have exemption) or can be charged. That's how democracy works.

1984looms seems to be making the point that discussion, examination (both Parliament and the public) and assessment of evidence is good and healthy. The OP seems to think it equals moaning - some of it is - but blind compliance isn't a virtue either.

I'm pro masks in this situation on balance, but I like that things can be discussed.

. SO FUCKING WHAT - once it becomes mandatory they wont have a choice will they! so why does it matter and why do you care?? find something better to do with your time. those who are ashamed to be english can piss off too

Indeed. Non mask wearing is the new shaming for certain people to get their teeth into. Obviously if people have to wear masks to get in shops then that's what they will have to do. And no doubt those who are exempt will be harassed for it anyway. Some people do love a good social reason to rip others apart.

@strawberrypipactually I think you'll find the Spanish are more flat-dwellers than in the UK. There are far fewer houses in big cities than flats. According to this two thir of Spaniards live in flats www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200506-why-do-flats-dominate-spains-housing-market

Completely and utterly agree. The way this country (govt and a proportion of individuals) has acted during the pandemic is the latest in a long line of reasons to be embarrassed to be British. (I say British, because that's how I class myself, but this really is mostly an English problem imo). We are a nation of entitled, selfish, whining, deluded brats. I hate it.

@strawberrypip

1) mind ya business

2. dont tarnish an entire country with the same brush. a lot of us dont give a shit we have to wear a mask now and are actually questioning why it has taken so long to become mandatory over here

3. mind ya business

4. ...oh wait I've already mentioned mind ya business

this, exactly! You don't even live in England, so what's it got to do with you?

There are cheap masks available from the supermarkets and online. There are also lots of videos showing how to make masks from items you'd have at home.

Changednamesorry

The article in your first link; "Brits Are Selfish" (HuffPost) was written by an English journalist who lives in London - and who doesn't speak any other languages apart from English (LinkedIn).

From one of your other links;

"Neighbors have been outraged by such recklessness and the security forces have at times acted to disperse the youth, most of them in an alarming ethyl state. In the beer street, in the bay of Palma, hundreds of Germans have gathered on public roads, between hugs, songs and dances.Virtually no one wore the mask and many shared drinks."

Got to agree, I'm finding the whining about having to wear masks in shops really tiresome, and I've seen it a lot on MN, Facebook, Twitter, and I'm lodging with someone who won't wear one. And what I've found with the online whiners is that they usually say stuff like, "but the government told us not to wear them a few weeks ago", showing they clearly have no idea how science works. Seriously, it's a new virus, so scientists are having to adapt their recommendations as they discover more about it. This is why advice changes over time, in all aspects of health. It was also due to a lack of PPE, so avoiding a situation where the general public bought vast quantities and caused a shortage for front line workers.

There are also a fair few conspiracy theorists who see everything as a way for the government to control the population, and weaken the population through divide and conquer. Whether that is real or not is not important right now; the virus is real, is highly contagious, and can leave lasting lung damage and post viral fatigue syndrome. So FFS, put the conspiracy theories aside on this one.

Then there are those who moan that masks don't protect you from the virus because they aren't the super-duper PPE that HPCs wear, missing the point that it's not so they don't catch it, it's so they don't pass it on to other people! It wouldn't matter if the consequence of them not wearing a mask only affected them, but it's not, it potentially affects others. These people either don't get it or are just bloody selfish.

Yes, there are those who really struggle to wear masks. It's unfortunate, and life isn't fair. But the rules are there to protect people, and mask wearing in shops is being respectful of the staff who have no option but to be there and breathe in your potentially virus-ridden droplets. I have no problem with people who don't want to wear a mask in shops provided they stay out of the shops. Get someone to go in for you or shop online, it's not going to be forever so work around it.

Well done. Here is your medal for being of superior intelligence to all of us English fuckwits. It's a national phenomena that no one has the IQ over 60 in the UK. I already tried to eat a lamppost today, but hey, us Brits.... what a bunch of wankers eh?

🎓🏅🏆

Yes, @SockYarn because we all knew the shit storm that was coming to us. We all watched the news in March. Spain, Italy.. it was heart breaking. We knew it was heading in that direction for us but still people turned a blind eye and carried on as normal. Why we have to wait an extra 10 days for it to become compulsory, I'll never understand.

@nobeer

Yes we didn't feel angry either. We understood.

@SockYarn

Yes, some people understand personal responsibility before thw government forces them to install a moral compass

@nobeer I really dont care how many people live in a flat in Madrid. considering how much stricter their lockdown was they really havent done much better than we did - they are not superior, every country has its twats

@Rosebel

There's only one thing that's annoying about the masks and that is it wasn't made compulsory earlier. I do wonder how people with hearing loss are going to manage though.

I think these are a good idea

If you think England is bad then you should look at the USA.

In Scotland, there is a small but vocal minority who are refusing to wear masks, mainly because they see it as a violation of civil liberties or have seen YouTube videos saying it reduces your oxygen levels.

My friend's daughter is refusing to go to her baby scan on principle because she will not wear a mask which is ridiculous.

I've seen loads of ridiculous mask wearing here, including shop staff who are wearing them with their nose uncovered and one shop assistant who had it round her neck!

I ordered a 10 pack of disposable masks from Amazon for £1.70. My DD made cloth masks but they are on sale in loads of places for around a fiver.

This article is interesting and shows how masks vary some offer a mere 5% protection rate...others up to 95% - so if we are all to wear masks when out and about the important thing is correct wearing of it and correct fabric otherwise why bother....

"Although the filtration efficiencies for various fabrics when a single layer was used ranged from 5 to 80% and 5 to 95% for particle sizes of 300 nm, respectively, the efficiencies improved when multiple layers were used and when using a specific combination of different fabrics"

from: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32329337/

Well done. Here is your medal for being of superior intelligence to all of us English fuckwits. It's a national phenomena that no one has the IQ over 60 in the UK. I already tried to eat a lamppost today, but hey, us Brits.... what a bunch of wankers eh?

😂

[quote Thewiseoneincognito]@creamorwhite you’ll breathe easier in a mask than on a ventilator.

Also it’s not about freedoms it’s about protecting others and yourself from being infected by a potentially horrific virus with unknown future implications.[/quote]
I cannot improve on this from @Thewiseoneincognito

but it bears repeating

In Catalunya where I live masks are obligatory

BBC 9th July;

"Catalonia makes masks mandatory in public."
"It comes amid an outbreak of the virus in Segrià, an agricultural area."

"What's happening in Segrià?"

"Pere Godoy, the chief epidemiologist for Lleida, a city in the region, has cited the arrival of 30,000 seasonal fruit pickers for the rise in cases."

"Outbreaks are currently being monitored at 11 fruit companies in the area, which as yet have not been closed."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53346750

I would like a badge or a medal. We've been shielding. We've worn masks. We've isolated. We've WFM and home-schooled. The only time we've been out has been to take my elderly DM to hospital.

I know two people who have died of Covid. A further two young healthy people who have been hospitalised.And I am tired of the people whining that their lives are being inconvenienced. I never knew there were so many selfish, immature idiots in the UK. How the hell has our education system produced so many people incapable of reading research, of understanding statistics, of appreciating collective responsibility?

YANBU. I've wore mask at work since April/May its annoying and uncomfortable but its not that difficult. I like how everyone clapped for the NHS but when people are asked to do something simple they bang on about their rights. If you can't breath in a mask then you need a doctor.

lockdownsceptics.org/scientific-information-on-masks-against-covid-19/

For those saying Mind your business, well it IS our business when your refusal to wear a mask puts our health at risk.

SockYarn At work we have been told to wear mask since April if we don't its breach on contract.

Strawberrypip

Yes, that's also true. We're in agreement.