Mask avoiders are basically anti-vaxers?

[Chanjer]

Aside from in the case of medical exemption obviously.

AIBU to think a lot of people that mount a personal argument against masks are of a similar mindset though?

Nope. I m completely for vaccinations. I missed one mmr vaccine in year 9 and ended up contracting mumps at 17. I honestly thought I was going to die I was that sick. However I am not convinced covering your face will stop an airborne virus because the particles are tiny. Plus it kind of feels like locking the stable door after the horse has already bolted. Should have been compulsory from the start if they wanted to do it not once the levels have drastically reduced.

Probably not, what's your rationale? It's a bit of an assumption isn't it?

Cant be arsed!!!

Nope. Nobody could be more pro vax than me. When there’s a Covid vaccine,I’ll be first in the queue. I’ll reluctantly wear a mask but will limit visits to places where I have wear one. A supermarket as infrequently as I can manage and that’s it.

@ContentiousOne

Maskers never distance? Urban myth.

Pretty prevalent where I live. They think it makes them invincible.

@Goosefoot emmm so what you’re saying is you’re predominately seeing younger people wearing it and it’s something people do to protect others yet you also argue older and younger people are equally likely to do something to protect others.... Yet you haven’t seen older people doing it just younger... ok then.

[quote Thereisalight7]@Goosefoot emmm so what you’re saying is you’re predominately seeing younger people wearing it and it’s something people do to protect others yet you also argue older and younger people are equally likely to do something to protect others.... Yet you haven’t seen older people doing it just younger... ok then.[/quote]
Yes.

I think the reason for the difference is nothing to do with how likely someone is to do something to protect others.

Do you really think that is the only reason someone may or may not wear a mask? If so I guess that explains why some people are so judgemental about it.

@Goosefoot it depends how you define ‘reason’ I don’t think ‘But I don’t like it’ is a reason. I think PTSD due to domestic violence is a valid reason.

Given as you said yourself younger people are less likely to be vulnerable or only a small share are the most likely conclusion as to why they wear a mask is because it protects others.... I mean why do you think they’re wearing them? For the fun of it? Because they’re so comfortable?

Wearing a mask makes me far more cautious around others. It's a physical reminder that the current situation is not normal.
My children (teenagers) feel exactly the same. Last thing they would want is to pass any virus onto their grandparents and will continue to observe whatever we're advised to do.
I don't have sufficient access to the scientific research to be able to make any other decision.

I have been a bit anti mask, for the same reason I am very pro vaccination. Even paid for my children to have additional vaccinations that aren't available on the NHS. I follow the science. For a long while the evidence for masks doing anything to prevent the spread of covid-19 was weak and inconsistent. It seems like the tide has turned on this now and I'll wear one when I'm going to be in close proximity to large numbers of people. But probably not any more than I have to.

[quote Thereisalight7]**@IAintentDead* I found this one was pretty @conclusive*. www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0843-2?ContensisTextOnly=true

In figure one the box whisker plots pattern is clear and the p-values are statistically significant at the 1% level for droplets and 5% level for aerosols for coronavirus.

@KeepingPlain You may as well not be bothering err so you missed the part in bold where they said BOTH masks SIGNIFICANTLY reduced the number of microorganisms expelled??????

Given shortage of PPE it seems pretty clear that everyone Should be wearing a mask even if homemade....[/quote]
Conclusive???

"Our results indicate that surgical face masks could prevent transmission of human coronaviruses and influenza viruses from symptomatic individuals."

Surgical face masks could prevent transmission from symptomatic individuals

That seems pretty conclusive that most mask wearing is a waste of time to me and 'face coverings' even more so.

I've never heard of this new 'anti-masker' type. Does it include someone who, like some posters have explains, use their judgement as to when putting on a mask is necessary? E.g. enclosed space/ where social distancing not poss? Sounds like a stupid label to me.

Good grief! Why must be put ppl into neat little boxes all the bloody time!

waits for results of "urgent inquiry" into PHE "over inflated" data

I'm tired.... that text in bold was supposed to be inside asterisks - forgot it boldens text - ah well

Taken from the WHO: "I cannot say this clearly enough," said the Director-General. "Masks alone will not protect you from COVID-19."

The Government in the UK has yet to clarify how often masks should be changed. And if re-usable how often and at what temperature they should be washed at and for how long. Social distancing and regular hand sanitising I can understand; they are also less intrusive forms of disease prevention that can be the most readily undertaken by the vast majority of the population.

Although I doubt (that in reality) the Police will enforce fines for non compliance of mask wearing, they should never have been given that power in the first place.

It's sickening to think how many individuals that have been victim to assault and never previously sought medical help may be left in severe distress as a result of this measure. Similarly, if a medical condition prevents the use of a mask, why should doctors have to spend time providing exemption certificates when they could be treating the urgently ill?

I'm definitely not an anti-vaxxer but it will take more than the government suggesting everyone fashion a mask from an old t-shirt, then cross fingers and hope for the best for me to go judging the motives behind the 'non-mask wearers'.

I think people who label people as “mask avoiders” are the same people who were phoning the police because wee Mary from next door went to the Co op twice in one day back in March.

Bog off.

Took my poor mum to a garden centre today, she can’t wear a mask because of an actually quite visible facial deformity which is the result of a horrible head and neck cancer. She can’t talk properly and breathing is difficult when you’ve had most of the muscles that move your tongue removed... but the looks she was getting for not wearing a mask? Un-fucking-believable!

She’s not an anti vaxxer *eyeroll^ and you just mind your own mask OP and let everyone else get on with what life there is left.

My mum is a mask wearing (albeit moaning about it) anti vaxer. She even started wearing masks before they became mandatory here. She's not planning on having any coronavirus vaccination though.

Of the anti vaxers of my acquaintance I'm seeing lots of home made masks in pretty fabrics.

The vast majority of people in the area of London I live in are not wearing masks in supermarkets or anywhere else. I didn't see a single person wearing one in a packed park earlier today or outside the busy bars lining the local streets. I'm not sure people here are taking the virus seriously despite the fact this area has one of the highest transmission rates nationwide. Vaccination levels are below the national average as well.

Best use for them that I've seen

I find this the other way round imo! All the people I know that are very pro mask are anti vax, as in its a natural way of stopping spread etc! Most people in the town I live in are actually anti mask! But then we have only ever had 1 case at the beginning of lockdown with 0 deaths even though we have one of the largest eldery population and are very tourist based and have been packed since the relaxation of guidelines?! Weird? X

@Eastie77

The vast majority of people in the area of London I live in are not wearing masks in supermarkets or anywhere else. I didn't see a single person wearing one in a packed park earlier today or outside the busy bars lining the local streets. I'm not sure people here are taking the virus seriously despite the fact this area has one of the highest transmission rates nationwide. Vaccination levels are below the national average as well.

Right. Firstly masks are not yet mandatory. When they are in will be in shops and we will not need to wear them to the park.

I am not sure how you can decide that no mask in the park means they are not taking it seriously.

This is just dripping in judgement, well you only have six days and you can start properly judging them.

My problem with masks is so many people wear them incorrectly, they also seem to think they make the wearer invincible. Social distancing has gone completely out of the l window, I am sick of people invading my personal space.
Masks have totally replaced the guidance of keeping the fuck away and washing your fucking hands!!

Also if you are touching your mask and then touching things that’s worse (to me) than just washing hands. Especially the people pulling them on and off their noses.

@TheMurk People can be cunts Im sorry your mum has been through all that

My mum is 84 and would struggle to wear a mask. She has trouble lifting her hands up to brush her hair.

My problem with masks is so many people wear them incorrectly, they also seem to think they make the wearer invincible. Social distancing has gone completely out of the l window, I am sick of people invading my personal space.
Masks have totally replaced the guidance of keeping the fuck away and washing your fucking hands!!

Also if you are touching your mask and then touching things that’s worse (to me) than just washing hands. Especially the people pulling them on and off their noses.

Exactly. Wearing a mask is going to do no good at all if you're still not going to wash your hands, move the mask constantly, not avoid people etc.

Let's say that all masks have an average chance of protecting 80% of people you come in contact with. So that's 20% of people not protected and that you infect. If there's 100 people in the shop, you've infected 20 people automatically. That number goes up more if you also haven't washed your hands and touch lots of stuff that you don't need, which people just love doing. Then you touch the scanners for paying for your shopping, infecting everyone who uses the scanner after that, because they aren't cleaning them anymore, or at least they aren't here. Then you also don't obey social distancing, and of course you've been shopping for food for the bbq/party you're planning for the weekend, with no mask wearing or likely hygiene rules followed then either. So chances are in one trip, you can infect many, many more than 20 people, from one person.

This is how colds and flu spread so quickly, with no masks on. The masks are not going to stop it. People need to keep following basic hygiene, and they are never going to do that.

@IAintentDead do you have experience of reading research papers? I work for the government in a policy area. ALL research is discussed like that and has caveats. Research that policy is based on is the same.

Tell me if you read a policy piece I did (and have done) which took the maths and English scores of obese overweight and normal weight children which showed in regressions with similar p values to that paper that overweight and obese children ‘appear’ to perform poorer in their maths and English scores. These types of research and a multitude of others are looked at together by policy makers and are why there are now programs to Try reduce obesity and campaigns to educate people about obesity. Would you honestly look at that and say ‘oh well it’s only appears like that I’ll keep feeding my child McDonald’s’

The issue with masks is people like you are trying to become experts in an area you know nothing about (or if you do I would worry about your career).

Obviously no one can say with 100% certainty that masks will in all situations and all circumstances prevent corona virus however there is statistically significant evident that they appear to do so.

That is good enough for me and for government policy makers to implement a mask mandatory policy.

If you couple that research on surgical masks with the research on any mask being better than no mask you will see there is a strong mandate for wearing masks.