To think unless you are actually medically exempt you can't get out of wearing a mask?

[Simsie]

People on social media are telling others to download a basic picture of text saying "I am exempt from wearing a mask" to present at supermarkets if they don't want to wear a mask.

Not medically exempt, no hidden disabilities, just for those don't want to wear one.

Surely that crap isn't going to work?

the plastic screens around the tills are useless!!

already breaking and actually, not anywhere near tall enough

if a cashier sneezes the droplets won't all stay behind the screen anyway, pointless!

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras

Iirc you said you've only been to hospital appointments, and I think you're making false comparisons about the benefits based on your experiences in that setting. If the departments you visit have mainly vulnerable patients, chances are they are all taking every precaution when it comes to hygiene, social distancing, either shielding or taking minimal risks elsewhere etc. The hospitals are giving out masks and enforcing sanitizer on the door, entrance to wards involves symptom checks etc. And in that scenario, patients sat in the waiting room without masks do pose an additional risk, however valid their reason because almost every other risk is minimised or eliminated.

Supermarkets are a completely different environment. There are so many potential risks, from the soap dodgers, those that ignore social distancing, those that have been travelling, partying, people using pointless pieces of cloth beneath their nose etc. The occasional person not in a mask really makes no odds.

@Dinosauratemydaffodils

That is s scary place to be right now but no, clearly the only people deserving of any understanding are those who can't wear masks.

No one is saying that but surely the level of vitriol levelled at people who have exemptions regarding masks would be better levelled at the no quarantine, lying about addresses, no "muzzles cos civil rights"/incorrectly wearing masks (friend I met in the park today has been wearing hers on and off for the past 3 weeks without washing it which I feel rather defeats the point) and the non social distancers if it has to be targeted at anyone at all.

Because it's all being left for individuals to self declare/self police. How do you show vitriol towards the no muzzle brigade? I'm happy to tell them how selfish they are - how do I know who they are? If you can tell me how to identify them I'm very happy to confront them.

As for the no quarantine, refusing to give details in pubs - they are just beneath contempt. If you don't want to accept responsibility/consequence then don't go. Again though, how do I know who they are?

Why are you policing other people’s mask wearing or no quarantining? Why would you even think that’s your job?

I genuinely don’t understand that. There are police who’s job it is to do that - if I had a suspicion or evidence I’d report to them and let them deal with it.

Mydogisthebestest

Omg, I'm not.

Dinosaur suggested the vitriol should be addressed towards the "I'm not wearing a muzzle" brigade. I was responding to their point.

If you've got an issue with it maybe take it up with them or are just looking for ways to attack me?

No need to reply, I'm not responding anymore.

But you said you would confront people if you could identify them.

That’s not sensible. It’s a quick way to get abuse either verbal or physical If someone is that much of an arse, they’re hardly going to be apologetic and reasonable if you pull them up on it.

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras

LangClegsInSpace

Oh I'm sorry. Seem to have been seeing you popping up with great frequency on pretty much every thread and Helena too, posting the self same post across multiple threads - but I guess that's ok?

Assuming this is in response to my 'hooves show' comment -

To the best of my knowledge I have been on two covid related threads with you.

The previous thread was a poster asking for some basic consideration as someone who is unable to wear a mask because she has trigeminal neuralgia which causes her intense physical pain if she puts something on her face.

That thread wasn't about you and it wasn't about shielding in general. It was about how to cope with the new law if you are unable to wear a face covering. Nevertheless, for pages and pages and pages it ended up being all about you. Not even shielding people as a group - just you.

Lots of posters gave helpful suggestions, even though the thread was not about you. For every single suggestion you had a reason why it would not work. So eventually I pointed out that you were engaging in a protracted game of 'Why Don't You ...?' 'Yes but ...'

• and I reached that conclusion on my own, based on your posts.

Everyone can judge for themselves what has happened on this thread.

If this is happening on 'pretty much every thread' then you should ask yourself why.

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras

It doesn't work like that. None of us are safe until we're all safe,

Then read around threads on here - posters saying they refuse to quarantine on return from Spanish islands and just won't tell work where they went, poster on another thread happily admitting to giving false details when she's been to pubs (apparently everyone does it) despite 16 people now infected from an outbreak at one pub, multiple posters stating they refuse to wear a muzzle mask - we are forced to rely on other people following the rules and it seems like too many just aren't. That is s scary place to be right now but no, clearly the only people deserving of any understanding are those who can't wear masks.

Yes, what will you do about people who won't comply with quarantine or test and trace measures?

You can't tell who they are.

That’s what I’m trying to get at @LangClegsInSpace.

We don’t know what anyone else is doing so all we can control is what we ourselves do and mitigate our risk ourselves.

I’m doing my best, I honestly am, if I do what hooves wants then I’ll never go out, never see my partner or my children again.

Surely we all just have to do our best to assess the totality of the risk and do as much as we personally can?

This is what the problem is, like lockdown it’s self regulation and leaving it to us all to do the right thing and follow guidance

This pandemic has shown me a side of this country I dont like, that a large number of people are only thinking about themselves, not others, don’t think the rules apply to them, and use anything they can to get out of doing what’s needed

Many European countries have it right, youwear a mask, and that’s it, no mask, no going in the shops. Lockdown was precisely that and you had to carry a letter saying why you had left your home,

I get some people can’t wear a mask, so it should be that either you go to the doctors and get a proper exemption, they will have medical records to back your claim, or wear a mask. Unfortunately that’s not what’s happening and many selfish people won’t wear one, so cases will continue to go up.

I would have no problem having an official letter

What I wouldn’t do is show it to some random on the bus or some nosy Parker customer in a shop.

No issue showing it to a bus driver or shop worker if they are authorised in law to check. If not. Then no. I’m not going to discuss my medical info with you.

90% of people complied with lockdown and followed government guidance.

You have some gall posting this:

but no, clearly the only people deserving of any understanding are those who can't wear masks.

• after my responses to you here and on the other thread.

The only reason I am still responding to you at all is because I know a lot of other people are also very anxious.

I write my posts for the lurkers.

@Chloemol the gov guidelines say the exemption letters are not needed.......................................are you planning to ask people you see not wearing masks to produce one to show you.

@Chloemol

This is what the problem is, like lockdown it’s self regulation and leaving it to us all to do the right thing and follow guidance

This pandemic has shown me a side of this country I dont like, that a large number of people are only thinking about themselves, not others, don’t think the rules apply to them, and use anything they can to get out of doing what’s needed

Many European countries have it right, youwear a mask, and that’s it, no mask, no going in the shops. Lockdown was precisely that and you had to carry a letter saying why you had left your home,

I get some people can’t wear a mask, so it should be that either you go to the doctors and get a proper exemption, they will have medical records to back your claim, or wear a mask. Unfortunately that’s not what’s happening and many selfish people won’t wear one, so cases will continue to go up.

Or everyone could just do their best to comply with the regulations and guidance and then mind their own fucking business.

Just a suggestion.

@LangClegsInSpace

Show me a country with laws that say 'no mask - no entry - no exceptions' and I will show you a country that has no disability protection and a disregard for human rights.

This is not something we should emulate.

There's news now of a trawler, been at sea 35 days, all crew tested negative prior to embarkation and 57 out of 61 crew now have Covid.

Yes, worse things happen at sea.

no disability protection and a disregard for human rights
Like us? The UN condemned us for our terrible treatment of the disabled. That was before the pandemic, when the disregard became ever more apparent. Lovely for the disabled to watch or listen to the news as the presenters take great care to emphasise how the coronavirus deaths are mainly the disabled. We aren't just told the numbers. No. We're assured it's people with 'underlying conditions'.

22,000 disabled people have died during the pandemic so far. Some from neglect but many because they're more vulnerable to coronavirus. They more than most benefit from public compliance with mask wearing. It's a small minority who genuinely unable to wear masks excepted. Such small numbers wouldn't make a difference.

Unfortunately for vulnerable disabled people, we also have paranoid conspiracy theorists like Jeremy Corbyn's brother and far right anti vaxxers urging people to fake medical reasons. Showing complete contempt to all disabled people - the small minority who can't wear masks included.

"Its the fault of those who wont wear masks making it harder for those who cant so they have to prove their disabilty" is the new "Its the fault of the scroungers which is why you need to prove your disability" to get PIP re imagined for 2020

When its ignorant disabilists causing the problem in both scenarios.

I completely agree. Disabled people have been shat on repeatedly during the course of this pandemic and this is nothing new. We have a shocking record.

But at least on paper, we have disability rights in this country, which is why the government has outlined exceptions to the new law.

I'm always curious when someone pops up and says 'In my country / other countries, everyone wears a mask, no exceptions.'

How bad must disability rights be in those countries if they don't even exist on paper?

How bad must disability rights be in those countries if they don't even exist on paper?

Exactly my thoughts.

And before someone jumps on me, I have been wearing masks in shops since before it was made mandatory. I can therefore I will. At first it was like bags for life- I kept realising I'd forgotten to bring one! But I got there and I'm now in the habit of getting a clean one every time.

Incidentally, I bought two masks for an exorbitant price but they're very uncomfortable and fall off. The ones I've made myself to fit my face are fine. I have eschewed the ear loop method and gone for making masks that fasten around the back of the head, like a fancy dress mask. Or a lift-on and -off elasticated hat.

I get some people can’t wear a mask, so it should be that either you go to the doctors and get a proper exemption, they will have medical records to back your claim, or wear a mask.

Doctors have better things to do atm, than write letters of exemption - like treating the backlog of patients from Covid 19. A BBC news article in June suggests:

1. There are 23,000 potential cancers not diagnosed
2. 28,000 heart procedures delayed
3. Waiting lists of 10 million by Christmas

The NHS is always constrained by rationing, so how many letters of exemption would there need to be - a million or more? Say £75 per letter; that’s £75 million of NHS resources taken away from treating patients, presenting with potentially fatal conditions to satisfy stupid busybodies, that some people can’t wear masks - when they say they can’t!

How does any GP know if a patient is telling the truth about whether they can wear a mask or not; particularly those with hidden disabilities, mental health conditions, etc. There is no “proof”! They can only go on what patients tell them, and people who can’t be bothered with wearing masks will just waste NHS resources, by playing the system or getting hold of forged letters.

Many victims of assault, particularly csa, may never have even spoken to a doctor about their experiences. Not speaking to their doctor doesn't mean they aren't traumatized. But it does mean there's no 'proof' in medical notes.

There isn't always proof available, but that's between the individual and whichever authority decides to try and enforce this. It has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else.

Please, just try and find some compassion and tolerance, and remind yourself that you don't know everything and nor are you entitled to.

I’m finding it unsafe for many of us at work

We work manual retail.... large items, heavy like boxes of tiles,flooring, 10L paint,ladders,sheet timber coupled with machinery/equipment.

If masks are not fitting properly,falling off,steaming up glasses and riding up affecting visibility then they are more of a hindrance than help,these jobs are physical so breathing is also affected

So it’s going to have to be ‘masks off’ for some tasks. If they are worn to start with that is.