To think masks are just being treated as completely optional?!

[JuniperFather]

I went shopping today in Sainsburys and Asda, needed to get some items for DD that would have taken too long to arrive if online. For reference I live in the South East (M25/A3).

I wore a mask, as I have done since the rules have changed. Yes it was uncomfortable in the heat, but it was done to respect and protect others. If I have the privilege of being able to use a public space and shop, then it's hardly a privation to protect others as per the Government guidance.

Yet today, on my two visits, I reckon I saw maybe 30 or 40 people wandering around without masks. Probably more than that.

Quite a few were young men, late teens early 20s, completely oblivious. One was a lady who glared at anyone who even dared look at her. A few were local workmen. Another lady in her 50s, a few who were a bit younger.

I would go as far to say that maybe half of the shop were wearing masks, and half weren't.

My AIBU question is, do you think people are now just now viewing masks as completely optional when in such spaces, rather than an enforceable requirement as per the Government's steer?

YABU: No they're not being viewed as optional. All these people probably have hidden disabilities.

YANBU: You're right. People are just doing what they want.

I start this thread in the fear however that I will get a slew of responses from people saying

• I suffered trauma which means I can't cover my face
• I have breathing difficulties

etc..

This post is not for you - the Government make it clear in the 7 August face coverings briefing that you are exempt.

However my question is, was everyone I came across REALLY in this category? Is Britain a country with thousands of people with breathing difficulties and unresolved traumas, when continental Europe, Asia etc have much higher rates of mask compliance?

Or as per my question, my real suspicion is that the dozens of people I saw, just can't be arsed with a mask and won't ever be told what to do. They know those two shops won't challenge them, and the likelihood of the police being called or getting fined is low. So they just do what they want.

AIBU to think it's all just being treated as completely optional, and those of us bearing discomfort and wearing masks to protect others are just sheep?

@minnieok you sould be surprised how many women have been raped. Worked for an organisation that provided respite to vunerable women and nearly every woman who saw us had been raped or sexually assaulted and I live in a small city. Truly heartbreaking

would

@WrinklesShminkles

Where the hell is this place where no-one seems to wear a mask? I'd like to move there please. Everywhere I go, 99% plus of people are wearing them. I'm getting really tired of randoms talking about supposed non-compliance. Build a time machine, get your knitting and go back 230 years and sit by a guillotine.

Because of course the only debate to be had is about state control, and nothing about controlling the virus when we have a shambles of a track and trace system.

By the way we're all "randoms" on here. If you'd like certainty from a persona then try WhatsApp, it's connected to your friends in your phone, you know..

YANBU, I work in healthcare and people are largely compliant because they are made to be, if it’s not an emergency appointment then you either wear a mask or you’re not coming in regardless of whether you’re exempt. We still have people take the piss though and wear the masks under their nose or chin, take them off once they get past security, demand they’re seen faster because they don’t like wearing the mask etc. When asked why it’s always “I can’t breath” “it’s too hot” “I don’t like wearing them” so I would imagine that many people aren’t wearing them when they go out to the shops for the same reasons.

I get that they’re uncomfortable, but we have vulnerable people in the department and the mask is to protect them not just the wearer, also, I wear one 10 hours a day with a face visor so I know you definitely can still breath with them on. I think for many people (obviously some people have genuine reasons) they just don’t want to wear one, rather than them not being able to, and they’re looking for any excuse they can find.

We had an incident yesterday where a man came in for a routine non urgent appointment, lied to security about not having Covid symptoms, took his mask of repeatedly and then told us he’s had a cough for the past three weeks and a fever, but didn’t want to go to A&E. This meant we had to decontaminate and shut down the entire area and cancel the rest of the appointments at short notice, he had not only put staff at risk, but other patients in the waiting area. Some people really are just selfish.

Everyone wears a mask round here in shops. I don’t like wearing a mask so only do it in places where it’s required.

"YANBU, I work in healthcare and people are largely compliant because they are made to be, if it’s not an emergency appointment then you either wear a mask or you’re not coming in regardless of whether you’re exempt."

So you are denying medical treatment to profoundly disabled people.

I hope you are defining your definition of emergency according to the needs of individuals and allowing for reasonable adjustment.

Oh FFS 😂

Not in my local shops. Just been to the local Tesco and everyone bar one young woman was masked and respectful.

If they need an urgent appoint we will see them without a mask if they are exempt, it’s if it’s just routine they are offered to reschedule or make it a telephone appointment, if they don’t want to reschedule they need to wear the mask and come in. Without being too revealing their care is not being compromised by postponing these routine appointments and can give telephone appointments instead (some patients refuse these as they want to be seen in person), however, we cannot have people coming into the department when they don’t need to be here clinically without wearing masks as we have incredibly vulnerable patients who are exempt and have to be here.

Our priority at the moment is not bringing anyone into the department unless it is absolutely necessary, if they are disabled they are high risk and shouldn’t be coming into a busy hospital unless it’s medically necessary, a routine non urgent appointment that can be safely postponed or turned into a telephone appointment is not necessary in a pandemic. We have some slots free for routine appointments where people have refused telephone appointments or to be postponed for whatever reason, however, the requirement is you wear a mask if you don’t agree to wear a mask we can’t allow you into the department just because you want to come in, we can only allow you in without a mask if it’s medically necessary meaning it’s an emergency (patient is at risk) and can’t be postponed or done via the telephone.

My point was that urgent or emergency varies according to the individual eg urgent for ds who is profoundly autistic and non verbal is very often not urgent for us even if it is the same medical condition.

Oh ffs it’s not like this around here- I’d say well over 90% of people are wearing them. The woman who glared at your is probably fucked off beyond all belief at self righteous cunts glaring at her, she’s probably got more than enough to deal with.

I suggest you take the energy of your outrage And direct it somewhere useful.

Loads not wearing them where I live and shop and these are affluent towns.
Sat in a shop waiting for DD yesterday facing a high street and saw lots of people putting them on to go in one shop, coming out and taking them off with unwashed hands and then putting them back on again for another shop- unless they’re all covert hand sanitiser appliers of course. So I think most people who are wearing them are just doing so because of the social expectations although I’ve certainly not heard anyone be asked why they aren’t wearing one or been refused entry to a shop.

Where I live (northern city), I'd say about 80% of people are wearing a mask indoors.

By contrast, I'm currently in France and I have not seen a single adult without a mask indoors. Not one. Does that mean we have more people with valid exemptions in the UK, or are people just taking the piss? I know what I think!

Went into tesco the other day. Overheard this conversation between the two people in front:
A. Oh shit masks!
B. I’m not wearing one.
A. But there’s someone by the door.
B. Just say we’re exempt. There’s nothing they can do.

A and B then both walked in unchallenged no masks.

YANBU OP.

Of course we take the whole clinical picture into account, we would be negligent if we didn’t. We triage our appointments and decide whether they can safely postponed or turned into telephone appointments or whether it’s urgent and they need to seen in person, we then contact the patient to discuss it with them, if they provide us with information that we believe makes the appointment an emergency (they are at risk if we don’t see them) we will see them regardless of whether they can wear a mask. Our priority is keeping them, other patients and our staff safe. Asking or allowing someone to come into the department without a mask when they don’t need to be here is not doing that.

Oh and nice to see disabled people being discriminated against because they can’t wear a mask! What the fuck is the world coming to? (Fingers crosseD one of those people is a lawyer specialising in discrimination)

Well my mother wore one for two weeks and caused a terrible secondary infection in her already infected Chest ( she has a condition I can never spell it)

6 months she has had her treatment stopped, doctors will not see her nor give her repeat antibiotics because they need her to have a test first that keeps being cancelled.
Literally she will receive the appointment and cancel appointment letters the same day.

If you saw her you would be able to tell. I have seen people looking and giving that look ' oh she can't follow the rules'

People make it so bloody obvious.
This is at Sainsbury’s M25 area @JuniperFather

That's good. There have been a few on here saying no mask no see regardless.

I am currently in Spain and although I would say mask compliance is high, social distancing is non existent.

Gogogadgetarms I think you should work on your social distancing. You are meant to be at least 2m away.

From my experience in North Yorkshire. Northumberland and Norfolk sinemaskscame in, YABU.
I noticed one unmasked man in the petrol station the other day, a lady in a wheelchair in Sainsbury's and acouple of kids ( aged about 14?). Otherwise I would say 100% compliance where I have been.

I can only speak for my own department, but we wouldn’t refuse to see someone if it was clinically needed because they were exempt from wearing a mask. We would refuse routine non urgent appointments though that could be postponed or made into telephone appointments, this isn’t to discriminate, it’s to protect our vulnerable patients who can’t wear masks and have to be there and our staff some of whom are also vulnerable but have been made to come back to work now. It wouldn’t be fair to expose them potentially to Covid, just because someone prefers to be seen in person or would prefer to be seen now rather than wait even though it’s safe to do so.

Am I missing where the OP said they were outraged?