Surely 50% of people cannot have a health exemption for mask wearing

[JulieHere]

I haven't been 'n town' to visit the shops since March. Today needed some bits and bobs so popped a mask on. I'm asthmatic and could use that exemption but thought I would give it a go. I was really surprised that despite numerous signs in shopping centres etc that probably around 50% were wearing a mask and 50% not. I was really surprised. Mainly younger people but a few middle aged. In the main the elderly were wearing masks.

There was a group of young people (between 18 ish and mid twenties) wandering along together and not one of them bothered. I know that the virus doesn't tend to affect them much in the main but was quite surprised.

In my area - low population - there have been no deaths at local hospital for around 22 weeks ish and no-one in at present (SIL works on MAU/ICU) and infection rate really low anyway.

AIBU - a lot of young people are exempt so why should they wear one

YABU - 50% of people are exempt from mask wearing

YANBU - They are just bored with it all and cannot be bothered anymore.

I saw a couple of teens yesterday having a chat no masks.
Some plank walked up to them and started to have a go.
One of the teens - ever heard of lip reading.

I had to laugh, the guys face turned a wonderful shade and he slinked off. Had he bothered to watch them for even a nanosecond he would have seen one sign. He might have even seen an hearing aid. Instead, judge and jury. Possibly to make himself feel better about himself tbh. He only had the teens and myself to go for. If it was the other school round here, they would have told him to go fuck himself.

Where there are genuine cases of people unable.to.wear masks, sadly villified by some there does seem to be alot of people suffering from 'No fucked is going to tell me how to live my life itis" out there.

Decent people won't judge in fear of offending or causing distress to those that genuinely cannot wear masks but this is where the selfish fuckers land on their feet and can take full advantage of decent people.

There are plenty of excellent candidates for the Covid Marshall jobs on MN. They should target their recruitment campaign here. Maybe join with MNHQ to make them some extra cash so they don’t have to charge people to see ‘fewer ads’.

I wasn't clear, my apologies. Wandering along within the shopping centre so still in 'the shops'.

I was just wondering but to be fair the older people were predominately wearing them and it was the young that weren't. I haven't rally been out much and first time in a shopping centre so I guess the 50% isn't typical. Maybe just lots of young around since local college is part time at present.

Thanks

Yes, our shopping centre is asking to wear (Not talking about outside when it is of course not necessary.

@Funkypolar

Why on earth would I do that! It is possible to actually just ask a question on here without the extremes that you post about you know Massive difference.

You better phone the police OP.

I think the fact that people can’t be questioned means a lot of people just aren’t bothering because a so-called exemption doesn’t have to be qualified.

Personally I think people should have to wear some kind of exemption proof or be able to produce it at least, proof which is given to them by their doctor, perhaps a card or some such. It doesn’t have to state why, just that the exemption is there. Failure to do so should result in a fine.

And I speak as someone who, because of my heart condition and associated breathing issues, is exempt but chooses to wear a mask anyway.

Basically the masks are to protect others and let’s be honest, most people don’t actually give a shit about other people as long as they’re not personally affected.

@AlternativePerspective when the mask wearing was first brought in, I asked my doctor for an exemption letter and was told there’s no such thing 🤷🏻‍♀️ Seems people can’t actually get proof off their doctor anyway.

Unless you are washing hands and putting on a clean mask each time, it really is pointless wearing one if you are constantly taking it off between shops. The interior and exterior of the mask is touching your hands, and you are then touching things and surfaces.

JulieHere - as you made a personal attack on another post about me, I can only sum up that you are a throughly nasty individual.

I live next to a very busy Holiday park and have in the last 2 months only seen 1 person wearing a mask.

This is blatent disrepect to the viallage they are staying in.

I wonder why you keep feeling the need to point
Out continually that it’s ONLY “young people” i suspect you went out of your way to look for people not wearing masks or you wouldn’t of really noticed.
However where I live it seems to be completely the opposite. The younger generation seem more than happy to adhere to the rules.

Were the young people who you saw not wearing masks in a shop or just around the town centre, it’s not clear in your post?

Have you considered being a Covid Marshall? I feel this could be the right job for you

My DM is exempt because she is hard of hearing from burst eardrums and extensive inner ear damage from recurring infections since childhood. I am exempt when I am with her because she relies on me to tell her what people with masks are saying and she needs to see my mouth when I speak. We get lots of people just like you looking at us all judgemental because we 'dont look like we have anything wrong'. We even had a member of staff in M&S foodhall make a point of being in the isles we went in so she could shake her head and sigh dissaprovingly at us every time. You have no idea why people don't wear masks, stop judging!

I’m glad they announced you must wear mask inside pubs and cafes to walk around. I was in coffee shop today and took mask off at table. Yet people walking in, then allover shop really close to others. No mask.

I don’t have a problem if you are exempt
But I struggle believe 4/10 people in my area couldn’t cope with one for 5min they are in a shop.

Maybe they forget? I was in bed last week woke up and remembered I went to Sainsbury’s with the kids and forgot to put my mask on. I’m not sure why it suddenly dawned on me in the middle of the night rather than half way around Sainsbury’s it’s just something new to remember and will take a bit of time to become a habit.

@AlternativePerspective there is no exemption card/letter. Then there's a big problem getting an appointment with anyone.
I haven't been able to get hold of one of my consultants since March/April, neither have my other consultants or GP.
I am on week 2 waiting for a call back from the gp to make an appointment (yes I have chased this up, someone will be in touch). It's them btw that need to see me urgently, for what I don't know.

As PP says above .Masks only needed in shops and cafes and so on . Most people are wearing them inside in our area(south coast)

Probably best not to have a thread asking this. It encourages some to be nasty and rather than pass by the usual comments - 'call the police/have them arrested/be a covid Marshall' etc etc occurs. Some questions or AIBU are a waste of time since different areas of the country are different and different people believe or don't believe in mask wearing.

I was on the bus the other day (with mask) there were two teens on the bus one with and one without. Fair enough I assumed the one without must have a good reason.

Got off the bus in town and we were going the same way, into a shopping centre. Girl who wasn’t wearing a mask says ‘oh do we need to wear a mask in primark? Whips a mask out her pocket and puts it on!

I was gobsmacked. So she can wear a mask to get her fashion fix but not in an enclosed bus? FFS

I’m glad they announced you must wear mask inside pubs and cafes to walk around. I was in coffee shop today and took mask off at table. Yet people walking in, then allover shop really close to others. No mask
It is a bit silly though which makes it easy to forget. I was in a cafe the other day. Got up to talk 3 metres to the toilet. No I didn't remember to put my mask on for that. It was already off because I was sitting down. Are people really faffing with them that much that they put them back on to go to the loo and then off again back at the table. And on again just jumping up to grab a spoon etc etc?

If you saw me you would probably shit a brick. I don't wear a mask. Because I can't. I look perfectly healthy to you. But I have chronic sinusitis. Had surgery once in the last 18 months and need another in the next year. I have a chronic MRSA infection in my sinus too. I also have tardive dyskinesia and neuralgia that makes wearing a mask incredibly heard. And that's before you take into account that I was raped and sexually abused as a tween by a family friend. So I can not stand ANYTHING over my mouth or touching my face. I couldn't even tolerate my babies breath on my face .

Go nob off with all the judgemental hate on people that don't wear a mask. It's NONE of your business why they don't have a mask on.

This government has totally destroyed public confidence in anything Covid related and people are fed up of it. Can you blame them? You can't have 5 friends around to your house but you can sit in a restaurant with 10 of them or on a school bus with 70 of them. Corona won't affect you then will it? Just in groups of 6 out if you don't wear a mask in a supermarket.

Agree at asthma is not an exemption if you can wear one OP. My son has autism and makes me cut labels out of his clothes/hates certain materials on his skin etc but can wear a mask as fine as anyone else so always has. I agree with you that some people are taking the piss and just don't care.