AIBU to say that masks are here to stay

pepsicolagirl · 2020-09-23T10:32:31+00:00

Just that really. Having a discussion about yesterdays news and I threw into it the fact that I don't see how mask wearing in shops etc is ever going to stop now. We will just continue to live in this way the same as china and other asian countries do.

DappledThings · 23/09/2020 11:34

If we get a vaccine working then masks will no longer be compulsory and people will stop using them in general. But the idea of people who are I'll using them whilst infectious may well catch on.

Livelovebehappy · 23/09/2020 11:40

Problem with the vaccine is that prepping vaccines usually takes years not months, because they have to be checked for long term usage too, so rushing it through is going to come with potential health risks. Masks should be compulsory for everyone in public places. Yes they can be uncomfortable, make you dizzy wearing for long periods, trigger MH issues, but people have to learn to manage the problems they have, so that we can all be protected. Pointless the majority of us wearing them, when 25% of the population refuse to wear for various reasons.

Kanaloa · 23/09/2020 11:56

In many countries it’s common to wear a mask, either because of pollution or if you have a cold or infection you don’t want to spread. I don’t mind wearing one if it means I can do all the things I enjoy and have missed.

mediumperiperi · 23/09/2020 12:23

If you're in places like Japan and Hong Kong (pre COVID) only people who are ill wear masks so that others don't catch what they have. Everybody else wanders around maskless.

I don't think that they'll be permanent at all

LoveNote · 23/09/2020 12:29

I have my concerns over mask wearing,I’m on retail so up to 10 hours a day in one! I’ve been trying to build up whilst they were compulsory

My eyes are dry and itchy (I had corneal ulcers previously)
My throat is permanently sore/scratchy
Glasses steam up and I’ve tripped a couple of times
Above reason means I’m ‘avoiding’ tasks which require exertion

I’m not alone but I’m wondering if workplaces should supply proper well fitting individual masks. Currently we provide our own or use the disposables (again,concerns re environment)

I think we are in it for the long haul so health and safety needs to test what we are doing

Long term health issues from cheap masks or masks washed in washing powder etc etc is a concern of mine as well as the bleached paper masks

Bocadilla · 23/09/2020 12:30

No they will be gone the minute we are allowed to get rid of the damn things.

TheDuchessofMalfy · 23/09/2020 12:32

It would be great if people with colds habitually wore them, rather than coughing and spluttering all over the place. And if those who could worked from home if they have a cold as a matter of course.

I think some people might keep wearing them in shops once the vaccine is in play, but probably not the majority. Could be wrong though!

BogRollBOGOF · 23/09/2020 12:39

Travelling through China in 2009, Swine Flu year, a small minority wore masks in the street against smog. That's it. They are not normal wear for the majority of people when out and about in public.

Not normal in China. Not particularly unusual, bur not the default by the majority by any means.
I can't see them becoming normal in Europe either.

BogRollBOGOF · 23/09/2020 12:42

@Livelovebehappy

Problem with the vaccine is that prepping vaccines usually takes years not months, because they have to be checked for long term usage too, so rushing it through is going to come with potential health risks. Masks should be compulsory for everyone in public places. Yes they can be uncomfortable, make you dizzy wearing for long periods, trigger MH issues, but people have to learn to manage the problems they have, so that we can all be protected. Pointless the majority of us wearing them, when 25% of the population refuse to wear for various reasons.

Are you happy to assist a person having obvious difficulties such as hyperventilating, or diziness, or will you just walk on by in the happy knowledge that they are complying?

OoohTheStatsDontLie · 23/09/2020 12:43

I disagree. I think they should be but they wont. I went shopping the day before they became compulsory and I only saw one other person wearing them. At school drop off a couple of weeks ago in a high risk area with social distancing impossible due to size and layout of the school, I saw only one other person wearing one until the school told everyone to. I think as soon as the restrictions are lifted, people will stop wearing them other than the vulnerable people which is a bit pointless

SnappyFarter1987 · 23/09/2020 12:44

If only managing managing mental health triggers was that easy

LastGoldenDaysOfSummer · 23/09/2020 12:54

I think they are here to stay for a while. They may also prevent the spread of flu.

I think too many people say they can't wear them when they mean they don't want to, which means that those with genuine reasons are also doubted.

Newmum97 · 23/09/2020 12:59

I wouldn't be surprised if people start occasionally using masks during flu season after all this corona stuff passes like people do in japan when they are sick but I suppose it depends where you live and how many people are wearing masks now. Tbh covid has made me more conscious of spreading/catching some kind of disease but I doubt most people think the same.

LindaEllen · 23/09/2020 13:00

I can't wait to get rid of them, to be honest. I know most people seem to get on with them fine but for some reason it really sets my anxiety off and I find myself too short of breath (I've struggled anyway since having covid back in April) and get all hot and bothered, to the extent I sometimes have to leave the shop to go outside so I can take it off.

Technically I can get an exception but I think masks are more about making us 'feel' safe than anything else, and I don't want to make anyone else feel that they might not be safe around me!

Newmum97 · 23/09/2020 13:01

Completely agree with @LastGoldenDaysOfSummer though! Too many people using down right stupid excuses

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 23/09/2020 13:02

What forever?......eh, no.

Tootletum · 23/09/2020 13:03

They seem pretty pointless and I can't wait to be rid. I barely go anywhere because I hate wearing them and we now have to wear them in the school yard for the 5 minutes it takes to drop off/pick up. Just another stupid little rule to follow.

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 23/09/2020 13:04

I agree Last. Are there really one quarter of the population exempt from wearing them?

I would take a bet on quite a few of those I’ve seen without masks choosing not to wear them, rather than being unable to. I know that there are very genuine reasons for some people, particularly those with autism, or a condition that restricts breathing. I accept that it affects mental health too.

ThatDamnScientist · 23/09/2020 13:22

@LindaEllen

I can't wait to get rid of them, to be honest. I know most people seem to get on with them fine but for some reason it really sets my anxiety off and I find myself too short of breath (I've struggled anyway since having covid back in April) and get all hot and bothered, to the extent I sometimes have to leave the shop to go outside so I can take it off.

Technically I can get an exception but I think masks are more about making us 'feel' safe than anything else, and I don't want to make anyone else feel that they might not be safe around me!

It's not great for the environment but I find myself less stressed/hot bothered etc in disposable masks. I am asthmatic and cant cope with cloth masks for more than a few minutes but I can manage with a disposable masks for a while. They may be worth a try?

nosswith · 23/09/2020 13:27

I'd like them to be worn by everyone to begin with. As happens in Germany.

myhumps123 · 23/09/2020 13:40

@Foxyloxy1plus1. The exemption list is very long and if people choose not to wear a mask on, then so be it. Alot of judgemental people on here. Just because someone looks fit and healthy doesn't mean they are.
I've worked in a charity sector that provided respite for vunerable women, many of the women had been raped, where the abusers hand had been placed over their mouth to stop them from screaming. Why should they have to wear a mask? Show some compassion but of course one should wear a mask on even if you are dying inside

Squirrelblanket · 23/09/2020 13:51

I'll be happily throwing mine away the very second that it's announced that we don't have to wear them anymore.

SoUtterlyGroundDown · 23/09/2020 13:53

I wear a mask in all scenarios that I am required to wear one.
Once I am no longer required to wear one, I won’t.

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 23/09/2020 13:56

myhumps I accept that there are people who have genuine reasons for not wearing a mask and that is what I said. It isn’t being judgmental to wonder if there are some people not wearing masks because they have decided not to, rather than being unable to. There are probably plenty of people who could be exempt, who are wearing masks as well.

I don’t know of anyone who enjoys wearing them and if we can get on top of this, we might be able to stop wearing them at some point in the future.

TheArtOfStoryTelling · 23/09/2020 14:06

Yes YABU and no you're not the first person to start a thread on this exact topic. In "china and other asian countries" masks are not worn by the majority all the time. Just people who have been ill.

Also you'd have to be living under a rock to think Brits will continue wearing them when they're no longer compulsory. Most people detest them.

So no, they're not here to stay. To suggest so is just pure drama.