AIBU not to have let her in without a mask.

[Trialanderror02]

I know masks are a touchy subject and I am not against people who are exempt from masks. I don’t judge or shout at people in the supermarket 🤣
Today I had British gas turn up at the door for meter readings, she was a little rude when I wouldn’t let her in the house ( CEV house ) as she was not wearing a mask. She explained that she was exempt but right now we are in teir 2 no household mixing etc was I unreasonable not to let her in without a mask. She kept telling me she was exempt so therefore did not require to wear a mask
Which like I said I would usually accept but not when they are coming in to my house. I do not take DD ( CEV ) in to shops etc.

[Summerfreeze]

Are none of you having cleaners at the moment? I'm one and am working every day in other people's houses without a mask.

Usually have cleaners but no, not during the pandemic.

[Ffsnosexallowed]

Haven't read whole thread but "Let's face it, no one would give a seconds consideration to a surgeon who claimed to be exempt from wearing a mask" - a surgeon who couldn't wear a mask would be shifted to non patient facing duties. Which would mean they wouldn't be carrying out surgery

[Gibble1]

I’m exempt from wearing a mask. So is my DS.
I wear a mask all day every day at work as do all of my colleagues who are also exempt because we work in a hospital and those are the rules to protect our patients and colleagues.
DS has to get the train to school and he always wears a mask too- he wears one on the train and also if he goes into a shop.
Our inhaler usage has increased but we’ve not had Covid!

[Trialanderror02]

@PatriciaPerch nope they are even switching us to training in taking the 2 weekly bloods and dropping them via letter box to the community nurses 🙈😩
It’s been an extremely long and tiring few months. However we are in a unique situation that we are trained in exceeding IV lines and giving IV meds compared to other groups of children with IV lines that do Need nurses to access them.
It’s ok I knew what you meant I wasn’t offended :) I hope winter treats you all well.

[Tootsey11]

Op, average people do have cleaners. I work for very average people, quite a number don't work. I'm busier than ever, pandemic or not.

But it is your choice, like I say to everyone. I give my meter reading to the man standing on the other side of the window. He did say the last time, why can't everyone be as straight forward as you!

You made an issue out of nothing.

[iluvgab]

I'm afraid I had no idea what CEV was until someone half way done the thread said it was ECV "extremely clinically vulnerable". I think it would have helped to have written this out in full in your OP as not everyone knows what it is.

I voted that YABU to not let in without a mask - minimal risk for the short time it would take to read the metre etc, distance could be maintained.
However, now I've found out what CEV/ECV is then no, YANBU and there is no reason why you couldn't have read the meter yourself or sent in an estimate so the woman from British Gas was being unreasonable. She's probably not exempt either - just said that as a reason for not wearing a mask.

[TipsySquirrel]

I work in utilities, although not British Gas. Our staff are provided with PPE but if someone is not comfortable with us being in their home at the moment, then we don’t go in. Even if they’re wearing full PPE.

[PersonaNonGarter]

OP, you were completely right and right to complain. Please let us know what they say in response.

[MissMarplesGlove]

Thing is, when people say they're "exempt" - they're not exempt from catching, carrying and passing on COVID-19.

Being exempt (often entirely a self-exemption, not medical) doesn't give you a magical "I'm not transmitting the virus" status.

They can make a choice not to wear a mask and mix in public, but the rest of us can make a choice not to want to go near them.

[PerpendicularVincent]

We don't actually know that she was healthy, or exempt.

OP you did the right thing, I wouldn't let anyone in without a mask either.

[londonscalling]

They may be exempt but you're not exempt from catching it from them!

[Chicchicchicchiclana]

Ywnbu. Has anyone said ywbu?

[ProudAuntie76]

Are none of you having cleaners at the moment? I'm one and am working every day in other people's houses without a mask

It’s irrelevant to the thread but yes I do and she wears a mask if we are in the house. I never mentioned it to her, she took it upon herself to follow the rules properly and I’m glad she did as I would have been too embarrassed to ask. She’s lovely and would never put our health at risk. Obviously we also wear them around her when we are in the same area of the house.

[londonscalling]

@Tootsey11

Could you not have asked her to wait outside while you made a note of the reading then called it out to her or passed it to her some way.

Are none of you having cleaners at the moment? I'm one and am working every day in other people's houses without a mask.

We haven't had cleaners since
March. I've not let anyone back in my house.

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

Why can't exempt-from-masks people wear visors? I know they aren't ideal but it shows willing.

And the mask is to protect other people, so if you are being careful for health reasons she has no right to expect you to tolerate her health problem (whatever it is) that prevents mask wearing.

[SexTrainGlue]

Why can't exempt-from-masks people wear visors?

Because they are no use other than for protecting the eyes of the wearer from direct splatter. Your exhalations go straight round the sides

[Shinyletsbebadguys]

@SchadenfreudePersonified

Why can't exempt-from-masks people wear visors? I know they aren't ideal but it shows willing.

And the mask is to protect other people, so if you are being careful for health reasons she has no right to expect you to tolerate her health problem (whatever it is) that prevents mask wearing.

I believe some people who have certain triggers relating to PTSD struggle to wear anything over their face . Which I entirely understand but I agree that it doesn't change their risk level to others and it's totally reasonable to refuse entry to your own home .

[Zippy1510]

Pretty sure any surgeon would be wearing a mask even precovid regardless of their personal exemption status!

[BlueThistles]

Good on you OP. Look after your family health.

[Greyshaggyrug]

Not unreasonable really but a bit stupid! As long as you stay 2 metres away what difference does it make.

[londonscalling]

@Greyshaggyrug

Not unreasonable really but a bit stupid! As long as you stay 2 metres away what difference does it make.

Is that a serious comment? If you don't know by now what harm it can do to someone very vulnerable, then sadly you are part of the problem (or stupid)!

[jamimmi]

No not unreasonable at all. Same thing happened to a ECV patient of mine. The reader tried to put her under pressure to come in . She said no and rang her grandson to deal with it. Hes a big lad and round the corner. She was worried she should have said yes when she spoke to me. As I'm sure your dd will tell you it was the right thing to do. The reader needs redeployment.

[user1471447863]

I wish people would stop using 'i'm exempt'. The list of potentially exempt conditions was to show those who may not be capable of wearing a mask. Many/most (virtually all?) those who have one of the suggested exemption conditions are perfectly capable of wearing some form of face covering. Your condition doesn't make you magically immune or act as a mask equivalent, if anything many of the conditions will mean you are more vulnerable.
The rule in reality is those who cannot physically/mentally wear a mask for whatever reason are exempt from doing so

The number of anti-maskers/twats etc not wearing masks probably outnumber those who are genuinely unable to wear one by orders of magnitude.

My 3yr old child is likely asthmatic and has chronic lung disease and is more than happy to wear her mask if needed.

Regardless you'd be pretty daft going in and out dozens of houses (how many would a meter reader do in a day? 100?) every day and not wear something for your own protection. There's every chance you'd be let in to a house that are isolating awaiting test results or even those isolating due to being positive and not thinking.

OP, masked or not, you'd have been perfectly entitled to turn them away at present and it was certainly the correct thing to do