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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think NO young people should not have to wear masks for hours on end

59 replies

Cryingatkfc · 30/05/2021 10:13

Just that really I’ve just been in KFC and I saw all the young people (17-21ish) all wearing masks presumably because they had to. Aibu to think it’s frankly ridiculous to expect them to wear masks for hours on end in a boiling hot kitchen and it makes it far harder to do the job?

OP posts:
StaffRepFeistyClub · 30/05/2021 11:08

They have to follow workplace rules - just like everyone else.

If they don’t want to follow them then they can find a job somewhere else

RunnerDown · 30/05/2021 11:09

It’s horrible for them but we are in the middle of a pandemic. Cases are rising again. We need to all do what we can to get things under control .Masks have been shown to reduce transmission.
Better to grit teeth and get on with it cos the sooner this comes to an end the better.
Many NHS staff enter the profession with no idea that they may end up wearing masks for hours on end. All the staff who have worn PPE for hours on end for months on end simply have no choice. And what they are wearing is a lot more uncomfortable than a mask. You wouldn’t post saying that a young student nurse ( earning a pittance) shouldn’t wear a mask when dealing with vulnerable patients . And they will be doing a difficult job.
Apart from a few people with genuine mental health issues I think everyone should mask up where required and get on with it for the greater good.
There is also no evidence that masks restrict your oxygen supply .

sashh · 30/05/2021 11:11

YABU

My niece is training to be a Dr. She was in theatre a week or two ago and I'm fairly sure she would be wearing a mask.

You do get used to wearing them, my longest day (because I was on call) was 4.00 am to 11.00pm, and I was wearing a lead apron too, I was a few years older but you manage.

tonystarksrighthand · 30/05/2021 11:12

It's ridiculous for anyone to wear a mask.

I mean, wow they're so effective

Tumbleweed101 · 30/05/2021 11:13

I'll be glad when they stop being mandatory for everyone. If certain industries want to keep them going forward then fine, so long as people applying are aware of that requirement. Right now, nobody out of specialist jobs expected to need them at work and the impact on individuals varies enormously. I really struggle with them because of them misting up glasses and find I'm tolerating them less and less well as time goes on.

MikeWozniaksGloriousTache · 30/05/2021 11:18

My DP works in a trade and has from the age of 15. He is required to wear a mask for safety reasons. These masks are often much bulkier and cumbersome than a surgical / cloth mask. It’s never caused him any psychological or physiological problems. Other countries citizens wear masks a lot more regularly than we (U.K.) do and from a younger age, none of these people are affected.

Rewis · 30/05/2021 11:29

So it's significantly more comfortable for those who are 22+?

osbertthesyrianhamster · 30/05/2021 11:31

YANBU. And choosing a profession where you know you'll have to wear a mask forever isn't comparable to having it foisted on you. I can't wait to get rid of the fucking things.

CirqueDeMorgue · 30/05/2021 11:42

Lol so many martyrs on here. I hate wearing one and the minute it's no longer mandatory it's goodbye fucking face masks!

osbertthesyrianhamster · 30/05/2021 11:43

@CirqueDeMorgue

Lol so many martyrs on here. I hate wearing one and the minute it's no longer mandatory it's goodbye fucking face masks!
No doubt! All the 'surgeons and nurses do it'. Good for them. They knew it was part of the deal when they went into that. Kids working at KFC didn't.
CirqueDeMorgue · 30/05/2021 11:44

It's horrible for them but we are in the middle of a pandemic.

People have been saying this since last March. 🙄

yikesanotherbooboo · 30/05/2021 11:48

Wearing a mask is a minor nuisance at most.
It isn't horrible and there is no reason at all why it is worse for a 17 year old than anyone else.

Geamhradh · 30/05/2021 11:51

Would you prefer everything to stay closed?

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 30/05/2021 11:52

Its not much fun wearing full PPE in a hospital either while menopausal for 12 hours but needs must.

CirqueDeMorgue · 30/05/2021 11:54

@Shehasadiamondinthesky

Its not much fun wearing full PPE in a hospital either while menopausal for 12 hours but needs must.
As has been pointed out, you were aware you'd have to do this before you started your job...
MaryBeardsShoes · 30/05/2021 11:56

Most teens and young people I know are just getting on with it and happy to wear a mask at the moment if it protect those around them. It's just the adults who get their pants in a twist about it.

Againstmachine · 30/05/2021 11:57

If surgeons and nurses can wear them in operating theatres for hours on end I'm sure a teenager frying chicken can manage.

Why do people operating theater anology, they do realize that operating theatres are temperature controlled, have air pumped into at a certain pressure, and many other things make them different from KFC.

Againstmachine · 30/05/2021 11:59

Yabu. If they're preparing food they need to wear them.

I hope before this even at home you were wearing one when prepping food.

Sillyotter · 30/05/2021 11:59

I’ve been wearing masks and other hot ppe for the last year every day at work. It’s a job that can’t be done from home and can’t social distance. We’re also not allowed to use the air con so it gets hot very quickly during the summer. It’s not just young people it’s all of us who can’t work from home and it’s been like this for over a year now.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 30/05/2021 12:00

Yes, it’s horrible for them to have to wear them, but as a theatre nurse, I wore masks day in, day out all the time I worked, and it is not the end of the world.

And it is better than Covid - I speak from experience as I’m in hospital with it now. Thankfully mild, but I can’t maintain my oxygen saturation’s without extra oxygen, and can’t go home until I can manage without. And I’m one of the lucky ones.

SoupDragon · 30/05/2021 12:00

@Againstmachine

Yabu. If they're preparing food they need to wear them.

I hope before this even at home you were wearing one when prepping food.

You wear a mask at home to prep food?
Pbbananabagel · 30/05/2021 12:01

Erm.. I’m heavily pregnant and work in a good environment, wearing the masks is fine? At least I and everyone else have that measure of safety?

Pbbananabagel · 30/05/2021 12:02

Food environment Blush

Gooseberrypies · 30/05/2021 12:03

@saraclara

Why are 17-21 year olds more special than other adults?
Well, younger people are at far less risk and have done a lot to protect older people as opposed to actually needing to do it for their own benefit. We have lost out on loads - I am older than 21 but have still lost my job and had my degree fucked up and been completely socially isolated due to covid, when really we younger people aren't the ones who would suffer if we weren't taking precautions.
saraclara · 30/05/2021 12:04

@Againstmachine

If surgeons and nurses can wear them in operating theatres for hours on end I'm sure a teenager frying chicken can manage.

Why do people operating theater anology, they do realize that operating theatres are temperature controlled, have air pumped into at a certain pressure, and many other things make them different from KFC.

Exactly. I don't get the OP's issue as far as age goes, but I'm getting so sick of these pious posts from some NHS staff. My own daughter is a nurse in a covid ward and she's sick of the halos that some nurses have awarded themselves.