Will you continue to wear a mask when they’re no longer compulsory?

[AngeloMysterioso]

I can’t really decide how I feel about it- as a pregnant woman with a tendency to get a bit sweaty in the face on warm days, I would like not to have to wear one whenever I’m inside a building that isn’t my own home. And I’m double jabbed so not at much risk. But then you’ve got people from SAGE and the BMA saying we should keep wearing them, and I’d imagine they know a bit better than Sajid Javid whose background is in finance.

What do you think?

YABU- I’ll continue to wear a mask
YANBU - I won’t be wearing a mask anymore.

I will on public transport and crowded places otherwise no

Although I’ve had the vaccine x2 so feeling very low risk at my age and weight

That's great but a mask is to protect others, not the wearer.
I've had 2 conversations with people in close contact with me this week, one a HCP and the other a hairdresser. Both said that they hoped their patients/clients continued to wear masks for their benefit and said that they'd continue to for the benefit of the patient/client.

@Bluesheep8

Although I’ve had the vaccine x2 so feeling very low risk at my age and weight

That's great but a mask is to protect others, not the wearer.
I've had 2 conversations with people in close contact with me this week, one a HCP and the other a hairdresser. Both said that they hoped their patients/clients continued to wear masks for their benefit and said that they'd continue to for the benefit of the patient/client.

But why haven’t those “others” got a vaccine by the time we don’t need to wear masks or shortly thereafter.

There will come a point by which anyone who hasn’t had the vaccine has made the active decision NOT to

In which case, shrug. Each to their own. But hell no will I wear a mask to protect them!

Will be interesting to see how many more people who have been fully vaccinated catch covid.

So far in my social circle, my MIL’s neighbour has caught it and a work colleagues parent.

It’s now also going around the toddlers at nursery, our nursery room was shut down this week due to a toddler catching it.

It’s fine remove all the precautions, till people who think ‘I’m alright Jack’ actually catch it.

@frazzledasarock

Will be interesting to see how many more people who have been fully vaccinated catch covid.

So far in my social circle, my MIL’s neighbour has caught it and a work colleagues parent.

It’s now also going around the toddlers at nursery, our nursery room was shut down this week due to a toddler catching it.

It’s fine remove all the precautions, till people who think ‘I’m alright Jack’ actually catch it.

They catch it And for the overwhelming majority it’s feeling a bit lousy for a few days.
Just like many many other illnesses Did you get yourself in such a twist about them?

I'm pregnant, third trimester, so covid poses an increased risk of complications. With this in mind...

Ideally I would like to wear a mask in order to protect myself, however I can't justify the cost of obtaining the correct specification for masks that will protect me from aerosols etc. (especially given that the occasions I would need them, e.g. supermarket shopping or socialising indoors are easily avoided).

I will carry a mask and wear one if others are doing so as that will provide some protection for all concerned.

There's no point in carrying a flimsy fabric/surgical mask to protect myself if others aren't wearing masks, as it won't actually give any protection unless others are doing the same, so I won't bother in that scenario.

Yeah my fifteen year old daughter has long covid.

My friend died from it.

Another friend has long covid her lungs have scarring (shown up in x-rays), and she struggles with day to activity.

A lot of my friends and family have been affected by Covid, a significant number very profoundly.

So yes having seen first hand my child turn grey and struggle to breathe passed out on the floor of her bedroom, I have a very realistic view of ‘light effects’ of covid.

I’ll be continuing to take precautions and observe hygiene standards.

*carrying should say wearing in the last paragraph (grr we need an edit button)

@Bluesheep8

Although I’ve had the vaccine x2 so feeling very low risk at my age and weight

That's great but a mask is to protect others, not the wearer.
I've had 2 conversations with people in close contact with me this week, one a HCP and the other a hairdresser. Both said that they hoped their patients/clients continued to wear masks for their benefit and said that they'd continue to for the benefit of the patient/client.

It was more a comment on the I’d be regretting it if I didn’t in pp

I would regret not getting a vaccine but not re mask

I’m not totally anti and will see how I feel in situations

Absolutely definitely 100% not.

@Poppins2016

I'm pregnant, third trimester, so covid poses an increased risk of complications. With this in mind...

Ideally I would like to wear a mask in order to protect myself, however I can't justify the cost of obtaining the correct specification for masks that will protect me from aerosols etc. (especially given that the occasions I would need them, e.g. supermarket shopping or socialising indoors are easily avoided).

I will carry a mask and wear one if others are doing so as that will provide some protection for all concerned.

There's no point in carrying a flimsy fabric/surgical mask to protect myself if others aren't wearing masks, as it won't actually give any protection unless others are doing the same, so I won't bother in that scenario.

@Poppins2016 Cambridge masks are 70% off at the moment with offer code, they are equivilent to the FFP2 so should be more effective than the cloth ones. They are £7.49 down from £24.99. You can order a valve deactivator for free to close off the valve so you aren't breathing onto others. It looks like they last 200-300 hours, could be enough for the summer depending on how often you need them.

cambridgemask.com/collections/all

They will still be compulsory in Scotland so if you are holidaying north of the border please check the rules.

People saying that a mask is just a small thing - for many people it really isn’t. And this whole divisive binary “if you don’t wear one you’re selfish and won’t protect others/if you wear one you’re a brainwashed terrified sheep” just doesn’t help.

Death rates are not significantly less in countries with strict mask mandates. Their benefit has been shown time and time again to be negligible or nonexistent in community settings. My skepticism about masks comes down to “do the statistics really suggest that it’s worth the discomfort”. In the GP/hospital/close contact procedures or bodily contact - probably yes. Outside those places? Unless you want to go around in a N95 surgical mask, which simply isn’t practical or healthy, no.

What they have done is allowed people to feel safer in going out, going to the shops etc and as such mask wearing policies may have boosted the economy. Most of it’s placebo effect. The things that really impact spread are physical distancing, ventilation, hand washing, staying home when you’re sick, and of course vaccinations. I see a lot of people saying “I didn’t get a cold/flu all winter, must be because of masks” but in reality, we’ve been keeping our distance from others and being more vigilant about not going out round others if we think we might be ill. I didn’t get a cold or flu either despite working face to face with patients with no masks for a year (job means masks would be impractical due to communication barrier). I had open windows and set up my rooms so there was a 2m+ distance and I also waived my cancellation fees for private patients if they had to cancel due to suspected or actual Covid symptoms. It’s worked a dream and I’ll keep all of that well beyond this pandemic. I’m CV and prefer not to get respiratory viruses of any kind, as I can end up with bronchitis or pneumonia, so if this pandemic changes one thing I hope it’s sickness policies in workplaces and sick pay and it will become socially unacceptable to go out around others if you’re ill. Quite frankly, if someone’s got a hacking cough or snotty cold, I don’t want to be near them whether or not they’ve a flimsy bit of cloth or paper on their face.

I do not feel happy about lateral flow tests being optional. It is possible to have covid without symptoms and these flow tests will prove that. To give people the option of taking a flow test before entering a public building is wrong. Just the other day a loal restaurant had to shut down because someone working there deveoped covid. Howeer for people working in retail or hospitality, they do this every day and they cannot take a lateral flow test daily so if they take the test weekly they can easily catch covid between one and the next test.

I wish they would keep them as mandatory on public transport. I’ll feel incredibly anxious on the tube, if fewer people are wearing them. Preparing to walk everywhere in London.

@Demortuisnilnisibonum

I wish they would keep them as mandatory on public transport. I’ll feel incredibly anxious on the tube, if fewer people are wearing them. Preparing to walk everywhere in London.

I've been doing this for a while, and really recommend it anyway. I've saved a lot of money, lost weight, feel better physically and mentally and know London a lot better.

Interestingly this morning, the vaccine minister has said that people will still be "expected" to wear masks in crowded spaces. I wonder to what extent people will comply with this? I certainly won't be.

Chanel05

BBC Paper Reviews last night suggested 50/50.

I'm double-jabbed, but will still wear a mask in crowded/busy indoor areas (supermarkets, etc) because it's such a tiny inconvenience for me that could potentially save people's lives. The same for publoc transport, as I'm a Londoner so it's always crowded.

I probably won't wear a mask in restaurant/ bars for the 5 seconds it takes to walk to a table & then remove it anyway, because it seems completely pointless.

The trouble is that those who continue to wear masks are protecting those who don’t.
It’s all very well for anti maskers to say wear one if you want to, but you aren’t protecting us and with your gung ho behaviour you are a bigger threat than anybody.

@Chanel05

Interestingly this morning, the vaccine minister has said that people will still be "expected" to wear masks in crowded spaces. I wonder to what extent people will comply with this? I certainly won't be.

That’s typical of this Government’s vague bollocks. What constitutes ‘a crowded environment’? A sports event with 100,000+ people? A moderately busy supermarket? FFS they are useless!

@Twoforthree

The trouble is that those who continue to wear masks are protecting those who don’t. It’s all very well for anti maskers to say wear one if you want to, but you aren’t protecting us and with your gung ho behaviour you are a bigger threat than anybody.

The most protective types of masks are FFP2, FFP3 or N95 respirators, followed by medical-grade surgical masks. They protect the wearer. Get those if you're concerned.

Do you really need the government to tell you what’s a “crowded space”? Surely you’re capable of using your own judgment? How can they possibly define every single scenario you might face in your daily life?

How can government comms be so bad that this far into this horror show and people still don't understand what masks do... They protect others from yourself.

Why don't people get this and its usually the ones who don't want too wear a mask who keep saying this.

It's very frustrating, similarly same people who think having a window open in covid times is to do with being hot rather than wanting ventilation and a fresh air source

Peppallama

“Nope. My masks do naff all. They're thin bits of material that have been left in my car in a scrunched up ball. We are still using the same 5 disposable masks we got last summer. They're probably responsible for about 20 new strains of covid that evolved in my glove box.“

Then obviously your masks do naff all.
People who wear FFP3 masks correctly are afforded good protection.