Ditching my mask from today except for in hospital settings

[Frittataz]

Clearly this is fine legally speaking but AIBU to expect not to be asked to wear a mask from today onwards? I’ll wear one when attending hospital/doctors appointments but that’s it that’s were i draw the line. I shouldn’t be expected to explain myself right? I’ve wore a mask from the beginning and stuck to every rule. I won’t be rushing out to go to nightclubs as I didn’t do that before covid and i don’t suddenly feel the need to surround myself (closely) with lots of other people but I am looking forward to taking my daughter shopping and going to the cinema without having to wear a mask.

Some shop workers are frightened of people without masks. Nobody wants to wear masks! Be kind.

Shops can have individual policies on how they wish their customers to present and behave, though?

Yes they can and do.
You can’t walk round Tesco in a bikini or beachwear, men can’t go in bare chested or in their favourite speedos.
Many nightclubs have a dress code as do high end restaurants.
If they decide they would like you to wear a mask, you wear a mask.

As the number of infections sky-rockets, the number of patients in intensive care increases. Covid patients occupy intensive care beds for a lot longer than post-operative patients. Eventually, probably in the next couple of months, we get to the point when the NHS is unable to carry out any major surgery, so the waiting lists get even bigger and we are heading for another lockdown. We all have a vested interest in trying to stop this happening. Wearing a mask and taking care over hygiene and social distancing are just small things that everyone, or nearly everyone, can do.

@Frittataz

I see why you might think I’m entitled but if that’s the case why would I have bothered to stick to the rules from the start? If I was genuinely entitled then I could have (easily) lied stated I was exempt and not wore a mask, I could have continued to visit my family, including my two elderly grandparents, I could have refused to put my dc through the hassle of weekly covid tests etc etc. I’m not an arsehole, I’ve done what I was required to do from the start, but I’ve simply had enough now.

This sounds pretty entitled to me- I.e. "I've been good for a while, so now I'm entitled to whatever I want because I'm sick of being good" I used to do this as a kid after I stayed with my nan for a week in the summer, I would be a terror for a week when I got home and my defence when called out on my behaviour by my mum was "but I was good for granny for a whole week". I was about 6. I grew out of it.

Really? Do what you want but this argument has so much logic lacking I'm more judging your critical thinking skills than anything else.

I'd be surprised if there isn't a U-turn on "freedom day". So enjoy not wearing a mask for a short period of time if it makes you happy. I'm in the UK not England masks are still required. I don't see the big deal in wearing one but I think once people have been told they don't need to wear one it will be really difficult to reinforce it in the not too distant future.

@Tanith

I’m “gently” asking parents to continue to wear one when they drop off their child.

Since many of them have “gently” ignored that request to date, I expect they will continue to “gently” ignore it, just as parents at the school have “gently” ignored social distancing requests.

I’m treating this “gently” claim with a good deal of scepticism, by the way, because the Mouth-Almighties on our local FB are anything but gentle in their assertions.

We've got to pick up our grandchildren from school 3 times this week and will be wearing masks when we do. No idea what the school rules are, but knowing the school I suspect mask wearing will be strongly encouraged. Due to the layout of the grounds social distancing is impossible.

I've been to the shops this morning, and nearly everyone is still wearing a mask.

A very small handful were not.

@Frittataz

But they’re not a legal requirement and if I am asked to wear one in shops I will gently remind them of that.

Then you need to prepare for the fact you may be gently turned away. Private businesses can decide who they want to serve regardless of how you or anyone else may feel.

"Gently remind them"

As you've been told repeatedly already, but have failed to comprehend, businesses providing products and services can set their own terms on which they engage with customers, as long as these aren't discriminatory and don't break any other laws. Asking you to wear a mask doesn't trigger any of that - so they're entirely within their rights to ask you to do so (unless you have an exemption due to disability, which is why that carve-out has always been there).

It's not a legal requirement for an adult to be over 4 feet tall, but Alton Towers might still require you to be over 4 feet tall to access some of their rides, for health and safety reasons.

Either mask up, shop elsewhere, or make yourself truly inwardly proud by falsely claiming a disability exemption.

I find it an interesting coincidence that you can't understand this basic legal position, and also that you should choose not to wear a mask in a situation that's not exactly arduous for someone who doesn't require an exemption.....

I think YABU but I don’t think you care. That said, I wouldn’t get smug just yet - I think you’ll be required to wear your mask again within 4-6 weeks.

They really should have kept face covers and SD mandatory until this current surge at least plateaus.

On a thread yesterday a shop worker was saying how some sanitising stations were being removed and stickers for SD taken up. I mean why fgs!! Protect the shop workers if nothing else 🙄.

@Bagelsandbrie

You won’t be able to go into lots of shops without one as many are still requiring one for entry.

Shops near me haven’t enforced mask wearing for weeks, I truly doubt they’ll start now.

@H65447788888

What a sad world we live in now , you have all been manipulated!!!!!!

How have I been manipulated?

I wear a mask but there's a good chance it reduces transmission. The exact stats are limited, bit there's definitely more evidence they reduce it than increase it. At worst they're neutral. They pose no risk to me wearing one. it's no hardship for me to wear one. I'm not being asked to cut of a limb or do anything vaguely detrimental to my wellbeing.

I find it strange that despite mask wearing rates rising yet people assume that wearing one will stop you getting covid . MEDICAL grade masks work a flimsy bit of fabric over the face doesn't - it is virtue signalling and pointless but keeps some zealots happy

Yes shops and other establishments can make their own rules up, but as others have already pointed out, many are on their knees and won’t want to risk losing customers by making it mandatory to wear a mask.

On a money podcast last week, they interviewed 2 small businesses, a cafe and a cinema, both in a town in my county.

The cafe owner said that they had only months left to stay afloat (family business, established a long time) if business didn’t pick up from today. She had had one customer by lunchtime on the day of the interview.

She said she couldn’t wait to have more customers in when social distancing rules changed, and to be able to chat to them properly without masks in the way.

I can’t see her refusing someone entry and am sure many other business owners will feel the same.

Op, you are getting a hard time here, but then MN is a weird place. There are many people who will stop wearing masks (myself included) and that is despite me having a DC working in retail. She is choosing to carry on wearing them but has been told it is not mandatory (major supermarket chain) so I can’t see her employer stopping customers without them.

I won’t be wearing one. If I’m asked I’ll be going elsewhere unless they can explain to me a very good reason why I should- e.g it’s a very small shop with a vulnerable staff member. The onus isn’t on me to explain my choice in not wearing one anymore.

Most of the people worried have been working from home for the last 16 months or retired anyway. Time to get back to normal and live with it.

@H65447788888

Wake up!

BINGO!

@Confiscatedpopit

I won’t be wearing one. If I’m asked I’ll be going elsewhere unless they can explain to me a very good reason why I should- e.g it’s a very small shop with a vulnerable staff member. The onus isn’t on me to explain my choice in not wearing one anymore.

Most of the people worried have been working from home for the last 16 months or retired anyway. Time to get back to normal and live with it.

I'm retired and won't be wearing one

I fully expected to walk into my local shopping center and Sainsbury's this morning and people not be wearing mask, but there was not one person who wasn't wearing a mask!

@Pissinthepottyplease

Try rephrasing it OP “I am unreasonable to say fuck the lives of those adults and children who are ECV a who are unable to have the vaccine because I would rather not wear a face mask?”

Do you seriously believe that someone wearing a bit of flimsy fabric in many cases not properly fitted and often under the nose will actually stop someone with ECV getting covid - I mean SERIOUSLY! If only it was that simple!

From today if I see someone official heading towards me I will be saying along the lines of I don't need help. Shops won't be refusing customers. Of course there will be those who act on impulse just like they did when the law came in, and they will back off because not only is it no longer legal there's also the discrimination part.
Despite many retailers having a no mask no entry poster/sticker they still allowed us unmasked in.

There are poorly people in hospital who are genuinely vulnerable so in this instance I don’t mind wearing a mask,

There are poorly people outside hospital who are genuinely vulnerable. So can we assume you'll go back to wearing masks?

You are aware that over 1,200 scientists around the world think the UK’s England's unlocking/freedom day is nuts??

The rest of the UK also think that England is nuts.

People need to understand that everyone will catch Covid multiple times throughout their lifetime. Get jabbed, protect yourself and get on with life.

If people want to wear masks fine, and I will to start with, but the idea you won't catch Covid at some point is just nonsense.

You are totally selfish. You have no regard for anyone else apart from yourself.
At the very least, you will put the shop workers at risk. It is an airborne virus that can spread through particles that people breath out. Wake up!