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.

No shop is going to turn away ANYONE mask or not.

I know there will be someone come along and say 'our cutesy village store demand masks'

Give it a week. This is just day one

I'm a retail manager and we STRONGLY RECOMMEND masks. Do you think stores will have bouncers on the doors now when they never did before?

@Frittataz

No, i actually don’t see the benefit of masks, I never have. I’ll wear one in a clinical setting simply because in my area masks are still a requirement unless you’re exempt.

Then you would be wrong. Ignorance is no excuse for selfish behaviour. There is enough evidence about the benefits of masks. Maybe you should read up on it and protect others.

I really don't understand the ego of some people.

@krystalweedon

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.

Those are 1200 political activists, not mainstream scientists like Chris Whitty.

We either open now, or this time next year.

@Frittataz

I’m not a knob and I don’t care if strangers think that. I’ve done everything I’ve needed to do from the very start to protect my family and complete strangers so I’d like to have. A it of choice for once.

You've been compliant and sensible up to now. None of us have been happy about having to wear masks, but most of us have done so, for different reasons. Some of us, and I assume you are one of them, have complied because Johnson said we should. Others, including me, have worn masks because we used our common sense. I know that masks protect other people from droplets from me. Equally, I don't want to breathe in more droplets from other people than I have to, so I hope that wearing my mask and filter will help me in some small measure too. Today is not a magic date where all danger is gone. Rather the opposite, numbers are sky high. An average of over 48000 new cases a day over the last week. I believe that Johnson's idiotic policy is just for vote garnering, and there will be lots of people hero worshipping "good old Boris" for giving us "are" freedom back,

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

Do we? I envy them.

I don’t know why people keep saying that shops are within their rights to turn people away if they aren’t wearing masks. I mean, I know it’s true, but none of the big shops have said they will, so it’s not really relevant that they can. In all likelihood OP will be perfectly able to walk in without a mask and no one will do anything.

[quote Oceanos]@Willyoujustbequiet I think there's a link between mask refusal and labour voters sadly - it's a shame that people prefer to make a political stance rather than supporting vulnerable people (yet labour is all about supporting vulnerable people isn't it?)[/quote]
Rubbish. Labour voter here who will continue to be wearing a mask in public spaces.

@krystalweedon

I really feel sorry for all the shop staff in England. It is such a small and courteous thing to wear a mask for a few minutes, even though it is not much fun.

I am glad I am in Wales and that Scotland and NI are also being sensible instead of pandering to populism.

Not a few minutes for retail staff.... more like 9 hours in a tin shed that's much hotter than outdoors. No sir con. It's hideous

@starfro

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.

I’m double vaccinated and into my period of full protection. I’ll be wearing masks to protect people who haven’t yet got into that privileged position, and who, because of their job, can’t get away from me or anyone else. Why do they matter less than me?

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!

You conflate two things, the mask, and not wearing it properly. But then anti-maskers are so often lacking in rational argument skills.

Well, you can legally crack on with life without your mask but don't be offended if people look at you like this 👀 and give you a wide berth.

People will assume you are trying to make a statement and that you're an anti vaxxer. At least in the short term.

Well I would rather get it in a couple of years starfro when more is known about it and there might be more treatment options to prevent long covid etc.

@Frittataz. I can't understand the comment about masking up for the GP but going to a cinema without a mask. You're happy to sit in an enclosed space for 2 hours plus next to people who also won't be wearing a mask?

We have a restaurant in our town which has closed their doors because they have so many staff isolating because of Covid, they can't run their kitchens. But, according to the doctors, those people may have been contagious for a couple of days before showing symptoms (which was another couple of days before they did the PCR test presumably).

So I'm assuming you'll mask up in the GP surgery in case that unknowingly contagious waitress or chef is in there. But you're only in there for minutes surely? So where's the danger? Why do you feel the need to mask up?

But if that waitress or chef is now sitting next to you in the cinema, unmasked, for 2 hours plus you're somehow safer? Surely, if they can be contagious without symptoms for a few days, there's more danger in the cinema than in the GP surgery as the waitress/chef is statistically unlikely to be anywhere near a GP or medical place. But they could be in that shop or cinema or restaurant...

@gardeninggirl68 so as a retail manager what would be the consequences for you if an employer died of covid due to an unmasked person / staff member, under the HSE act.

@H65447788888

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

That's a loaded comment with zero context.

I can guess from your language that your on the anti mask side and I am totally fed up of the words used in posts like yours.

Manipulated.
Conditioned.
Scared.
Fear.

I suppose using words like that make you feel that by contrast you, and others like you, are being all big and brave. That's really not the impression you are giving, let me tell you.

As for "wake up".

@Frittataz

No, i actually don’t see the benefit of masks, I never have. I’ll wear one in a clinical setting simply because in my area masks are still a requirement unless you’re exempt.

And why do you think that the medical experts in clinical settings think it's imperative that you wear masks?

@AngelicaElizaAndPeggy

Well, you can legally crack on with life without your mask but don't be offended if people look at you like this 👀 and give you a wide berth.

People will assume you are trying to make a statement and that you're an anti vaxxer. At least in the short term.

People will just assume 'exempt' and get on with their day, they are more likely not to notice

Ridiculous trying to scare people

@ilovesooty not rubbish - it's been stated over and over on multiple threads - you may wear one but several don't purely because they don't like the tories.

@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.

I think you bothered to stick to the rules because it was the law. And before it was the law you were probably scared.

Otherwise, why did you wear a mask last week and not this week?

Purely the legal reasons, right?

I've seen a lot of restaurants and shops post on social media asking people to continue to socially distance and wear masks etc to help protect their livelihoods.

There will be plenty of places that don't have this attitude I'm sure, so I suggest you do your research and stick to those.

[quote Oceanos]@gardeninggirl68 so as a retail manager what would be the consequences for you if an employer died of covid due to an unmasked person / staff member, under the HSE act.[/quote]
I’m not an expert but is that not a bit of a reach? How would you ever prove how the employee caught it?

Popped into a local cafe this morning for a takeout coffee. Everyone wearing a mask except for one person sat at a table eating their breakfast. I'm glad tbh, protects the young, mostly unvaccinated, minimum wage staff. Only a dick to would refuse to wear one in my view (usual caveats about the medically exempt etc etc).

I appreciate it must be awful to wear one for hours on end, you have my sympathy gardeninggirl68

@neveradullmoment99

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!

Then how does a mask stop it? It isn't some kind of magic drive that can filter the much smaller virus particles out my breathe

It’s either following the science and doing all small easy to do no brainer civic duty of care responsibilities mutually beneficial to all OR ignoring science so opting for no risk mitigation measures no vaccination and hoping there is some sort of natural herd immunity. I think the later is not achievable as the virus mutates between each onwards infection and transmission. However the unmasked are I am assuming, epidemiologist with expert knowledge to make sound safety judgements. Otherwise these deliberately unmasked woke are either invincible or happy to prolong the pandemic to be forever a part of the problem and never a small collective part of the solution.

@Frittataz this is the worst place to be asking about masks. The women on here don't seem to understand the 99% survival rate.