Asked to leave for not wearing a mask

[DuchessOfDisaster]

I've just gone to my book group meeting. I'm mask exempt, and have a cold. Not COVID, we test twice a week at work. I was asked to wear a mask and as I didn't have one offered to leave. The other members said they thought that was best.

It's silly but I feel miffed! Even though I think it's the right thing!

A cold doesn’t affect everyone the same way though - just like Covid doesn’t. Someone might have just a blocked nose but feel fine and then the person they pass it on to gets ‘super cold’ symptoms, and vice versa. By the logic of this thread anyone with a slightly soar throat or someone who’s had to blow their nose just once in the last hour should be staying home from work on the off chance that they pass their cold on to someone who could then be worse affected - that’s ‘Covid thinking’ thinking though - it’s just not feasible to have a Covid approach for every kind of minor infectious illness. A cold is probably also contagious for 10 days - that doesn’t mean we can ask people to stay away for that length of time. If you’re particularly worried, I say wash you hands regularly and continue to wear PPE 🤷‍♀️ I don’t think everyone else can be asked to stay away just because you don’t fancy having cold. It’s not Covid - it’s inconvenient, sure but not life threatening. So take responsibility to protect yourself if you’re that concerned.

It really wasn’t ok precovid to go out with a cold. It made life awful for the vulnerable. Covid just helped the world wake up. Now where I live there are signs telling people that entering the building with any signs of illness is forbidden. People may still ignore the warnings, but it is at least official guidance that those people are doing the wrong thing.

@Igneo

^Apparently in Germany going into work ill with a cold is not acceptable. We should move towards that.^ *People on zero hour contracts who don't get paid if they don't go to work???

Presumably you're not one of those?

It's ridiculous to suggest people take sick leave for a cold*

How about changing things so zero hours contracts aren’t a thing??? Having decent employment rights wouldn’t be ridiculous

OK off you pop then. Fix that first. Suggest how it stars. You start campaigning the government? You feel strongly

Parents having to get days off work every time their child has a cold and is isn't allowed at school.

You've not thought this through most of you

What happened? Pre covid if people took a day off for a cold they'd be given very different advice now. It's mad

it’s just not feasible to have a Covid approach for every kind of minor infectious illness.

👍🏻

But @EarlGreywithLemon - it's not that straightforward though is it? Being exposed to germs can help your immune system. Eg Chickenpox is allowed to circulate in in communities / among children because it helps adults build immunity in children. The NHS website states

Being exposed to chickenpox as an adult (for example, through contact with infected children) boosts your immunity to shingles.
If you vaccinate children against chickenpox, you lose this natural boosting, so immunity in adults will drop and more shingles cases will occur.

There is also some evidence that having colds can help protect you against Covid
www.contagionlive.com/view/the-common-cold-helps-protect-against-covid-19
but this is all at early days

I'm guessing that the "it's just a cold" people don't travel on public transport where people sneezing and coughing spreads germs. Or they don't work with customers or the elderly/vulnerable where coughing and sneezing is both unpleasant and unprofessional.

Book club meetings are not activities that society relies on like having someone who can fix power cuts. So avoiding them if if you're ill is far from reasonable.

Many otc remedies also dry up nasal drip and sneezing pretty easily. Why people don't use it with a cold is beyond me.

From Dr Phil Hammond: If you have symptoms of any infectious respiratory disease, you should minimise human contact irrespective of what your PCR or lateral flow test says. It’s a British tradition to go to work or your GP when you’re shedding billions of virus particles, and it’s time we stopped it.

Beechams all in one is what I took last time I had a bad cold. Dried up the snotty nose so I wasn't dripping everywhere or sneezing at people. Worked a charm. Its an option

Well no-one wants the cold and Lateral Flow Tests are often negative when people are suffering from Covid so YA(definitely)BU.

@MalagaNights

From Dr Phil Hammond: If you have symptoms of any infectious respiratory disease, you should minimise human contact irrespective of what your PCR or lateral flow test says. It’s a British tradition to go to work or your GP when you’re shedding billions of virus particles, and it’s time we stopped it.

Absolutely! it's ridiculous that we have a culture of spreading our respiratory viruses around and putting vulnerable people at risk.

@Mamadothehump

Currently I "just have a cold". Except I took a PCR this week as my child has covid and guess what? So do I! According to ZOE, the most common symptoms to those who are double jabbed are the same as a cold.

Exactly! and Lateral Flow Tests have a high false negative rate so twice weekly testing for work may well not pick up on Covid; only a PCR test would.

@catfunk

YABVVU. catching a cold during a pandemic with all the hassle and worry that comes with it, is not something I'd want to inflict upon other people.

Very valid point. We had a cold in our household, not only did it take weeks to go but we also had to go and get PCR tests as we developed a temperature with it. Negative but a massive hassle due to having to isolate while waiting for the results.

It’s a cold ffs- we’ve dealt with them forever without masks.

Honestly the way some of you go on I think all of this has given you severe health anxiety and a distorted idea of risk. I refuse to wear a mask simply to appease others and their anxiety. You are selfish if you expect others to do so.

@MalagaNights

From Dr Phil Hammond: If you have symptoms of any infectious respiratory disease, you should minimise human contact irrespective of what your PCR or lateral flow test says. It’s a British tradition to go to work or your GP when you’re shedding billions of virus particles, and it’s time we stopped it.

And tough shit to those who don't get paid if they don't work, or are on their fourth isolation of the month with and a final warning from work, and have absolutely no choice but to go in. Until the government ensures sufficient financial help for those in such situations there's no way people will stay home for a cold, however much they're demonised. And given this government's recent actions regarding removing extra covid-era financial help to the poorest in society, I won't hold my breath.

YABVU. It doesn't matter if it's a cold, anyone who catches it will still need to take a PCR and stay home from work/school. You can't just go "Oh but that person I was near had a cold so this is definitely not covid so I will just continue as normal".

The fuck is wrong with people.

@Confiscatedpopit

It’s a cold ffs- we’ve dealt with them forever without masks.

Honestly the way some of you go on I think all of this has given you severe health anxiety and a distorted idea of risk. I refuse to wear a mask simply to appease others and their anxiety. You are selfish if you expect others to do so.

Oh, the fucking insane irony.

@Confiscatedpopit

It’s a cold ffs- we’ve dealt with them forever without masks.

Honestly the way some of you go on I think all of this has given you severe health anxiety and a distorted idea of risk. I refuse to wear a mask simply to appease others and their anxiety. You are selfish if you expect others to do so.

Yes, and we still would be EXCEPT, the present variant presents like a cold if you're vaccinated. So of course you should a) get tested and b) try to prevent spreading it, as for others, having to get tested and stay away from others for a couple of days while they wait for results, can be seriously inconvenient. They could lose money, or possibly miss out on important events like weddings or funerals. I know people who've been in each one of those situations.

JesusIsAnyNameFree- what a fantastic counter argument with some outstanding reasoning. That’s really changed my mind.

Or they could just take a lateral flow test. Or not and get on with things.

@Confiscatedpopit

JesusIsAnyNameFree- what a fantastic counter argument with some outstanding reasoning. That’s really changed my mind.

Or they could just take a lateral flow test. Or not and get on with things.

LFT is not to be used when you are symptomatic, you need to take a PCR.

You are a terribly selfish person.

No I’m really not. I’m not spending the rest of my life locking myself away at home though or getting upset when someone has a sniffle.

@JesusIsAnyNameFree, a cold wo a cough isn’t on the symptoms list for. A. PCR though.

@Confiscatedpopit

No I’m really not. I’m not spending the rest of my life locking myself away at home though or getting upset when someone has a sniffle.

It isn't even the "sniffle" that is upsetting people, it's the fact that they would miss work and school sitting at home waiting for their test results when they aren't allowed to come in without a negative result.

@TravelLost

Which needs to change, as the main symptoms with delta and double vaccination are different to what they used to be. Most people lie and have been told to do so even by medical professionals and end up with positive results.

Misleading title. But you were wrong to go with a cold, and breathe your snotty germs on everyone anyway.

Interesting mix of comments, thank you everyone. I'm going to take a PCR test to be on the safe side - but I went to the pharmacy who seem to think it is probably sinusitis (I have no cough, chestiness or aches, only headcold symptoms and a tightness in my forehead, but that makes breathing difficult).

As for misleading title, perhaps I should change it to "Offered to leave and was taken up on it"!