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AIBU?

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Original poster

Asked to leave for not wearing a mask

502 replies

DuchessOfDisaster · 16/10/2021 11:11

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!

OP posts:
knittingaddict · 16/10/2021 19:04

@DrCoconut

I get dreadful coughs after a cold. They last months. I ended up being sent for x rays and then a CT scan as I just could shake off the last one. My GP thinks it's connected to my autoimmune issues. So I'm dreading winter and being infected at work. Same for DS2, he's asthmatic and things go to his chest easily. People with colds should stay at home. Did soldiering on, keep it to yourself! (I know taking sick leave is difficult for some people and this needs to change so no one is penalised for genuine illness).
Me too. Every cold I get always goes to my chest and I end up coughing and wheezing for weeks. I hope covid has taught us that protecting others from a virus is the kind thing to do. Stay home or wear a mask and keep your distance.
knittingaddict · 16/10/2021 19:05

@DuchessOfDisaster

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"!

My son in law had head cold symptoms and took a PCR test to be on the safe side. It was covid.
LoveFall · 16/10/2021 19:10

People go to work with a cold. Even that really bothers me because if I get one it's likely I will end up off sick with bronchitis because I have bad asthma.

But it is just a fact of life.

Going to an optional hobby type gathering is completely different. Couldn't you dial in?

As others have said, no one wants your cold.

DarlingFell · 16/10/2021 19:14

@Traveller3367

I'm sick of hearing this self diagnosed "mask exempt" bullshit! Speaking to medics, they have made it pretty clear to me that unless u have a physical deformity or severe mental health problem that means you can't wear a mask or face covering (think deformed jaw, severe learning disability etc) then there is no such thing as mask exempt. I'm glad Brits abroad are learning this the hard way and wish the British justice system grew a pair to tackle this mask exempt selfish bullshit.
Totally agree. We were in Barcelona a few weeks ago. EVERYONE was wearing masks. We were in France a couple of weeks ago, EVERYONE was wearing masks. How come none of those people have the myriad of mental and physical conditions that prevent them from wearing masks that seem to be SO prevalent in the UK Hmm
saraclara · 16/10/2021 19:57

I went to visit my oldest friends a couple of months ago. Very healthy, fit people. As I was leaving, on their hall table I saw two sunflower lanyards. I can't help but think less of them now.

And no, there is no-one in their wider family with any conditions at all. No old people, no asthmatics, nothing. I've known then for forty years, and they're very open about health, both physical and mental. No way do they both have a reason to wear a lanyard and no mask (and of course back then masks were still required).

OrangeSamphire · 16/10/2021 20:15

Totally agree. We were in Barcelona a few weeks ago. EVERYONE was wearing masks. We were in France a couple of weeks ago, EVERYONE was wearing masks. How come none of those people have the myriad of mental and physical conditions that prevent them from wearing masks that seem to be SO prevalent in the UK

I can't speak for Spain @DarlingFell as I'm not as familiar with the culture but in France hidden disabilities are still poorly understood. Culturally years behind the UK in terms of disability inclusion in general. There are still hundreds of thousands of disabled children and adults living in institutions, for example.

TheVampiresWife · 16/10/2021 21:20

@Traveller3367 have you heard of trigeminal neuralgia?

Hairbrush123 · 17/10/2021 02:17

I’ve just returned home from Canada and they don’t appear to have mask exemptions there. Everyone must wear one otherwise you’re not allowed in shops/museums/attractions etc so this rubbish about exemptions in the UK is silly.

OP, perhaps pre-covid this would have been ok but not right now. Was it a lateral flow test or PCR? LFT are known to be less accurate.

UsedUpUsername · 17/10/2021 05:51

Totally agree. We were in Barcelona a few weeks ago. EVERYONE was wearing masks. We were in France a couple of weeks ago, EVERYONE was wearing masks. How come none of those people have the myriad of mental and physical conditions that prevent them from wearing masks that seem to be SO prevalent in the UK

So what? Majority never wore masks in Sweden and it’s fine. They mask toddlers in America and it’s not fine.

Almost like …. there’s no correlation 🤔

UsedUpUsername · 17/10/2021 05:55

I went to visit my oldest friends a couple of months ago. Very healthy, fit people. As I was leaving, on their hall table I saw two sunflower lanyards. I can't help but think less of them now

Says more about you than them really. Irrational rules should not be followed when possible.

SaltySheepdog · 17/10/2021 06:00

It sounds like you’ve a bad cold rather then a mild cold. There is quite a difference with bad colds bordering on flu type symptoms

JesusIsAnyNameFree · 17/10/2021 06:18

@UsedUpUsername

Totally agree. We were in Barcelona a few weeks ago. EVERYONE was wearing masks. We were in France a couple of weeks ago, EVERYONE was wearing masks. How come none of those people have the myriad of mental and physical conditions that prevent them from wearing masks that seem to be SO prevalent in the UK

So what? Majority never wore masks in Sweden and it’s fine. They mask toddlers in America and it’s not fine.

Almost like …. there’s no correlation 🤔

I wouldn't use Sweden as an example here. Swedes are well known for giving each other a wide berth outside of pandemic times. Their regular 2 metre rule turned into a 4 metre rule once covid hit.
girlmom21 · 17/10/2021 07:46

So what? Majority never wore masks in Sweden and it’s fine. They mask toddlers in America and it’s not fine.

But they're not arguing about not wearing masks. They're saying that nobody in Barcelona was 'medically exempt'. Whether people in Sweden chose to wear them in irrelevant.

TravelLost · 17/10/2021 08:26

@UsedUpUsername, how do you explain why there is such a high level of covid cases, hospitalisations and deaths in the U.K. when it’s not the case in France, Italy, Spain etc…?

What do you think explain the situation where we are in if it’s not for masks?

FWIW children in France have such an issue with masks that they forget to take them off when they come out of school.
And they don’t get ill in the same numbers than the U.K., which means less cases of long covid than here. They’ve had fewer lockdowns and children were able to go to school rather than being in constant self isolation because the bubble had burst.
I don’t know but I think that’s better.

TravelLost · 17/10/2021 08:31

Well the situation n the US is extremely variable. Some states ask for toddlers to wear a mask, others have hardly any mask policy. Some states have a high intake of vaccination, others don’t.
And fwiw their number of deaths per millions is still lower than ours Hmm.

knittingaddict · 17/10/2021 09:06

@UsedUpUsername

I went to visit my oldest friends a couple of months ago. Very healthy, fit people. As I was leaving, on their hall table I saw two sunflower lanyards. I can't help but think less of them now

Says more about you than them really. Irrational rules should not be followed when possible.

But the benefits of wearing a mask are rational. Personally I consider those who refuse to wear them to be irrational.

I went to a big shopping centre and Ikea yesterday. I was surprised at just how many were wearing masks - at least 50%.

UsedUpUsername · 17/10/2021 09:19

how do you explain why there is such a high level of covid cases, hospitalisations and deaths in the U.K. when it’s not the case in France, Italy, Spain

How do you explain the high level of cases and deaths in the Czech Republic, where they went first in EU with mask mandates? Still very harsh mandates there. Yet still higher death rates than the UK.

Scandinavia accomplished this without harsh or long-lasting mask mandates, to the extent that Norwegian is dropping mask wearing on flights in the region. Hope to see more of this tbh

What do you think explain the situation where we are in if it’s not for masks?

Could be any number of factors: fatter population, worse health service, higher numbers of unvaxxed. Look at Singapore, where you’ve got to be masked just to go outside for a jog with exploding cases in the last weeks.

FWIW children in France have such an issue with masks that they forget to take them off when they come out of school

All children in France? Really?

And they don’t get ill in the same numbers than the U.K., which means less cases of long covid than here. They’ve had fewer lockdowns and children were able to go to school rather than being in constant self isolation because the bubble had burst

What disrupts children’s education are the dumb bubble policies. If a child is sick, they don’t go to school. Anything more is just ridiculous.

UsedUpUsername · 17/10/2021 09:22

But the benefits of wearing a mask are rational. Personally I consider those who refuse to wear them to be irrational

Wearing a mask is only rational if you are actively sick. Requiring healthy people to wear them is silly.

I went to a big shopping centre and Ikea yesterday. I was surprised at just how many were wearing masks - at least 50%

Good, people who want to wear them can, those who don’t can ignore. It’s best this way, no?

MyrrAgain · 17/10/2021 09:32

You're not exempt.
You're not immune
people are just selfish, minimising for thinking "exemption" means immunity or you can't spread it. If you think you're so special to not inconvenience yourself with a mask when holding a stinking cold then no advice on here is going to change a self absorbed opinion.

33goingon64 · 17/10/2021 09:35

YABU to go to book club with a cold.

Rainbowsew · 17/10/2021 10:07

You offered to leave...

Underhisi · 17/10/2021 10:57

"We were in Barcelona a few weeks ago. EVERYONE was wearing masks. We were in France a couple of weeks ago, EVERYONE was wearing masks."

Do you actually think EVERYONE in Spain and France can wear a mask?

"What do you think explain the situation where we are in if it’s not for masks?"

The government locking down too late because they were going for herd immunity, the NHS being run down for years contributing to an unhealthy middle and old aged population and fully opening up before other countries will come higher up the list of reasons than masks.

user1471447863 · 17/10/2021 11:36

If we were at war there would be a hell of a lot of people suddenly discover that they can wear a (gas)mask.
The vast majority of the i'm exempt brigade are taking the piss or severely deluded as to their capabilities

Underhisi · 17/10/2021 11:54

"If we were at war there would be a hell of a lot of people suddenly discover that they can wear a (gas)mask.
The vast majority of the i'm exempt brigade are taking the piss or severely deluded as to their capabilities"

If ds was pinned down and sedated a mask could probably be kept on him and in some situations that might be deemed reasonable ( he has had that before surgery) but in the current situation it is not.

MalagaNights · 17/10/2021 14:44

Why are we still arguing around mask exemptions? No one is required to wear one anymore. It's personal choice.

I choose not to.

But if there was a gas attack I would wear a gas mask.

I feel my position is pretty rational.