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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Face Masks

403 replies

alltheapples · 28/02/2022 14:36

AIBU to think nearly everyone has stopped wearing them?

At the weekend we visited a local tourist attráction, went swimming, went to the pub, went for a meal out, and went shopping. During this I saw no more than a handful of people wearing a mask?

OP posts:
YvanEhtNiojYvanEhtNioj · 04/03/2022 15:26

Haven't RTFT yet, have we had the obligatory,
"Gosh, well everyone in my local Waitrose is still wearing them" and
"I still wear my mask op because I'm not a selfish twat"?

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 04/03/2022 15:28

@YvanEhtNiojYvanEhtNioj

Haven't RTFT yet, have we had the obligatory, "Gosh, well everyone in my local Waitrose is still wearing them" and "I still wear my mask op because I'm not a selfish twat"?
Over and over again
Chessie678 · 04/03/2022 15:34

I don’t really understand why the onus is on other people to wear a mask any more. If you want protection from covid you can get masks which provide fairly strong protection. The only controlled trial I have read on cloth masks found that they reduced transmission by around 7% over a period of time (and there are real issues as to whether that number was statistically significant). That is likely lower with omicron because it is more transmissible. Whether or not someone wears a cloth mask in a supermarket is going to be negligible in terms of its impact on the spread of omicron and judging by the comparison between England, Scotland and Wales doesn’t show up in the data at all.

So why rely on someone else wearing something which provides minimal protection when you can protect yourself if you want to.

ilovesooty · 04/03/2022 15:34

It's not going to be smelly if you wash or replace it (before the fibres unravel). I'm certainly not going to worry about the sensitivities of people who seem to be incapable of wearing a mask hygienically.

ilovesooty · 04/03/2022 15:39

And since masks are no longer obligatory people can of course choose not to wear them any more in most settings.

Just quit whining and moaning at people making a different choice.

Eloise666 · 04/03/2022 15:51

People wore them when it was mandatory, but as soon as it’s not they’ve been discarded. The cloth ones are ineffective in any respect - did you expect them to be worn by choice ongoing?

Most people aren’t concerned about covid by this stage (or for some time) so there’s no motivation to continue with a performative charade just to sate the frothing fury of any wannabe no-mask-shamers/hardline lockdowners potentially verbally attacking you etc.

Personally I can’t breathe in them, so it’s great to be able to walk around the supermarket normally finally, instead of having to rush in and out in a mask ASAP.

Anonymous48 · 04/03/2022 16:21

@Tzimi

"Well, presumably because I've worn it a lot? I also find that the fibres unravel and constantly irritate my nose, so it's no wonder I want to throw the bloody things away!"

Which brings me back to my original point: what kind of crappy face mask have you been wearing this whole time, and why - in two years - did you make no effort to find one that works better?

The mask I have been wearing the most since April 2020 is made of a kind of t-shirt material. It's soft, the fibres don't unravel, it fits my face well, and is able to be washed frequently so it doesn't get smelly.

a12356777 · 04/03/2022 16:39

I’m shocked at people still wearing them …there really is no point

Anonymous48 · 04/03/2022 16:45

@a12356777

I’m shocked at people still wearing them …there really is no point
Yeah, there really is a point, depending on where you are.

www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html

knittingaddict · 04/03/2022 16:45

@DontBuyANewMumCashmere

Loads of fuckers wearing them in my town. Grin I'm done with it all tbh but I do wear them when I feel under social pressure to wear them! Blush

Today will be the first pick up where we've been told we don't have to wear masks so I'll be interested to see who still wears them. (We stay outside and socially distance so I can't feel too embarrassed about not wearing them in this case.)

Nice. Hmm

What harm are they doing to you if they keep wearing a mask? You have no idea what circumstances or health conditions they have. I have to visit my elderly sick relatives. If I keep wearing a mask inside why would that offend you?

KatRee · 04/03/2022 16:45

Regarding the effectiveness of different types of masks, I found this quite interesting (bit sad like that). It's from an article published in Spanish newspaper El País, it says the source is the CDC in the US. Sorry it's in Spanish, but pictures and numbers pretty self-explanatory.
I assume the transmission rates are dependent on masks being worn correctly and not re-used

Face Masks
a12356777 · 04/03/2022 16:51

@Anonymous48

Not reading that rubbish , it’s over , there’s no more masks no more isolation it’s time people accepted this and stop living in fear..that’s a sad life.

Parker231 · 04/03/2022 16:55

[quote a12356777]@Anonymous48

Not reading that rubbish , it’s over , there’s no more masks no more isolation it’s time people accepted this and stop living in fear..that’s a sad life.[/quote]
Who’s living in fear - I never have even when DH was working a a doctor on a Covid ward. Doesn’t stop me wearing a mask.

Anonymous48 · 04/03/2022 17:01

[quote a12356777]@Anonymous48

Not reading that rubbish , it’s over , there’s no more masks no more isolation it’s time people accepted this and stop living in fear..that’s a sad life.[/quote]
Well if you're someone who thinks the guidance that both the WHO and the CDC publish is rubbish, there's not much point me trying to have a sensible conversation with you.

But I did want to say that I'm not living in fear at all. I have been travelling and socializing and enjoying my life. However you are mistaken when you say that the pandemic is over.

Tzimi · 04/03/2022 17:08

[quote Anonymous48]@Tzimi

"Well, presumably because I've worn it a lot? I also find that the fibres unravel and constantly irritate my nose, so it's no wonder I want to throw the bloody things away!"

Which brings me back to my original point: what kind of crappy face mask have you been wearing this whole time, and why - in two years - did you make no effort to find one that works better?

The mask I have been wearing the most since April 2020 is made of a kind of t-shirt material. It's soft, the fibres don't unravel, it fits my face well, and is able to be washed frequently so it doesn't get smelly.[/quote]
I just got the cheapest ones I could find & tried to make them last as long as possible.

BatshitCrazyWoman · 04/03/2022 17:13

My workplace still requires masks to be worn while moving round the office.

Anonymous48 · 04/03/2022 17:18

@Tzimi

I just got the cheapest ones I could find & tried to make them last as long as possible.

Well there's your mistake.

ilovesooty · 04/03/2022 17:20

[quote Anonymous48]@Tzimi

I just got the cheapest ones I could find & tried to make them last as long as possible.

Well there's your mistake.[/quote]
As I said - some people are seemingly incapable of wearing a mask hygienically.

WhackingPhoenix · 04/03/2022 17:22

I’ve had Covid twice and I have to wear a face mask up to 13 hours a day at work, I’m sure as hell not wearing one the rest of my time as well.

bumblefeline · 04/03/2022 17:23

Hardly anyone in Ikea the other day. I have stopped now, mainly due to posts on here and I'm very selfish and have a low IQ.

Tzimi · 04/03/2022 17:56

@ilovesooty "Well there's your mistake."

Look, I don't believe in wearing masks, I only wear them when I have to. I'm neither thick nor selfish, I just don't like wearing them. I'm certainly not going to spend good money on a premium mask, just to line someone else's pockets!

Rummikub · 04/03/2022 17:58

You could’ve made a gusset 😷

Anonymous48 · 04/03/2022 18:30

[quote Tzimi]@ilovesooty "Well there's your mistake."

Look, I don't believe in wearing masks, I only wear them when I have to. I'm neither thick nor selfish, I just don't like wearing them. I'm certainly not going to spend good money on a premium mask, just to line someone else's pockets![/quote]
Thank you. At least now we have reached the crux of the matter, that you don't believe in masks. Nothing to do with them being smelly or uncomfortable.

Yoyokitten · 04/03/2022 18:36

I'm still wearing them. I've got Covid at the moment and wouldn't wish this on anyone. Day 14 and I feel worse not better

AnnieSnap · 04/03/2022 19:44

[quote GreenFingersWouldBeHandy]@AllThingsServeTheBeam

Three of my friends died and one is now registered as disabled. So iI'll be offended as long as I want to, thanks.

Not everyone has the same experience.

Obviously not.[/quote]
Sorry to read about your friends. That’s so awful 😞