Are masks being advised again in general?

[masksagain]

Had a hospital appt yest morning was called beforehand told I had to wear a mask. GP appt yest afternoon and when I arrived told the same thing ? Are masks back. AIBU to be worried about this ?

I don’t know about asymptomatic transmission, but a lot of people believe it can’t be flu if you can get out of bed which is, of course, not true. Like most illnesses there’s a spectrum from mild cold like symptoms to hospitalised or death. So in answer to your question people just wouldn’t mask because they don’t think theyve got it.

That said I phoned the hospital recently and the message on the hold line was don’t come near near if you’ve got a cold-like illness.

I personally didn't enjoy wearing masks very much but if it helps slow down transmission and keeps people well then I'll wear them to do my bit for society.

🙄🙄🙄 They walk among us still

If your glasses are steaming up then your mask isn't working.

I don't really understand why it's relevant what people in Asian countries do. People in some countries believe in homeopathy, some drink ground up rhino horns, but none of that means those things work.

Today i wore a mask into the supermarket
Because i am vunerable myself AND im planning to see an elderly relative this Christmas.
AND i dont want the flu, Covid or any other virus if i can help it

I always thought masks in medical settings made sense - pandemic/epidemic or not. There will pretty much always be vulnerable (and infectious!) people around. I was surprised when they didn't stick around in medical settings after COVID.

So to answer your question, OP, I wouldn't be overly worried - yes, it's already a pretty bad flu outbreak for this time of year but I think there's probably a fairly low threshold for asking people to wear masks, so that in itself isn't a terrible sign.

'Soggy face knickers'.

What you were saying was already immature and daft but now I'm thinking 'not even a grown-up'? Were you actually proud of coming up with that silly, childish phrase?

I don't mind wearing one if I'm asked. If I'm about to go into a full of people place I'll pop one on. But they're not really back like 2020 demanded.

@Delatron

not all jobs can be done from home - businesses cannot all allow work from home! Fed up with these sweeping statements, people work in public facing jobs, they go to work.

Stupidity is sadly celebrated in 2025.

Oh for goodness sake - of course I’m aware that not all jobs can be done at home!

Where possible people shouldn’t be dragging themselves in to the office if it’s easy and appropriate for them to work from home. Better?

God Mumsnet is such hard work these days. It’s obvious what I meant. Yet I need to spell it out!

There is a presenteeism culture and it would be good if that could change a bit. Nobody wants to be in meetings with ill people.

our health board has asked for us to wear them

I think it's a good idea to wear a mask especially in health settings where there may be infectious and/or vulnerable people. It's also a good idea to get a flu vaccine. It seems like a very nasty strain this year and I know a couple of healthy younger people that have been floored by it (one off work for 3 weeks). I also know someone whose elderly aunty has just died from it (she was elderly but not dying before she got the flu).
I am wearing an FFP2 mask in crowded indoor spaces. Don't want to be ill, especially over Christmas.

People who need to go to work when they have cold or flu symptoms need to wear a mask to reduce the spread of the infection. If more people were doing this maybe we wouldn't be in the position we're in now.

People saying you should wear them to the GP because vulnerable people MIGHT be there. Well if they can manage to arrive there, do their food shopping and mill around other places in their life - where no one is wearing a mask - then why does it suddenly become a priority at a GP?

GP/nursing service would do a home visit if it was someone that vulnerable.

I disagree with having to wear masks in medical settings. It may be no bother to wear one for a short appointment, but wearing a mask all day everyday when at work is a nuisance and shouldn't be lumped into the easy infection control measures of more accessible hand sanitiser.

Did they ask you to wash your hands? I tend to think that, if you aren't symptomatic of something, then it's pointless to wear a face covering; it seems particularly pointless if they're not pushing hand hygiene to an equal (indeed more important) degree.
If I sneeze, I do so into the crook of my elbow (always), and I do the same if I cough.

I think face coverings have become an easy cop out for clinical settings to 'appear' as though they're taking infection control seriously.

If I'm symptomatic of something, I stay at home. It does irritate me now (in a way it never did pre 2020) to see people out and about with hacking coughs. Stay at home! There is virtually nothing that can't be delivered to your front door.

@Pavementworrier I never heard "Soggy face knickers" - I heard "face nappies" a lot. I might have used the term myself, from time to time. Reportedly, poor old Boris had to be nudged by his own behavioural squad into wearing a face nappy in public - he was shown a montage of world leaders, all with soggy face knickers, then a picture of himself, without one. It seems that a face nappy was the emblem of a good world leader.

The thing about wearing a mask, is that it protects the vulnerable. If wearing a mask doesn't bother you, why wouldn't you do so in order to protect the vulnerable?

If your only concern is that the current flu/covid outbreak is serious and may affect you, surely you'd want to wear a mask to help protect yourself?

Either way, a mask can only be beneficial to you/others, so if you're worried, the logical thing is to just wear one.

No masks are not back but are being requested in some NHS settings due to the high number of flu cases.
YABU to worry as it won’t affect your day to day life.

The flu going round is particularly nasty. It's floored my young niece and SIL, they're still not fully fit 2 months on.

My father passed away 3 days after getting flu.

Masks in medical settings seem to be to be common sense at the moment.

Get a fucking grip.

The masks we generally have don’t give much protection to the vulnerable. They aren’t the right quality. Better advice would be not to go to the appointment if you are ill!