Well, well, well face masks mandatory on public transport now

[Cherryghost]

It's now mandatory to wear face mask on public transport with exceptions for disability, young children etc.
This should have been done ages ago.
They also admitting face masks offers some protection

@JingsMahBucket I wouldn’t be wearing one at work and I won’t be going in physical shops for a while yet, so I wouldn’t need to wear it all day. I believe it reduces the effect if they get damp anyway.
I’m not remotely bothered about bagging up a used mask and carrying it around, so it’s not a problem.

Why are posters going on about loss of freedom/civil rights etc. What a load of rubbish. Wearing a face covering could help reduce the transmission and save someone else - grow up or don’t use public transport being told what you have to wear or face a fine is the start of freedoms slowly being erased. When will the requirement be lifted ? Surely we could stop the flu if we were made to always wear masks, shave heads to stop nits. As I’ve said tirelessly covid isn’t going anywhere so I just have to accept for evermore the government can tell me what to wear, where to go and track me ?

London in Tuesday this week was hot. People were queueing up for public transport wearing masks. People were touching rails, seats etc. Hands were constantly being transferred from breathed on part of mask to adjust or remove for a moment to cool the face, to rails/other surfaces and then back again. I was initially a bit scathing but I found myself having to adjust my own mask as the heat was so bad. I wasn't on public transport luckily. Masks were presumably also getting damp with exhalation , sweat etc.

It will be worse as it gets hotter and public transport gets busier. I am not saying this is a reason not to use them, just saying that it might be an idea to think about anything that could be done to mitigate those issues.

@JingsMahBucket are you saying that it only takes 30 seconds to wash your mask? I can’t imagine that being enough time.

The worry I have about masks is that they make people touch their face with dirty hands to adjust them and take them off. I don’t think people should be slipping them up and down to take drinks etc as the outside of the mask should not be touched unnecessarily. I watched a woman with gloves on pushing the shopping trolley and then putting her mask on just before she went into the shop. Gloves by that point contaminated by the trolley and then touching her face.

@jings like I said just be good to publish a safe use guide etc as like you do a quick soak may be ample and just advice on how to use as safe as possible , it wouldn't be hard to print a quick guide
I just hope they aren't here to stay as they aren't the most comfortable to wear and I'm not keen on things over my face and nose either why I can't try diving , I did buy some cotton ones though incase compulsory and if I went on public transport I would also use ( hate throw away ones as undoing all recycling we have done )
Just people that wear them around where I am haven't got a clue and I've seen them remove to sneeze and cough ??!!!

Call me unreasonable but I really get concerned when anyone thinks it's a good idea for certain sections of society to identify themselves by wearing some kind of label.

Well if they don't identify themselves they run the risk of conflict with passengers or guards or drivers. So it's whether they'd prefer to wear a badge or run that risk.

We've got nearly a fortnight in place for GP letters to be sent so people could carry that with them instead, but you still stand to be verbally attacked over it if you don't wear one.

It's not ideal but we're in a pandemic. Needs must.

@Pelleas

I predict that Mumsnet will be soon be full of the following threads :

AIBU not to wear a mask
AIBU to think they should have been wearing masks
AIBU to have told someone off for not wearing a mask
AIBU to be upset because I was told off for not wearing a mask
AIBU to make my children wear masks
AIBU not to make my children wear masks
AIBU to be embarrassed by DH's refusal to wear a mask
AIBU to ask whether you'd prefer spots, stripes or flowers on a mask

😂

Let's add

AIBU to be fumming (sic) with NDN for catching the bus without a mask
AIBU to be literally screaming and crying because I was told off by an old person (I am really, honestly not ageist) for not wearing a mask when I have a mask phobia
AIBU to say my NDN shouldn't park near my drive because he doesn't have a mask and so probably abuses his wife and doesn't care that PEOPLE ARE DYING.

Then we will probably have covered all possible scenarios.

While we're at it, the "new normal" can bugger off. I'll have the old normal back, thanks.

I also think that masks are filthy. If I have to catch a train, I'll make a token gesture and take a silk scarf which I can produce at the relevant moment.

The whole thing is a complete farce.

Well this sounds like a great way to live where I have to show some TfL jobs worth ticket inspector my private medical notes to avoid being fined.

@EggysMom how about cutting them into strips & making a bath mat (joking but I know what you mean - we won't have to buy a bin liner for years & I am sure someone will tell me I shouldn't be using them-alternatively maybe I could use them as roof insulation - god knows there is enough of them or using them for collecting all the garden rubbish that we cant get a reservation to take to the tip yet)

Here is a very easy mask you can make with just a sock.

metro.co.uk/2020/05/18/how-make-face-mask-sock-12718848/

@Bornlazy
@JingsMahBucket are you saying that it only takes 30 seconds to wash your mask? I can’t imagine that being enough time.

No, not at all. What I meant is the routine takes only 30 seconds. Take off your mask, dump it in the sink and fill the sink with detergent and hot water. :)

So it's whether they'd prefer to wear a badge or run that risk

Badges...yikes. Now what does that remind us of?

Why has it taken so long? ....

Reads thread, sees objections, outcry, counter arguments, arguments in general and sarcastic eye rolling...

Ohhhh that's why 😂 because it cause a bun fight of epic proportions, one that probably went on for weeks behind closed doors. 🤷🏻‍♀️

& where are these volunteers coming from? I have images of rogue volunteers beating up people who don't cover up or people beating up said volunteers. Yep I am really optimistic this will work without a hitch.

Agree with you OP.
This should have been done at the start.

@formerbabe

So it's whether they'd prefer to wear a badge or run that risk

Badges...yikes. Now what does that remind us of?

Blue peter?

Come on, let’s not evoke Godwin’s.

@phoebesphalange How many years were people expected to carry gas masks for after the war? Oh, they weren’t.
New normal!

This combined with the fact the U.K. now owns my organs too, I think we should all be more concerned!

yes, you do have to wash them after every wear

well... technically you don't. It's not legally enforceable, anyway. My teens rely on public transport. not sure I could rely on grubby DS to wash anything, if I'm honest!!

Badges...yikes. Now what does that remind us of?

Quite. Let's hope they are square, at least? It's a scary road we're going down.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

This combined with the fact the U.K. now owns my organs too, I think we should all be more concerned!

Yes, I've personally lost count of the number of times I've woken up from a nap and the bloody government have taken another organ! Bastards. I'm down to just my gallbladder.

When we were in Vietnam an airport security guy told my DH off for not wearing his mask properly. He said "Wear your mask man, it will save your life!" Not saying masks are the only cure to this but Vietnam's numbers have remained low and I think it's a combination of things like excellent hygiene, with wearing a mask especially on public transport...they just had a great attitude to this.

those who are unable to tolerate a normal mask - try a full face snorkel mask, just removed the coloured funnel part at the end. Many people happily wear them for hours. Easy to wash - but you can spray them with disinfectant at work to wear on the journey home.

@MadameMarie

Call me unreasonable but I really get concerned when anyone thinks it's a good idea for certain sections of society to identify themselves by wearing some kind of label.

Well if they don't identify themselves they run the risk of conflict with passengers or guards or drivers. So it's whether they'd prefer to wear a badge or run that risk.

We've got nearly a fortnight in place for GP letters to be sent so people could carry that with them instead, but you still stand to be verbally attacked over it if you don't wear one.

It's not ideal but we're in a pandemic. Needs must.

Wear a badge or be verbally attacked - or worse - by random members of the public. And you think that can be excused because there's a pandemic?

I have no problem with carrying an exemption card to show to people who have a right to ask to see it. Like hell will I wear a marker to appease the venomous, hate- filled mob on this thread and the others of their kind. This is not 1930's Germany although it's clear many would like it to be.

@strugglingwithdeciding
@jings like I said just be good to publish a safe use guide etc as like you do a quick soak may be ample and just advice on how to use as safe as possible , it wouldn't be hard to print a quick guide

I can totally see that. Where I live, there were lots of videos by scientists, local governments, and key celebrities (who are good influences on people) showing people how to use masks properly. Not everyone wears them perfectly but again, it's still better than nobody wearing them for months on end.

I just hope they aren't here to stay as they aren't the most comfortable to wear and I'm not keen on things over my face and nose either why I can't try diving , I did buy some cotton ones though incase compulsory and if I went on public transport I would also use ( hate throw away ones as undoing all recycling we have done )

I hear you and I don't think they're here to stay for a long time. Quite possibly to the end of year maybe? This will especially be to mitigate flu season. I know that may seem like a long time but it's a lot less time than if we kept ignoring the need for wearing masks, if you see what I mean? When the weather started warming up, I was also worried about my ability to wear a mask constantly. It does get warm for me and sometimes steams up my glasses but I try to keep it on as long as I can. If I'm on a block or street with literally nobody on it, I'll pull it down to catch some fresh air for a few seconds and then pull it back up.

Just people that wear them around where I am haven't got a clue and I've seen them remove to sneeze and cough ??!!!

:) Yeah, there's still a lot of education regarding ingrained habits to do. But eventually it clicks with people to just keep the mask on always and you get used to it.