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

Well well well June 15th. Happy Birthday to me eh!

I have a snood i can wear. Hope we get a cold summer or A and E are going to be busy.

another distraction - instead of fussing over face covering we should be up in arms over the lack of remote voting for Parliament.

Lovely for an hour's commute on the (very crowded) tube in the usual summer high temperatures. And it's not just mildly uncomfortable, it causes unbearable itchiness and skin flare-ups for some of us. And if you've already had Covid, how can it prevent you from spreading it

A and E are going to be very busy treating people who will have collapsed in the heat.

It's because most of us can weigh up the pros and cons and risks and decide that, on balance, wearing a mask on a crowded bus with limited space to social distance is a reasonable expectation. What exactly is the alternative? If we fuss and balk like toddlers at every restriction how do we ever get out of this? Are we so different to people in other countries that we simply cannot tolerate being asked to do something which protects those around us? Obviously some people have good reasons not to wear masks and shouldn't be expected to, but the freedom to ride a crowded bus during a pandemic mask free is not an essential freedom.

@MintyMabel

Who will be providing the masks?

Who provides hat and scarf in the winter?

Hat and scarf keep you warm. They come in all shapes, sizes and prices.

Masks are a waste of time, whatever they look like.

There's the rub.

@alreadytaken

another distraction - instead of fussing over face covering we should be up in arms over the lack of remote voting for Parliament.

Yes. Yes. 100 %.

I used to wear niqab for 8 years. I think I will buy one to wear again.
I tried on a face mask and it very uncomfortable.
A niqab sits against my face softly and I can pull it up and down easily.

@galesthismorning - oh yes because it’s much easier to blame the Government rather than using common sense and taking responsibility for some things ourselves!

Just seen a BBC clip telling you the key points of putting on, taking off and washing a mask.
It’s not difficult. Most people will be able to get the hang of it, I expect and that’s the important thing.

Some of the responses to this thread:

• but who will provide my mask
• but my glasses steam up if I wear one
• but A&E will be very busy with people collapsing from the heat of covering faces
• but surely people will have to remove them to cough or sneeze (🤯)
• but they might get damp and sore
• but it's an outrageous curtailing of inalienable freedoms
• but what about all the extra washing
• but we didn't like Muslim women covering their faces so why should we now cover ours?

It's utter madness. Just wear a scarf round your neck. Pull it up over the lower half of your face if you're on a bus or train. That's literally it. Like you would on a winter day while waiting for a bus or train out in the cold.

@alreadytaken

another distraction - instead of fussing over face covering we should be up in arms over the lack of remote voting for Parliament.

completely! there are a lot of questions to be asked.

So people with special circumstance who (understandably) don’t want to be bothered with explaining or proving why the normal rules don’t apply to them on public transport, might instead consider wearing badges to make their status clear at a glance?
No, that’s not making me think about the Nazis.

What a mad thread.

To those who can't wear masks, could you wear a visor? It would do roughly the same job and may not have the same sensory/stifling/claustrophobic effect.

If not, then carry a card. All this not wanting to not to be marked is ridiculous. Do you think folks with disabilities like having blue badges to decorate their cars? Do I love having to ask loudly for a disabled persons ticket and show my disabled persons railcard? Or having to hand over a card to explain to a random shop/cafe assistant why i really need to use their loo right now? Of course not. But if you want a concession that most don't get then it's quite reasonable to have proof that you need it. Some people even choose to wear badges that say "I have an invisible disability, please offer me a seat' (I don't because I already have a walking stick that 'marks' me). It's not difficult.

X post @IDefinitelyHaveFriends

I used to have a disabled persons concessionary bus card. The only person that I really needed to show it to is the driver, and people don't shout abuse at me on the bus demanding to know whether I paid the bus fare or not. Not remotely the same tbh. I'd be fine providing proof to a driver but not every Tom Dick and Harry on the bus who has absolutely no right to the information. In your loo example, it's not the equivalent of passing a card to staff, it's more the equivalent of taking the card and pinning it to yourself in a crowded area and walking around ensuring everyone knows that you're justified in using the loo - which people shouldn't have to do (and dont).

Visor might work for me from a sensory perspective, I'm not sure, I don't have one, where would I even go to get them? And we've been specifically told by government not to buy any coverings that are meant for health and care workers due to supply issues so surely that's not a solution anyway to follow the rules in one way and break the guidance in another?

I guess you could explain individually to everyone you meet then. Or the country could fail to enact a measure which is designed to protect the health of its citizens.

Your quote is from 13th March... The Government’s policy changed abruptly on 16th March in the first of those announcements. If the Government was still aiming for herd immunity they wouldn’t be aiming to keep the R below 1! (Ie. Reducing transmission

Private Eye Magazine
@PrivateEyeNews
·
13h
Boris Johnson hosted a baby shower for Carrie Symonds at Chequers just two days before announcing "now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others" - yet more "necessary" travel from Downing Street revealed in the new Private Eye

The baby shower was on 14th March.

Information from Gov.uk

www.gov.uk/government/news/face-coverings-to-become-mandatory-on-public-transport?utm_source=40ae1908-c5b3-458a-9077-52bee4d260ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate

Yes, amazing what people will accept to protect the vulnerable in a global pandemic

Amazing how people have kept voting Tories back in over the last DECADE despite knowing what they do to vulnerable people.

Tbh Manilove, you've missed a third option, which is that everyone wears them expect for people who are unable to do so, and the public don't harass those who aren't wearing them. I don't owe anybody an explanation except perhaps the bus driver. Surely this third solution is the best? It just relies on people not being stupid and aggressive towards vulnerable people but judging by some of the posts on here I guess that's beyond the abilities of a lot of people?

who will be providing the masks?
The owners of the faces
🤷‍♀️

Yet again, slow advice. We should have had mandatory masks in public from the start. I'm sure if people could see real figures about how many lives were saved if they did more then they would think twice.

@MeadowHay

Tbh Manilove, you've missed a third option, which is that everyone wears them expect for people who are unable to do so, and the public don't harass those who aren't wearing them. I don't owe anybody an explanation except perhaps the bus driver. Surely this third solution is the best? It just relies on people not being stupid and aggressive towards vulnerable people but judging by some of the posts on here I guess that's beyond the abilities of a lot of people?

It would also spoil their fun. Some people just love to bully others.

I’m waiting to hear if it’s going to be mandatory for staff as well. I have panic attacks if I have my nose and mouth covered. I also spend 8hours per day on the front of a train. Some of us can’t just give public transport a miss for the next 6 months.

I don’t particularly like the idea of wearing a mask.

What I do like the idea of is being able to silently call people cunts who annoy me and they will have no idea as my mouth is covered.