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

"To emphasise, masks don't stop you catching it, they reduce the spread if you have COVID."

Yes, but the point is that others would be wearing masks too and that would reduce your chance of catching it.

I'd like to know if they are going to reduce the social distancing on buses and trains from that date ... buses with only 10 passengers aren't commercially viable ... so IMO they've pushing the face coverings so that they can have more people on the bus/train carriage.

[quote strugglingwithdeciding]@mausmausmaus the English government also recommended them on transport just wasn't compulsory [/quote]
the UK government actually accused Nicola Sturgeon of trying to outdo them when she first recommended wearing face coverings on the 28th April...

Eggys - you're probably right. It will probably go down from 2m to 1m.

@snowballer. I think the worry most people have is they won't be able to buy them.

For those interested in examining the evidence supporting the use of face covering to reduce the spread of the virus, this paper is excellent.

Face coverings for the public: Laying straw men to rest

@formerbabe

Does no one else find it fucking terrifying to live in a country where we're now told what we can wear...

No not in the current circumstances. Many people across the world are living in countries telling them what to wear at the moment ie. masks.

So people want to be like other countries when it comes to things opening such as schools, cafes etc it not when it comes to this .

They are pretty easy to make. I made two but now a friend has sent some from Austria where they are very cheap and very available. It has been manditory to wear a mask in shops and on public transport for a while there as it is in Spain, where masks are given out from the pharmacy. I think it has been fairly obvious they are a good idea for quite some time but I have been made to feel a bit silly when out in one, so I'm glad government advice is finally catching up with common sense. The idea that they somehow make people take more risks reminds me of the old argument against cycle helmets. Anyone who has witnessed the horrific head injuries caused by not wearing one of those wouldn't dream of getting on a bike without one. I'll be wearing a mask whenever appropriate from now on.

Great idea to leave it till after half of London descend on public transport to protest all weekend.

@snowballer. I think the worry most people have is they won't be able to buy them

Eh? Financially or logistically?

Just use a scarf over the nose and mouth

Fuck me, some people make everything into an issue!! Millions of people cover their faces for religious reasons and millions more wear masks every day either for work or hygiene and yet predictably there is instantly tons of mnetters who just couldn't possibly cope on public transport in one

@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

I think @Pelleas was joking with this comment, but I live in a US city where masks have been compulsory for a month now and this is EXACTLY what is happening on every neighbourhood and Nextdoor site, every single day. You only left out the "how dare maskless people walk their dog" and "I saw a jogger out on the street without a mask, we're all going to die".

I had to back away slowly from a Nextdoor post that claimed people had to wear masks in their own back yard while mowing their own lawn.

They don't wear poppies here - but these people are the US equivalent of the poppy police, and they are loving every minute of it.

Temporary yep.

@formerbabe

Does no one else find it fucking terrifying to live in a country where we're now told what we can wear...

I find it more terrifying we live in a society where some people can't cope with the task of pulling a scarf up a bit for a bus ride.

@formerbabe

Does no one else find it fucking terrifying to live in a country where we're now told what we can wear...

Nope. You dont have to wear it. Feel free to avoid public transport and probably shops if you don't but the choice is yours.

I'm autistic and wearing a double layer mask induced a panic attack when I tried it. I have made one myself made out of tulle netting which is thin enough to be bearable - not effective as a mask I know, but it means that I won't be able to be confronted about not wearing one (I do have a Freedom Pass and Disabled Railcard so I would be able to prove I'm disabled, but I get anxious at the idea of being the only person not wearing a face covering and being confronted about it).

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

Cornettoninja well mass gatherings of thousands in central and inner London need to be clamped down on. Keep the beaches shut! Perhaps do those things before you tell children who don’t seem to be severely affected by covid they can’t play on swings or in a local sand pit ffs

@OnlyFoolsnMothers, I find it strange you think face coverings a breech of civil liberties but protests should be shut down and people forcibly removed from beaches?

I don’t disagree large gatherings right now are a terrible idea and I seem to want much the same things you do but I understand that it has to be balanced with needing to reduce the spread of covid.

If you want playgrounds open and kids able to play with each other we need to get the case numbers low and keep them there. It’s bizarre to me that people are actively arguing against routes that get them to that goal faster.

It's a joke, what next?? Why wait till then?? Can I wear a bucket with eye holes in??
So all the years the Muslim women wearing face coverings got harassed for going in shops with their faces covered, and now we all have to cover our faces???

^^ and before you jump on me I'm not talking about those who it would cause sensory issues etc. As a pp noted her son will struggle and so they will find a solution or a different transport option for the hopefully temporary period this will be in place for

@Gwenhwyfar

"Also, great if the government is telling you to wash them at 60 degrees. " How often do you have to wash them? If I wear a mask now, it would just be to the supermarket. Would they need to be washed after every wear? And do they need to be washed in a machine? I would obviously not put the machine on every day if I start wearing it more often.

As for asthmatics - aren't visors the answer?

Good questions @Gwenhwyfar. I wash my mask each time I come home at the end of the day of going for a walk / running an errand. I don't go out that often and try to bundle my outings so if I'm out, it'll be let's say for a 2 to 3 hour block. During that time I may take a walk in a park, get groceries or go to the bank. I go out probably 2 or 3 times a week at most. Usually only once a week.

When I arrive home, I know that I will not be going out again that day because I've deliberately planned it that way. After I get home, I pull off my mask, change my clothes, fill up the bathroom sink with really hot water and detergent then toss the mask in there. I also wash my hands and wipe down my face and neck with a disposable face wipe.

As I mentioned above, I tend to leave the mask soaking for about 20 min or so then rinse it out with hot water then hang it up to dry. These are the directions given to me by my friend who's been making masks since the beginning to give to nurses, postal workers and friends. She's made and donated or sold over 500 fabric masks of various styles. She knows what she's doing.

Due to the infrequency of my visits out I only really need 1 mask. If I really wanted to splurge, I could get another but don't need to do so. If you're minimizing your trips out to once or twice a week, you really could get by with just 1 fabric mask.

If you're really worried about the 60C temperature requirement but don't want to put on the washing machine, then boil the kettle like our parents and grandparents used to do and fill the bathroom sink with that boiling water along with the detergent. Easy and done!

Should have been done months ago but at least it's a message that this thing hasn't gone away. Between these protesters shamelessly avoiding social distancing, conga lined street parties, packed beaches with lemmings jumping off cliffs and festival like scenes in parks; it's about time people were faced with some reality that we're in a pandemic here and it's not all over.

It's not a holiday.

This is how these things start...they start eroding at freedoms bit by tiny bit until...

OH MY FUCKING GOD SOME OF THE ATTITUDES ON THIS THREAD ARE THE REASON WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS

Thank you for saying exactly what I'm thinking. It's mind blowing how people can find a problem with absolutely everything. That whataboutery is out of control. Presumably people don't object to being instructed to wear bloody clothes on public transport do they 😫

"My children would not be able to wear masks from what age is it mandatory"

The current guidelines suggest they may not be suitable for primary age children because they may not use them correctly.

Also @fomerbabe you are not at liberty to do whatever you please, that's not how civil liberties work. You have to wear a seatbelt even if it rumples your outfit or makes you sweaty. You need to strap your kids into really bloody awkward car seats. You do not have the liberty to say I dont want to do this while driving a car, but you do have the liberty not to drive a car. Same principle.