Mask anxiety - are most places quite tolerant if you’re exempt?

[maskanxiety]

My mum can’t/won’t wear masks . Not sure exactly why but something to do with a rape she experienced back in the 70s . She is absolutely terrified of wearing them and of others wearing them - ie needed a nurse appointment last week and actually ran when nurse came through with mask on .

Her MH team are very aware and working with her but said for her sake she should be exempt just now, and they’ve provided her with an exemption card . We are trying in the house with a variety of scarves and coverings .

Are most shops and that quite tolerant? She’s a non driver so needs to use buses etc . Presently we she just isn’t going out much but tomorrow we are going to Aldi and she will need a mask then . Worried she’s going to find she’s refused entry to shops etc or be on the receiving end of abuse for not wearing one . What should we do, especially if this becomes a permanent change?

(Not including exemptions obvs)

@nether

"but please let the rest of us live"

I've been hearing that almost since the start.

So indoors, essentially excluded from society, we have the shielded (any age, including 90,000+ children), the elderly, the obese, other medically vulnerable, the fat and, on some threads, the BAME community.

Not those who cannot wear masks.

I get the logic. But who is left, after all those people have been excluded?

A hell of a lot of people actually. And stop trying to use BAME for your reasoning. Most BAME are healthy fit individuals. In fact I hate the term BAME, it's lumping people into a group. And let's not forget all the examples you have used as working all the way through.

[quote enjoyingscience]@EnlightenedOwl I’m not in the least bit scared, I’m really not. I’m glad to get back to normal life, and I’m happy to make minor adjustments to my behaviour to enable that to happen. Wearing a mask in public is a minor adjustment that protects others.[/quote]
Yes, it's about protecting others, not about fear of consequences for the mask wearer.

I'm not 'using' BAME, but I do mention the group because of the investigations into additional death rate

And the additionally vulnerable are often told on MN that they need to shut up and stay indoors (I tend to notice this, as my household is extremely fit and well, though one is required to shield)

So if you fall into one of the at risk groups, not matter how well you are day to day, you are at additional risk, and you do get routinely told to just stay inside.

I know, it happens to me all the sodding time.

Wearing a mask is an act of kindness, not an act of fear. The protection is largely for others.

This is absolutely how the major campaigns to get people to wear masks in my city are treating it.
Mask wearing is now pretty much universal in enclosed spaces.
It is at least six weeks we have been doing this, maybe longer.
It is allowing the city to open up and normalish life to return.
It isn't about fear so much as taking steps to reopen while protecting each other.

Mouth and nose covering reduces the risk I may pose to others. The new slogan here in Berlin is AHA (Abstand (distance)/ Hygiene / Alltagsmaske (covering).
It's a simple act of respect towards others (medical exemptions are OK).
And as for public transport since last Monday it's 50 € to be caught without.

lifestooshort123 Sat 11-Jul-20 07:01:31
Some of these responses amaze me and is why this pandemic will keep bubbling up. Wearing a mask protects others from you and I don't want to be in close proximity in a shop or on a bus to someone who isn't wearing a suitable face covering to protect me and others. I have sympathy for those who can't cover up and have gone down the medical exemption route but it doesn't make your breath/coughs/spittle any less infectious to the rest of us. My husband is diabetic and living with renal cancer (having had one kidney removed already) and when I go out I don't want to contend with deniers, don't-want-to's or can't-be-arsed's. If you don't want to cover up then stay in the fresh air or at home.

You know what really does stop you spreading it NOT HAVING IT.

NEARLY FOUR THOUSAND PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE IT for every ONE that does. Pretty good odds for me not to worry about spreading it.

Wearing a mask protects others from you and I don't want to be in close proximity in a shop or on a bus to someone who isn't wearing a suitable face covering to protect me and others.

Neither do I. That’s why I’m not going on a bus or into any shop where I can’t maintain 2m social distance.

NEARLY FOUR THOUSAND PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE IT for every ONE that does. Pretty good odds for me not to worry about spreading it
You're missing the point - it wouldn't be your worry if you did spread it, would it?

So we went into the shops today - Iceland ... no issues at all . I wore a mask, Mum didn’t . Everyone else I saw was wearing a mask or covering of some description . Mum was actually not as bad as last week, and was her choice to go out etc . She’s got a sunflower lanyard that says ‘exempt from wearing a face covering’, I think most people pretty much accepted it .

We have about 6 or 7 new cases a week per 550000 of us - so it’s all relatively low risk, but accept its a very difficult one . Especially as they’re allowing folk abroad again and stuff .

If this is a very long term/permanent change as it seems to be, I suppose mum will just have to get used to wearing one somehow or she’ll not be able to go anywhere really .

In fact in the shop the cashier was brilliant - said if only others made an effort to wear a sign or something indicating that they have a genuine reason for not bothering . I suppose that’s a very difficult one too as people are still entitled to privacy .

I'm glad thing went OK for your Mum yesterday OP.

We don’t live in an area with a very high community spread at all, so I think she’ll be quite safe,

Please remember and remind her that the purpose of the mask is to keep others safe, not to keep her safe.

That puts her inability to wear a mask into perspective.

If we are exempt from wearing them, we can buy or download an exemption badge/lanyard from various places. We don't have to say why we are exempt because of confidentiality. If we are wearing a badge/lanyard that is enough. The gov have told GPs they don't have to write notes for us, so a badge or whatever will have to do and transport and other services have been advised to be understanding and accepting of exemptions. We can only hope this message is passed to shops too.
Apparently many places recognise the sunflower symbol from Hidden Disabilities hiddendisabilitiesstore.com/hidden-disabilities-face-covering.html Or we can download a TFL one for free.

Many people who are exempt from wearing a mask due to the distress it causes would not be comfortable with a visor either: they don't want anything near their face.

Another consideration is the doubt as to whether there is much if any benefit to them. For example: www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/uncover_010-02_summary_-_community_masks_effectiveness_0.pdf

Importantly, there are risks to the wearer. They can cause hypoxia and hypercapnia, for instance, both of which lower our immune system function. I am not surprised that asthma sufferers struggle even for a short period, but of course they are considered exempt.
And before anyone says 'but surgeons wear them for hours and they're ok', they wear loose-fitting paper masks for use in a sterile environment. They are worn to prevent/reduce contamination of open wound/surgical sites, and apparently their efficacy ranges from 10 to 90% depending on make/type. These masks do not work well outside of a sterile environment nor do they prevent infection getting in.

I'm glad you and your Mum had a successful trip OP.

I also have an exemption and am anxious about using public transport sans mask (England). Fortunately I don't need to use public transport at the moment.

Awareness of exemptions isn't as high as I think it should be. Also, there are a depressing number of people who think disabled people who can't wear a mask shouldn't be allowed out at all.

I do fear some exempt people will be turned away from accessing services - look how many guide dog users are refused access to taxis, shops and restaurants for example.

I've bought one like this which I find less terrifying somehow

Oops, like this even