Face coverings to be made compulsory in England

[Redolent]

Sky News just reporting that from Friday 24 July it will be mandatory to wear a face mask in shops/stores in England. Fines of £100 if you don’t (reduces to £50 if payable within 2 weeks).

And that is the way we want it to be @AlecTrevelyan006. But with more people mixing, especially indoors the rate is bound to go up.

It is also believed that masks can help stop spread from asymptomatic people, and wasn't there a re port the other day that from a random sample of tests done, 80% of the sample who tested positive had no symptoms.

@ComDummings Why now and not 4 months ago? Cos 4 months ago the NHS and care homes were struggling to source PPE. So BoJo couldn’t very well ask the general public to wear masks, the limited supply was needed where risk was highest.

Face covers are now mandatory to wear in California. Meanwhile, many CA school districts are announcing they plan to start the fall semester as mostly or entirely online learning syllabus. Hmmm. Mass face covers not doing so much to get schools to open, then. But at least their kids are not lumbered with compulsory face covers all day... although what folk are gonna do about childcare in working hours, heck knows.

Think they should split the shopping week with Sunday-Tuesday for the wet blankets. Wednesday - Saturday for everybody else.

Good point @Hardbackwriter

Good

What do you need to show for the exemption ?

BrandNewShinyThings, my son’s Secondary school HOY has been preparing them for wearing masks when they go back in September.

@breathingok nothing - you only have to say you have anxiety to be exempt

I’m dreading this. Here we go I hate seeing other people in them too. Feeling horribly anxious tonight.

And just when I started to get a Sainsburys shopping slot back.......no bloody chance now.

Not too sure how genuine this is

How long do we think this may last?

We've had masks in Germany since mid-April
There was no drama; it was just announced calmly and we got on with it.
100% compliance in my area, but it's a small town

Compulsory masks haven't killed off our shops
and people are pretty considerate about distance too, especially wrt older people like me - the youngsters are lovely !

Staff & kids cope with masks in school corridors etc too

For pp who asked about masks in gyms:
In Germany at least, no masks in gyms- not enjoyable / feasible for heavy exercise

it's a fucking mental decision driven by politics and the need to be seen to be doing something. The economy is fucked and I'm fucking fuming about it.

There is nothing remotely normal about the new normal. It's like living on Animal Farm in 1984. The world has literally gone fucking mad and people have lost leave of their senses in a desperate bid to out do each other in their virtue signalling as they beg the government to take away more and more of their rights and freedoms because their frightened to death of a virus that will almost certainly not kill them.

I'm out.

Surely you will have to show something to prove you’re exempt if you can be fined for not wearing one?

@Cupasoup76

BrandNewShinyThings, my son’s Secondary school HOY has been preparing them for wearing masks when they go back in September.

Oh shit.

Did all kids in your area of Germany get full time face to face school education after Easter until Summer hols, BigChocFr?

@lljkk

Precursor to announcement they will be compulsory in secondary school & university lessons, I imagine.

I wonder if things like Scouts or Brownies will ever start again. Guides are financially cushioned but Scouts were run on shoe string already. How will they manage without subs?

Beavers, Cubs and Scouts have already been given the go ahead to run face to face meetings. They are allowed to meet in groups of up to 15 (including leaders).

This doesn't help most troops, because they have more than 15 including the leaders and there aren't enough leaders to run multiple sessions.

Also, many troops don't meet during the summer holidays anyway (cos they are usually busy off with camps etc or taking a well earned break).

As for 'ever starting again' some groups never stopped and have been running throughout virtually. I know of some groups who have been expecting subs for virtual sessions they haven't run too, which hasn't exactly gone down well with parents (who are leaders in other sections in an another group which has been running sessions)

The finances of Scouts, generally depends on where you are. Some troops are rolling it in, whilst some are really hard up. The Scout Association itself is on the verge of bankruptcy though, and there are concerns about how it will be handled when the inevitable shit does hit the fan. (Mind you it doesn't help that Bear demands such extortionate fees for his public appearances for the Scouts and expects to rock up in a fucking helicopter whilst he cashes in with his own branding. I can not wait for him to be replaced as Chief Scout, though it will probably be the god awful Helen Skelton who replaces him).

I suspect that for every one person who claims this will put them off going in shops, there are two people who will now feel happier about going out.

In Germany, there is an exemption form to be completed and signed off by your doctor.

I'd have expected similar for the UK ?

This makes no sense at all.

DC back to school in tiny classrooms with 30+ pupils and multiple staff members - no PPE

Gyms, swimming pools opening - no PPE

Restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes open, using cutlery, crockery, glasses and dubious social distancing - no PPE

Shopping for food - PPE mandatory

Why?!

Our region has almost no cases anywhere, the virus is not currently being transmitted and it's certainly not making people unwell - the hospitals are reporting very very low numbers. Yet we are now, at this point, being given blanket restrictions and threatened with law enforcement to comply.

I'm normally a really obedient citizen but I'm finding the tone of everything grates at the moment. My DC were deprived of their place in school for months and we were not allowed to expect any detail or warning of their return, but as soon as the September plans were revealed the plan to fine for attendence was firmly stated.

Now, we are threatened with fines for not wearing face coverings in shops whilst being encouraged to go and eat out...

Nothing seems based on coherant thoughts or plans and we're allowed no right of questioning or reply.

The ridiculous practices I've seen around mask wearing mean I have no confidence that they're effective as an infection control measure at all. People are mostly disgusting and a mask gives them a false sense of security.

@AlecTrevelyan006 get a grip. Governments over the years have done a lot worse to chip away at people's rights. What do you think the government is gaining from people wearing masks? Honestly, have a word with yourself.

@Soontobe60

Bloody ridiculous. If we didn’t have to wear them at the height of the pandemic what’s different now? The number of idiots I see wearing masks under their chins, pulling them up to scratch their nose or cough, then touch things. Masks give a false sense of safety.

At the height of the pandemic, we were asked to STAY AT HOME. The message was lost on some.

@Parker231

Surely rather than involve the police, shops will just refuse entry to non mask wearers?

Would you want to be that shop employee refusing to somebody who is going to argue the toss over it? I can guarantee they aren't paid enough to take the nonsense some people will give...