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Original poster

Face coverings to be made compulsory in England

469 replies

Redolent · 13/07/2020 22:46

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).

OP posts:
BuffaloCauliflower · 13/07/2020 23:31

But going to pubs and restaurants is fine? I’ve been to shops and found it easy to stay away from people.

And yes it says those of us who have medical exemptions will remain exempt, but no idea how we’re meant to prove it. Now I have to be fearful of being turned away from doing my food shop. This is the high street dead.

ZaraCarmichaelshighheels · 13/07/2020 23:31

@AlecTrevelyan006

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.

You have said exactly how I feel.
Inkpaperstars · 13/07/2020 23:31

I am not qualified to comment on the wider implications of this, but I am worried for my DM. She feels she can't cope in a mask and I am sad for her that she will feel even more cut off from things.

MillicentMargaretAmanda · 13/07/2020 23:31

I suspect this will have a net zero effect in terms of shops. About as many people will be put off going as are now keener to go. What I don't understand though (apart from the cynical economic reasons), is why I'll have to wear a mask to go shopping for 30 minutes at 8pm in my local Waitrose where, if you are not keeping 2m distance from other people you really are being an arse as there's barely anyone in, BUT I am allowed to spend several hours in a pub, possibly with poor ventilation, with no mask at all?
And poor teachers, especially secondary school teachers, will spend hours in unventilated classrooms with 30 odd kids mask free, breathing all over them, with no right to wear any form of face covering, and not able to ask their students to do so either.
It's the double standards that piss me off. Either do it for all situations (with exemptions) or none. But don't say it's compulsory in places where you barely spend more than a few minutes with any individual stranger, and throw teachers to the wolves... (fyi, not a teacher)..

IAintentDead · 13/07/2020 23:32

More chin hammocks then.

If I have one round my neck that I can pull up if a policeman is around then I'm fine.

They don't do any good unless worn fully correctly, no one wears them anything like correctly.

It's pathetic. I didn't agree with them but would have worn worn in March, April, May and maybe June. Not now.

If I have to wear one it will be single ply and purely for show. And I still won't wear it most of the time, it will hang round my neck as a 'virtue signal'

ilikebooksandplants · 13/07/2020 23:32

How long before all of this has to be/is reviewed? I know th initial legislation is in place for two years but does that mean we have to wear face coverings in shops for two years or do the govt have to review it before then? I can’t seem to find anything on this (but I’m feeling under the weather and haven’t looked too hard). Can anyone point me in the direction of some good links?

Also: what’s the point? We can’t nip to Tesco for food without a face mask, but we’re all been given a tenner to go and breathe all over each other in Nando’s. What the fuck does any of it mean?

JellyfishandShells · 13/07/2020 23:32

@Theromanempire

I have tried to be supportive of the government throughout but this really feels like it has been forced through by the media and I am gutted the government have given into the pressure Angry
Me too :/
GhostTypeEevee · 13/07/2020 23:33

@RedToothBrush

I hadn't realised that about Bear or that the Scouts Association was in financial difficultly. They have so many members

My sons scout group has been rubbing zoom meetings too and asked for reduced subs where possible.

RedToothBrush · 13/07/2020 23:33

@Cupasoup76

BrandNewShinyThings, my son’s Secondary school HOY has been preparing them for wearing masks when they go back in September.
The million dollar question is how many parents on the breadline going to be able to afford to get masks for their children for school?

Particularly in London where its going to be compulsory for public transport AND they are ending free transport for under 18s.

Not to mention the fact that kids will have to have 'the right mask' to fit the fashion...

Ulrikaka · 13/07/2020 23:34

I'm very disappointed. The current pandemic appears to be people with "anxiety". If they reported the daily figures for people who die of road accidents noone would ever leave the house again. Keep a distance, wash your hands and if you have any symptoms stay in. But no, it was that hard to understand that we now have to cover our faces. I'm guessing I wont have to while out for dinner though, so I will buy food in restaurants rather than supermarkets.

TheNinjaWife · 13/07/2020 23:34

@AlecTrevelyan006

For what it’s worth I agree.

Justmuddlingalong · 13/07/2020 23:34

Our rights and freedoms are being restored bit by bit though. It's not restriction upon restriction, with no let up. And afaik we wear masks to protect others, not because we're terrified of a virus that will almost certainly not kill us. That's not virtue signalling, that's trying to protect those who the virus most certainly would kill.

ineedaholidaynow · 13/07/2020 23:36

Test and trace is the way of trying to control the virus in pubs etc.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Secondary schools in September. This maybe a way of bringing them in gently so we get used to them.

Other countries seem to cope with them without the hysteria you see on some of these threads. I understand that for health reasons some people can't wear them, but there are exemptions for them.

Ilovesandwiches · 13/07/2020 23:37

I will be honest I haven’t worn a mask in the shops but I definitely don’t have any issue with doing so

Witchend · 13/07/2020 23:37

@Rebelwithallthecause

If that's all you need, prepare for about half the population to have mask induced anxiety.

Standardy · 13/07/2020 23:37

The current pandemic appears to be people with "anxiety"

Or...perhaps....science? Well, we haven't been until now, but the high death rate per million highlights that. For what it's worth, those who aren't worried are likely so because they are unlikely to be badly affected, many will be asymptomatic- precisely the people who should be wearing them. I'm not worried about catching it, but if a very simple action can help then honestly the fuss some people are making is pathetic.

Rockhopper81 · 13/07/2020 23:37

@Theromanempire

I have tried to be supportive of the government throughout but this really feels like it has been forced through by the media and I am gutted the government have given into the pressure Angry
This! It feels like it's bowing to the pressure of the public - according to the map-graphic or diagnosed cases, there were none in the area I live in (not Scotland - I live in England), so why the decision now?

I know it will be partly due to Shielding ending, and I get that, but it almost seems a bit like they're introducing mandatory face coverings because Scotland have, there has been immense public pressure, but most conveniently it will be an easy 'removal' for the government to make when things are still improving in 6 weeks time.

I had to wear a mask for a blood test and spent the whole time panicking, sweating and feeling like I couldn't breath. So I shall be confined to barracks from the 24th - even though I would be exempt (due to MH issues and ASD/sensory issues), I won't want an argument with someone who thinks they have the right to challenge me as confrontation makes all of my difficulties worse.

Parker231 · 13/07/2020 23:38

The wearing of masks is to protect others not to remove your rights and freedom. Some posters are incredibly selfish and sound like some of the stupid Americans going on about their rights.

What would you rather - more unnecessary deaths and a tighter lockdown or wear a mask once a week for your trip to Tesco’s?

Ulrikaka · 13/07/2020 23:38

Red toothbrush- I won't be replacing ours. It is an unnecessary accessory. They come off, get shoved in a pocket, get put on. Round my way they are used as a chin strap it would appear.

BigChocFrenzy · 13/07/2020 23:38

@lljkk

Did all kids in your area of Germany get full time face to face school education after Easter until Summer hols, BigChocFr?
No, it was pt from 4 May, rotating all forms in before the vacation - so late June. A few schools decided they could manage ft for the last few weeks, but most stayed pt.

However, Merkel said schools would be ft after the vacation - so from late August - unless infections rise too much.
So that's another incentive for us to keep wearing masks: not to muck it up for the kids.

Masks were optional for staff & kids before the vacation, then became compulsory in corridors etc
which is the plan for ft

Normal ft childcare has been ongoing for June and is continuing over the summer vacation,
but I don't know about mask rules there (I'm childfree)

Lissy23 · 13/07/2020 23:38

Can it be any face covering or does it have to be a mask? I was thinking a buff or scarf pulled over my nose and mouth.

Standardy · 13/07/2020 23:39

I know @Parker231, it's pathetic isn't it. Other counties didn't seem to have such a fuss, it's pretty embarrassing really.

lljkk · 13/07/2020 23:40

Thanks BCF.

RedToothBrush · 13/07/2020 23:40

[quote GhostTypeEevee]@RedToothBrush

I hadn't realised that about Bear or that the Scouts Association was in financial difficultly. They have so many members

My sons scout group has been rubbing zoom meetings too and asked for reduced subs where possible. [/quote]
Talk is they are going to require all troops to up the amount they contribute to the central organisation to prop it up - which will mean that subs will have to go up across the board for everyone. Subs are generally speaking not a lot in comparison to other groups for kids, but if you have several children, it soon adds up. With covid and the coming recession from it with families struggling more financially, it couldn't come at a worst time. I don't think that anything has been confirmed yet, but I doubt there are many alternative options, especially now.

Yeah. I'm not a fan of Mr Grylls...

HandsOffMyRights · 13/07/2020 23:41

I've tried several masks and techniques to de-mist glasses, but none have worked. As such, I won't feel confident with my vision, so will shop online . I spent a miserable 2 hrs in the salon after removing my glasses for the mask.

I also lip read more than I realise. At the cinema I could not understand a word the person on the door said due to the mask!

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