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).

@YeOldeTrout

Has anyone said how the staff feel -- it wasn't compulsory for them before, and now staff must face covers all day at work, won't they.

I’m sure some will be unhappy but the friends I know who work in retail/customer service will be relieved as it means they’re at lower risk of contracting the virus from customers. It’s been stressful for them — being forced into work but not able to protect themselves fully.

@NOS4A2 fair enough. I salute your commitment to not go out to shops and other enclosed indoor spaces for a year though. I couldn't do that!

I think maybe they are getting people used to them now so if/when there is a second wave in autumn/winter everyone will be wearing them.

I'm not massively keen and not sure how DS will cope if he has to wear them in school all day (he's autistic and has sensory issues - even if he is exempt he won't want to look different to his peers I think). I thought this was coming and bought some nice ones on Etsy this week (over head ones not behind ear as that would irritate me).

Some of the posts here are like reading the inner thoughts of a toddler having a tantrum...

I’m surprised people on here are championing it. Why? It’s been almost four months since the lockdown and now it’s compulsory? What’s the point doing it now?
Also pubs and restaurants will be exempt as will schools...
Surely this doesn’t make sense to people?

Most of the lockdown we’ve been encouraged to stay at home so a mask wasn’t so relevant. Now people are on public transport, going back to work and shops are open again, mask wearing is needed.

I wonder if the government are stocking up on their finances when millions of additional people will require benefits by the autumn.
The furlough scheme ends soon and the high street will have more casualties.
I’m amazed the government is so cavalier about this to be honest...

[quote Desiringonlychild]@NOS4A2 fair enough. I salute your commitment to not go out to shops and other enclosed indoor spaces for a year though. I couldn't do that![/quote]
No different to the people who wouldn't venture out unless everyone was covered. We can all make our choices.

I’m also deaf. I’ll be asking people to write things down.

Masks should have been mandatory months ago. Johnson is so keen not to do what the rest of Europe does, he’ll risk lives.

Well how aer they going to enforce it?
Been on the train today and several younng people (men in fthis case) didn't wear them, one with his child (giving him a great example!) - ther was no train guard, just an announcement to wear masks, totally ignored by these few. I mean separate individuals, not even a group.
One person had her mask under the chin the whole time.

I suppose in supermarkets there is staff around but would they want to confront customers and risk aggression?

In HK we're entering the third wave - despite almost everyone wearing masks as it's much more culturally normal here. We were at zero cases for a while, then loosening of borders, people returning from abroad and people getting a bit complacent (days at beaches, nights out, not always wearing masks - sound familiar?) and whoosh..... here we go again. Schools, restaurants, gyms, all shutting back down, social groups limited back down to 4.
It fills me with rage that so many people don't get how pervasive and serious this is. The UK is still working it's way out of the first wave, and there's so much more to come.

@Hearwego

I’m surprised people on here are championing it. Why? It’s been almost four months since the lockdown and now it’s compulsory? What’s the point doing it now? Also pubs and restaurants will be exempt as will schools... Surely this doesn’t make sense to people?

Because only 7% of the population have been infected so far. Which means 93% of us are still vulnerable, and that presumes lasting immunity for the 7% who have had it, which is questionable based on recent studies.

The virus is still here. It has not been magicked away. It will surge here again as it has in many, many other countries if we don’t take precautions. We’re currently enjoying a lull because of a long lockdown. A lockdown we all don’t want to have to repeat.

Hearwego well in pubs and cafes people aer seated at a distance and need to stay where htey aer, whereas in supermarkets there is always mingling in the aisles!

My friend is a nurse, she thinks it’s pointless at this point, so late in the day.

They won’t expect retail staff to enforce it. Id image the Police will enforce it. When they see people not masked up they’ll be questioned.

If you have a breathing problem or a real mental health issue then ofcourse your exempt

HOW DO YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOMEONE WHO HAS A GENUINE REASON NOT TO WEAR ONE AND SOMEONE WHO DOES?

What happens to the person who quite legitimately has an exemption who walks into a shop and is either refused entry or is subjected to abuse by other members of the public because they don't have one?

The reality is that there is no exemption for even people who do have an exemption, because in practice they will be discriminated against or potentially put themselves at risk from abuse or worse, for exercising their right not to wear a mask. It will mean that many will feel they have no choice but to wear one or unable to go out in public at all. Thats not good either.

The problem with the rule is about who enforces this law too.

There has been a case in the last week of a French bus driver being assaulted and dying (after being declared brain dead and having life support switched off) after he challenged passengers trying to board his bus for not having a mask on.

People who simply don't want to wear a mask will continue not to, and the prospect of a £50 fine (which is unlikely anyway) won't be sufficient deterent. They will either bullshit they are exempted (even though they aren't) and won't care about being challenged (and my get abusive if they are). And it will be people who are exempted who will still feel compelled to wear one or be horribly embarrassed / inconvienced when they are challenged / abused for not wearing one / unable to leave the house.

Whilst I think wearing a mask should be the default, I have concerned about who will be badly affected by it being mandatory and who will just ignore it.

I have visions of the little old lady who can't afford a mask / or get a mask before the deadline / or has a genuine exemption being refused entry to a shop for food (or even to purchase a mask) and becoming very distressed / going hungry as a result whilst the big heafy 20 something meathead just strolls into Tesco unchallenged because everyone is terrified of him or he kicks off at being challenged and harms an innocent member of staff.

Which would make a mandatory policy counterproductive in terms of how it has harmful effect on those who are most vulnerable / financially disadvantaged anyway, despite its honourable intentions.

Its one of those where the UK will fail more than other countries because of the levels of our inequality and because of our social attitudes and our selfish nature and the attitude of some where they use such policies as a massive power trip which is used against easy targets.

People should really be wearing masks because they WANT TO and because they've been persuade that its the right thing to do, rather than being forced, because of the unintended consequences of failing to win the moral argument to begin with.

shrugs

I’m worried..... I’m a retail manager and have watched the staffs mental health suffer through this ( we have been open throughout.... non food essential retail)

A lot of our staff are young 18-25 and they are snapped and screamed at, told they are useless, accused of hiding stock ‘in the back’

I myself was physically assaulted when I was manning the door saying people need to wait, shop is too full..... no, I got assaulted

How can we enforce this? We will get customers complaining that ‘that person isn’t wearing a mask’ and will be fully expected to sort it out

@Hearwego

They won’t expect retail staff to enforce it. Id image the Police will enforce it. When they see people not masked up they’ll be questioned.

well at the moment we are not being forced to mask up in the open air so I assume it would be a policeman who happens to be patrolling the supermarket you are in. Which I will imagine is none.

Nobody has been wearing masks and the infection rate has been dropping like a stone. What's going on? Have shops suddenly become uniquely dangerous?

@HalfPastThree

Isn't that because there's been a lockdown and things have only just started opening up, even with things being open footfall has still be low too

Can we honestly live like this long term? 10 people on a bus, restaurants running at 40% capacity. Wearing masks in shops. How long can we seriously live like this and businesses survive? Particularly the hospitality industry.

The thing is people will say no one will abuse people for not wearing one but I just don’t believe it, I’ve already seen the absolute disgust on my local fb group for anyone who dares not to wear one and people saying they have asthma and still manage to wear one so make out like others are making it up or faking it

Good. And to those saying well it’s ok just to keep your distance indoors. Check out the research stating that it lingers for an hour or more indoors. It has been shown to spread far further than 2 metres indoors.

A mask protects others not just yourself. Better to have a little discomfort than be the asymptomatic carrier who cause someone far far more discomfort on a ventilator

well at the moment we are not being forced to mask up in the open air so I assume it would be a policeman who happens to be patrolling the supermarket you are in. Which I will imagine is none.

There will be police in supermarkets, but it won't be for enforcement of mask wearing.

The police are about to get a shit load of calls for assaults involving shop staff / people not wearing masks / people complaining about people not wearing masks.

And I know there are some people who physically can’t wear one and we must show them kindness. Everyone else wearing one protects them too