Why have they only just bought in the face mask rule?

[Dualipa]

I don't get it, why only now when everything else is lifting? It seems odd to me. Also why do I have to wear one going into a shop but my children don't?

Fuck knows

To save the ppe for health care workers apparently

Absolute shit show

It makes no sense to me but then I've only just started venturing out. I think that's us locked back in the house again as the masks scare my little one ☹️

I feel they should have always made wearing a mask mandatory as soon as they introduced lockdown and social distancing. It all seems a bit backwards to me and just demonstrates the shit show this has become. I’m glad it’s going to be mandated as so many people don’t wear a mask.

I get it is different and is weird to see, but it’s got to be done. I have explained to my son, 5, that when daddy and I go out we wear a mask to keep people safe. We acknowledged it looks odd but he understood. I can see how that may be tricky for younger children. We have also preordered character face masks from Disney - that may help younger children.

To OP, I think the reasons are the same for kids going to school, they don’t really get it but it’s unknown if they’re carriers, so I get where you’re coming from. My 5 year old has masks for when we are out and about.

Because at the start of the pandemic lockdown meant we weren't coming into contact with other people in the same way. There were fewer people in the shops and we were restricted on what we could do. The risk of catching it from someone breathing when staying 2m away from others was reduced.

As the rules are relaxing people are seeing food shopping as a family outing again and supermarkets are letting hundreds in at once so it is impossible to socially distance. Therefore we are in closer contact with others and need to wear masks as the risk of airborne transmission has increased.

HTH

Actually it does make sense to me.

At the beginning they needed to reserve ppe for the people who needed it. They also needed people to stay at home and not go out, wearing a mask or not. The message was basically don't stockpile masks we need them. You don't neEd them you shouldn't be going out anyway.

Then when people were staying at home, community transition wasn't the primary concern. They needed people to get it at that point, just slowly. Proper social distancing if people had to go out was having the desired effect.

Now people are starting to mingle again, people aren't social distancing as much and supplies of ppe are finally high enough that the general public can access them without having a detrimental effect on supply chains for NHS/ care homes etc.

By starting now people will be getting their heads round wearing them as part of their normal routine by autumn when things are expected to start ramping up again.

I think this has always been part of the plan. I don't know why the government are doing such a poor job of communicating this sort of stuff though, instead making it look like random decision making.

It is strange timing... It would have made much more sense to link it to a relaxation such as opening up non-essential shops.

I think it’s a combination of:
a) Evidence: There’s much more of a consensus on the benefits of masks than there was a month or two back.

b) Political calculation: Brits are becoming more and more relaxed as cases decrease. Once things reach a tipping point, infections will likely start rising again, and in an uncontrolled manner as too many people are just acting as though things were back to normal. So, they either do it now, or they wait until numbers start rising again. If they waited for us to trend towards becoming another Texas or Florida, people would have torn the Government to shreds!

c) International reputation: This is one that gets overlooked.... With Brexit, the Government needs the UK to have a strong reputation and for London to remain a global city. If the U.K. was virtually the only place that didn’t mandate masks, we’d get the reputation as being unhygienic and dirty (whether that’s warranted or not) and people won’t want to do business or visit here as the world emerges from Covid - as it will. That would make the difficult double whammy if Brexit and Covid even worse still...

I actually quite agree with it... Restrictions are lifting and things are returning to normal... Shopping is hardly a social thing so if wearing one in a shop for 10 mins to an hours gives us back the freedom we are all craving then I think its a great idea... Not sure why they are waiting until the 24th tho. That part makes no sense

Because very soon all those people who have been told to shield, to not go out etc will not be shielding. A lot of the community support out in place is being withdrawn as people go back to work. Because they're reducing distancing and don't want to see a surge in cases. I can think of plenty of reasons as to why now.

Because there wasn't enough for front line workers and the general public in Feb / March.

Because Johnson and Cummings wanted to tinker with herd immunity for a bit.

Not sure why they are waiting until the 24th tho. That part makes no sense

It makes a lot of sense to me, I'm going to have a very busy week sorting out exemption cards/ lanyards etc for my vulnerable clients and supporting the ones that do want to wear a mask or face covering to get ones that are suitable for them to use.

You also can't just make it mandatory overnight as the supply chains wouldn't be able to cope with the instant demand. Giving people 10 days to get themselves sorted spreads the demand out and also gives people who have been on shifts/ unwell/ busy a chance to become aware of the news.

It doesn't stop anyone who wants to wearing a face covering before then though and I'm sure many will.

"I think that's us locked back in the house again as the masks scare my little one"

We have been shielding, and are only just beginning to go out again (with the recent changes to the shielding advice)

We may well have to retreat indoors again, if people do not wear masks and/or cannot keep at least 2m away from strangers (including out of doors)

It really is shit when you realise that you are one of the ones who cannot circulate as freely as everyone else, but unfortunately this pandemic has created an underclass. We have to live with limitation so that everyone else doesn't have to.

So if it's the case that you cannot go out when masks are required, you are also suddenly and unexpectedly in this club. Welcome

(we're not the frail elderly)

@minisoksmakehardwork

Because very soon all those people who have been told to shield, to not go out etc will not be shielding. A lot of the community support out in place is being withdrawn as people go back to work. Because they're reducing distancing and don't want to see a surge in cases. I can think of plenty of reasons as to why now.

^ this

Firstly, scientific/medical advice has changed. They now think it may be airborne.

Secondly, people shouldn't have been out and about except for "essentials" anyway until recently.

Face masks = end to social distancing

@Dualipa

It makes no sense to me but then I've only just started venturing out. I think that's us locked back in the house again as the masks scare my little one ☹️

Then you need to normalise them and teach your child they are fine. Try them on in the house. Choose a special one together with a favourite character on or have a few different ones yourself and let your child pick which one you wear. Staying locked up is an overreaction and not a good lesson to give your child.

Mandatory masks ensured that I, MIL (95), SM (72), DS (AS) can have about 80% of their normal lives back.
Which is a start...

To save the ppe for health care workers apparently
I could understand that if people were wearing medical masks, but there's no competition with cloth ones. I think it's more to do with this very same Government who weren't prepared for a pandemic in the first place, despite the warnings. Stable doors and horses spring to mind with this lot, all the way.

@RememberTheSunnierDays

I feel they should have always made wearing a mask mandatory as soon as they introduced lockdown and social distancing. It all seems a bit backwards to me and just demonstrates the shit show this has become. I’m glad it’s going to be mandated as so many people don’t wear a mask.

I get it is different and is weird to see, but it’s got to be done. I have explained to my son, 5, that when daddy and I go out we wear a mask to keep people safe. We acknowledged it looks odd but he understood. I can see how that may be tricky for younger children. We have also preordered character face masks from Disney - that may help younger children.

I tried to order the toy story masks for my 4 year old from disney but it said delivery was end of august

It looks random because it is random

I don't understand why you don't understand tbh.

The evidence is now there that masks will help slow down the infection rate, by cutting down on one way it gets transmitted.

We are going back to work. People who are vulnerable deserve to be part of society, or we should plan to open old style community institutions, because being isolated is killing people. So we need protection. Masks provide that.

Global travel is happening, so our R rate can change at any point. The scientific community seems sure that we will get a winter wave, when everyone wants to hit the shops. Likewise people are still hoping for Christmas Markets, Theatres, Panto etc. We are preparing people for that.

We need money circulating in our society and that includes the high Street.

Ten days is so people can get masks sorted. No doubt food banks and community groups will get them, for people who can't afford food, let alone masks. Likewise care providers, social services etc.

Every child in countries that already wear masks is learning to live with it. Ours will to.

Because this way they look to be doing something.
Does seem a bit shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted though.

I suppose really it's the fines that will come into effect on July 24th - lots are already wearing masks so this will give the stragglers time to prepare.

And maybe they need time to deploy the mask checking army / police and recruit the gazillions of personnel needed to enforce it all. And set up the surveillance systems and an app that will be needed. And the tip line for concerned citizens.

Sorry am in cynical mode (and yes, have been wearing a mask because well, if it helps it helps.....)

"Does seem a bit shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted though."

I think we've got to get passed us not locking down earlier and concentrate on public health and life starting up again. One of the questions is, how do we do that? Masks is one answer.

We were always going to have to live with this virus. We aren't going to enforce via the law that people quarantine, so this is a good substitute. We live in a country where if you don't get a cough over winter, that's unusual.

My DC were quite worried by masks OP. To stop this, I made some (using patterns online) for them and me. Watching them just be another thing I sew and picking what fabric they wanted completely stopped them being scary. They turned back in to the layers of fabric and filter they are, rather than an alarming thing. Worth a try if you can sew! My machine has broken, so I have been hand sewing them all and it really doesn't take too long.