Face masks proof of exemption

[PumpkinP]

I am exempt from wearing face masks due to asthma , I just was expecting to show my asthma pump but today my mum was on the bus and she said the police got on and was demanding proof from people and saying that they needed to see a drs letter. Do I need a doctors letter? As I haven’t heard that you do till now.

Does this include the poster on MN who said she’s a doctor who said she had to change her preferred specialism because she can’t wear a mask due to severe asthma?

That was me. Apparently I just didn't try hard enough and obviously when I collapsed and ended up being admitted to the respiratory ward that time I was over reacting.

It is incredibly upsetting to read some of the comments on here. I do not want to be this way, I just can't help it.

Some asthmatics can wear a mask.

Some cannot. Please accept that we all have a different experience of this condition.

I’d imagine anyone in the NHS would have to wear PPE that has patient contact. If they can’t for any reason, I’d assume they would have to carry out an alternative role until things change, with no patient contact.
Yes I’d imagine that lots of stuff hate wearing it for 10/ 12 hours a day and struggle. I’d also assume that some of these sane staff also have health issues too. I doubt they have much choice with PPE wearing.

I developed asthma as a junior doctor and as soon as I could changed the course of my career to public health and non patient facing for that exact reason.

For those who can’t wear masks, what about a thin bit of fabric hung over the nose with plenty of gap at the bottom and side, ensuring air doesn’t have to pass through fabric to get into your mouth. It may score top marks from a Covid transmission perspective, but it’s touches your face barely more than glasses would.

Sorry, I meant “it may not score top marks....”

@Derbygerbil that might work for some people, however, for others, myself included, we have already thought of, tried and ultimately failed to find anything that we can use.

In my case, I have tried many different masks in many different environments over many many years. All with the same result.

For some people face shields are possible. I hope we can have a good supply to those that need it.

People don’t have to try endless permutations of face coverings if they are exempt. The exemptions exist for a reason.

@SengaStrawberry

People don’t have to try endless permutations of face coverings if they are exempt. The exemptions exist for a reason.

Apparently we do. First, we explain why we can't wear a mask. Then we explain what has happened when we have tried various kinds of face coverings. Then we detail exactly which types we have tried and why they don't work. And then we're expected to trot off meekly and try every weird and wonderful suggestion put forward, many of which wouldn't have been out of place on Blue Peter in the 1970's. It's pointless arguing with anyone with a mentality that doesn't allow them to accept a fact simply because they disagree with it.

Oh it gets better folks Cressida Dick..........the gift that keeps on giving.

www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/nick-ferrari/facemasks-cressida-dick-police/

The Commissioner of the Met Police has told LBC that shopkeepers can call the police if people are refusing to wear a facemask in their stores.

From Friday, everyone must wear a face covering in shops in England or face a fine. It is already mandatory in Scotland.

One shopkeeper phoned Call The Commissioner on LBC to ask whether the Met would police the wearing of masks.

And Dame Cressida insisted that officers would assist if shopkeepers were concerned about an incident as the law comes in.

She told Nick Ferrari: "Our approach to the regulations throughout has been to only use enforcement as a last resort. So when people were highly restricted on going out, we were out talking to them and the vast, vast majority did comply

As I understand, the vast majority are complying in wearing masks on public transport.

"We will be working with the retail trade right across London. They employed security guards and they managed to keep social distancing and sensible queueing. They've only called us rarely to assist and that is what I hope happens here.

"Calling the police should be a last resort for dealing with a mask issue. But the law is a law.

"If you've tried everything and you can't get the person out of the store and they're getting aggressive, yes of course you should call the police.

"My hope is that the vast majority of people will comply and people will be shamed into leaving the store.

"If somebody is concerned about what's going on in their store, then yes, of course they should call the police and we will try to assist

Video in link

Shaming is mentioned quite a bit at the endof the vid.

Daft bat.

The police here have said that they have other stuff to be doing, and linked the downloadable form for an exemption, seems fairly sensible in honesty!

Clearly the daft bat is so very far removed from front line work she's absolutely no idea what her officers do every day and the choices they must make between calls. All she's doing is encouraging people to basically shame others any way they can, and, giving the impression the met just sit around drinking tea and eating doughnuts all day (which means they'll be a massive chop to their funding come next April because they'll be deemed to have "too many" officers and she won't be able to argue otherwise).

Fact is you can't tell by looking if someone is disabled and no two people have the exact same experience of an illness.

The self entitled prats will continue not to wear them, all this does is further frighten those already scared.

@PickAChew yes. If they can not tolerate a Face mask they are not going to tolerate having to lay flat on a bed for 30-60 minutes keeping still and having to inhale and exhale on instruction.

We are sitting right next to patients while their doing the breathing excersizes for scan. We’ve always got them to turn their heads away from us to breath out.. but some don’t and will intentionally breath out in our faces. It’s pretty disgusting sometimes. We need some protection, it maybe not be a 100% but it’s better than nothing. We had many staff go down with covid at the beginning before patients were asked to wear masks before coming into scan. Since introducing masks (pre government idea) we have not had any staff contract it. In Italy and China, 40% of the healthcare workers that became infected with Covid from patients were GP’s and Sonographers, because they have to have such close contact for a longer period of time than many other HCP. Hence it was brought in here early on, that for patients seeing those health professions, they had to wear masks.

If we all go off sick there will be no one to help diagnose. And then there will be complaints of why weren’t the patients wearing masks...
It’s not just the staff, it’s the other patients in the hospital too. People have been shielding at home for months, they come in and hope to be as safe
as possible. But other people are ok with risking other people (I know a very small minority will not be able to wear it.. but as a previous poster has said, it is people who have not used an inhaler since they were a child who are now suddenly asthmatic again and won’t wear a mask.. just because they don’t want to. And there are many people who are doing this. They never declared asthma at the start of pregnancy as a health issue.. but suddenly they remembered they are)

I work in a GP s surgery. Im an administrator, I do lots of phone contact and obviously the mask issue is a big deal. I've been off for a few days and things can change very quickly but the last conversation I had with our Practice Manager, she said

There is no requirement for patients to wear masks in primary care.

I'll try and come back with a source for this tomorrow. We are asking patients to wear them. We can't enforce it, it's a suggestion for patient safety but we can't and wouldn't deny you access if you didn't want to or couldn't wear one. If a GP needs you to come down to the surgery it is likely there will be a conversation first on the phone so it might be worth discussing it with them then. However, this is about mitigating risk. If COVID enters a surgery this could mean closure which would be disastrous for the community that surgery serves. This has happened in the area I live in. One GP contracted COViD and spent a lot of time in hospital but thankfully they survived.

I don't have to wear a mask often at work, but a short conversation can leave me exhausted whilst wearing one. There are no easy answers here.

I freely admit that I have found mask wearing very much more difficult than I thought I would. I am trying to tolerate it all the way round the supermarket but after a fairly short time I do find myself starting to struggle for breath.

I do have mild asthma, and have also had significant lung infections in the past that I was told could well have left some scarring. It may be that masks trigger it if worn for any length of time. I've never had to put that to the test until recently.

So no judgement from me for those not wearing a mask. The whole thing is frightening me, to be quite honest.

As for Cressida Dick, well she lives up to her name on this. She is a dick. All very reminiscent of early lockdown when some police tried to police people's shopping trolleys, and the Easter egg debacle.

We got a text from the doctor's surgery saying that they encourage mask wearing, and if possible you should, but if you cannot for a genuine reason to still attend if needed, and you won't be questioned.

Fair enough if you have severe asthma. I have mild lung disease and find the mask gives me a panic attack as I have to inhale harder. When you already have 50% lung capacity and are used to how it feels to breathe it is significant enough to induce feelings of panic and anxiety which when it relates to breathing, that fundamental thing you do to live, is horrible. It requires mental steel esp when its hot, public transport etc. Going to look into cotton masks.

I bought a couple of lightweight cotton masks today in one of our local shops. So far I would say that I find them much easier to wear, though my glasses did still steam up somewhat.

I know someone might come along and say that they won't be good enough etc. but I have no intention of listening to them. I will wear what I can tolerate and I couldn't give a shit what anyone else thinks.

I think it’s pretty daft after 4 months and we had the peak in Easter. I’ve no idea what BJ knows, but I’m dreading tomorrow wearing face masks.
Obviously I will do what the law says but I’m not happy with it.
I’d face mask really did protect people then everyone would have had to wear one from immediate effect. We’ve been waiting for this day for weeks.

I think the masks are being introduced because our infection and death rates are still too high. They have achieved as much as they can with a national lockdown, and need to get them lower. Since the daily Downing Street news conferences have ended, infection rates have increased, but we haven't been exposed to the information in the same way as before.

People are very complacent since the daily conferences finished.
Thinking it's all gone away. I doubt many people are aware of the confirmed infections and death rate each day.

I'm increasingly hearing it's all a big con and social experiment these days... I'm expecting an announcement anyday of a severe shortage of tin foil.

People are very complacent since the daily conferences finished.
Thinking it's all gone away

Makes you wonder if that was the intention.

To be honest that's why I thought they stopped. Though I never watched a single one, I didn't need to, I know people who did need the daily reminder, who now are of the opinion it's magically gone away or the announcements would have continued.

www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jul/24/deafblind-woman-and-sister-verbally-abused-for-lifting-mask-on-train