People wearing the sunflower lanyard without masks

[Nosebogey]

Just wondering how you are finding it?

I haven’t been to any shops (bar once) since the mask rule came in. We are exempt but didn’t have the lanyards the time we went in. Everyone else in masks, a bit of staring but not much else. Since then though someone else exempt posted on the local faceache that she’d been approached by a man who removed his mask, coughed in her face, told her he had covid and that he hoped she died from it from not wearing her mask. It’s made me a bit nervous to try again because lots of people commented on her post blaming her for that situation . And someone else I know who lives in another area was shouted at in a supermarket by another customer for not having a mask on to the point where she had to leave the shop.

Have you found people to be quite understanding or have you had shitty/scary comments too?

@minimike are you serious? I'm all for people wearing masks if they are able but there are many reasons that people may not be able to wear them. Should we lock them up until the virus has gone away?

People are hijacking the sunflower lanyard as a "get put of wearing mask" scheme both my younger children wear the lanyard they also wear masks they just react differently to other children so if people get too close (ie breaks the "rules") my eldest will get irate a bit strident and protest vocally my youngest gets overwhelmed and meows a lot he will hiss if provoked

We don't go out often at the moment

I was at Guy’s hospital last week and didn’t see anyone who wasn’t wearing a mask. They were handing out masks as people came in, and making people sanitise their hands. I was quite surprised by this as apart from me and one other person, no-one on the bus there was wearing a mask.

[quote minimike]@bookmum08 If a mask is not worn the danger is to the rest of us from the droplets expressed by the non-wearer. Regardless of the validity of the reason.
Wearing a mask is not to protect you, but the rest of us.
We are now 6 months into this and still people are trying to justify putting the rest of us in danger.
Try harder, wear a mask please.[/quote]
The exemption exists and people don’t need to justify themselves to you.

Also it’s more likely that the person in the supermarket you come into contact with is one of the 17999 out of 18000 people who do not have the virus so no one is risking you catching anything. Did you think it was OK to bully people into wearing a mask when there actually WAS a significant risk you could have caught it?

Our supermarkets now have placards outside reminding customers that some customers may be exempt from wearing masks and/or may not be able to SD and to be respectful of that. A shame that this is needed because people think it’s OK to act like arseholes and attack the disabled.

What happened to that lady was NOT okay. A man coughed in the face of a police officer in my town and said he had Covid. He was jailed, for that, not any other crime just that.

I dont know why people cant see a person without a mask and assume they must be exempt.

My son is exempt. I encourage him to wear one if its a good day other days its a no go. We dont use a Lanyard. I am practising saying "I'm not going to give you his medical history." in various situation appropriate tones. Thankfully nobody has looked twice at us.

Plus exempt people don’t have to “try harder” to wear a mask. The exemption exists and people are entitled to use it.

I honestly don't know what's wrong with people.

I've seen reminders on social media that guide dogs dont know how to join the end of a queue! I mean who seriously needs to have that pointed out?

Unfortunately you can buy sunflower lanyards on amazon, lots of people wearing them and bragging that it means they don't need to wear stupid masks, openly admit there's nothing wrong with them, they could wear masks. Unless drs issue specific exemption certificates to put in the lanyard they are pointless. A whole family, 8 in total, no masks in Waitrose today and heard the dad say to the teen boy that we (mask wearing) were stupidly following Boris. Oh well

"Try harder, wear a mask please."

Try not to be so dense and lacking in understanding. Try educating yourself. Try harder.

"lots of people wearing them and bragging that it means they don't need to wear stupid masks,"

Define lots. Ten, a thousand, a million. How many people have you seen in a shop do that

Hang on. Did someone just say “try harder” not to have a disibility?

Blimey the attitudes towards people with hidden disabilities is utterly disgraceful! So sad that people feel they have to explain their exemption at all.

There will be a very small minority of people who are genuinely unable to wear a face covering. There will also be LOADS of selfish fuckers who just don’t want to wear a face covering because it’s uncomfortable so they’ll claim exemption or wear a lanyard.

I am a HCP and had honestly never heard of the sunflower lanyard until I read it on Mumsnet. Not excusing the behaviour of people coughing in your face or verbally abusing you, no need for that ever. But I think the sunflower lanyard is possibly not as well know as it should be.

"There will be a very small minority of people who are genuinely unable to wear a face covering."

How many and for what reasons? People keep saying things like a very small minority but don't have any idea about actual numbers of people with the different disabilities that cannot wear them.

Ok, for example, a woman who has been violently raped and had a hand held over her nose and mouth while being raped and as a consequence has post traumatic stress disorder for which she hasn’t yet completed trauma focused therapy

Also people with chronic respiratory conditions, chronic asthma, COPD, lung cancer

You've missed some.

I wasn’t aiming to give a comprehensive list smart arse

If you see someon not wearing a mask, mind your own business don't challenge ect leave them alone and stop being a interfering busy body.

If you do challenge someone it's not your job too challenge and you are a utter scumbag.

And for the person trotting out the line "try harder" if you are that afraid don't go out as you have big issues and I'd rather people like you weren't out and about.

I just wish people would mind their own beeswax about people not wearing masks.

But as others have said this virus is everybody's business, and given that masks protect others of course people are going to be wary of people who aren't wearing them. I've got somebody on my Facebook who is very conspiracy theorist minded and she's bragging that she's not wearing a mask anywhere. Meanwhile if I catch the virus there's a high chance that I or somebody else in my household will die. Of course I'm going to wonder if people who aren't wearing them have a legitimate reason to. I'm not the type of arsehole who will ask, because I don't know who has a disability, but I do know multiple people who are abusing the exemptions and it makes me despair.

Also it’s more likely that the person in the supermarket you come into contact with is one of the 17999 out of 18000 people who do not have the virus so no one is risking you catching anything.

Thank you for those figures, that's reassuring. But of course there is a higher risk of catching something spread by water droplets from the mouth and nose, from a person who is not wearing a mask.

[quote minimike]@bookmum08 If a mask is not worn the danger is to the rest of us from the droplets expressed by the non-wearer. Regardless of the validity of the reason.
Wearing a mask is not to protect you, but the rest of us.
We are now 6 months into this and still people are trying to justify putting the rest of us in danger.
Try harder, wear a mask please.[/quote]
There’s always one isn’t there. If people can’t wear a mask, they can’t wear a mask. It’s very irritating when people act like it’s a flippant choice when actually it’s very hard being unable to do something especially when that something is so visible and seems to make every bugger think they are entitled to comment about it or, like the man in my OP, assault people over it.

Anyway, we did try the supermarket today with the lanyard and there were no problems thankfully. I noticed as well that the store radio had an announcement about wearing masks and a mention along the lines of how not everyone can wear them and so to be kind to customers and staff.

[quote minimike]@bookmum08 If a mask is not worn the danger is to the rest of us from the droplets expressed by the non-wearer. Regardless of the validity of the reason.
Wearing a mask is not to protect you, but the rest of us.
We are now 6 months into this and still people are trying to justify putting the rest of us in danger.
Try harder, wear a mask please.[/quote]
More ableist crap.

I can’t wear a mask. Due to stories like the one in the OP, and the disgusting attitude of people like minimike, I won’t be going in shops, on public transport, to museums/libraries etc until they’re no longer required.
Fine for me, I have no real need to do those things (and my wallet thanks me). Others will have to though, and shouldn’t be subjected to ignorant twats who think people should just ‘try harder’ to not have a physical or mental health condition or disability which means they can’t wear one.

Anyone can buy those. We need a better system, GP-issued cards, eg.