Supermarket refuses service without mask

[torn2020]

The supermarket in my small town has taken the decision to refuse entry to anyone without a mask, even if they're exempt/carrying a card/wearing a lanyard etc. Apparently the exemption cards "were being abused".

Judging from comments on the local Facebook group, there's overwhelming support for this.

I'm horrified/disgusted at the overt discrimination and lack of empathy. Would say I'll boycott but actually have no choice since I'm unable to wear a mask (due to PTSD from being choked and strangled as a child, for those who like to jump in and say I should just put up with it for a 5 min shop). Apparently mask exempt people "don't have the right to just go wherever they want".

AIBU at despairing at humanity just a little bit more today?

you cannot expect a shop to simply believe someone who claims they are exempt. Just like if i claimed to have a staff discount card at tesco they wouldn't trust me. Compared to many countries we in the uk seem to get an awful lot of exemptions whereas china enforced entirely face masks and in Greece masks are rigorously enforced with police fining for even a slight slip below the nose. There seems to be far fewer people there with exemptions perhaps they seem to have better mental health or perhaps they just have a stronger sense of civic duty. Your choosing not to weak a mask is increasing somebody else's chance of catching covid it's about the rights of society over the rights of the individual and I come down on the rights of society every time.

Can you get your shopping online or get someone else to get it for you?

Im afraid I agree with the shops stance. Far too many people claiming exemption for spurious reasons. It doesnt mean I dont have sympathy for how hard it is, but if you cant wear a mask then you should still treat life as you would in quarantine/lockdown. You can still go on walks etc

Actually a 'mask exempt' hour might be a good solution.

@NoSleepInTheHeat

Actually a 'mask exempt' hour might be a good solution.

What about the people working in the shop. Are they not allowed to be protected? Is this ok to put them at risk?.

@QuestionMarkNow good point! shop staff could become infected...what then? does shop have to close for a clean? other staff isolate if a colleague has a positive test?

Compared to many countries we in the uk seem to get an awful lot of exemptions whereas china enforced entirely face masks

Yes, let's all be like China, that shining beacon for human rights and freedom

Your choosing not to weak a mask

@Wherehavetheteletubbiesgone people who are exempt are not 'choosing not to wear a mask'.

Shop staff can wear a mask in the mask free hour....unless of course they are exempt

Actually a 'mask exempt' hour might be a good solution.

so that all those who cannot wear a mask at in at the same time not wearing one?

And of course all exempt people will be able to drop everything to rush to the shop during this one hour just so that the rest is not inconvenienced by having to share the shop with someone exempt.

I cannot believe what some people are suggesting here. The 'othering' is simply appalling.

Masks are Mandatory in Francee with 140.6 cases per 100k, Spain 265.5 per 100k, Britain pre mandatory masks running at 41.7per 110k.

Sweden, no masks, no lock down, running at 24.7% with only Germany lower than the, in the EU states.

I think people are blindly assuming that the masks will erase the transmission, this is quite simply incorrect. Most masks are not fit for purpose, people lift them up to talk, and it is merley a way to make people 'feel' safe.

Transmission by touch is far more of a risk, so mandatory sanitising of hands would be far more prodcutive.

@PennyDreadfuI

Compared to many countries we in the uk seem to get an awful lot of exemptions whereas china enforced entirely face masks

Yes, let's all be like China, that shining beacon for human rights and freedom

Exactly this, they also have thousands of Muslims forcibly detained in the Xinjiang region. Not sure we should be holding China up as a reference for positive state intervention.

They have a duty of care to their staff. They can refuse admittance and they are entitled to do so.

I cannot believe what some people are suggesting here. The 'othering' is simply appalling

I was shocked when these threads first started appearing. I'm not shocked any more because the ableism is so constant. I'm just depressed (and a bit scared) instead.

They have a duty of care to their staff. They can refuse admittance and they are entitled to do so

They can't refuse admittance by reason of disability. Which is what they're doing if they refuse entry to those who are exempt.

Most shops know this. All the larger companies do. They also know that they cannot ask for proof of exemption (just as well, since none exists).

Also, shop staff are are not required to wear masks unless they wish to. The vast majority don't. I rarely see people on threads like this taking aim at them, though - it's always customers who are disabled/those with health issues who are the 'problem'.

Actually a 'mask exempt' hour might be a good solution

There is already a solution - exemption.

It's not possible for those who are exempt to fit all their shopping into one hour at 9am on Wednesdays, for example. What if you run out of milk or paracetamol or need a top up shop? What if you have mobility issues and can't do all your shopping in one go because you can't carry it?

The difference between what you're proposing and the shopping hours for NHS staff/the vulnerable etc at the height of lockdown is that those groups were also free to use the shops at other times, too. You're suggesting that the exempt should only shop in that designated hour. Apart from anything else, imagine how packed it'd get (if you could get into the shop at all during your designated hour, given SD requirements/queues - you'd have to start queuing ages in advance to be sure you could get in which is unreasonable for many who are disabled/have health conditions, particularly with winter coming up). All those people without masks together in an enclosed space, as opposed to a handful. What could possibly go wrong?!

I don't know why people can't just accept that exemptions exist and get on with it. And why they can't keep their ableist, ignorant thoughts to themselves.

I don't know why people can't just accept that exemptions exist and get on with it. And why they can't keep their ableist, ignorant thoughts to themselves.

Because it's clear that people are taking the piss and pretending to be exempt when they're not.

@Badbadbunny

I don't know why people can't just accept that exemptions exist and get on with it. And why they can't keep their ableist, ignorant thoughts to themselves.

Because it's clear that people are taking the piss and pretending to be exempt when they're not.

It doesn’t give anyone a right to hassle and abuse people

@fromdownwest

Masks are Mandatory in Francee with 140.6 cases per 100k, Spain 265.5 per 100k, Britain pre mandatory masks running at 41.7per 110k.

Sweden, no masks, no lock down, running at 24.7% with only Germany lower than the, in the EU states.

I think people are blindly assuming that the masks will erase the transmission, this is quite simply incorrect. Most masks are not fit for purpose, people lift them up to talk, and it is merley a way to make people 'feel' safe.

Transmission by touch is far more of a risk, so mandatory sanitising of hands would be far more prodcutive.

Actually, the scientific is extremely divided on that subject @fromdownwest.

Some people seem to think that touch is the biggest risk Even though there is no scientific evidence that viruses can be transmitted by touch (there are plenty of evidence about bacteria).

Some scientists think the biggest issue is aerosols (which is where a mask is protecting us) like it is the case with measles (or apparently colds too).

Imo, if we don’t know, which we do NOT, then we need to cover all bases. Because using the pandemic to solve some internal fights on how a virus is infecting other people is not the right thing to do imo.
Esp as masks don’t actually create so much issues anyway.

As for other countries, maybe it’s also a good idea nto to take one dies in isolation an forget about all the measures taken or not taken. How affected a country will be depends on lost if factors, incl some we have no idea about just now (see what is happening in India for example)

@Badbadbunny

I don't know why people can't just accept that exemptions exist and get on with it. And why they can't keep their ableist, ignorant thoughts to themselves.

Because it's clear that people are taking the piss and pretending to be exempt when they're not.

A tiny minority are. Why are people judging all without masks the same way? Isn't it easier and kinder to just assume that no mask = exemption rather than no mask = pisstaker?

There have been exempt posters on other threads who have been filmed while not wearing masks (presumably to be shared on social media). How is that ok or justifiable because 'some people pretend to be exempt when they're not'?

"but if you cant wear a mask then you should still treat life as you would in quarantine/lockdown. You can still go on walks etc"

Does that apply to children as well? No shopping for those with a baby or toddler with them or any under 12 who can't wear one. Only allowed out for walks. Or is only people with disabilities that we treat differently.

But @MadameBlobby, are you also happy for those who are taking the mic (and don’t wear a mask ‘just because’ when they can and should) are putting other people at risk? Even if we don’t know by how much?

Is better safe than sorry not applying there?

@PennyDreadfuI do you have any sources on that subject?
I’d love to be able to read the research on that and see how many people are actually needing an exemption vs those who actually don’t.

From what I could see in the general public in France and Switzerland this summer, it seems that much less people there are exempt. Maybe people in the uk have more disabilities than there? I dunno.

@Branleuse

Can you get your shopping online or get someone else to get it for you?

Im afraid I agree with the shops stance. Far too many people claiming exemption for spurious reasons. It doesnt mean I dont have sympathy for how hard it is, but if you cant wear a mask then you should still treat life as you would in quarantine/lockdown. You can still go on walks etc

What do you regard as 'spurious reasons'?

And where in the guidelines does it say that those who are exempt should 'treat life as you would in quarantine/lockdown'? Are we not supposed to go to work/hospital appointments/take DC to school? Who's going to pay our bills if we don't work - we won't get any benefits if we've left a job with no good reason. And how about public transport - are we not allowed to use that either? Still, I suppose it doesn't matter given we have to stop working/socialising/caring for family/shopping/going to hospital appointments. We won't need to use transport anyway, will we.

We're not shielding. The government have not said any of these things are expected of us. You saying that's what we should do bears no weight whatsoever - please familiarise yourself with the government guidelines and respect them.

@QuestionMarkNow

But *@MadameBlobby*, are you also happy for those who are taking the mic (and don’t wear a mask ‘just because’ when they can and should) are putting other people at risk? Even if we don’t know by how much?

Is better safe than sorry not applying there?

I don’t really give a shit tbh. I can’t control what other people do.

You dint give a shit about the health of other people?

Please tell me I misunderstood

Yes you clearly have.

To all those people thinking they get to decide what others do. Here's some news for you. You don't.