Masks are here to stay aren’t they?

[Redbrickwall]

JVT seemed to make that very clear tonight.

I’m gutted if this is true. I only have hearing in 1 ear and rely on lip reading more than I realised. I find masks awful and avoid going anywhere where I have to wear one .

[Spidey66]

And to get back to black snot.....despite living in London all my life and I’m 54 I have never ever had black snot nor heard anyone else coming lain of it.

[Spidey66]

Complain

[gannett]

@TempsPerdu

I've never been one for small talk in shops or shopping as leisure so maybe I haven't noticed the change there.

What I have noticed is that when I'm out and about outdoors there's actually a lot more acknowledgement of other people than before. A nod or gesture to acknowledge a social distancing effort when people are running or walking. Actively thanking shop workers, I do that more than before. I find I'm moving through the world less on autopilot and masks actually remind me to make the effort.

Everyone's depressed and shuffling because there's a pandemic on, I don't think this is specifically mask-related. I'd feel just as ground down without them.

[Lurchermom]

I hope not. I didn't even realise I had issues with my hearing (apart from occasionally 'mishearing' things or in busy settings) until we started wearing masks. I'm early 30s and when people are wearing masks I'm really seriously struggling to understand what people say, so I think I must lip read unconsciously. I've always watched TV with subtitles too because 'they don't speak clearly' and I've realised now is because you can't always see their faces clearly.
I don't mind if people want to wear them when they're poorly but in general I really hope they move out of popular culture.

[Fittata]

I think the UK is too much of an individualistic (selfish?) society to carry on wearing masks once the pandemic is over. The typically Asian countries where mask wearing is the norm when you are ill also have a very different culture of social responsibility and looking out for each other that is often sadly lacking in the UK.

[Stellaris22]

I really hope people will wear them when they have a cold, as it's made a HUGE difference for me this year. It's not a lot to ask if people and would only be for when ill. I will keep wearing mine when inside a shop or venue when I have a cold.

Unfortunately I can't see that being the norm. But not getting a cold has meant my cough variant asthma (difficult to control) has been a lot better this year.

Seeing some of the responses here though doesn't fill me with hope, society is far too individualistic and uncaring.

[Hardbackwriter]

Again, I'd suggest that people don't talk about how trivially small a thing it is to wear a mask if you have a cold unless they have worn a mask with a heavy cold....

Also, you're contagious with a cold before you have symptoms so if you need to avoid colds then it makes more sense to change your own behaviour by keeping your distance from others, washing your hands a lot and considering wearing your own mask rather than expecting others to do it, since you actually can't 'keep your germs to yourself' with a mask if you don't yet know you're contagious.

[viccat]

@Fittata

I think the UK is too much of an individualistic (selfish?) society to carry on wearing masks once the pandemic is over. The typically Asian countries where mask wearing is the norm when you are ill also have a very different culture of social responsibility and looking out for each other that is often sadly lacking in the UK.

I think this is exactly it, sadly.

Masks are worn to protect other people.

I would love to see mask wearing become a routine thing especially during cold/flu season on public transport and other similarly crowded places.

[Stellaris22]

It would only be for short periods of time when in a shop, and obviously hand washing etc is still important.

It is certainly more trivial than the weeks of a very painful hacking cough I get, and the exhaustion from no sleep. Regardless, it is definitely noticeable that I haven't suffered this year and I know it's triggered by getting a cold.

Try having very difficult to control cough variant asthma, it's not pleasant.

[sickandtired23]

I'll continue wearing my mask.

Keeps my face warm in winter and means I don't have to smile at people!
Win-Win

[SomewhereEast]

I think lack of colds has much more to do with greatly reduced social interaction generally and the fact that people aren't moving about much geographically due to restrictions. I really doubt masks on their own would make much difference at all. Especially given anyone trying to wear a mask with a heavy cold is either going to be fiddling with the thing every time they need to sneeze or just wearing a snot-soaked rag, which seems likely to increase the transmission risk.

[MargotLovedTom1]

Again, to all these people who would love to see public mask wearing become a routine thing, what about the 1 in 7 people who have some form of hearing impairment? Tough shit?

And it's still perfectly possible to interact positively if the situation calls for it... Or just speak a bit louder! How ignorant.

[onedayinthefuture]

We need to ditch the masks as soon as. Getting ill is part and parcel of life and kids especially need to build up immunity.

[Lostinacloud]

People need to think about future immunity. Whereas once upon a time it was rare for large numbers of people to travel far from their own villages and towns and so developed immunity to only local and indigenous diseases, we are now a global people, mixing almost daily in some cases with people from all over the world. I’m sure most people can recall those times in history where, for example, European explorers fatally introduced common cold viruses to South American people.
We need our immunity to keep up with this change and hiding away from all the minor winter viruses, forcing less interactions with a cashless society, working from home encouraged and masks everywhere does not seem like a sensible way forward.

[Stellaris22]

I have actually been in full support of anyone with hearing impairments or the need to not wear a mask to be able to. I work in a supermarket and we are supportive of those individuals and help them.

My issue was relating to my own situation that reduced colds have stopped my cough variant asthma and the pain that comes with the cough.

I am hoping that even if people stop wearing masks, they are more mindful of hygiene and keep washing hands regularly. The distancing would be great too and not insisting on touching everyone, but that's unfair to expect.

But I fully expect to be back to my painful cough that lasts weeks next year, I'm lucky if it only happens 5-6 times a year.

[Stellaris22]

lostinacloud I get this, but that's a reasonable thing to want when a common cold doesn't leave you unable to breathe due to coughing, when even steroids etc do nothing to help.*
*
If you are the type of person who rarely gets ill or recovers easily from a cold, you'll never understand the pain and exhaustion from it.

[BogRollBOGOF]

I can't wait for masks to be consigned to an embarrasing footnote in history.

They are very exclusionary, distorting speech and eliminating 2/3s of facial conmunication.
They are destroying the retail and leisure sector (when they are allowed to open) because they make life too uncomfortable to wear for anything more than a strict minium amount of time to do something functional.
They ruin casual social contact because you can't easily hear people and it's too much effort to hold non-essential conversation.
There's no point in smiling at people.
They make being out in public nearly as isolated and lonely as sitting around at home all day.
I suspect that the reduction in colds has far more to do with indoor activities being severely restricted, social distancing and people self isolating with symptoms that overlap Covid, rather than any significant efficacy of wearing a handkerchief over their airways.

[3littlewords]

All those saying they'll continue to wear a mask when it's no longer mandatory, advocating Asian countries where its the norm, and branding anyone who doesn't selfish, did you wear a mask pre covid? If not why not? They arent a new invention they've been around for decades to reduce airborne transmission of viruses and bacteria

[MadameBlobby]

@Fittata

I think the UK is too much of an individualistic (selfish?) society to carry on wearing masks once the pandemic is over. The typically Asian countries where mask wearing is the norm when you are ill also have a very different culture of social responsibility and looking out for each other that is often sadly lacking in the UK.

Why just Britain? Masks weren’t widely worn before Covid in most European countries or the US for example. But no, selfish Brits again.

[Openalltheadvent]

@MargosKaftan sorry but I can tell you now, they won’t have vaccinated most of NHS staff by Christmas

[WhoWants2Know]

I've noticed that my asthma is much better in the cold weather if I wear a mask outdoors, so I'll keep them on hand for that reason. And I definitely intend to wear one when I have a cold to reduce the chance of passing it on.

[bumbleymummy]

I think they'll start gradually disappearing in early 2021 and will mostly be gone by late spring/summer.

[Fittata]

Why just Britain? Masks weren’t widely worn before Covid in most European countries or the US for example. But no, selfish Brits again.

Because we are discussing the situation in the UK...

[MadameBlobby]

@Fittata

Why just Britain? Masks weren’t widely worn before Covid in most European countries or the US for example. But no, selfish Brits again.

Because we are discussing the situation in the UK...

So why is what Asian countries do relevant?

[covetingthepreciousthings]

I've noticed that my asthma is much better in the cold weather if I wear a mask outdoors, so I'll keep them on hand for that reason.

Yes I've found this too.