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 .

Of course not. People might be more conscious and wear them when they have colds etc but otherwise no. The amount of dingbats who don’t wear them over their nose will be the first to ditch them anyway

As soon as I can I'll be ditching it... giving me chapped lips and spots for a start

@BonnieDundee

I’d rather people stayed home whenever possible, if ill. I hope there won’t be a return to ill people in the office when they get sick pay or allowed to work from home. There’s always one who turns up in the office “because I had to”. No you didn’t

I agree. But in the NHS and I'm sure with other employers too, people are scared to go off with a cold. Plus we're scared that we might need sick leave for anything else and that will tip us over into absence procedures while some people seem to be off lots and nothing is ever said

For every one that turns up " because they had too " theres another one taking advantage of unlimited or unquestionable sick leave who would have a cold every other week just to avoid work when they couldn't be bothered. Im sure we could all think of 1 colleague past or present who would meet that criteria

@Tumbleweed101
I won't be wearing them once they stop being compulsory as I really struggle with my glasses misting and haven't found a way of stopping it from happening.

Read the reviews from happy mask wearers whose glasses no longer mist up when wearing a mask.

'I do think there may be an end to the practice of going to work with a cold and infecting all your colleagues.'

Nah, we do that because our statutory sick payment is pretty much the lowest in Europe.

Plenty of people are ignoring Covid symptoms to attend work because they can't afford not to. People are deciding not to download the App for fear of being traced. Along with the lowest number of hospital bed per head population. And numbers of doctors per head population.

Presenteeism is a result of years of Tory rule, and the victims voting them in.

For those saying they won't wear masks ever again once they are not mandatory, will you be happy breathing your germs over everyone when you have a cold etc.

I find they keep my face warm at the moment, and they certainly helped with my hay fever in the summer

@ineedaholidaynow

For those saying they won't wear masks ever again once they are not mandatory, will you be happy breathing your germs over everyone when you have a cold etc.

I find they keep my face warm at the moment, and they certainly helped with my hay fever in the summer

Like anyone cared pre 2020 No sorry we want our lives back,its happening No masks, no restrictions

For a lot of office workers I am assuming it will be much easier to WFH rather than coming into the office and spreading your cold germs everywhere.

I quite like the social distancing whilst shopping and I don't miss shaking hands

I hate them, I certainly only wear because it's the done thing on the school run (outside with plenty of space between people) and whip it off the second I'm outside the gates. I can see why they might help indoors, but suspect there's more danger it makes people complacent about getting too close to each other.

I can't understand people spending lots of money on 'pretty' masks. They're not pretty, they're not nice, I miss seeing people smile.

Going forward I will be able to work from home, so I won't go out and spread germs if I'm ill. I certainly wouldn't stick a mask on and then go off coughing and spluttering everywhere, as there is limited evidence how well they work to prevent spreading germs in many circumstances.

I've had several colds already since September, but thought this was fairly standard with children at school (where there is no distancing and limited mask wearing).

But maybe it would be nice to think of others @tortoiseshell1985. It's not like you would be wearing them all the time. I think I will be much more conscious of sneezing etc in front of people going forward.

And I certainly hope people won't go back to their slovenly ways in respect of hand hygiene

Dp & I were discussing this last week, he can’t wait to be rid of them, I’m feeling like I will probably carry on wearing one - certainly will on public transport & in busy shops.
Other things that I will carry on with are cleaning supermarket trolley handles & using hand sanitiser very regularly

@veeeeh

Please someone tell me who JVT is. Google is throwing up lots of crap that doesn't make sense!

Anyway I think masks are good in crowded places etc. and should be the norm going forward. No need to get rid of the habit for everyone's sake really, or make them odd or awkward as happened early on in the pandemic. Just my view.

Jonathan Van Tam - deputy Chief Medical Officer.

(Am stunned there are people who don't know who he is! Not in a snarky way but just because he's on TV so much)

For those saying they won't wear masks ever again once they are not mandatory, will you be happy breathing your germs over everyone when you have a cold etc

Yes couldn’t care less tbh. The general hideousness of masks and their knock-on effects on communication and social cohesion far outweigh the potential of passing on a mild illness in my book.

As soon as they stop being mandatory I’ll stop. I’m only wearing them now to tick the box. As soon as I’m allowed into shops without one they’re gone.

@ineedaholidaynow
But maybe it would be nice to think of others @tortoiseshell1985. It's not like you would be wearing them all the time.

A vain hope I'm afraid. If this pandemic has shown one thing, it's that a huge proportion of our fellow citizens are totally and utterly selfish and care about nobody but themselves.

My son had a tooth out in the summer under sedation in hospital, I was there when he was put under and the anaesthetist said to give him a kiss before I left. Pointless with the mask on though! Is it pointless giving someone a hug with your clothes on?

As soon as they become optional, I'm never wearing it again. No I don't feel guilty about 'breathing germs'. I can see the argument, but no I don't and honestly I never will. I work from home if I've got a cold, lucky that I can, you know I don't go round snogging people or coughing in their faces. But yeh I'm not going to feel guilty for breathing.

Oh so it's now going to be a really blatant way of virtue signalling then?

Look at me, I'm so great, so caring, so concerned about everyone with my mask.

Unlike you manky, selfish buggers who won't wear a mask - even though the law says you don't need to any more and even though you hate the things. So selfish.

I reckon we’ll be wearing masks into the Autumn next year - it’s going to take months to roll out the vaccines and results be available as to its success.

Most masks don't prevent the wearer from catching Covid, they just lessen the chances of the wearer passing it on if they are infected.

I intend to have the jab as soon as I'm allowed it and once I've done that, I shall ditch the masks.

On the news this evening they showed a woman hugging and kissing her mum for the first time in months, as her mum was in a care home. She was wearing a mask.

My boss, who has health anxiety and quite a lot of power in the office has been adamant that they will be required in the office for this year at all - personally I think she'd like them to stay indefinitely.

She is saying that even if they vaccinate everyone in the vulnerable and older categories that most of the people in the office will still be susceptible to the virus and so we will continue with social distancing, masks, etc for at least another year regardless of what the government advice is.

We've been told in Germany that being vaccinated will make no imnediate difference to precautions in place to reduce transmission (masks and social distancing

I believe this is meant on an individual level. As in, things will not change immediately for you once you have been vaccinated. Once enough of the population has been vaccinated then things will be relaxed.

Why does it have to be virtue signalling? Why can't it be because you do care?

Are all volunteers virtue signalling?

Aren't they saying at the moment that they don't know whether all these vaccines actually stop you transmitting the virus, they just ensure you have mild symptoms.