Costco denying entry to mask exempt unless they wear a shield

[LifelsAPigsty]

Surely this is discrimination? Some people who can't wear a mask can't wear a visor either (I can't, I have trigeminal neuralgia and can't tolerate any pressure on my face/head/temples). There are other conditions which make wearing them impossible, too. I'm sure the government guidelines state this sort of action isn't permitted?

I don't shop at Costco personally but I'm so worried other places will follow suit (and no, I can't avoid shops sadly - no delivery slots for months here and I don't drive so no c&c. Also no friends/relatives to shop for me).

Yet another layer of anxiety and worry

I have to agree with their policy. Have to say, I can’t see those visits doing much good ivy I suppose it’s better than nothing.

If you can’t wear a mask, then a visor it should be. If you can’t wear a visor then you’ll have to use online or get someone else.

End of the day, this whole sorry saga is to protect others. So it can’t be one rule for some and different rules for others.

We’re all suffering for various reasons

OP is correct, nurses and medical staff cannot work without PPE. Obviously masks do more to protect the patient than the HCP, so we absolutely have to wear them to protect those in our care. The people I look after don't wear face coverings but we do, hence myself and most of my colleagues have already had covid.

Staff who cannot wear them have to do non-clinical work.

I don't understand why you can't shop online. Book your delivery slots one mo the in advance like others do. I agree with policy of all wearing mask especially with rapid spreading mutation. You can do click and collect and someone will bring shipping out to you. No need to go into shop and put others at risk.

Just to add- I don’t think it’s discrimination because the consequences of allowing people in with no face mask could spread the virus faster, so that trumps any special allowances.

There are times when the safety of other trumps individual circumstances. An example is someone morbidly obese getting asked to get off a fair ground ride. (Btw this is areal scenario I witnessed)

I felt so sorry for the person and I’m sure they did feel discriminated against, however it wasn’t safe for everyone else so she had to get of on the basis of safety.

@caringcarer

I don't understand why you can't shop online. Book your delivery slots one mo the in advance like others do. I agree with policy of all wearing mask especially with rapid spreading mutation. You can do click and collect and someone will bring shipping out to you. No need to go into shop and put others at risk.

As I've said lots of times, my concern is that other public places/transport will adopt this policy. Those who are exempt still need to get to work, hospital appointments etc. It's not just about shopping - it's about the slippery slope of discrimination.

Many people do not have others to rely on for help. Volunteers in many areas only help those with positive test results, or who are vulnerable. And c&c doesn't work if you don't drive or can't afford the minimum order amount.

*RubyViolet

Why don’t non mask wearers ask Costco and other companies for an hour a week that they can attend .
It would have to be with staffing taken into consideration and ventilation permitting but it would be helpful for people who can show they have these chronic conditions that mean that they can’t wear a mask surely.

Hundreds of maskless people together would surely be a huge risk to all involved, staff included - far more so than one or two genuinely exempt in store?* but if in that hour staff are not out on the shop floor, are visited, masked and behind screens when on the till then their risk is reduced is it not ?

Visored not visitored!

@Sobeyondthehills good lord I'm not suggesting anyone doesn't go out. But the vast majority of people don't want to catch Covid! Would you honestly be ok with catching Covid then passing it to a vulnerable relative who then died because someone was shopping with Covid exempt from wearing a mask? Really? I'm very sure you wouldn't!

@WorraLiberty

Visors don't put any pressure on your face, head or temples

They're as light as a feather.

What visor are you wearing? Cos mine gives me a massive bloody migraine

@LifelsAPigsty

Can you wear a hat at all?

What about this? It's a hat with a visor incorporated to it? I think it would not touch your face?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fisherman-Cap-With-Protective-Clear-Mask-Saliva-proof-Dust-proof-Sun-Visor-Hat/313273749415?hash=item48f0920fa7:g:ffYAAOSwbs5flq4p

Anyone affected by Cosco's discriminatory rules should seek legal advice.

Some of the prejudiced and anti disability posts on this thread are shocking. I'm surprised that they are allowed. Doesn't mumsnet have rules against such things.

Totally agree with Costco sorry. Rates all over the country are going through the roof, if you're in an indoor public place then you need to wear a covering for you, for others, for everyone. If you physically can't do this for half an hour in a shop (although I met an old man who'd lost both ears due to meningitis, and he'd managed to gaffa tape a mask to his head, instead!) then for your safety, and the safety of others, you really shouldn't be going into inclosed public spaces for the time being. Order online, get family, friends, neighbours to do your shopping. I work in a supermarket and had to face an incredible amount of people today who were "mask exempt". We're now having to keep a tally as to how many exempt people are in coming in, and as of next week are potentially going to have to start limiting the number of mask exempt people at one time as each and every day we end up overrun with mask less people, chatting/laughing/coughing up and down the aisles. In a confined space, it's clearly not helping control the spread which has sky rocketed in our area. Our tally today showed we had 156 unmasked people in store.... Most had lanyards so weren't allowed to be challenged, which is why we're having to implement a new system and limit the numbers for their own safety as well as that of the other customers and staff. I'm technically exempt as have chronic asthma which I take daily steroid tablets to control, but no way in hell would I step foot in a shop without a mask. I wear mine for 12 hour shifts, the backs of my ears feel constantly bruised and it aggravates my asthma badly... Perks of the job I guess.

There's far too many people that claim they cannot wear a mask yet because they don't want to, unfortunately this will now impact those few like yourself that actually are genuinely unable to

This.

It really annoys me the way the face nappy brigade encourage non mask wearing as you can just claim to be exempt etc etc.

I feel sure that there action causes grief for people like the op who genuinely cannot wear a mask.

I am exempt.. Anything at all in front of my face I can't mentally deal with due to prevous DV of suffocation and various other things over my face.

I have tried... I've tried so many products

I use Costco regularly.. On a fortnightly basis on average. For home and for dh work.

I will now be using another wholesaler. Which is 10 miles out of my way and in tier 4! Because I CANNOT wear a mask.
It's that simple.

But I understand why. Because lots choose not to. A friend of mine brought a lanyard on ebay to say she's exempt because a mask makes her hot!. She's CV due to diabetes and morbidly obese but doesn't care of the risk.. She outrightly says a mask makes her hot.. So why should she wear one.

Imagine this scenario... The U.K is under attack.... Tonnes of poisonous gas has just been unleashed all over the U.K.... everyone MUST wear masks when venturing outside their homes and into public spaces... How many are still exempt? Pretty sure if they told us this, the mask wearing population would grow as fast as the Covid rates are doing currently.

Hi Op sorry to hear of your circumstances

I shop at Costco and fully support them and I hope others follow suit

I have 3 friends today tested positive one is very ill all 3 only go to the supermarket.

Here is the support group. www.tna.org.uk/what-is-trigeminal-neuralgia/ for your condition

They offer local support reach out to them they will have contacts to help you.

I think you have to safeguard other people during this awful time. Others have rights to be safe sounds like you are out and about with work and hospital appointments and shopping and exposed to risk.

I struggled to get online shopping slots and signed up for all of them I have a choice of slots and different supermarkets now never have a problem.

There are lots of charity volunteers who will pick up shopping for you. Local Facebook volunteers.

Do you know a friend or neighbour who could order your shopping with their online delivery I do that for others.

Local food shops are doing delivery

Get a milkman they deliver everything from milk to compost!

The government advice is that act as if u have it to protect others.

We have all had to make changes and maybe with these present shopping is not good for u at the moment u as you are exposing others to risk.

Good luck with finding a solution

The problem is the same story over and over, it’s because so many people who can wear masks refuse to and say they are exempt when there is nothing wrong with them. These people have made it more difficult for those genuinely exempt.

Surely staff in shops who are also exempt are putting people at risk, too - are they going to have to lose their jobs because of their health condition/disability

That would be their employers responsibility to check they are exempt, which I’m sure their employer will know if they are being genuine or not as they would know which of their employees have health conditions making them exempt.

Bajalaluna I'll ask my profoundly autistic son who doesn't understand speech if that would make it possible for him to keep a mask on and I'll see what he says. Since clearly you think he needs to try harder.

[quote hardknocklife123]@Sobeyondthehills good lord I'm not suggesting anyone doesn't go out. But the vast majority of people don't want to catch Covid! Would you honestly be ok with catching Covid then passing it to a vulnerable relative who then died because someone was shopping with Covid exempt from wearing a mask? Really? I'm very sure you wouldn't![/quote]
Then what do you expect those who can't wear masks do?

All so far I have seen is people agreeing to not allowing people who don't wear masks in shops. So what are these people to do to get to work, go to the shops at this time of year, get to the doctors?

People on here are discriminating against disability, don't try and use the whole you will kill Granny on me, when you know nothing about me

Surely this is discrimination?

Yes it is and if they don't back down they need taking to court.

Masks do a bit of good in conjunction with all the other measures, that's all. Masks are not a magic bullet and it's entirely disproportionate to exclude people who are unable to wear one from essential activities like buying groceries or using public transport 'for the foreseeable future' (Matt Hancock).

The legislation on face coverings makes very clear that some people are exempt and it explicitly mentions those who are unable to wear one because of a disability as defined in the Equality Act.

It's very clear that the government intends the face covering exemptions to be a way of providing legally mandated reasonable adjustments for disabled people and avoiding unlawful indirect discrimination.

Most of the government's rationale for mandatory face coverings was to do with 'consumer confidence', not public health. They thought if they made us all wear face coverings then we'd feel safer to go back out and spend money in shops, get back on unsafely crowded public transport, stop WFH and go back to the office, picking up a Pret on the way.

www.gov.uk/government/speeches/face-coverings-to-be-mandatory-in-shops-and-supermarkets-from-24-july

But every business is obliged by law to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled people and indirect discrimination is only lawful if it's a propotionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. Supporting the economy is a legitimate aim but if that's the aim, rather than public health, then what is proportionate?

Costco have shot themselves in the foot by saying a shield is OK because, as I'm sure we all know by now, a shield is completely ineffective in terms of public health. So they can only be refusing access to a load of people with disabilities, and (overwhelmingly) women who are recovering from sexual violence, in the hope of increasing their profits.

This all looks massively disproportionate to me and I would be happy to chip in to any legal fund against Costco or any other business that has a similar brain fart.

Meanwhile, face coverings do make a bit of difference so you really should wear one if you can.

I imagine there will eventually be a system where you have to carry a doctors letter. Why don’t you pre-empt that and get one?

• and then contact the management of shops you regularly use,

Sorry OP, but I have bilateral TN (on both sides, one’s standard idiopathic TN, one’s as a result of shingles, crap luck of the draw). And I use masks & dose up on my meds (pregabalin for the win at the moment) because my need doesn’t trump people getting COVID-19 & dying.

(Ihave to use face coverings when it is cold to prevent an attack anyway, so have been wearing soft masks & scarves for years. I actually had my stomach pumped as I tried to commit suicide due to the pain about a decade ago. It’s that bad. But masks? Friend, not foe. Try one that silk or ties up at the back rather than over the ears).

I'm 7 pages behind, have I got 'house' yet?

Can someone tell me why a visor is worth wearing? They do didlu squat other than virtue signal. I’ve asked three times how?