How should masks be enforced in public?

[User158340]

Indoors in general (shops, public transport etc).

I don't believe in making it mandatory because there are people who are genuinely exempt but there's so many piss takers.

There should be 'medically exempt' badges dished out by GP's only, on prescription essentially.

This should have been GP led from the get go, not trusting the British public. We see where that gets us.

They have been hundreds of thousands of people shielding of ages. They manage by being organised. Anyone could be told they have a condition and need to shield. Really poor to keep saying but I want to shop when I want. It’s impossible for me to make any changes to my life. You are not being asked to never go anywhere just don’t go in a shop.

Personally I think you should have to email a GP and say you need prove due to a trauma or health condition. Then they can easily forward you prove letter say to be getting on with. Then at a later date when the NHS and GP are not over whelmed with Covid someone will follow this up with you and offer support or help.

It will deter those who can’t be assed and it allows at some future point help to be given to people who may not have ever had support for a past event. How is that not helping everyone now and going forward?

[quote MolyHolyGuacamole]@MerciSeat DIAGNOSED, yes. But a panic attack does not PTSD make. The OP I quoted said their GP isn't aware, hence why I used the example of not being able to get a disabled badge and use a disabled parking bay if you aren't diagnosed with a particular disability. I don't see how what I said isn't clear.

It's all the self-diagnosis that makes the exemptions controversial. [/quote]
I disagree that a person should have to divulge traumatic details of rape/DV to anyone, GP or not, unless they are comfortable doing so. There may be a pandemic but surely we haven't lost all humanity and empathy, have we?

It makes no difference what you think should be happening - the exemptions which exist in law do, thankfully, allow for that humanity and empathy. Those who exploit this just to get out of wearing a mask when they are absolutely able to are disgusting and make everyone's lives harder, of course, nobody is disputing that.

@2020isnotbehaving

They have been hundreds of thousands of people shielding of ages. They manage by being organised. Anyone could be told they have a condition and need to shield. Really poor to keep saying but I want to shop when I want. It’s impossible for me to make any changes to my life. You are not being asked to never go anywhere just don’t go in a shop.

Personally I think you should have to email a GP and say you need prove due to a trauma or health condition. Then they can easily forward you prove letter say to be getting on with. Then at a later date when the NHS and GP are not over whelmed with Covid someone will follow this up with you and offer support or help.

It will deter those who can’t be assed and it allows at some future point help to be given to people who may not have ever had support for a past event. How is that not helping everyone now and going forward?

Whatever you think personally, that option isn't available.

People who are shielding - correct me if I'm wrong, I may well be - are either furloughed or have access to benefits if they cannot go to work as a result of shielding. Those who are exempt from wearing masks do not have that option so must continue to go out to work and use public transport to get there if necessary. No amount of forward planning will pay my bills for me if I just choose to shield without being told to do so.

I’m not saying disclose in email. I’m just saying there has been passed issue and I can’t wear a mask as a result. To be honest if you need to see your GP in person now you would have disclose you can’t wear mask just to get in the building so not like it’s a big secret.

I’m hoping they would fund those who can’t wear a mask and can’t work as a result. Not suggesting leave with nothing.

Radio 2 Jeremy Vine just ran a 30 min segment on mask wearing in supermarkets. The supermarket staff calling in were reporting high numbers of customers claiming to have COPD.

Things like COPD can easily be confirmed by a GP (it is something that you really only get diagnosed by a GP or specialist).

I know GPs have enough to do, but really the only way for prove a medical exemption (including a mental health exemption) is for a GP to be issuing the exemptions. Self-certification, which is what these sunflower lanyards are, cannot be policed.

A GP certificate can be policed. This should have been brought in gradually months ago. it would have all been sorted by now if the government had done this. It is not too late to introduce GP certificates for exemptions.

This would allow the LAW on face coverings to be enforced. It is not guidance or advice, it is the law, and as such the police should be enforcing it.

Especially since virus transmission has been proven to be reduced by mask/face covering wearing (as opposed to exercising outside 7 miles from home, which has not been proven to increase virus tranmission and is not illegal).

And I see that OP stated the exact same thing, so the OP is correct in all respects, except in stating that it is not currently mandatory, when face coverings are indeed entirely mandatory and are now enacted in law, so the police need to focus on enforcing the law (not their opinions about travel for exercise, which is allowed under the government's own law and Guidance).

You are not being asked to never go anywhere just don’t go in a shop

Or on public transport presumably? That means some wouldn’t be able to go to work or to the doctor. Also, shielding is easy when you have the infrastructure in place to support you. Many don’t have that network and some ARE the support for others. It’s not as simple as just booking your Ocado delivery instead of selfishly going to the shop. People need to stop trying to police the reasons and evaluate whether they are good enough. A few people not able to wear masks is NOT why the virus is spreading.

@Leanandmean31,

'There is also a fuckload of ableism with lots of comments that disabled people need to stay at home and do online shopping and shouldn’t be allowed out if they can’t wear masks.'

But this is exactly what is said to old or vulnerable people all the time on here. Why is an ability to wear a mask not a reason to stay at home, yet being old or vulnerable is?

@2020isnotbehaving

I’m hoping they would fund those who can’t wear a mask and can’t work as a result. Not suggesting leave with nothing.

But they're not funding us, so we can't stay at home.

@Leanandmean31,

'A few people not able to wear masks is NOT why the virus is spreading.'

Every single person who does 'their own risk assessment' believes that they are not the reason the virus is spreading. And yet, when you add up all these small breaches, in total they ARE the reason the virus is spreading.

[quote TheReluctantPhoenix]@Leanandmean31,

'There is also a fuckload of ableism with lots of comments that disabled people need to stay at home and do online shopping and shouldn’t be allowed out if they can’t wear masks.'

But this is exactly what is said to old or vulnerable people all the time on here. Why is an ability to wear a mask not a reason to stay at home, yet being old or vulnerable is?[/quote]
The old and vulnerable are not told they have no need to be 'out and about', that they're selfish whining cunts, that they should give up work. People who are shielding are not banned from going out to shops, work or wherever. They're not told not to use public transport. People who are exempt from wearing masks are. Plus we get abuse and threats in real life, too. Tell me where a shielding person has been spat at or told they deserved to die? Do you not think that's ableist?

If you genuinely can't wear a mask then maybe you should be looking at doing online shopping/click and collect, ask a friend or family member to shop with you. Being exempt doesn't make it safe for you or anyone else to be without a mask.

I can wear a mask but have not been in a shop since 10th December because I choose not to. There is now no shortage of delivery/click and collect spots.

@2020isnotbehaving

I’m hoping they would fund those who can’t wear a mask and can’t work as a result. Not suggesting leave with nothing.

Really?? Self declared 'I cant wear a mask' means someone else must pay you to stay at home???? Wow!

So where is the money coming from to pay all these people?

@lockeddownandcrazy this is it. People tell us to stay at home, don't go to work, don't use public transport, don't enter public spaces... But they don't want to pay for us to do so. Which is fine, I don't want them to. But you can't have it all ways - if people want us to stay at home, we need another way of paying our bills.

Also I'm baffled that people who have conditions, many of which mean they are likely to be more I'll with Covid than others, want to go out without a mask. If it was me I'd want to stay away from people completely.

@MerciSeat,

'Tell me where a shielding person has been spat at or told they deserved to die? Do you not think that's ableist?'

They are not spat at and told to die, they just catch Covid and actually die!

Do you think that makes them happy to go about their normal business? Is it not ableist to knowingly spread a virus which will probably do little harm to you but may kill others?

@bonbonours

Also I'm baffled that people who have conditions, many of which mean they are likely to be more I'll with Covid than others, want to go out without a mask. If it was me I'd want to stay away from people completely.

This old chestnut.

1. We don't 'want' to go out without a mask. We can't.

1. Things like PTSD, trigeminal neuralgia, sensory issues, autism etc do not make you any more vulnerable to Covid. Exempt does not equal ill.

bonbonours

I don’t understand this either. I know people with lung conditions that would never be without a mask as they are too concerned for their health.

@reformedcharacters

bonbonours

I don’t understand this either. I know people with lung conditions that would never be without a mask as they are too concerned for their health.

Respiratory conditions are by far not the only reasons for exemption.

No MerciSeat they are not. I have diagnosed PTSD and severe anxiety which are known to lower the immune system so I definitely would not risk a shop with no mask.

[quote MerciSeat]@lockeddownandcrazy this is it. People tell us to stay at home, don't go to work, don't use public transport, don't enter public spaces... But they don't want to pay for us to do so. Which is fine, I don't want them to. But you can't have it all ways - if people want us to stay at home, we need another way of paying our bills.[/quote]
So anyone who decides they want to stay at home on full pay just declares they cannot wear a mask for some some spurious and unproven reason and someone else hands them the cash?

There should be 'medically exempt' badges dished out by GP's only, on prescription essentially.

Fuck that.

This isn't Nazi germany. People shouldn't wear badges to make other people feel better. And many people can wear masks for reasons their (busy fucking enough) GP isn't aware of and doesn't need to be. Rape, for example, where the person's eyes were concealed is a horrific trigger when mask wearing.

Who are these "piss takers"? I've never heard anyone admit to being one. Unless you're making assumptions about people you see in the supermarket? Yes you will get the odd one but I think there's a big thing of "nothing you can do". Like with lockdown rule breakers, there are always some who split through the net and we can't execute it all perfectly

@lockeddownandcrazy absolutely not. It's a ludicrous idea. But some people here think it's a brilliant idea, rather than be able to go out to work and earn our own living.

It's interesting that not a single person going on about not allowing people in without masks has agreed this should apply to children and babies too. No response when they are asked about this. If it was actually about safety of others they would agree with this.