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.

I hate the things and still haven’t found a way to stop glasses getting misted but do wear them. I do tend to fiddle with it though in an attempt to clear glasses and not convinced they are massively effective. My dd caught Covid in a work place with full PPE in use including high quality masks.

[quote MerciSeat]@lockeddownandcrazy my exemption isn't self declared. It's endorsed by my neurologist and GP. Unfortunately they do not provide certification of this however, in line with government guidelines. But they have both agreed that I cannot wear a mask.[/quote]
That's fine for you - but what about all the others? Surely it would be easy for genuine cases to be given a card then there would be no issue.

You should still be avoiding spreading it by staying away from others though. Your right not to wear a mask does not mean you can put others at risk

My husband has COPD. How dare you call him a burden @SupportingDoctors How fucking dare you.

CPOD IS a deadly disease. It just does the job a lot slower. But its not Covid eh so fuck em right? Covid is King.

@lockeddownandcrazy I still have to go to work. And use the bus to get there. I cannot 'stay away from others'. As I have said.

And no it's not easy for genuine cases to be 'given a card' because that option does not exist. You desperately wanting it to won't will it into existence.

@MolyHolyGuacamole

The Gov page on face covering exemptions says this....

"where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress"

You don't need an illness or disability to experience severe distress.

This thread (like all of them on this subject) is a fucking vile bin fire which perfectly sums up the nasty, ignorant attitudes this pandemic has made acceptable.

The blame here isn't really with those that are worried about people not wearing masks.

The problem is with those who don't have a genuine reason to not wear one. If it was only people with medical or trauma related reasons not wearing them, it would be fine. It's too easy to just say 'I'm exempt' when really what you mean is 'I refuse to/don't want to'.

Those people are disgusting and make a mockery of those who genuinely can't wear a mask.

Shops could try "no mask" opening hours where people with no mask are allowed in, but outside those hours, 100% compliance is required.

Would 'no mask' wearers be willing to work in place of normal staff for that? No way would I work those shifts and you can't expect staff to do that.

[quote MerciSeat]@lockeddownandcrazy I still have to go to work. And use the bus to get there. I cannot 'stay away from others'. As I have said.

[/quote]
and....bangs head on wall also......your health issues do not trump other peoples vulnerabilities or issues, whatever your 'entitlements' not to wear a mask you are being selfish putting others at risk if you are asymptomatically covid

[quote XenoBitch]@MolyHolyGuacamole

The Gov page on face covering exemptions says this....

"where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress"

You don't need an illness or disability to experience severe distress.[/quote]
But what is 'severe distress' - one person's mild anxiety is another's severe distress. And anyone could say it caused them distress . It needs to be properly diagnosed by a medical professional.

@jcyclops

Shops could try "no mask" opening hours where people with no mask are allowed in, but outside those hours, 100% compliance is required.

Because hundreds of people in an enclosed space with no masks at the same time is so much safer with regards to community transmission than a handful, isn't it.

@lockeddownandcrazy I have never said that my needs trump anyone else's. I've simply said that in the absence of any kind of a solution, I still need to go to work and attend medical appointments and use buses to do so.

If you're shielding there is help available (furlough, for example). If you're not, you can't just give up work.

Tell me how to 'stay home' while earning a living and having my regular blood tests and I'll be happy to.

FFS accessing medical care and earning a living so I don't lose my home is not being selfish. Jesus.

It needs to be properly diagnosed by a medical professional

But it isn't. There's a bit of a health crisis going on at the moment in case you hadn't noticed. HCPs don't have the time to issue exemption certificates, much less examine all the hundreds of thousands of people who are exempt in order to issue them. And you saying it should happen won't make it happen.

Thankfully the current laws around exemption don't require this. I'd ask you to respect them. Thanks.

But what is 'severe distress' - one person's mild anxiety is another's severe distress. And anyone could say it caused them distress . It needs to be properly diagnosed by a medical professional.

I can't even get a telephone GP appointment to have my medication tweaked, let alone go in for a full diagnosis of anything. And how would they diagnose you? Force you to wear a mask and see what happens?

I have visited France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg during the pandemic (part of my job - essential travel). I have not seen anyone indoors without a mask - not a single one! Supermarkets, petrol stations etc. So where are all the exempt people on the continent??

I have actually not seen many of these mythical mask-dodgers. I think the vast majority who can comply do so. If people forget their mask, stores should have spare disposable ones on hand and I think most would comply

I have seen loads
Supermarkets do offer masks
Non-maskers ignore the offer and just walk in, often in groups

I'm shielding now. It's too risky out there, my hospital consultant says. I can't shop, travel, go anywhere. And no, I don't get benefits for it, as a pp assumed. I'm self-employed and it's crap.

*Nonamealoud"

I have a lanyard but still try to wear a mask if can on a good day,because of the amount of dirty look and huffing I get, an elderly lady physically recoiled when I walk down the Isle
You should not be surprised if someone physically recoils when you are not wearing a mask, even if you are exempt. Personally, I turn away from anyone I see in a supermarket walking near me. I don't want any unmasked people by me. Just because you don't have to wear a mask doesn't mean you can't have the virus, give it to someone else who is then very ill or dies. Wearing a lanyard doesn't magically make the virus disappear if you are infected with it.

"Force you to wear a mask and see what happens?"

In ds's case when they had got enough people to hold him down and get it on him everyone would get punched and bitten. Anyone wanting to volunteer to check that he would get severely distressed?

You should not be surprised if someone physically recoils when you are not wearing a mask, even if you are exempt

Good god.

Just stay away from us (you should be anyway, social distancing is a thing). No need for the dramatics. Recoil, indeed.