Covid police

[JaceLancs]

Am I alone in being fed up with the ‘Covid police?’
Admittedly I’m a bit tetchy at the moment - recent changes regarding restrictions lifting has not helped
I went into a charity shop today and person on door ‘insisted’ I use hand gel - I said no thanks and left (if I don’t use my own - prefer not to tbh it upsets my eczema or psoriasis)
Next stop was an antiques centre in an old church so fairly large building - I was greeted with a lecture about mask wearing and following the arrows round the building - I was the only person there! I offered to wear a mask if any other customers arrived and came within 2m of me but that wasn’t good enough! I was happy to follow the arrows but with claustrophobia and it being a hot day couldn’t cope with a mask for no real reason
Has logic really left the building???

And don’t get me started on toilets being closed!
I have both bladder and bowel problems and am away from home for a few days - even places I’ve been to before (good memory for where nearest toilet is due to necessity) now have toilets closed due to Covid signs
Genuinely - thank heavens for Costa and supermarkets - happy to buy coffee or something if I can use the toilet!!

To be fair the two examples you have given arent that bad. Its on par with if you come in my house I would want you to take your shoes off, its their premises, their business and their rules. I would have explained to the first one about the allergy to the hand gel and used my own to reassure them. Again the other one about the mask in a shop, I know you were the only person in there but if someone peeks in and sees you without a mask it will either put them off going in (and the place loses a customer) or they will follow your lead and so on.

Now if you were going to say COVID poilice as in reporting every little thing, like being seen with 7 instead of 6 in your garden I would have agreed but buisnesses see lots of customers a day and their risk is increased each time a rule is broken so I can see their point.

I think they can make whatever requests they see fit to ensure their employees are safe. The hand gel is common in shops so if you don’t want to use theirs I’d carry a small bottle of my own and use it conspicuously. With face masks I find the disposable ones are much more lightweight than cloth ones… I don’t find it unreasonable to expect to wear one indoors now. Presumably a member of staff was in there so you weren’t on your own.

I was on the bus with dd and unbeknown to me some woman had sat next to her, then another woman walked past and started ranting about how my daughter should be wearing a mask if she’s sitting next to people, the woman sat next to her! And she’s under 11 and autistic, so this caused a massive melt down, getting sick of Covid police

Their shop, their rules, OP. Were you planning to suck back all your exhaled air as you left the antiques place? It doesn't matter if nobody else was in there at that point in time.

Bloody hell, a year and three months into this thing and seems like some people are still not getting it.

I bet they are equally fed up with having to tell people to follow their rules if they want to shop there It must be maddening a year on to still have to tell people the basics.

That's awful @LoopTheLoops

They also need to follow guidelines given to them - they could be audited at any time. They may not enjoy it any more than you do. Don't make it harder for them.

Closed toilets is stupid. I cant believe ppl need explaining to why this is bad.

Ever stopped to think that the world doesn't revolve around you?

If there are no loos open would you prefer people pissed and shat in the street. Do YOU shit and piss to a timetable? No? Well others cant either. Its ludicrous for toilets to still be shut.

Why did they want you to use hand sanitizer? Most hand sanitizers are anti-bacterial, not anti-viral. Or was it over 60% alcohol?

I agree with the closed toilet thing. Just makes people wait in queues around each other for longer. I was in an unfamiliar shopping centre the other day and some toilet facilities were closed altogether, and not temporarily but all day. Even somewhere with a café. I thought that was against the law. Eventually I found a Costa and had to dash past the queue to run to the toilet (the queue to get in not queue for toilet).

if you went into that church shop and smoked and then left, and someone came in 20 min later, they would probably notice the smoke.
it's the same issue.
hence the masks indoors.
to limit spread of any exhaled particles.
which may carry the virus.

The hand gel- say no thank you- it's offered in every shop. The mask- you know that the rules state they are to be used inside, not juts when beside someone else.

You weren't the only person there unless there was no staff. I guess you didn't care about protecting them though?

Hand gel I don’t think they should insist on. My sister has severe eczema and her hands are often cracked and hand gel really hurts and makes it worse.

I’m with you on toilets being closed. We went to a national trust thing at the weekend and the middle cubicle (of three) was closed in the ladies meaning the other two were being used by more people, so dirtier, and the queue was longer so you were standing inside with people for longer. The most annoying bit though was that DH said that none of the three cubicles in the men’s were closed.

I think the examples you used are quite normal and quite fair for the staff to have asked.

They're doing what they think is best to protect people. No reason you couldn't use your own sanitizer. Nursing staff have to wear masks for a 12 hour shift, many retail) factories) other have to wear them for 7-8 hours. It's.no big deal for a few mins.

I just ignore the sanitizer police on the doorway, they have never said anything, I get pompholyx eczema on my hands at times so it makes it worse. If they did say anything I just wouldn't use the shop.

I think you're pretty selfish to not wear a mask in the shop as it is expected and you're putting the member of staff in a really awkward position as they should enforce it or they could get in trouble and it's hard on them having to tell you to wear it.

The hand gel example is annoying but the mask in the antiques centre is standard practice. Masks are mandatory in shops and it doesn't matter if you are the only customer.

Toilets being closed is ridiculous, although in my local town centre the toilets have been open throughout the pandemic.

Of course you should wear a mask indoors - it's the law. There might not have been any other customers but there must've been staff. Plus your exhaled air will sit on surfaces etc., comprising the safety of those who come in after you.

Hand gel - carry your own to use. Nothing wrong with that if you politely explain to the shop worker that you have a skin condition and would rather use a formulation you're familiar with.

Toilets - I agree that it's mad.

@MercyBooth

If there are no loos open would you prefer people pissed and shat in the street. Do YOU shit and piss to a timetable? No? Well others cant either. Its ludicrous for toilets to still be shut.

Exactly!!!