If you're mask exempt, will you continue to wear a lanyard after the 19th?

[TheVampiresWife]

I was going to do away with mine but unfortunately it looks as if those who don't wish to wear masks are going to be routinely labelled as selfish, idiotic 'anti maskers' and exempt people will be (as usual) lumped in with this. I'm not sure I fancy the stress/judgement of going out without one, even though lanyards are not mandatory now and certainly won't be after the 19th! Wearing one hasn't stopped the judgement from others so far but I feel as if it'll get worse, not better, post-19th.

I genuinely thought that the end of the mask mandate, when it came, would also mean the end of the division and vitriol surrounding masks. How naive I was!

There are possibly medical people out there who would love to work in the operating theatre but cannot due as they cannot wear a mask. If the shields were any good they would be allowed to wear these under reasonable adjustments.
Why bother with the farce of wearing something that offers no protection to anyone to appease other people into a false sense of protection?

@TheVampiresWife

If masks become non compulsory, then I would not wear a lanyard. Lanyards are not compulsory at the moment anyway. There will be lots of people not wearing a mask soon and by wearing your lanyard after 19th July you would only be highlighting that you have a health/anxiety problem. It would help so much if people just minded their own business.
This is from the UK Government page:

If you have an age, health or disability reason for not wearing a face covering:

you do not routinely need to show any written evidence of this
you do not need show an exemption card
This means that you do not need to seek advice or request a letter from a medical professional about your reason for not wearing a face covering.

However, some people may feel more comfortable showing something that says they do not have to wear a face covering. This could be in the form of an exemption card, badge or even a home-made sign.

If masks are no longer compulsory why would anyone wear a lanyard to show they are exempt from wearing something that is no longer compulsory.
Do you feel that you want members of the public to know about your health condition regardless of Covid?
There are other kinds of medical id you can carry if you are anxious about a seizure or collapse.

Nope, I will be ditching the bloody thing! It’s bad enough having to advertise I have a hidden disability while it’s compulsory, I’m definitely not wearing one as soon as it isn’t!!

I will still be wearing mine, but I wore one before Covid anyway. I might take the card off that says I am unable to wear a mask.

For the times I pass out or otherwise unable to get help myself I have a personalised medical ID bracelet. I have common allergies that I have vital to immediate care like latex and pain relief, and my NHS number in addition to ICE number. I've also had them made for rare conditions.

An older one has my hospital number instead of nhs number which worked well when I was using the same hospital.

Plus the ICE details on my mobile. Was looking at the medi alert apps and watch but then considered it's worthless if the phone is broke/lost, ok can be updated without the need to get another bracelet.

Unless you have any of this, your lanyard is of no use to medical people.

I will keep mine. I haven't had loads of abuse but have had enough. I get less when I'm wearing it.

'I’m exempt due to heart problems but have never not worn a mask. If surgeons can breathe during 10 hour operations then I can manage 30 minutes discomfort in the supermarket. Never thought I would look good on life support'

'My kid is autistic and he couldn't wear them, it was awful. But he sat every day and practised because he doesn't like to be beat. It took a while but he did it. Very proud of himself he was.'

Op. Please don't worry about whether you wear a lanyard or not. No-one takes them seriously. Sadly they've become a symbol of the I'm all right Jack types rather than to help the genuinely disabled and vulnerable. Everyone I know who would be 'exempt' has worn one anyway.

Good luck, it isn't nice to be in close proximity to a lot of non wearers I can understand why the situation will be causing you some angst.

No-one takes them seriously. Sadly they've become a symbol of the I'm all right Jack types rather than to help the genuinely disabled and vulnerable. Everyone I know who would be 'exempt' has worn one anyway.

Sadly, this. I used to wear a sunflower lanyard for flights and meals out as I have a lot of problems where my digestive system and pancreas don’t work properly - I need a LOT of tablets to be able to eat and without it I occasionally got rudeness and refusal to bring water/ let me bring my own by people who just didn’t understand that I couldn’t eat without. The lanyard generally worked.

But now if I wear it everyone thinks I can’t wear a mask, or won’t. I can and do wear a mask but I have huge sympathy for those who can’t and face abuse.

The government should have put something proper in place for those who can’t so they haven’t been subjected to all this abuse in the last year and so that people with hidden disabilities still have a way to show that.

I'm so sorry to all those for whom the original meaning has been lost, to their detriment. In the beginning when there was no recognised scheme to signify exemption they were clearly seized upon as a quick solution but the government have had over a year to put something proper in place.

I've not worn a sunflower lanyard for a while now. I really hope that they'll go back to their original meaning as soon as possible.

I would not dream of putting my autistic child in a sunflower lanyard as unfortunately I think the meaning has changed, however I would never hassle or judge an individual who was not wearing a mask, so long as they were not in my close personal space. If you are mask exempt, just don't wear one (or shop online).

I was reluctant to use a sunflower lanyard as the scheme under its original intention is potentially of benefit to my autistic DS. I will keep the lanyard as he may well find it of use.

I've used it sporadically in the last couple of months where somewhere different and "extra". Over the winter when I only went to the supermarket at quiet times, it wasn't so much of an issue, but I was more concerned about potential aggro in somewhere more "frivilous". I mainly got it for being a witness at a wedding so that there was reduced risk of unneccessary distractions on public transport or entering the ceremony to ruin a special day (or runing it with panic attacks).

I see no need to use it when masks are no longer mandated, as "exempt" becomes a moot point.

I hope that the scheme has not been sullied to thd detriment of its original purpose.