If you're still mask wearing, when will you stop?

[Fordian]

Do you have a 'line in the sand'?

Depending on what happens with numbers and variants- I'm thinking 'once all adults have had the chance to be double vaxxed'.

I'm sure just by having a child at school I'll get exposed to enough respiratory viruses / colds / general crap. I'd prefer not to get one most business trips in winter though.

I live in Scotland where Queen Nicola has decreed we'll be wearing them indefinitely. I find mask wearing difficult, but I do it because I have to.

I'm currently in England on holiday. I wore a mask on the bus today, as it was fairly crowded, but not in the pub (I've never seen the point in wearing a mask while walking from the door to the table, then taking it off to eat and drink), and not in the small local supermarket either (which was almost empty). The shopkeeper wasn't wearing a mask, and for that matter, neither was the bus driver.

I think once the legal mandate has gone, mask wearing will just gradually fade out. Clearly if somewhere is crowded, it's a sensible move, but other than that, I think it's a bit performative, like all the hand sanitising.

@PuzzledObserver I would rather people said why they really wear a mask than copy others. Most if being honest wear them as its a socially accepted thing to do at the moment. that doesn't mean they are a good idea or helpful. Masks also cause problems.

We’ll probably carry on with masks every winter now. Covid aside, none of us have contracted colds or ‘flu this past year. CEV husband, any infection is a danger.

People saying you'll wear masks every winter, why are you wearing them in the summer?

I'll stop wearing them when I'm no longer asked to do so, and I think a more interesting question is when will that happen? When will shops etc stop asking us to wear masks?

I'm sometimes wearing a mask, it depends whether the venue/transport specifically requests it and if there seems to be a high majority of people wearing them. I'm in a TfL area so I wear one on public transport, and in museums and galleries where they've requested it. I've worn it in some shops but not others - I feel more scruitinised in my local Sainsbury's so I wear one there, but in Primark it was 50/50 so I didn't feel self-conscious about going maskless. My local Co-op has a sign saying 'Please feel free to wear a mask in store' - which to me implies it's down to personal preference, so I don't wear one there. I don't wear one at my local gym (only about 30% do) and all my toddler classes have ditched them (in some of them the policy was maskless from the start, as long as you stayed seated in your 'zone').

I will stop wearing them once we're allowed to on TfL (I know lots aren't complying already but compliance is around 90% when I've been travelling, so I don't want to feel the odd one out), and when a venue says they're happy for it to be personal preference. I only really wear a mask out of social pressure.

I'm not wearing one much now, I'm double vaccinated, no preexisting conditions

The thing that concerns me when people make out it's a "courtesy" to wear them indefinitely is that it really isn't to the millions of people who are hearing impaired or have other social and communication difficulties.

They make the world a much more impersonal place and break casual social connections thst are undervalued in importance, especially to people who lack other social networks. A smile and a bit of small talk can be the highlight or only face to face contact that many people experience in a day and it's a huge loss to people in that position.

The thought of HCPs wearing them indefinitely is very, very depressing. Healthcare can be a bit of an impersonal treadmill anyway and can often have a lot of information to process, and obstructing communication is a massive hinderence to quality healthcare. I can understand why they are in place in those settings for now, but they must go long-term when the Covid situation is more settled.

The thought of a world where it's normal to be expressionless and with muffled, unreadable speech is a truely depressing concept and harmful to millions.

At the shops - no. I did wear one at the hairdresser as we were going to be in close proximity for a while.

I was going to wait till everyone who wants it, has been double jabbed and see how the land lies then.

Very good points BogRollBOGOF

I had an upsetting hospital appt and was relieved when the consultant removed his mask so I could clearly hear what he was saying. Masks and muffled voices must be so difficult for those with hearing difficulties, and are exacerbated by not being able to see the speakers face to lip read.

It’s not a model to aim for in healthcare.

@gogohm

I'm not wearing one much now, I'm double vaccinated, no preexisting conditions

Same. CDC in the US have said you don’t need to wear a mask if fully vaccinated. It’s good enough for me. As long as it’s not mandated I won’t wear one apart from maybe public transport. Maybe that makes me selfish but I hate the things, especially in hot weather.

Once it is two weeks past my second jab. Hopefully that means by the end of August, if all goes well.

To add to my previous message, my view is that even if fully vaccinated getting Covid is inevitable so there’s no point tying yourself in knots trying to avoid it. Get vaccinated and get on with life as best as you can.

I wear one at the moment as it feels more thoughtful of the people who work in places where I pass through.
In the last few weeks I have given blood (expect mask wearing to remain a requirement for this for a while) and visited a supermarket a few times (most people still wearing them). If I was going out to eat I doubt I'd bother with the mask on to get to the table, then mask off the rest of the time, it just feels a bit pointless.

I shall always wear one on public transport. Forever. Might get funny looks, but really don’t give a fuck. I wish everyone would do the same.

I'll be keeping to wearing a mask in shops and enclosed public spaces. I'm double jabbed, but because I'm immunocompromised, getting other viruses really does knock me on me arse, and frankly, if I can mask up and keep myself a bit safer, I'm going to do exactly that.

As long as necessary. I’m not vaccinated so if it protects others, that’s something I can do without too much inconvenience.

Um, when the governments in the countries that I live in and visit regularly (who incidentally have fewer cases than the U.K.) deem it to be safe?

I'm thinking when we're not dark red on the infection rate map.

I’m happy to wear a mask long term. It’s not a big deal and it benefits me because combined with sunglasses it makes me virtually unrecognisable. I can walk right past people I don’t want to talk to. Previously I wouldn’t have got away with wearing a balaclava in a public place - but mask and sunglasses, no problem.

Such a lovely chap @biggaz

@biggaz, bog off your with your mansplainy essay. I stopped reading after I hit cliché bingo with 'What we are left with are a forum of spineless face nappy wearing muppets'

You're emanating a lot of small dick energy.