When would you feel comfortable for things to go back to normal (masks, etc.)

[Suprima]

Made the mistake of wandering onto Facebook and saw someone who is not CEV (I know them well) swearily bemoaning people not wearing masks at an open air garden centre.

My own views are kind of pick and mix re: mask wearing (and happy to be challenged on this)- anything open-air, nope. Spacious but well ventilated area- nope. Busy tube platform or carriage- yes. I am double vaccinated and testing regularly as part of work though, which might make me more lax.

I am aware that some people are wearing them all of the time, at every public event no matter if it’s open air or not. If this is your stance- what environment would make you feel like you could ‘go back to normal’ regarding events and mask wearing?

Not a goady thread at all. I’m curious and wondering if I should be more vigilant.

I’m England still wearing them in shops and limiting other places. Will go quiet pub Monday lunch time where I know plenty space and good air flow. I’m not going on Saturday night when it’s packed and you in elbow touching distance of the next table.

I wear a mask indoors and on public transport. Quite often I'm the only one. I am aware it's not much protection, but it is some, and I'd like to avoid catching it, or unwittingly passing it on.

Things seem pretty normal now tbh. I don’t see that many masks in most shops now.

I think they should be mandatory on all public transport. I was just on a commuter train and a whole school group (with teachers) got on maskless.

Open air events are fine without but would prefer people to respect some distance in some situations where there is no reason not to.

In indoor settings, ventilation is just as important and seems to be lacking in most places. I had my flu jab at a pharmacy and it felt like the least covid safe place I'd been to with people waiting a long time and no ventilation.

We still have masks in Scotland and it’s making no difference so I think they need to go, unless people want to wear them

things are as normal as before here. hardly anyone bothers with masks anymore, and those who i do see are wearing them under chins anyway

dont notice people using sanitiser either

Your question is a really good one, because those who are very very pro mask, do tend to say things like "when no-one is dying of Covid AT ALL" and if you point out this is very unlikely to ever happen now its an endemic virus, you're told you're uncaring and so on. I'm wearing face coverings when requested indoors, but am being a bit more relaxed in specific circumstances where it seems unnecessary. Eg was on a train the other day, and there was no-one sitting opposite me, only one person across the aisle, so I took the mask off and only put it on again when walking to the loo/walking to leave the train. I'm off to France in November, and I'll be interested to see what it feels like there, with firmer rules in place.

I feel like I’m pretty much back to normal, I only wear a mask in medical settings i.e I gave birth 3 weeks ago and wore masks in the hospital and for midwife appts etc.

Well, it's mandatory in some places in Ireland still, so I'll be wearing my mask. I do think though, I'd be reluctant to abandon it altogether in the winter. We've been locked down so long, I think the transmission of normal colds and flus will be awful this winter so to slow that down, keeping with the mask seems like a good idea.

I only wear a mask at work.

Not now, for sure. Infection levels very high locally, not helped by testing debacle. Interesting to see majority wearing masks on train from London yesterday.

[quote NotMyCat]@00100001 depends what mask. I'm wearing an FFP2 one to protect myself, not others[/quote]

Likewise. We have these masks too. I'm at the stage where I can't care less what other people are wearing so long as I know I'm protected when I'm indoors.

I tend to wear one if the majority are. I always put one on if the person in a shop serving me is wearing one, I kind of think it's respectful to do so.

Always wear one on the trains, tube, buses, medical environments

I always wear one.

My friends sister has had Covid 3 times, and been hospitalised 3 times. And she’s had the third jab too.

Look at case numbers in Europe compared to here🤷🏼‍♀️

I'm probably similar to you OP. I would wear one medical settings , public transport and busy shops . I don't wear one if I'm going out to eat or if I'm in a spacious shop with few customers. Have never worn one outside.

Rules at DM's care home are that you wear a mask in communal areas but can remove once you are in your family member's room. In the case of someone with dementia it's important for them to be able to see your face, although if I'm helping her with a drink and getting close I tend to pop it back on. I have also visited friends with vulnerable family members and worn a mask within their homes .

Have recently visited Spain and their rules appear to be similar to ours were earlier in the summer.

I'm in Scotland and we still have lots of restrictions, work from home orders, masks, social distancing, vaccine passports, all the rest of it.

After having a lovely week in England last week without any of that, I'm more than ready for it to all stop now please.

Have stopped completely with masks. Just a scarf now if I absolutely have to (eg doctors surgery).

Happy to keep wearing an FFP2 mask indoors (shops, public transport etc...) for the foreseeable. I will stop when case rates are much lower than they are now but I'm conscious that might not ever happen....tbh wearing a mask really doesn't bother me anymore.

When rates are as low as they were in summer 2020.

@BonnesVacances that is spectacularly unlucky for your sister. Natural immunity and double jabbed and she still became ill enough to have to give up work?

Was it definitely Covid that triggered it?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow surely that's so rare that it would make the news to have caught it 3 times and ended up in hospital 3 times even when vaccines anted?

I don’t know. She’s a nurse. She’s being tested for immune disorders as it’s so unusual.

[quote covidwoewoe]@BonnesVacances that is spectacularly unlucky for your sister. Natural immunity and double jabbed and she still became ill enough to have to give up work?

Was it definitely Covid that triggered it?[/quote]

Well she tested positive and hasn't recovered this time around. It is unlucky but not uncommon. Loads of people in the Long Covid groups who had the same. But at the end of the day, people make their choices. Don't mask up, want to feel like life has got back to normal? Risk getting Covid and Long Covid. Many are happy to chance it, so fair enough. You roll the dice and win or lose. Most win, some lose.

@BonnesVacances it is uncommon to have caught it once, recover, be double jabbed and then catch it again so badly you become disabled.

Covid won't disappear, we can't hide from it forever. If you can be double jabbed and end up like your sister (very sorry for her btw) then we might as well get on with it or the alternative is restrictions forever.

[quote covidwoewoe]@BonnesVacances it is uncommon to have caught it once, recover, be double jabbed and then catch it again so badly you become disabled.

Covid won't disappear, we can't hide from it forever. If you can be double jabbed and end up like your sister (very sorry for her btw) then we might as well get on with it or the alternative is restrictions forever.[/quote]

But we can learn more about Long Covid and until then, I'm happy to not take any unnecessary chances.