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Original poster

Why won’t so many Brits wear a mask

484 replies

IloveConkers · 10/12/2021 17:50

I live in mainland Spain where I haven’t seen a single person without a mask in a supermarket since March 2020. I hear it’s the same in Germany and Italy. What is it about so many British people that makes them not do it when it’s clearly safer. I returned to the UK for a visit and found it horrifying. I was even looked at with disdain for wearing one! I just don’t get it!

OP posts:
Volhhg · 10/12/2021 21:17

@Mrbob

Plenty of evidence to show benefit (meta analysis showed 53% reduction in transmission)We have been wearing one everywhere despite zero Cases for months. At work it’s for 10 hours with one break. It’s fine. It’s literally the easiest positive thing you can do for your fellow human beings. I don’t understand how it would impact on your mental health. I imagine getting covid would make me more anxious. Mind you if your leader has shown they don’t give a fuck about anyone then it’s hard to feel hugely obliged! They aren’t super fun. But given the awful time the UK has been through I don’t think it’s the worst thing you have had to deal with. Also “not wanting to deal with covid anymore” doesn’t make it go away!
I'm sorry but this 53% turned out to be untrue and it is actually more like 10%. BBC radio 4 statistics show more or less covered this last week, you should have a listen it's really interesting and breaks the study down. I think some of the papers that quoted this study showing a 53% reduction have since made corrections.
MarshaBradyo · 10/12/2021 21:18

@Laiste

Because we are all selfish.

Oh and stupid and racist.
er ... violent and zenophobic. Those as well.

When is everyone going to get the memo?

Can't there be some sort of official announcement? Then we can stop with these wide eyed and wondering threads about The English British.

Ha yes everyone loves a pile on.
Volhhg · 10/12/2021 21:21

I wonder if its because in Spain and Italy they gave out on the spot fines for lockdown breaches during the first lockdown. In Italy people couldn't even go out without a certificate, it was very strict compared to here. They also had to wear masks outside so I guess only having to wear one in a shop seems comparatively easier. The process for fining people for lockdown breaches here in the UK was much more complicated and not as frequent as in Spain and Italy

NotMyselfWithoutCoffee · 10/12/2021 21:23

Because we're all fed up and don't want to wear them forever.
Because people like bojo think they're the exception to the rule.
It's been 2 YEARS since this all started...how many more?

OhWhyNot · 10/12/2021 21:24

I think it’s cultural

No one tells us what to do. We ruled much of the world don’t you know

It’s a kick back from having freedoms taken away it’s central to our culture

But we do tend to abide laws so they need to be put in place

mercimacherie · 10/12/2021 21:24

icedcoffees
"I think lots of people are sick of it, tbh.

They've worn their masks. They've had their jabs. And yet we still end up back under some kind of restrictions because nothing we do is actually working.

I wear a mask when I have to but I personally don't think wearing a piece of cloth over your mouth makes any difference to whether you catch/spread COVID or not."

This

Also this. I'm beyond sick of mask wearing, stupid, pointless restrictions and all the fucking sheep just blindly following "the rules".

Volhhg · 10/12/2021 21:26

As someone has already pointed out those countries all lived under dictatorships in living history and I wonder too if this has a cultural impact on how a population reacts to how they comply with new laws

Motherdare · 10/12/2021 21:26

How has all that mask-wearing worked out for you in Spain? Got rid of Covid did you? Thought not.

Nomorefuckstogive · 10/12/2021 21:28

@SusieBob

A tiny number of people have genuine reasons for not wearing one.

As for everyone else? They are just a bit stupid.

Some people just like a fight. Stupid and belligerent.
Volhhg · 10/12/2021 21:30

Spain was still under Franco's dictatorship in 1975! That is not that long ago. Im not great on history so let me know if I'm wrong

Nomorefuckstogive · 10/12/2021 21:31

& selfish.

wasthataburp · 10/12/2021 21:49

There's no proof that it actually works though. People are fed up now and want to draw a line somewhere instead of wearing one indefinitely?

Ellieboolou33 · 10/12/2021 22:08

I don't anymore, I've had both jabs, everyone who's vulnerable / eligible should of had them too by now, I've complied for over 18 months and I'm sick of it all now.

Call me selfish but I couldn't give a fuck anymore what others think.

I'll wear them if I have to attend a medical setting, other than that I don't wear one.

scarpa · 10/12/2021 22:22

@Ellieboolou33

I don't anymore, I've had both jabs, everyone who's vulnerable / eligible should of had them too by now, I've complied for over 18 months and I'm sick of it all now.

Call me selfish but I couldn't give a fuck anymore what others think.

I'll wear them if I have to attend a medical setting, other than that I don't wear one.

This is the problem though. Seeing it as 'complying', being sick of it. Sick of potentially keeping yourself or other people safe? Complying with the recommendation of hundreds of highly trained, knowledgeable scientists?
luinagreine · 10/12/2021 22:22

I think it’s cultural
No one tells us what to do. We ruled much of the world don’t you know.

I think this is spot on to be honest. People in countries where we wear masks have all been vaccinated too(quite a few to a greater degree than England), we are all sick of it too, England is far from unique in that. It runs much deeper than lots of people will admit and I think a large part of it is in Englands colonial history.

Alpenguin · 10/12/2021 22:29

Because personal freedumb
And because they ain’t no sheep (note use of double negative!)
And putting something in front of your nose and mouth when you cough apparently does nothing …

Oh and they can’t breathe. at all. Ever. Especially if they have to wear them for more than 2 minutes… even those hard working nurse ones who wear them for 12 hour shifts at work can’t breath in a supermarket cos y’know sheep fumes or something. 🤷‍♀️

HesterShaw1 · 10/12/2021 22:32

Anyone who uses the word "freedumb" and thinks they are being clever can have no knowledge or understanding of history, geography or politics.

HardbackWriter · 10/12/2021 22:35

@Volhhg

I wonder if its because in Spain and Italy they gave out on the spot fines for lockdown breaches during the first lockdown. In Italy people couldn't even go out without a certificate, it was very strict compared to here. They also had to wear masks outside so I guess only having to wear one in a shop seems comparatively easier. The process for fining people for lockdown breaches here in the UK was much more complicated and not as frequent as in Spain and Italy
So strange they even needed a fine system, though, isn't it? Since apparently they're all, to a (wo)man, just publicly-minded and so don't just comply with all Covid regulations, they do so with a cheery smile knowing that they're serving their community. I wonder who was being fined - I guess it must all have been English expatriates?
scarpa · 10/12/2021 22:37

Everyone saying they're sick of it and when will it all stop and I won't do any more...

If everyone had actually abided by the rules in the first place, actually worn proper masks when they were supposed to, actually stopped seeing people instead of inventing increasingly spurious bubble rules, actually didn't spend Christmas together, actually got their vaccine instead of downloading fake QR codes to use to get into pubs, etc etc... we may well be in a better position now.

(And yes, the same goes for the useless shambles of the government who could have locked down sooner, closed borders sooner, provided better financial incentives or support for people and businesses to make lockdowns effective, collaborated worldwide to ensure a level of vaccination everywhere instead of hoarding them and letting the virus proliferate in poorer countries to mutate. The fault is undoubtedly, in much larger part, theirs.)

But everyone saying they're sick of it so they won't comply - okay, well then that's how we end up with constant bullshit like this, for more months or years. Every one of you encouraging each other not to follow the guidance creates more opportunities for the virus to spread, to mutate, to cause cases to rise. Every time cases rise, the hospitals get full so wait times get long and emergency care suffers, and the schools end up missing teachers due to illness, and more people who just don't need to die keep dying. And then the government is forced to act again because it's unsustainable.

So you keep stamping your feet. You're all just contributing in some small way to this shit going on longer.

We're all fucking sick of it. Some of us just aren't too stupid to realise the only way out without people dying unnecessarily ("it's just a cold for most people!" - not all of them though, dickhead) or the country grinding to a halt where people are waiting 24 hours for ambulances is... to just get on with it.

givingupchocolatemonday · 10/12/2021 22:39

It makes me feel panicked like I'm not breathing properly. Wore them throughout the first 2 lockdowns then we was told they wernt actually that effective and not so long ago that we didn't need to wear them.

I think being called stupid for not wearing a mask is OTT. People can protect themselves and others in many other ways Confused washing hands, keeping distance - using there common sense basically.

Twillow · 10/12/2021 22:39

Some idiot woman had the nerve to complain to me today that she 'can't breathe' and was getting 'a bit sweaty', while I was wearing a mask in a setting where I've had to wear a mask all day long for nearly 2 years...

Too many Brits are both entitled and uninformed, protesting about the wrong things entirely. I'm so embarrassed of this country when friends and family from abroad visit.

longwayoff · 10/12/2021 22:41

Because they are, for the most part, tedious attention seekers who are intellectually challenged. Irritants.

Twillow · 10/12/2021 22:42

@scarpa

Everyone saying they're sick of it and when will it all stop and I won't do any more...

If everyone had actually abided by the rules in the first place, actually worn proper masks when they were supposed to, actually stopped seeing people instead of inventing increasingly spurious bubble rules, actually didn't spend Christmas together, actually got their vaccine instead of downloading fake QR codes to use to get into pubs, etc etc... we may well be in a better position now.

(And yes, the same goes for the useless shambles of the government who could have locked down sooner, closed borders sooner, provided better financial incentives or support for people and businesses to make lockdowns effective, collaborated worldwide to ensure a level of vaccination everywhere instead of hoarding them and letting the virus proliferate in poorer countries to mutate. The fault is undoubtedly, in much larger part, theirs.)

But everyone saying they're sick of it so they won't comply - okay, well then that's how we end up with constant bullshit like this, for more months or years. Every one of you encouraging each other not to follow the guidance creates more opportunities for the virus to spread, to mutate, to cause cases to rise. Every time cases rise, the hospitals get full so wait times get long and emergency care suffers, and the schools end up missing teachers due to illness, and more people who just don't need to die keep dying. And then the government is forced to act again because it's unsustainable.

So you keep stamping your feet. You're all just contributing in some small way to this shit going on longer.

We're all fucking sick of it. Some of us just aren't too stupid to realise the only way out without people dying unnecessarily ("it's just a cold for most people!" - not all of them though, dickhead) or the country grinding to a halt where people are waiting 24 hours for ambulances is... to just get on with it.

100% And if the West hadn't been so grabby about the vaccines, we wouldn't be in the mess where variants emerge in populations with lower vaccination rates.
Ellieboolou33 · 10/12/2021 22:43

@scarpa I keep myself and my family safe, I can't save the world and his wife or keep them safe indefinitely.

As for the nurses saying they have to wear them all day, all I can say is it's part of your job now, I have to now sit in an isolated pod at work for 9 hours a day with no social interaction (because of covid), we all have things we have to deal with that we don't like.

longwayoff · 10/12/2021 22:43

BTW givingupchocolate washing your hands is most unlikely to prevent you from breathing in an airborne virus. But keep it up if you must.