To wonder what's the logic behind wearing a mask under your chin?

[GoodPrincessWenceslas]

Now that more people are wearing masks again, there's a rise in the number of people in venues like shops and public transport wearing their masks under their chin. If anyone round here does it, or knows people who do, can you explain the thinking behind it? If you do it because you don't approve of having to wear one, wouldn't it be easier just to leave it off? I struggle to understand the point of taking the trouble to put one on only to put it under your chin, or under your nose.

@Tumbleweed101

If the person doing it is wearing glasses it's probably because they are trying to see! I'm massively struggling with mine misting up. Just remembered why I couldn't do anything for months when they were mandatory before.

I don't wear mine under my chin but do occasionally pull it down to clear glasses.

I wear glasses. If they mist up, I take them off and wipe them (no need to take the mask off), and position them firmly over the top of the mask which stops them misting again.

I work in a very large busy supermarket, l wear mine properly ,.but l notice my manager pulls down his mask to address staff quite often, l am only part time so not so bad for me where as he works much longer shifts, so maybe that has something to do with it.

@PlanktonsComputerWife

My heart sank when masks came back in. Not because they're ineffective, or because they're impossible for a glasses-wearer, and because they're an extra expense, but because these threads from the slavering SS volunteers would start up again.

How does asking a question make me a "slavering SS volunteer"? Opting for Godwin's law is a really ridiculous response.

@Watapalava

I imagine it’s because of why I wear mine in my chin:

I don’t agree with masks and I wear it purely on my chin in case challenged by police so I can whip it up

I never ever cover my face with it

Purely for show

Why not have the courage of your convictions, then, and don't wear it at all if you don't agree with it?

@Whammyyammy

Why are some people so obsessed over whether other people are wearing masks or not and how they wear them?

Since when does starting a thread with an idle inquiry make someone "obsessed"? After all, we've had varying degrees of compulsion/encouragement to wear masks for 20 months now, raising it for the first time at this stage is hardly the mark of obsession.

Interesting how this thread brings out the aggressive/defensive responses.

@sst1234

Are you the mask police OP. If you are, maybe they are doing to annoy people like you. But it’s probably a substitute for taking it off completely. Easier it put on this way.

Where did I say I was annoyed?

If anything, I must say I'm quite amused at the level of defensive self-justification that emerged out of this thread. I'm not saying you must or must not wear a mask, I'm just bemused at the people who pointlessly wear them under their chin in places where it's supposedly compulsory. If you don't think you should have to wear one at all, what do you achieve by this? Why not have the courage of your convictions, go without, and then challenge the law if you get fined?

It gives me almost exactly the same feeling as trying to walk on holiday in bright sunlight does, or having to stand on a bus when pregnant does. Breathing in warm air, feeling like you're not getting a full breath, your head starts getting sore and you start to feel lightheaded and faint. On holiday I sit down in the shade. When pregnant I get off the bus. In a shop I put my mask under my chin and concentrate on breathing fully. If that turned into an arrestable offence or a £10k fine I just wouldn't go into shops.

In that case you're likely to be entitled to a medical exemption, so I don't really see the issue.

@GoodPrincessWenceslas it was answering your question? I know a few people with medical exemptions for different things who still try to make an effort and have it on, then pull it down when they're struggling.

I attempt to wear it (and pull it down when I need to) because I cba with anyone questioning me).

(The post you quoted was in response to a posted who said "so many excuses" though).

I couldn't bear to wear it on my chin because I'd be thinking about all the germs that have presumably been caught by the outside of the mask ending up on my chin and then my clothes if I look down. When I come out of a shop or the hospital I take one ear loop off and hope the fresh air blows the germs away

Mask compliance is good where I live and I wouldn't dare take it off inside, even though breathing in the hot air seems to make my blood pressure soar. I have seen medical professionals who have to pull them up all the time because they don't fit properly. If your face is small, tying a knot in each elastic near one end tightens the mask. I'm surprised people haven't worked this out yet. (I keep a ready knotted supply in my bag, and yes I wash my hands before tying the knots!)

Why not have the courage of your convictions, go without, and then challenge the law if you get fined?

Because most people don't have the financial or emotional resources to do that. Small acts of civil disobedience are a perfectly reasonable choice for people who strongly disagree with government impositions but don't have the power to do anything to change them.

Fwiw, I wear a mask properly wherever I'm required to and I think we should have mandated minimum standards for masks because the evidence that they reduce transmission is much more clear cut.

@xxxGirlCrushxxx I only touch the elastic ear bands when putting it back on.

Oooh goodie, another mask thread! It must be at least five minutes since the last one, I was beginning to think people had moved on from judging others forgotten all about them!

Bingo cards at the ready folks

I pull mine down under my chin between shops outside when I don't need to wear one then pull it back up.

I get annoyed by the people not wearing them properly in shops etc though. Especially when the nose is hanging out.

So you can see where you are going if you wear glasses

@marcopront

You just need to make sure you get a good deal with the nose wire. I wear glasses and am blind without them. I very rarely get steamed up glasses and when I do, just adjusting the wire fixes the problem.

How do you do this?
Where I live (Tanzania) I don't wear a mask.
I've (literally) just arrived in the UK. When I have had to wear a mask my glasses get steamed up. Any detailed advise would be great.

I don’t think you can. I wear glasses, have loads of different masks all with nose wires and all steam my glasses up badly.

Funnily enough my previous pair of glasses weren’t so bad. But when I spent £300 on current glasses I never thought about whether the style/shape would just up or not. And how would I know? I can’t not wear them. My old glasses are too weak a prescription. 🤷‍♀️

So all the people saying wear a nose wire mask….maybe you’re just lucky with your glasses?

There are many reasons forgetting in between shops, struggling with breathing issues, allow people to lip read etc.

Would say many people who struggle and are technically exempt wear them anyway despite struggling as the vitriol, abuse and stares from some members of the public who decide they are the mask police is frankly disgusting. So they struggle instead and often then pull them down due to breathing issues.
Unless you have been on the receiving end of this it's easy to say well your exempt so don't wear one.

Also majority of people don't wear masks properly be it not changing them regularly enough (every few hours as moisture actuallyincreases risk), shoving them in a pocket or bag, repeatedly wearing the same one, touching the front, under the nose etc. It's just that under chin is most obvious.

The chin hammocks and under nose supports piss me off, especially when they pull it up when they see you approach. Happens a lot in the offices in my work. It’s not as if the virus will hang around in the air with no appropriate ventilation🙄(sarcasm) - I think people who refuse to wear them should have the balls to face the courage of their convictions instead of pretending to care and still putting people at risk

@Weegiewtf hate to burst your bubble but even if wearing a mask it only stops large droplets not small and still builds up in poorly ventilated areas.
It's why hospital transmission is high despite high compliance of PPE the viral load in the air is high.
Masks reduce large particle spread not small ones since alpha the droplet size and viral.load required is less

[quote Scottishskifun]@Weegiewtf hate to burst your bubble but even if wearing a mask it only stops large droplets not small and still builds up in poorly ventilated areas.
It's why hospital transmission is high despite high compliance of PPE the viral load in the air is high.
Masks reduce large particle spread not small ones since alpha the droplet size and viral.load required is less[/quote]
So what you're saying is that mask.wearing helps to reduce tx. Correct.

Same, @CovidCorvid

My glasses seem to steam up no matter what.

@50ShadesOfCatholic they help reduce brief face to face transmission yes. But ventilation is far more important for reducing viral load and risk in the air.

The effectiveness of a mask at reducing transmission after spending time in an area is very much dependent on the type and also being used correctly (majority of people don't). A cloth mask doesn't reduce no, a FFP2 grade or greater which is face fit tested properly does.
Afraid it's not as simple as saying masks reduce transmission in the grand scheme of things.

I sometimes do it if I’m nowhere near anyone else (e.g. in a fairly empty train carriage or museum) to try and unsteam my specs a bit! There isn’t a ‘thinking’ behind it though.

@GoodPrincessWenceslas

It gives me almost exactly the same feeling as trying to walk on holiday in bright sunlight does, or having to stand on a bus when pregnant does. Breathing in warm air, feeling like you're not getting a full breath, your head starts getting sore and you start to feel lightheaded and faint. On holiday I sit down in the shade. When pregnant I get off the bus. In a shop I put my mask under my chin and concentrate on breathing fully. If that turned into an arrestable offence or a £10k fine I just wouldn't go into shops.

In that case you're likely to be entitled to a medical exemption, so I don't really see the issue.

So you think its better for this poster to never wear a mask at all than to wear it as much as possible then have a break when it gets too much?

Try wearing them for 14 hour shifts. I hate the dam things now. My face is sore from them