Who is planning to ditch masks as soon as we are legally allowed?

[polar81]

Is anyone else planning to ditch the masks asap? The only reason I wear one atm is because of the legal mandate and it will go as soon as that's dropped.

If you are staunchly pro-mask then this is probably not the thread for you! I know all the arguments on both side and they have been fully rehearsed on this board for the last 2 years. I am simply interested to gauge how many people also want to ditch masks asap, when the law allows.

It would be fab if we could have a thread on this topic that didn't include the words- selfish, it's no hardship, why wouldn't you?, we're in a pandemic ffs, I wear my mask to protect others etc.... that's lovely, and we already know!

Me. I'll wear if legally required but not otherwise

Can't wait to stop wearing them. I feel out of breath when wearing a mask - may be psychological but it isn't nice. Have to keep pulling mask down to breathe properly! Plus I can't see as I wear glasses. End up with glasses on my head in shops and then can't see clearly. Will be delighted when we don't have to wear them. I'm triple vaxed so feel I have done my bit and normal masks do not reduce transmission by a significant amount. According to the studies I have read - peer reviewed studies that is.

Only where it’s legally required. Unfortunately being in Scotland I think we’re stuck with the things for the long term.

At 00.01 am the day they are no longer legal requirement my masks make the proud way to the bin

I will as soon as they stop being mandatory unless I'm in extremely close contact such as rush hour trains.
I believe I've caught covid from very close contact - children at school / spending time with family. I don't think me nipping to tesco on my lunch break when it's pretty quiet or sitting in a restaurant is putting me at risk. So I will ditch masks when walking around a quiet shop and if I catch it I'm going to catch it from close family close friends.

@LumosSolem this is interesting actually! I think I will stop too unless maybe on the tube if there was a particular reason I didn’t want to catch Covid, eg needing to test negative for a holiday.

I seem to remember there were lots threads last summer with people about to burn their masks .....and then we had to wear them again.
I'm pretty sure no one wears them for fun?

@TheNoonBell
This one: www.researchgate.net/publication/348926935_How_well_do_face_masks_protect_the_wearer_compared_to_public_perceptions

I'm not a scientist, I don't understand the science, and I'm not in any position to argue the efficacy of masks. I'm just trying to give OPs an answer to something she was curious about. Even if masks were proven not to work, I'd probably still wear one. I'm aware that seems a bit batshit, but for me it's a psychological control aspect.

Interestingly... No... Not noticed cold vapour still. But only worn one outside for short periods of time like walking to/from the car when going into a shop. So perhaps I need to wear for longer to see.

I doubt I'll bother, unless it's a freezing day and I need the layer lol.

It's sort of winding down anyway though, from what I've observed. Rules or no. I forgot to put mine on when I popped into the shop the other day and I don't recall that happening before. I only realised as I was leaving. The bloke on the till didn't have one on either and it was a little shop, I think I needed the visual prompt of someone else doing it iyswim.

Yes. Not that I’m not worried about covid but I don’t think they make a great deal of difference and I’m sick of my glasses steaming up and that stifling feeling. A lot of people don’t really wear them properly anyway, there are big gaping holes around their nose if it covers it at all. At an exercise class I went to we had to wear them into the place and in the break but they came off when exercising and at another group they all take them off to have tea and eat biscuits, so pointless wearing them at all in both cases.

I'll be stopping wearing one just as soon as it is allowed. I find all of them uncomfortable and for some reason the;y affect my sense of balance. It is impossible to enjoy shopping wearing a mask, so I don't go into any shops except the supermarket now.

Me. I can’t wait to get shot of the bloody things. Wearing one for an hour plus train journey last week made me feel very unwell. Pointless, awful things.

If you are staunchly pro-mask then this is probably not the thread for you
So do you only want people who will stop wearing masks as soon as we're allowed to reply? In that case everyone will reply " yes".

@Bitofachinwag

If you are staunchly pro-mask then this is probably not the thread for you So do you only want people who will stop wearing masks as soon as we're allowed to reply? In that case everyone will reply " yes".

For the fourth time, I am interested in gauging how many people are interested in ditching masks. Not some pseudo-scientific poll of how many people want to continue wearing masks vs those who don't. It's a snap-shot of how many people will not continue when the mandate is lifted - if people choose to continue wearing masks then that is completely their choice (but not something I am particularly interested in).

The irony is that masks protect others, not the wearer. So those who continue to wear masks are protecting those who don’t wear them.

True

You're being very goady op. You're clearly very anti-mask so I'm not sure why you feel you can stop people with opposite, but equally polarised views from responding and feel it necessary to ridicule them when they do.

I don't particularly like wearing masks. I more or less stopped wearing one last year when we didn't have to. I did however remain conscious of my surroundings and put one on when entering small shops if the assistants were wearing them.

While I may not much like it, I don't think it's particularly onerous to wear a flimsy bit of material over my face when out and about. The people I do feel sorry for are health professionals who have to wear awful PPE on their faces. My poor dentist looked like she was going to pass out midway through some treatment a while back and says they cause all sorts of skin problems.

So I will stop wearing masks when I don't have to, but will keep one with me in case it seems appropriate to wear it. What I will keep doing is using hand sanitizer. The pandemic has made me very conscious of touching stair rails, door handles, shopping trolleys etc that hundreds of others have touched.

There's not been much in the way of research on masks and omicron afaik. I know with pre-omicron strains the best quality research found a 10% difference in likelihood of transmission when worn properly, which is significant, but I'd like to know how that works with a more transmissible strain.

So you want to know how many people want to stop wearing masks? But you are not interested in hearing from people who will continue wearing them? In that case your "snapshot" won't tell you a great deal.

I don't wear a mask or a lanyard, never have!

@Medievalist

You're being very goady op. You're clearly very anti-mask so I'm not sure why you feel you can stop people with opposite, but equally polarised views from responding and feel it necessary to ridicule them when they do.

I don't particularly like wearing masks. I more or less stopped wearing one last year when we didn't have to. I did however remain conscious of my surroundings and put one on when entering small shops if the assistants were wearing them.

While I may not much like it, I don't think it's particularly onerous to wear a flimsy bit of material over my face when out and about. The people I do feel sorry for are health professionals who have to wear awful PPE on their faces. My poor dentist looked like she was going to pass out midway through some treatment a while back and says they cause all sorts of skin problems.

So I will stop wearing masks when I don't have to, but will keep one with me in case it seems appropriate to wear it. What I will keep doing is using hand sanitizer. The pandemic has made me very conscious of touching stair rails, door handles, shopping trolleys etc that hundreds of others have touched.

Is it shockingly anti-mask to not wear a mask once it is no longer legally mandated? I have worn a mask unfailingly whilst it has been a legal mandate, but am looking forward to not being criminalised for not doing so. Is nothing short of full doctrinal belief (masks 100% work, anyone who doesn't want to wear one is stupid and selfish, there's no sacrifice involved whatsoever ad infinitum) not enough?

Me, can't wait to be able to see properly again instead of being in a perpetual fog due to my glasses steaming up. Oh and before anybody starts with "oh you can get this, that or something else to stop that" , my optician has told me not to use anything, even the stuff they sell.

@Medievalist

You're being very goady op. You're clearly very anti-mask so I'm not sure why you feel you can stop people with opposite, but equally polarised views from responding and feel it necessary to ridicule them when they do.

I don't particularly like wearing masks. I more or less stopped wearing one last year when we didn't have to. I did however remain conscious of my surroundings and put one on when entering small shops if the assistants were wearing them.

While I may not much like it, I don't think it's particularly onerous to wear a flimsy bit of material over my face when out and about. The people I do feel sorry for are health professionals who have to wear awful PPE on their faces. My poor dentist looked like she was going to pass out midway through some treatment a while back and says they cause all sorts of skin problems.

So I will stop wearing masks when I don't have to, but will keep one with me in case it seems appropriate to wear it. What I will keep doing is using hand sanitizer. The pandemic has made me very conscious of touching stair rails, door handles, shopping trolleys etc that hundreds of others have touched.

100% this ^

And OP, we are trying to convey that working out ‘how many’ from a forum with millions of users each month but asking people who disagree not to post isn’t going to give any insight. Other than 9 pages of people saying ‘me I’m going to stop’ (and you can’t draw likely numbers from that).

@polar81

Adding 'anti-masker' and 'unmasked plebs' to the bingo card! I completely agree that if people can wear N95 / FFP3 masks to protect themselves than that is a great option. Surely, it's much better to be in control of protecting yourself, rather than relying on 'unmasked plebs' to do so.

This is what a a well fitting N95 does to your face. Simply not sensible for ASDA

I'll be happy when clinician education and GCSE science manages to teach people about ingress and egress.

Well it's just as well that that wasn't my aim then! I'll repeat that this isn't a scientific data collecting exercise... I simply wondered if anyone else who had observed the legal mask mandates would not do so once the law changes. If it bores you to read 9 pages of replies, well I'm sure you could occupy your time in a more fitting manner.

The irony is that masks protect others, not the wearer. So those who continue to wear masks are protecting those who don’t wear them.

This!

I carried on wearing a mask after the law changed last time. I felt like an idiot sitting uncomfortably masked up while everyone else was bare faced. This time I am ditching them ASAP. I also think it's good for us, especially young children, to be able to read people's facial expressions.