Why are Sainsbury's (and others) asking for continued mask wearing?

[jowly]

To keep their staff well? ( many don't wear one even now)

To give customers a sense of security?

I'm very willing to wear one if there's a reasonable reason to.. and I get all the theories why we may be wise to. But why are supermarkets going for this request? Why is it in their interest?

Am I missing the obvious?

@ClaudiaWankleman

Japanese have been wearing masks for years.

You're rather misrepresenting things there.

In Japan it's not uncommon to wear a mask if you have a cold and you are sneezing and coughing. It isn't common to wear a mask everywhere, pre-empting infection.

Well unless all the Japanese tourists in London before covid had colds I very much doubt that is true.

My friend has a brother who has lived in Japan for 10 years and he says how many of them wear masks

Whilst I'm an advocate of mask wearing, it's pointless of the supermarkets to continue this without govt enforcement. Not enough people will wear masks to prevent transmission.

Been to two local towns today. Loads of people wearing masks walking along the streets.

In Wilkinsons every customer I saw had a mask on. In Sainsbury's the same.

All the other stores I went in had over half of the customers wearing masks.

Lots of shops had notices on the door saying masks had to be worn.

Seems lots of people don't trust Boris

I don’t understand what you don’t understand. Is your view that they will lose business? I think they are more likely to gain business from the nervous than lose it from anti-maskers.

@nocoolnamesleft

We're still in a pandemic. I presume they've twigged that Boris is lifting the mask mandate well before the scientific evidence would suggest it, because he's more interested in saving his politic career than saving lives.

Pragmatically, they'd like the clinically vulnerable to still feel able to come and spend money. And they'd like enough staff to be able to work to be able to sell stuff.

/\ /\ exactly this!

I suspect it's mostly because it looks good to keep it up. I suspect Covid has now gone to the same levels of danger as flu, so nasty but deadly for very few. I went to an appointment where I was told I needed a mask (!) Myself and the person it was for are exempt but everyone else was still wearing masks so I think people are a little fearful to take them off now.

For the same reason the NHS is still asking staff and patients to wear one. Because there's still a potentially deadly virus doing the rounds, just because Boris says you don't need to wear one doesn't mean you should stop.

I still get that people on here don't understand that people on here don't get that Sainsbury's are not refusing service to anyone masks or not, they are not making it mandatory at all.

Its hilarious people think its anything to do with anything else than PR.

Because there's still a potentially deadly virus doing the rounds, just because Boris says you don't need to wear one doesn't mean you should stop.

Nope I don't think I will.

I'll still be wearing one in shops, hairdressers and on public transport etc to protect MYSELF, even if I'm the only person doing it.
What others do is up to them.

I had a lovely maskless mooch in John Lewis today. Something I’d not been bothered to do if I had to wear a mask.

People were still wearing masks. I’d say it was 50:50. None of the staff I saw wore one.

I had a lovely maskless mooch in John Lewis today. Something I’d not been bothered to do if I had to wear a mask.

That's exactly the point many people won't go and browse and end up buying things they don't need if masks are mandated.

No masks is better for economy.

Protecting staff other people and as a reassurance for the clinically extremely vulnerable who still have to shop. Else where they don't have to go clubbing and to pubs they can choose not to
I will still wear one and hope others do to minimise spread and reassure people

To help stop the spread. Obviously.

Insurance

I think whoever wants to feel more secure should wear their mask if they want to. If you don’t want to wear it anymore then don’t!!! I’m done wearing it

Because that’s how we “live with covid” along with continuing testing, isolating & generally thinking about other people. Boris has given up in order to cover up the parties. Yes hospitalisation data broadly backs up the decisions but it doesn’t factor in vulnerable. Vulnerable doesn’t equal elderly. Vulnerable include younger people who work and have kids, contributing so much to the economy and society. Vulnerable may not die from covid now we have vaccines but they may have to adjust work to allow for home IV or viral medicines and their kids may miss school in order to not bring the virus home in the first place. For the majority life can, and should return to normal as much as possible BUT WE SHOULD continue to think about protecting others.

@DebHagland

Boris has relaxed the rules again, only because he wants a some positive news to distract everyone from the "partygate scandal"

We are still in a pandemic, but judging from his disastrous performance in running the country, he really couldn't care less about anything or anyone, except saving his political career.

Sainsburys is just hedging its bets that there are a lot of people that feel safer still wearing masks..

If this was the case then why are Denmark dropping the legal requirement to wear a mask (and the need to self isolate) from Tuesday?

Their cases, adjusted for population levels, are much higher than ours and death rates not much lower.

But how long are we going to test for ?

For the majority life can, and should return to normal as much as possible BUT WE SHOULD continue to think about protecting others.

But before covid most didn't care about protecting others. Hell most on the covid board dont care about mental illness and the response has basically been pull yourself together, so forgive me if I only care about my friends and family.

Masks clearly don’t work as we still have more cases, vaccines not working so well either by the looks of it.

@MarvellousMonsters

For the same reason the NHS is still asking staff and patients to wear one. Because there's still a potentially deadly virus doing the rounds, just because Boris says you don't need to wear one doesn't mean you should stop.

Boris hasn't said we don't need to wear one, he has said it's now our choice.

Some people choose to.
Some don't.

Accept both choices

in 8 weeks isolating ends...people will be going into work with covid. Mask wearing will be forgotten about as people change their protests to moan about that

Boris hasn't said we don't need to wear one, he has said it's now our choice.

Some people choose to.
Some don't.

Accept both choices

Exactly, but some want to impose their choices on others. Even when it was mandatory it’s wasn’t enough for people to wear masks they had to love wearing them. I remember a thread that was asking for suggestions to stop glasses from steaming up and there was posters who said stop complaining and just get on with it!

MN has been bonkers about masks throughout this pandemic.