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?

@Sparklingbrook

MN has been bonkers about masks throughout this pandemic.

Yes, there are so many posters who simply will not acknowledge the weight of evidence showing they are effective.

(No, I'm not going to re-hash it all. Because I don't think on a thread such as this it will be persuasive. Even though it's right, as anyone will see if they look at reliable and evidence based sources)

I agree @UnmentionedElephantDildo, but there seems to be no middle ground sometimes on here between 'masks forever' and 'I've never bothered wearing one anyway'.
Meanwhile back in the real world (in these parts at least) most are just wearing a mask and it's not that big of a deal.

It’s difficult because it is a choice and that isn’t always accepted on here.

I do live in an area where just where them, I have, but I don’t think they are that minor and prefer people to have the choice than not.

They are doing it for publicity pure and simple Making out they care when its just a stunt. If they reallycared about staff or customers they would have actually enforced masks from the get go.

Yes, there are so many posters who simply will not acknowledge the weight of evidence showing they are effective.

There really isn't that much evidence In real world settings and since omnicrom they have become pointless.

Wear…

@LidlMiddleLover

They are doing it for publicity pure and simple Making out they care when its just a stunt. If they reallycared about staff or customers they would have actually enforced masks from the get go.

well theres no security at our local store so just who would enforce that if it had ever been a thing? which member of staff?

weight of evidence? how come other mask compliant countries have seen similar case numbers to us? hows Scotland doing? France?

weight of evidence? how come other mask compliant countries have seen similar case numbers to us? hows Scotland doing? France?

Because you can say things in a lab but in real world it works differently.

@MrsSkylerWhite

Because it’s an easy way to help prevent transmission.

This. Covid hasn't gone away, people are still vulnerable and all employers have a duty of care to their staff. I work in education and despite the drop on masks, we have to wear them in corridors and communal areas till half term (college rules). I wear them in the classroom still because I have to get close to students and I don't trust lft.

@truthfullylying

Given the news that two-thirds of infections may be reinfections, and these are not counted in the daily case stats (changing next week) the current cases stats are hugely undercounting.

Cases rising in school age people and their parents, and now also in the >60s.

WHAT ?! Is this true - reinfections not being counted?

Masks should be worn. Covid is far from over. Boris is an idiot. Supermarkets are the highest source of infection according to the news, higher than pubs etc. I'm breastfeeding and don't want vaccine yet so if sainsburys continues mask wearing I will switch to them

Supermarkets are the highest source of infection according to the news, higher than pubs etc

I don't really understand this. I have a couple of friends that work in supermarkets and it's not as if the staff have been dropping like flies and they do 8 hour shifts in there. Sure a few have had it but nothing unmanageable. Customers are in for half an hour or so. How can they be such infectious places when up until now at least everyone's been wearing a mask anyway.

Masks should be worn. Covid is far from over. Boris is an idiot

Masks are making no difference in other countries your opinion of Boris is irrelevant.

Supermarkets are the highest source of infection according to the news, higher than pubs etc

Where does this come from? Is it recent and what kind of study

My assumption would be to protect the large amount of people they employ who don't wish to take any more time off work......? It is not a hard rule though the supermarkets are simply saying please do if you can. Nothing to do with money. Number 1 priority of any workplace is their staff. If it isn't that's a poor business model.

@MarshaBradyo

Supermarkets are the highest source of infection according to the news, higher than pubs etc

Where does this come from? Is it recent and what kind of study

I'd be interested too. 'The news' seems to be the source.

where does it say that about supermarkets?

@Dogmummy999

Masks should be worn. Covid is far from over. Boris is an idiot. Supermarkets are the highest source of infection according to the news, higher than pubs etc. I'm breastfeeding and don't want vaccine yet so if sainsburys continues mask wearing I will switch to them

I’m not 100% on this but think supermarkets being the highest source of infection comes from asking those infected where they have been recently. As many people would have been in a supermarket it makes it look like that’s where people are catching it.

Oh and Sainsburys are not actually enforcing any mask wearing, just asking to continue if you can. Most staff in my local branch have stopped wearing them and some customers so far.

I wonder whether it's because when asked where people have been in the run up to them catching Covid one of the most common answers would be 'the supermarket' as most people go to a supermarket at least weekly?
When the chances are they caught it from somewhere else altogether.

hardly anyone wearing masks in ours this evening

was fairly busy too

@Againstmachine

weight of evidence? how come other mask compliant countries have seen similar case numbers to us? hows Scotland doing? France?

Because you can say things in a lab but in real world it works differently.

Because there's no telling how many cases a country would have had without their masks. It's a nonsense to try to draw crude comparisons of that kind.

You do get to see comparisons within more controlled and like-for-like environments. And yes, wearing masks reduces cases.

This meta-analysis might interest people

www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj-2021-068302

and it also mentions which factors in a country's total response are harder to examine in this way.

Owing to heterogeneity of the studies, meta-analysis was not possible for the outcomes of quarantine and isolation, universal lockdowns, and closures of borders, schools, and workplaces

I remember early on there was that kind of thing - where have you been and we’d only gone to supermarkets 😂

But not conclusive on the back of that

Because there's no telling how many cases a country would have had without their masks. It's a nonsense to try to draw crude comparisons of that kind.

Its nonsense to draw any comparisons at all then.

Masks are pointless.

Fuck sake