Push for masks to be reintroduced

[GerardusMercator]

Over the last few days I've noticed a big push in media to get masks back on the agenda. A brief foray into twitter and flick through a few Covid threads here, and I've seen all the old pandemic era versions of 'it's no hardship to mask'/ your selfish if you don't want to mask etc start to creep back in.

How many of you are-

1. Still masking now
2. Will mask if it becomes guidance
3. Will mask if it becomes law
4. Will not mask again under any circumstances

I really struggled with masks and don't believe they make a great deal of difference (covid theatre) so would be somewhere between a 3 and 4.

People’s dishonesty has caused others to doubt the authenticity of those who claim a genuine exemption.

That will have had some impact, but I'm also not willing to give the benefit of the doubt to some of those who think they can tell from looking whether a person is exempt due to eg trauma. There are people who would refuse to accept some or all exemptions regardless of their experiences. There are people who don't accept the concept of exemptions at all.

That is absolutely a fair point and I don’t disagree at all.

This is a myth. 'Flu is a virus, you can have a mild or severe case the same as covid and colds.

It isn't though. It's me. Why are you putting me in false situations?

If masks are made mandatory again, I'll simply not leave the house. The amount of abuse, threats, judgement and worse I received last time they were mandatory made me terrified to go anywhere. I can't go through that again. I just can't.

What makes it worse is that I'm CEV and the people claiming to care about the wellbeing of vulnerable people were exactly the ones who were shouting the loudest about how selfish and disgusting I was, and how I deserved to catch Covid.

I was done with them back in 2021. Useless things and, let's face it, if they make wearing them mandatory the law is unenforceable anyway. It's all theatre.

It's time to move on. There's more important things in the world we need to worry about.

I went to get vaccinated today and put one on for the first time in ages. In terms of effectiveness, I guess it depends on so many factors. If you put your hand over your mouth when you cough, I guess sometimes it’s completely ineffective and you cough through your fingers - and at other times it IS effective and you stop your virus from being coughed over others. My niece managed to puke into her mask - and SIL said it was highly effective at stopping the puke from projecting everywhere. I copied this from The Independent :

The most tiresome objection to the reintroduction of masks is that “they don’t work”. This is very weak. Obviously it depends on the mask type and the way they’re fitted – wearing it like a neckerchief isn’t much use. But it stands to reason that if even a small proportion of an airborne virus is rendered harmless by a mask, then that’s one less case of potentially severe illness.

The best N95 masks are fairly effective, but all work to some degree. How do I know this? Because, unfashionable as it seems to be, I trust what the scientists tell us. This, for example, is the conclusion of a survey of studies on the effectiveness of face coverings by the UK Health Security Agency published in 2021. The expert panel stated, and I’m including their caution here: “The current evidence on face coverings suggests that all types of face coverings are, to some extent, effective in reducing transmission of Sars-CoV-2 in both healthcare and community settings.

“N95 respirators are likely to be the most effective, followed by surgical masks and then non-medical masks, although optimised non-medical masks made of two or three layers might have similar filtration efficiency to surgical masks. The evidence specific to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is still limited and does not allow for firm conclusions to be drawn for specific settings and type of face coverings.”

Even Jason letich, Scotland medical officer who spent the whole pandemic being Uber cautious, restricting our lives more than other parts of the Uk and telling us just because you can doesn’t mean you should is not calling for masks.

interviewed this morning he said stay at home if you’re really sick - wherever you’re sick with - and get your offered boosters.

Not read in full.
We have been given masks to use at work this week, which did come as a bit unexpected.

Our GP has insisted on masks all the way through so I have worn them in certain places but had stopped using at work.

I have no issue using masks especially at this time of year where they keep my face warmer. Summer time isn't as comfortable.

So I will wear at places I'm asked to, but not if not requested at the moment unless I have a bug

yes I pressed ‘send’ too quickly. You will see afterwards I posted straightaway to say:

Btw that wasn’t a personal attack - it’s just to point out that the reason we wear masks. Medically vulnerable covers lots of different categories.

But there are lots of posters saying that they or some they know are medically vulnerable and are not wearing masks. I am concerned about keeping my daughter and us (her carers) well which includes us wearing masks. I would prefer people wear masks around us too but know that’s not going to happen.

Theres another thread about whether people have ever had abuse for wearing a mask. I did, for the first time before Christmas. Getting some petrol on the way for more scans, a man walked passed me in the checkout queue, coughed in my face, then smirked. I felt like shouting about the luxury he had of not wearing a mask, about my wonderful daughter and how unfair it all was about what she’s going through. And how the only thing I could try and control was to keep her as well as possible. But what’s the point. Wouldn’t change his mind. Won’t change yours either. But I envy people who don’t have to worry.

Can’t see them being mandatory again, particularly after Partygate and can’t see many people would comply anyway. I’ve still got my lanyard though should the unexpected happen.

1 or 2 here. I still wear them in several places. There are fairly cheap FFP2 masks and they can be reused if left to air for a few days. Theey don't stick to your face and they're generally much cooler and more comfortable than cloth. Mine are green and dark blue so also look very ordinary.

I would welcome guidelines, but not mandating, because I think mandating it makes some people push back on principle, and also is exactly what the people who want everything to be politicised want (it's all a bit divide and rule).

Even when they were mandatory ,so many people coludnt/ wouldn't wear them I don't see the point in making it law again .

Hope not. Just back from a visit to a care home and so lovely to see the faces of staff again after nearly 3 years.

@TurboTheChicken So sorry about your DH. It’s absolutely ridiculous that masks aren’t mandatory in medical settings.

The government is spending £49million on CO2 monitors to monitor ventilation on schools. Surely that money would be much better spent on air purifiers?!

4

Was exempt anyway. Mask mandates will give free reign for people to be utter cunts to people like me again. Can't wait.

I won't. It's a bugger if you have hearing issues like he. If people want to that's fine but I won't be.

Since today we have to wear them at work again. Performance reviews for those caught not wearing if they haven't applied for an exemption from manager in writing.

I agree. There are also indications that Kraken/XBB.1.5 is more immune-evasive. I don't exactly enjoy wearing a mask, but will continue to as needed (by me).

If masks were that effective, why wasn't every household supplied with a pack of medical grade ones which would have been a darn sight cheaper than locking down, crushing the economy, paying furlough and funding Track and Trace?

I'm more of a 4 but in practical terms probably a 3.

www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/health/are-you-weirdly-furious-about-masks-or-are-you-a-normal-person-20230105229951

And so the judgement of anyone not wearing a mask begins again.

Let's not forget how people who couldn't wear one were lumped in together with those who wouldn't and were labelled selfish, super spreaders, etc too. And often attacked, abused and threatened into the bargain.

Because nothing proves that you care about the wellbeing of vulnerable/disabled people more than abusing and threatening them, does it.

There weren't enough of them at that time.

Not right at the beginning, I agree, but it didn’t take long to organise for millions of free test kits (that were ordered from and supplied by China) to be doled out. Therefore, there could also easily have been such a program to ensure conforming masks were dispensed to everyone and relatively normal life could have been restarted much sooner at far less cost to the economy.