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.

I find this a bit odd. Chemo patients etc don't just exist in hospital

I will mask if it becomes law. I mask where I am required to eg hospital appointments.

I sincerely hope we don't have to mask again

The hypocrisy is strong with most non-mask wearers

What hypocrisy is that? apart from a sweeping generalisation as I assume you don't know 'most non-mask wearers.'

Never worn one, and not about to. Never had Covid either, despite using public transport regularly.

Pure Covid /safety theatre. But what a great distraction from the current shit show that is the U.K.

It is guidance for me again given my household situation. Not homemade masks anymore. We are using good fitting kn95 masks.

I absolute hate wearing them. I’m claustrophobic and I have to use coping techniques to tolerate them. I find myself going out as seldom as possible now that masks have returned to my life.

I still follow guidelines from medical experts for our situation. I fully support regional masking policies that follow the guidance of epidemiologists. It should never be a political decision.

But the chance of me being close enough to harm them is higher in a hospital than in the queue at Waitrose. If i thought venturing out to Waitrose could kill me, i would probably choose to have my food shop delivered but I would not be able to avoid going to hospital for my chemotherapy. I will not be bullied into wearing a mask again I'm afraid.

What about public transport to get to the hospital?

And yes, food delivery etc is a thing but it's somewhat unfair for vulnerable people to be limited to their own homes because others won't take precautions to make public places safer for them. It's been a long three years of isolation for a lot of people.

1
Its a no-brainer when you live with a medically vulnerable person.

If you get upset about wearing a mask, you’re really not going cope with all the pain/hassle/stress/fear of being medically vulnerable.

Agree.

Masks were a political decision, with the aim of reassuring frightened people and creating the impression of 'doing something'

The fact that people were told that they could wear a scarf as a mask makes it pretty obvious it wasn't so much a health measure as to reassure people it was safe to go out and start spending again. Hancock admitted that. Scarves are going to stop bugger all viruses.

The Government have announced that face coverings will be mandatory from 24 July when shopping, this is to protect those who work in shops and to give people more confidence to shop safely.

www.parliament.uk/business/news/2020/july/coronavirus-statement-14-july/

Yes there's alot of illness around at the moment, but I really think it's a good thing. We need to build our immune systems up.

What really needs sorting is the health care system.
Old GP system back
More out of hours GP services
Pharmacists can prescribe more meds
More money pumped into the care system so hospital pressures can be reduced.

I wear a mask at work, on public transport and have recommenced wearing one in the supermarket. Covid is rampant around here and I do not want to be Ill pass it on to my family or have to take time off work.I am far from obsessive about this type of thing but can't really understand why more people aren't.

We all have our lines that we draw and this is mine. 3 years is a long time, will it be another 3 years ? When will it end ? Should I include coffee shops, vulnerable people also go into them. There has to be a line drawn somewhere, and for me it is hospitals. I choose to move towards normality for my DC, for the sake of their mental health and wearing masks everywhere does not fall into my version of normality.

4

A proper cost/benefit analysis of the impact of masks has never been done. I'm not convinced of their efficacy. If others want to wear them they can knock themselves out.

Agree with so many on here.

Masks make very little difference - they were foisted upon us because:
a) the government wanted to look like they were doing something and
b) because Neil ‘Let’s exaggerate everything’ Ferguson pushed the agenda hard despite no scientific evidence.
c) They act like a comfort blanket to those that are anxious.

Countries where they have been the cultural norm for decades ultimately fared no better.

As there is an government exemption for those that ‘people for whom putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause severe distress‘ I will be using that one if anyone starts using their self appointed authority to challenge me.

I have a treatment-induced weak immune system and I'm now quite concerned about keeping my immune system functioning at least to some degree, after so much relative isolation.

'Shielding' away from viruses and bacteria isn't going to keep my immune system in any kind of shape. So I'd say, I'm careful in very busy shops and in crowded places, and obviously hospitals, and will mask up when I think the potential 'load' is a risk. I am aware of some really unpleasant comments and stares, though.

But I'm more relaxed now about DP and DS potentially bringing viruses and bacteria home from work, and will take my mask off in less crowded public places. It's a difficult balance.

And yes I still do LFTs before hospital appointments.

Well that's a 2+2 = 5.
It's not that people are selfless elsewhere, it's just that it is not such a big deal to wear a mask. In the same way that it is not a big deal to carry an ID card. It just isn't a big deal in France. The concept of what it means to be personally free is not the same. You wouldn't have this sort of discussion here. It's just cultural differences, people take health very seriously here, in a different way to the way that people do in the UK.

No, it isn't a 2+2=5 to roll my eyes at the line 'most people here are selfish about lots of things'- another baseless condemnation of the characters of 'most people' in the UK that goes further than whether we will wear masks or not. I don't believe British people are any more inherently selfish on 'lots of things' than any other country.

I agree attitudes to health are different. We aren't exactly encouraged to take care of our health in the UK though. We're made to feel guilty for even trying to see a GP these days and basically told not to use the health service. I said earlier in the thread, I think it would be good to offer the fourth booster to anyone of any age who would like to have it now, given the uptake in over 50s has been poor in some areas. But they won't do it. A flimsy face mask is going to make no difference. If someone wants to wear one then crack on.

For those who want them brought back, out of interest, where do you want to see them? Shops? Pubs? How does it work in pubs/nightclubs etc? The economy can't take any more restrictions and people won't comply anymore anyway.

It depends on the environment. In very busy places where people cough and don't cover their mouths et I am more inclined to.
Out in the open air, no.
It depends how the situation goes too. If Covid makes a rapid return then yes. Some people say the masks are pointless. But if they stop you spreading germs then presuambly, if someone else is wearing one, you won't get their's either.

Just no way

My mums nursing literally only stopped the mask wearing on xmas eve. My mum has not seen my whole face for best part of 3 years up til that point

no way am I going back to mask wearing unless I absolutely have to

For those of you proclaiming the positive impact of mask wearing - look at China. Even pre pandemic they were obsessive mask wearers. Clealry not working there.

Let’s get on with life and bring back natural immune systems! Served us well for a few thousand years, not sure a global half baked government are those to trust to be honest.

That should read nursing home in case any think that not make sense

it's somewhat unfair for vulnerable people to be limited to their own homes because others won't take precautions to make public places safer for them

What's 'safer'? everyone out of the coffee shop, a vulnerable person has come in? everyone walk around in hazmat suits because they might walk past a vulnerable person? and your comment rather implies that vulnerable persons are a hive mind who want everyone else to be restricted so they can live their lives. Come to that, how do you define what a vulnerable person is?

Sorry I just can't see how it will work long term. Like @Nameneeded said, it's been three years, how much longer?

1. Upgraded to an FFP2 mask for the shops and the hospital (and other medical appointments) when the requirement was dropped. Because I can't trust other people to stay home if they're sick and most people don't care enough about others to wear one. To be honest I don't mind in winter - I find them more annoying in summer when it's hot. Where I live they are now recommended in crowded places and in the presence of vulnerable people. I noticed more people wearing them in shops in the run up to Christmas.