Taken aback by shop assistant's comment

[Maskingup]

So today I needed a couple of items from a local store. It was quite busy and I chose to wear a mask. Anyway I get to the counter and she asks me am I off somewhere in particular all masked up. I said "No but a member of my family is suffering with Long Covid and really doesn't want to get it again, and to be honest I don't either". I found her comment a bit weird considering we've got an NHS service on it's knees with so many patients with Covid and flu 🤧. Do you think she was being a bit passive aggressive, because she doesn't like customers wearing masks? 🤷‍♀️

Why do you care?

When did she say she doesn't like customers wearing a mask ,you're making something out of nothing here jeez get a life

🙄Mountain out of mole hill

No she wasn't passive aggressive.

Making conversation?

She was making conversation.
I’m a mask wearer due to CEV, most people don’t wear masks. She likely just wondered if you were off to a crowded event, either that or you misunderstood and she asked if you were off somewhere in particular all dressed up.

I think a lot of people are curious now towards those that are still wearing masks. You do you! I think the logic from people who aren’t wearing masks anymore is that the risk is not considered great enough to justify wearing masks and that pre covid there were still many illnesses in circulation and people were not wearing masks - but the logic to those with vulnerable families is also clear. So really I think you just have to nod and smile and carry on doing as you like x

I wouldn’t give a second thought to her comment, she was likely just making conversation

Yes ok fair enough, I can be a bit paranoid, maybe I'm being silly

Also never posted anything before, so thought I'd give it a go

It was a slightly odd thing for her to say, but I wouldn’t have taken it as passive-aggressive.

I have had some people ask me, before when I am visiting my dad, I just tell them I am visiting someone sick and with all the bugs going around am trying to be careful.

When you wear a mask you are protecting others from you, not yourself from others.
I must admit that I don’t wear a mask anymore but I do feel sort of grateful to those who do, maybe they’re a bit under the weather and don’t want to spread.

She probably didn’t mean anything by it, wouldn’t worry about it.

I don’t get it, what did she mean “are you off somewhere special?”

I'd find it odd.

The NHS is stressed but it’s NOT by Covid or Flu. You’re overreacting.

Yes I guess I think 🤔 isn't it obvious why people where a mask I.e. to protect others, themselves or both. It's a bit like wondering why someone's wearing a coat on a frosty day. Mmm...
"Because it's cold outside and I want to be warm! ". 🤷‍♀️

Sorry wear not where 🤦‍♀️

If I see people in masks now I assume they've got covid and don't want to pass it on to anybody 🙊

But she didn’t ask you why you were wearing it, did she? She asked if you were going somewhere special.

Well from what I've read in the news the NHS it has quite a lot of extra pressure due to covid and flu actually. In what way am I overreacting anyway?

Could be she was worried I'd got it.

After being careful for 3 years, we all have covid now. Awful flu like symptoms, people have become complacent. I am going to wear my mask.

I read it as her noticing you being extra carefull, which you are, probably wondered if you were jetting off somewhere that still has a testing requirement.

Nothing to be offended by.

I suppose it depends what type of mask you are using. FFP3 is the only one effective for protecting yourself. Anything else is just decoration.
We had Covid before Xmas and because both DH and I are considered high risk we are on the list for anti virals. The practice Covid nurse contacted us to see whether we needed them but we were virtually symptomless. Since it was my DH who had symptoms first and I caught it off him we were discussing how he managed to catch it. His only trip out for 2 weeks was to Tescos. The nurse laughed and said that there were multiple opportunities to pick the virus from all the surfaces he had probably touched.
No one in the health care industry believes that masks protect anyone but we wear them because we are told to.
I’m a dentist who has been wearing a mask at work for the last fifteen yrs at no point during my professional mask wearing life have I been under the illusion that masks stop viruses. Lots of research has been done, which conveniently all went missing during the pandemic. We wear mask to stop the content of peoples mouths splashing on our faces. Pre pandemic if anyone came in with a cough or a cold we asked them to make another appointment. We knew that none of our PPE would stop us picking up cold and flu viruses. And when a patient came into reception with a heavy cold the staff would discreetly disinfect all the surfaces they had touched, coughed or sneezed on. Years of experience taught us that dirty hands spread viruses. As patients leave the surgery we always wipe down the chair and door handles, this is not a new procedure, we’ve been doing it for years.