Guilt Free Railing 8

[WouldBeGood]

Can’t believe it’s needed….

Heading off on a day trip where it's to rain. Fabulous!

Aw that's rotten @Groovee

We're just about to have an exciting trip to Morrison's then meeting some nursery friends at the park later.

It's interesting to see the reaction to the lifting of the restrictions down south. A lot of people seem to be in favour of keeping masks mandatory indoors.

I'm not that surprised! I think that if "a lot of people" want that, then they will continue to wear masks in those situations, so actually the proportion of masks vs no masks won't be that different to currently. Or if there is a huge drop off, then maybe the proportion of people actually thinking it's a necessary precaution isn't as high as its being claimed to be IYSWIM! Kind of like a mask-based economic model If people trust and want them, they will be used... if they don't, they won't. In practice, I expect they'll be more prevalent in areas with high covid levels, and less so in "safer" areas, and that will change over time. I also think some businesses will continue to require them (unless exempt) as a condition of service - at least initially. Though not sure how that will be enforced at all.

Actually, I think Id be much more amenable to wearing them occasionally, knowing I didn't have to! If a shop asks me nicely, because they have vulnerable workers or whatever, I probably would put one on voluntarily. Especially knowing it wouldn't be a problem to remove occasionally to speak, or take a sip of water or if I'm feeling breathless or whatever. It's the enforcement and mandatory nature that gets me I think. I'm apparently just a thrawn bugger that doesn't like being told what to do ...

Ill keep wearing one in the shop i work in and on the train, where social distancing isn't possible. And if i go to asda. Its totally up to ourselves, or it probably will be soon.
If i didn't work in retail or get busy trains i would happily throw it away.

I didn't wear a mask going round Morrison's there until I got to the till. It was quiet so I wasn't next to anyone until the till anyway.
Ds1 kept asking me why I didn't have it on while I was shushing him
I'm fed up not being able to see properly in shops.

I'd personally be happy to wear a mask in high risk areas every winter etc if the research was clear I was protecting vulnerable people - I've adjusted now. It doesn't seem to stop it rampaging though for all the restrictions short of lockdown, the data on the benefits of masks is so weak.

The no touch thing in libraries and museums and the lack of normality in indoor public spaces for kids bothers me more,m - but covid restrictions are like that, different ones wind different people up.

I agree river - I think masks have been latched onto as "the one thing that is easy and reasonable to keep doing" because it is very visual, and it feels like common sense that having something over your mouth in a pandemic of a respiratory virus that spreads by breathing in virus via droplets exhaled by other people would be beneficial! Despite the evidence that in real life, using the face covers we do, it's not really doing much to protect others, let alone yourself. But as many people do find it relatively easy, it's more of a "well, what harm can it do" mentality (forgetting that it's not especially easy for others, even if not exempt). I'm more annoyed by the general lack of spontaneity and how restricted children's stuff has been. But masks are easy for me to moan about.

Ooooh. An anti-rail. I ordered some clothes online, and returned all but one. But they refunded me for the entire lot. Being the good, upstanding citizen I am I fessed up and asked how I could pay back for the one item (a very lovely dressing gown that I've been wafting and convalescing in over the past few days) and their customer services chap just replied to say they can't request payment without an order, and it was their fault, so I can just keep it. Bonus.

Anyway...back to normal railing now.

@ResilienceWanker I feel you're due some good luck

Thars great @ResilienceWanker! Wafty dressing gown sounds lovely

I will never ever wear a mask through choice. Ridiculous things. People can keep wearing them if they want.

I've just bought a bumper box from
Amazon on the advice of my hairdresser. I'd literally been paying 5 times as much from Tesco. Therefore I'd quite like to use them up, but I don't think Scotland will be as gung ho on that particular relaxation.

Wearing a mask means I can mouth obscenities at people. Losing it means learning to hear it in my head again.

@Groovee

Wearing a mask means I can mouth obscenities at people. Losing it means learning to hear it in my head again.

😂 I wonder how many people will be swearing out loud forgetting that they aren't wearing a mask......

I sing to myself behind my mask, I won't be giving mine up for a loooong time 😁

Mask wearing has become some sort of visual symbol of taking covid seriously, I presume Andrew Marr was mask wearing at the g7 summit where he caught covid despite being double jabbed.

Telling people to wash their hands and face when they came in from some sort of covid risky activity or before eating or drinking might be more effective - less obvious and political though.

“See how good and caring I am, I’m wearing a ragged piece of snotty cloth over my face”

@Groovee

Wearing a mask means I can mouth obscenities at people. Losing it means learning to hear it in my head again.

Absolutely. Handy working in the shop when someone is right in your face and you can mouth fuck off at them without them knowing. Apart from that, I'll wear one to help me feel safer. Can't imagine anyone thinks I'll be good or caring right enough. Would worry for them if they did.

Fine if you don't want to wear one, but sneering at those who choose to is exactly what I knew would happen once they became optional 🙄

I'd my hair cut yesterday and the (very young) hairdresser said she was going to keep wearing hers and hoped the salon would continue to ask clients to do so. I feel for staff who would prefer customers to wear them but have no power to ask (if it's up to the individual).
Mine is never snotty as I'm not a complete minger!

@SoMuchForSummerLove

Fine if you don't want to wear one, but sneering at those who choose to is exactly what I knew would happen once they became optional 🙄

There are plenty of people who wear them incorrectly though and also think they offer magical protection which they don't unless a FFP3!

I don't care if people wear them or not would just like to stop the stares and the comments when I'm not (as I currently am unable to)

I hate to hear of people getting hassle or abuse for not being able to wear a mask. I've never thought twice about customers not wearing a mask. I have more problems with people who wear them under their noses or chins. I just want to tell them not to bother. But then again wearing a mask is still so alien to us that lots of people genuinely forget to pull them up, or don't realise they have pulled it down to lean in to ask you something. Anyway i hope everyone respects everyone else's choices when the restrictions lessen. Its really just up to us what we feel safest doing. But making sparky comments about someone still choosing to wear a mask is as bad as snarky comments right now about people who can't.
I guess its one more thing to get ready for in all this. Forewarned is forearmed and all that....

Yes I'm fairly ambivalent about masks.

I know some people struggle to wear them and don't want to go places where they are required to wear them, but for me it's not a huge effort to put a mask on. Therefore if they do make a quantifiable reduction to the case numbers, then surely now is not the time to ditch them. But then how efficacious are they with our case numbers currently rising exponentially.

DH and I were talking about this at dinner - Ms Sturgeon is in a tricky position as covid capital of Europe. There won't be much appetite amongst the voters for reintroducing tier led restrictions, but high numbers and now reportedly a bit of pressure on hospitals, best hope is it burns itself out once everyone has been infected.