We went to Freeport in Braintree yesterday, it’s the first non food shopping place we have been to since before Christmas 2019. We were still wearing masks but were easily in the minority, most people weren’t wearing them, in and out of the shops, in most stores the staff weren’t wearing them.
At work we have decided not to change anything yet.
Should we be wearing as we were a month ago or not?
What's the government advice? It isn't compulsory aside from where mandated by the premises and transport ie TFL say mandatory.Originally Posted by adrianw
So you will see people wearing them and not wearing them.
There's very little point getting in a twist about it because people will and people won't wear them. I see it as a bit like Brexit in respect of however people endlessly argue on about the merits no one will be changing their opinion.
We still wear masks at work and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
I consider it my responsibility to my customers and my team.
Most customers follow suit and everything transaction wise is still done out in an open garage bay so it’s as safe as I can make it.
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But leaving the EU won’t kill my gran.
I'll still be wearing a face covering in shops and similar indoor spaces for the time being. I went round Tesco at Ashby on Thursday evening and was pleasantly surprised to see that about 75% of customers and nearly all of the supermarket staff were wearing them. I don't find comparisons to Brexit very logical or helpful, myself.
I’m going to continue to wear a mask for the foreseeable future.
Me too. It's no big deal and it's got to help in the fight to diminish the impact of this virus.
Literally one mile from my house! Most people and places round Ashby do seem to be continuing using masks, as are my wife and me. I've no idea if its due to a relatively small population or not. I've no idea what its like on a night as we've not been to the pubs / ate out yet. Maybe we will a week monday after our 2nd jab. Where are you located?
Ravenstone - about 3.5 miles to the SE of Ashby. I've haven't been to a pub there since the pandemic started but we'll no doubt do that soon. I like Ashby; love the old-fashioned high street. Nice to see that the businesses there have survived a huge Tesco less than a mile away. Always looks busy when I come through on my bike.
The government advice to businesses is to carry out a risk assessment and based on that make the decision, as I said earlier we decided to keep them as we have some narrow corridors that we can’t one way.
Thank you,I have been voting with my feet no masks in shop I leave and I wont use them again even if it all goes away.
I am sorry but I am being very judgemental for all the right reasons,this pandemic has brought out the worst in some people.
The mandatory wearing on the London tube and busses is a nonsense as it is not enforced. On my last trip on the underground, a carriage containing 14 passengers revealed 50% mask wearing, all the non wearers were blokes. If rules are not enforced, those who don't give a toss will continue not giving a toss. A swift penalty might, only might, get a message through.
But this has been going on throughout the pandemic. It's been like a pantomime...we all know there are very few conditions that would actually prevent someone from wearing a mask on medical grounds yet the proportion of people who have been "exempt" is ridiculous. There will never be a penalty because it is an unenforceable law.
I'm not really worried about catching covid from a health perspective, it's more about not wanting to have to isolate. Even I'd mask up on the tube with 1 in 80 incident rate at the moment.
Last edited by Christian; 25th July 2021 at 22:16.
We always wear ours but saw it was about 50/50 in town today.
Noticed my barbers was open so popped in for a trim, my usual chap doesn't work Sundays but the weekend guy didn't wear one nor were any of the customers who came in after me.
Then went into VisionExpress, the mask-less sales assistant greeted every customer with "Welcome, you don't have to wear a mask", and every customer I saw told her they preferred to keep there's on. I wonder if it's a company policy? I'd insist if I was having an eye test, I think they've just lost a customer if it is!
Very few people have the relevant medical or scientific training to be able to appraise the evidence base for masks as a method of suppressing transmission. Even those that do still have to abide by the legislation (when it applies) or guidance (likewise).
The issue has been confounded by some of the hard hitting public health messages that were used earlier in the year, which to my mind crossed the line into sowing fear, rather than a heightened sense of caution, into the population.
I have to wear one at work because my employer mandates it. Where I have a choice, I choose not to. I do not judge others for wearing a mask in those settings and I hope this is reciprocated. So far it seems to be, at least in my experience this week so far.
Nothing charges as my workplace fully masked up unless in your work area with no one about , touch point wiped down and fogging at the end of shift , i see maskes as you wear a mask to protect others if you have COVID or if you don’t no you have it , that’s the way I see things anyway but we all see things in different ways I suppose
Sorry, but I find this to be a nonsensical comment. What sort of negative "judgement" could you apply to someone wearing a mask? What possible harm does it do? I wear one primarily so that more vulnerable people will feel more comfortable in public spaces and so that other non-vulnerable people like myself will feel more comfortable to do as I do.
Not really. I picked up a curry not long ago and two guys were sat eating at the front nearby - I heard one say "look at this twat with his mask. Just stay home if you're that much of a pussy". Charming.
Honestly, it took me a few mins to comprehend. It was so wild that I thought I must have imagined it or misheard. Last curry I got from that place and delivery from elsewhere since.
And yet they did, or at least this is predictably what has emerged from the messaging.
Doesn't take much for mask wearing to be interpreted as cowering...not my view.
Last edited by Passenger; 25th July 2021 at 12:05.
Just reply politely, ‘oh this, it’s not for COVID, it’s so I don’t have to suffer your B.O.’
I don’t wear one where it’s not mandatory although I’m happy to do my own risk assessment and if I’m packed into a tube carriage I’ll put one on because the case rate is high at the moment. I know a lot of people will look down on me for saying I don’t wear one all the time…I’ve even seen people on here post comments that people who don’t wear masks are lower class. Ridiculous.
To be fair it is London so that's fairly polite by London standards.
Not really the fault of the curry house though, just bad customers.
In this case judgement lies on a spectrum: I could be judged as being cavalier for choosing not to wear a mask where it is mandated, with a lack of concern for the health of those around me. I may also judge others who wear masks as being the opposite, full of misplaced anxiety and concern and engaging in behaviour that is unlikely to make a significant difference in the spread of illness.
I want to be clear that I the above is an example, not that I do judge others by those standards.
The fact remains that one cohort could be argued to be putting others at risk; and the other is clearly acting in a way to ensure that it doesn't. You can rationalise it any way that you wish, but it's still a nonsensical position to take given the circumstances.
I only go in my local shop a couple of times a week and occasionally travel by bus. Both are generally empty and staff and drivers are behind screens so I'm going to stop wearing one, but if I ever go somewhere that's very busy I'd probably wear one again.
I'm also curious to know why so few people wear FFP3 masks when they appear to be the only type that offer any significant protection.
You make the point I raised in my first post for me, in that you are not qualified to make that argument, therefore you can have a point of view or make an assertion, but not from a position of informed expertise.
Because most of us are in that camp, we either have to obey relevant legislation or face the consequences, or choose to adhere to guidance where it is voluntary. It is as simple as that.
Wherever I have been compelled to abide by the law with respect to Covid, I have, be that mask wearing earlier in the pandemic, not leaving the house except for the reasonable excuses listed etc etc. I recall you taking a more flexible approach in terms of your interpretation of what constituted an essential journey last year, with multiple trips on your bike to the local shops for essential goods. You made it quite clear that you were out for a ride, in spite of that firm legal prohibition. So when you were instructed not to do something, you did it. In the case of mask wearing I now have a choice and exercise it. There is a not very subtle difference there.
You'd think that Tony but my experience is different and can only see it getting worse for a while. There are many, many people who are prepared to tell you that you're some kind of soft shite for wearing a mask as they were a) never needed anyway because b) COVID was never real and c) it's the Government trying to control us.
We're also on our return to work journey for 60,000 employees, 8000 of which are on my site. The conversations have been really positive up to now generally because the message is that your return will be tailored to your requirements as much as is possible. Our sites are fully compliant with social distancing and sanitising guidance / expectations and that's been great when sites have been 5% occupied but it's going to take significant planning and implementation to get that anywhere near 50% occupancy.
I'll continue to wear a mask for as long as want to. I know the information out there is that they protect others rather than the wearer but our experience is that none of us in our house have had a cough, cold, virus or flu since the pandemic began so we really feel well protected by masks.
Maybe to be expected to be in Freeport Braintree.
I've been pleasantly surprised with the number of people still wearing masks in our local Tesco.
Maybe, we did toss up between there, Lakeside and Bluewater and decided there would be less people there.
I have decided that wearing the masks helps me and my family as well as stopping us spreading the virus to others around us. Its not that difficult to wear a mask when in public, so we are still doing this. We have had staff at shops telling us "Take it off we cant hear you" etc and are often the minority in a shop.
That would be the last time I used the shop. Disgraceful.
We have a skeleton crew in most of our offices at present, and still have social distancing and mask wearing in place. However, I'm also planning for the return to the office of some 8000 people next month and there are some interesting conversations relating to COVID measures taking place, to put it mildly.
I have noticed that 95% of people still seem to be wearing masks in shops and crowded areas where I live in Norfolk, and I continue to wear one. Apart from anything else I think they serve as a visual reminder to give each other a bit more space and that the virus hasn’t gone away. There are a fair number of elderly people where I live and I think it’s important to think of the community at large. I have to admit I don’t find wearing a mask irritating or difficult in any way, plus the fact I’ve not had a sniffle or cold since the start of the pandemic suggests they have a positive effect! - Tbh even after the pandemic I will wear a mask when travelling on eg the tube - seems sensible imho
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IMO we should still be wearing masks where possible. My wife and I wear masks when we go out and avoid shops that are overly busy or have lots people without masks inside.
I get if you're wearing masks all day long at work it's not ideal or comfortable. Likewise if you wear glasses it's really annoying. I've considered getting contacts.
Yes still wearing a mask when shopping and avoiding crowded places - but then I've never seen the point in gambling.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Was watching some scientific professor doing a demonstration a couple of days ago and he said you’d need 15 masks on for it to be effective to stop the particles in the aerosol and even then it would still fly out of all the gaps where it doesn’t seal.
Well, it obviously depends on what you're trying to achieve, and what mask you're wearing. For example compare the properties of an FFP3 mask to one of those cheap 3-ply jobbies... totally different.
I had a conversation with one of my team the other day, who was commenting on how he would continue to mask up because he was so concerned about passing anything on to others. His mask had an exhalation valve
So all those surgeons wearing masks during operations needn’t bother. Stupid surgeons - the medical profession as a whole are so uneducated aren’t they? - oh, hang on …..
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That actually isn’t a relevant argument. It is to stop bacteria and also to protect the surgeon.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4480558/
It is completely different to using them in a public environment
I continue to wear a mask, I can't afford not to.
If I self need to self isolate then it's SSP for me, that doesn't pay the bills and a couple of sessions of isolation so far plus having time off when the youngest was off school have depleted my savings.
The company I work for is small and an outbreak would close the business, if closed for ten days would it open again? I don't know. But we've all decided to keep wearing masks and taking as many precautions as we can.
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I'm so sorry, it must have been awful for you.
I’m continuing to wear a mask indoors as long as is recommended. it’s not exactly any kind of hardship, and is good courtesy to others if nothing else. Can’t understand people that don’t think they serve any purpose. You can argue all day over how MUCH difference they make, but they have to make some difference - they cover your mouth and nose ffs!
Months from now the government will claim that the people should have taken their advice...
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
The thing is that you cannot complain about being judge for not wearing a mask. Those who make that judgment may not be virologists, but people who are (or feel) endangered by your choice.
That is the problem with mask wearing. If it was just about the (potential) risk you take for yourself there would be no question about your choice.
The fact is that the (potential) risk you take is affecting others than yourself. This is why others will judge you, and rightfully in my opinion.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Hear hear.
F.T.F.A.
Or maybe it's the mask wearer that's spreading it more. Pick something up in the shop. Touch their mask put the item back. Touch trolley. Touch their mask touch trolley. Touch the multi tool in the middle Isle of Aldi. Ummmm. Na IL leave it. Put it back.
Meanwhile the person without the mask has sanitized their hands on entry. Not touched their face once. And then sanitized on their way out.
Who knows what's right. All I know as a glasses wearer is I touch my face a hell of a lot more with a mask on.
you have hit the nail on the head.
I am in the post office holding my heart haveing trouble breathing (you will have to wrench the mask of my face), the frail old lady in front is struggling with wearing her mask and stuggling to pay (but wont remove her mask.
A big tough builder type comes in,no mask bumping into everyone (couldnt care less),I reserve the right to think he is a lowlife and look at him with utter contempt.
And wrongly in my opinion. I will wear a mask if I HAVE to. If others want to wear one to protect themselves wear an appropriate mask not just a “face covering”.
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