Trisher and Linkypinky, and everyone who is persevering with masks...clap clap clap. (We need more emoti symbols.)
Good Morning Thursday 14th May 2026
Boris Johnson's dad seen shopping without a mask. His excuse that's he's been abroad for a couple of weeks! How long has mask wearing been compulsory - more than a couple of weeks, and what is more, decent people have been using them for many months out of consideration for others. If Mr Johnson Senior is not fined, (a la Mr (s)Cummings' exemption) , then what is that saying to the British people? I also sincerely hope that the bit of 'abroad' he's been in didn't require quarantine on return, or is he disregarding that as well? Sorry for the rant, having a bad day over all of this bl**dy covid situation.
Trisher and Linkypinky, and everyone who is persevering with masks...clap clap clap. (We need more emoti symbols.)
Don’t pick on Stanley Johnson for not wearing a mask when the country is full of people not wearing them. He is recognisable and so got caught out. Generally speaking the authorities are doing nothing about this problem.
Also please don’t criticise people for travelling when it’s legally permitted. If you don’t approve then write to your MP. If you don’t think you should travel that’s your decision.
As a glasses wearer I did consider a visor as described but but will stick to the anti fog wipes and masks. I could be wrong but my understanding is a visor provides significantly less protection than a mask, as the droplets go under it easily?
The buses here must be the worst threat to people, I think.
Less and less people wearing masks, and the tapes on the seats are falling off/ignored anyway, as is the 15 person's maximum rule.
It was standing room only yesterday.
We notice people with no masks quite often, whether they're exempt is a mystery. My main beef just now is a neighbour if our who has a static caravan at the East Coast. Her and the OH go every weekend taking other guests along for the jolly. The latest party to visit the seaside included their grandkids PLUS numerous friends of grandkids! They posted countless photos on social media if all these children in play centres, cafes, pub etc! Then they all come home and go back to their respective families passing on lord knows what! How will we ever eradicate this bloody virus with that mentality???
If the likes of SJ and all the others catch Covid then I expect they will want the sympathy of us commoners. The reason this virus is on the increase is that we have been encouraged to go out to pubs, eat out to help out and keep the economy going. Back to office work and then not. There are some who blatantly flout the rules and there always will be. I wear a mask, I don't like it but I still wear it. I went into my local BnM yesterday and it was quite busy but everyone had a mask on and were trying to keep socially distanced. There was a sanitising station by the front door. The staff were wearing masks and the tills had screens. The same applied to Aldi although I do get nervous around young children. We all need to work together to try and keep the virus spread down and that should apply to everyone.
Two meters + masks should do the trick - but we have to depend on others doing so as well.
For those of you troubled by steamed up glasses while mask wearing, I got myself a brilliant visor that fixes via spectacle sides - and you can put it on over your own glasses. YOU can remove it and put it on very easily - just like taking your glasses off and on.
MerylStreep thank you,i am going to report it
You’re welcome Oopsminty- I think the anti- fog wipes are by a company called Life Art, just search on Amazon. ( I am not on commission by the way! )
Meta
For those who wear glasses, this might help. I have had awful problems with my glasses steaming up making it very hard to read things in shops or even to see other people clearly! In desperation I ordered some special anti-fog cloths from Amazon. You breathe on your glasses then wipe them over for 10 seconds, the glasses then resist fogging up for several hours. Each cloth promises up to 700 times, but I haven’t had them long enough to test the veracity of that. I now wear masks with no wires in and am totally fog free. They weren't very dear either- a real game changer for me and my husband.
Thanks for that. meta
We have dreadful problems with the misting up so we'll give them a whirl.
I can see that it's difficult, blondenana And she's not alone. There was a poll on Jeremy Vine and the majority of people wouldn't draw attention to someone not wearing a mask. I wouldn't either. But the licking fingers! Awful.
Good point, bobbydog24 re: surgeons
However the masks worn by them is not just to protect the patient. There is an awful lot of blood squirting etc so they wear it for their own protection as well.
For those who wear glasses, this might help. I have had awful problems with my glasses steaming up making it very hard to read things in shops or even to see other people clearly! In desperation I ordered some special anti-fog cloths from Amazon. You breathe on your glasses then wipe them over for 10 seconds, the glasses then resist fogging up for several hours. Each cloth promises up to 700 times, but I haven’t had them long enough to test the veracity of that. I now wear masks with no wires in and am totally fog free. They weren't very dear either- a real game changer for me and my husband.
I don’t like wearing a mask, my glasses steam up no matter what I do but I will. I feel safer especially when others are wearing them too. Would these people who refuse to wear one undergo an operation if the surgeon said ‘I’ll be performing your op without a mask and non of the assisting nurses will be wearing one either’. How would they feel. They don’t wear them for affect, it’s to stop infection. I think people who are genuinely, medically incapable of wearing a mask should have some kind of authorisation from their GP to this affect then there would not be any grey areas of people verbally saying they can’t wear one only because they don’t want to. Masks should have been worn from the start, which I am convinced (and informed by an experienced ICU nurse) this would have lessened the infection hugely.
Blondenana
Who do you report to: Environmental health dept at your council..
Widgeon3, your situation is very difficult and must be so worrying. . Where I live, there is a team of volunteers who will get people’s essentials and shopping for them. They have a contact number and a Facebook page. My suggestion would be to contact your Town Council, or Age Concern, who may be able to advise you what help is available, or perhaps your GP. If you use social media, an enquiry there might be fruitful. With your condition it is even more important that you do not go anywhere inside with no face covering.
Oopsminty she should have done,yes and she did feel like walking out,and regretted not doing, she was recommended this place,but will be telling the person who did recommend,and she won't be going back
Shes not very confrontational and was hungry,
My local shop was the same last week, me and another lady with a small child were the only ones wearing a mask,
Luckily i was just being served when all these young lads came in so was on my way out quickly,
Not one of the assistants said anything, i did remark as i left, where are the masks ,and looked at the non mask wearers
Those who have problems with masks might get on better with visors. I have bought one and find it better than a mask.
The only problem is it does take up more room in my handbag so I use either in different situations.
When watching a news report of Boris visiting a work place for training young men how to lay bricks and general building work he was seen talking to one of the youngsters and both where without masks what message does that send out,the man is an law unto himself.
Surely a quick phone call "Hi son, I'm back - what are the rules on mask wearing right now" would have clarified things for him!
blondenana
I want to rant as well about non face mask wearers
My daughter was working unti 7pm last night so ordered a pizza to pick up on her way home
When she got to the pizza shop,there was a queue,none wearing masks, the staff weren't wearing masks,and an assistant behind the counter was stirring some kind of sauce,she tasted it off a spoon and then put the spoon back in the sauce
My daughter was the only one wearing a mask, and she still got served last even after ordering in advance,she said never again in that place
I think this place should be reported,but who to, and would they take any notice
If that's true I'd not have been buying a pizza from there and would have left the premises.
widgeon3
Did no-one else see the report from the opticians association, that 20% of the people who visit them are severely incapacitated by wearing a mask. They suffer from dry eye or other similar complaints and any warm moist air inadvertantly directed upwards by the mask, causes severe eye irritation.
I am one of the shielded ones with a very complex eye condition. The day after the first time I went out wearing my mask I had such severe pain from the induced inflammation that I was taken to A&E
Thanks to mask wearing, the eyes now seem to be sensitized to any changes in humidity and temperature and flare up very frequently, even now by the hot fumes from cooking. Wearing ski goggles is sometimes useful here
Please do not castigate everyone who does not wear a mask. I last wore one to go to a supermarket last week and am still suffering from after effects. I was stopped by someone in store and asked' why no mask'. she laughed scornfully when I said I had removed it momentarily because of my eyes.
No delivery slots have been available although a son-in-law stayed up overnight to try to book one for me. After several days on the phone to a couple of large supermarkets I got no further forward by myself either.
Because of my auto-immune condition, my consultant insists I continue to wear a mask. Her back is, therefore covered and I am left taking the ,maximum dose of analgesics
Busy neighbours have helped but they have their own families and problems
Any suggestions?
Could you do Click and Collect with Tesco? If you get their delivery saver plan for £8 a month, you can book a slot a week earlier than those without the plan. As click and collect is only £1.50 each time, it would be hard to justify spending £8 unless you had an order more than once a week. But Tesco will refund you in vouchers if you don't spend the £8 - so at the moment I have four orders a month, costing £6 so get £2 back. I think this is a great deal.
I don't know if you also get an extra week with deliveries as I don't use them any more as during lockdown I could not get them as I wasn't in a vulnerable group. I now prefer click and collect as I would struggle with a delivery if the drivers did not carry the crates into my kitchen due to my mobility problems, with click and collect I can take my time carrying them out of my car.
Did no-one else see the report from the opticians association, that 20% of the people who visit them are severely incapacitated by wearing a mask.
This is so true. My son's mother in law has Sjögren's syndrome and finds it impossible to wear a mask for long. As it is now she doesn't go to the shops at all. Doesn't go anywhere.
I think that we are latching on to masks being the saviour. They're not. Up until recently WHO wasn't even advocating their use.
And I'm weary of seeing the try a ventilator if you don't like masks.
It doesn't help and in fact ventilators were being used far too soon in the early stages of this pandemic. They were being used far too soon causing problems of their own.
uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-ventilators-specia/special-report-as-virus-advances-doctors-rethink-rush-to-ventilate-idUKKCN2251ST
Just to add, I do wear a mask.
I want to rant as well about non face mask wearers
My daughter was working unti 7pm last night so ordered a pizza to pick up on her way home
When she got to the pizza shop,there was a queue,none wearing masks, the staff weren't wearing masks,and an assistant behind the counter was stirring some kind of sauce,she tasted it off a spoon and then put the spoon back in the sauce 
My daughter was the only one wearing a mask, and she still got served last even after ordering in advance,she said never again in that place
I think this place should be reported,but who to, and would they take any notice
widgeon I suggest you look at the masks which are very close fitting.
I have one only that I can wear with my glasses without steaming up.
You will probably have to pay a premium but I was exhausted trying to shop with others so to me it was worth it. I did buy two others ahead of this one but expect masks will be with us for some time.
Hi GoldD
I believe Mr J senior should be fined because he broke the rules and not because he is BJs father. If he is fined it might be a good idea for us to report everyone else we see breaking the rules!
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