Sorry......more mask talk

Around here, plenty of people without lanyards aren’t wearing masks. I notice it particularly in my local corner shop, where they have a ‘2 customers only’ rule, but the only people wearing one are nearly always me and the bloke behind the till. In several weeks I’ve only seen one other customer in that shop wearing one, and I go fairly often.

In my local supermarket the vast majority do wear them, but I see quite a few wearing them under their nose, and nobody ever says anything.
IMO we should be getting a lot tougher on this.

daftbag I fully appreciate the problem people like you have and you seem to be doing so well.

I absolutely with you in this, possibly more extreme. I think the whole mask wearing requirement has become a joke because if you look at the huge list of people exempt from wearing a mask it seriously undermines just how serious mask wearing is.

If mask wearing is a high priority way of protecting the public from COVID, then the exemption list should be reduced to a very few people in the emergency services where having their face in view is essential and all those who cannot wear masks for genuine reasons, like respiratory diseases or mental health problems, should accept that, just like shielded people during lockdown, they should stay at home and not go into shops or enclosed public spaces because they are in high danger of picking up the illness.

I would also insist that those wearing visors instead of masks should be told visors are extra protection,which they can wear if they wish, but they must wear a mask first. Visors do not provide the protection masks do and put other people at risk from spillage of contaminted droplets rouns the open edge of the visor on both sides and at the bottom.

If masks are at the front line of our defence against COVID, then everyone in an enclosed public space or crowded outdoor space should wear one. If they aren't, do not make mask wearing mandatory.

While agreeing with M0nica I don’t understand people who don’t like wearing masks, rather than not being able to for medical/mental reasons. I do want to wear mine as I believe it does protect me from other people’s droplets. Big mistake making us believe masks only protect others not the wearer! Also overplaying the risks for older people when we know that any age group can be affected, thus giving younger ones a false sense of security.

Hello M0nica,

I have COPD, and could claim exemption from mask wearing, but I don't.

Couldn't put up with the accusatory looks and tuts!

So, wear one, take me glasses off every few minutes to we must them, and grin and bear it, not that anyone can see me grinning behind the mask!

What does annoy, is those (and I'm sorry to say that in my local shops, it is the older ones) who wear their masks under their noses!

Mr P nearly had to physically restrain me in Morrison's on Saturday, when I saw the same habitual offender in front of us at the queue for the till!

De mist them, aarrgh!

Phoenix, I have that problem (misted glasses)

Japan has had very few deaths from Covid and one of the reasons put forward is that virtually everyone in Japan wears a mask. Also very few Japanese are overweight and they have a high VitD intake as they eat a lot of fish. They also tend not to talk or shout on public transport and do not shake hands or hug people. And this is a country that is densely populated. Everyone is still using public transport. There must be people in Japan that have asthma etc but it doesn’t seem to stop them from doing what is right. It is also a cultural thing to do things that protect other people and before Covid tended to wear a mask if they had a cold.

Misted glasses can be a bonus ?

I had the misting up glasses problem (still do if I put a mask on in a hurry) but I found that if I can get the mask as tightly fitting as possible over the bridge of my nose (so the ones with wire along the top are good) and rest the glasses on top of it it helps to stop the moist air I'm breathing get through to the glasses.

The 'advantage' Japan and some Asian countries had is that air quality has been so poor and air pollution so high that they started wearing masks outdoors to protect them from the chemicals in the air they breathed.

With a tradition of using masks outdoor for health reasons, they have adjusted much more quickly to extend the wearing of masks to protect them from COVID.

In this country, very poor air quality is only found in some parts of our largest cities and is not an almost universal problem.

Japan also practices social distancing as a part of life, not nearly as tactile as we have become.

Tomorrow my difficult client is due in. I insist she wears a mask but I will be subjected to her belief that it’s really dangerous to keep inhaling your own breath. I will survive, her belief and, hopefully Covid.

I don’t understand people who don’t like wearing masks,

I'm not sure I understand people who don't like wearing a mask but I do sympathise. I hate wearing a mask. I wear one when I should but I don't like it and if I were more rebellious, I wouldn't. I reckon there must be quite a lot of people who feel like that. For me face-coverings have bad vibes. Faces are so important for clear human communication. I cannot imagine how my deaf niece manages. She relies almost totally on lip-reading.

But masks are our way out of this virus. Why rebel against something that could potentially save your life and somebody else’s?

Grannynannywanny that made me smile.

Despite making a couple or three different types of mask, some with a metal piece, and putting my specs firmly over the mask, they still steam up.

Isn’t it a good job that medical and nursing staff don’t refuse to wear masks when necessary?

MaizieD You could sew a button to the centre of the top of the mask, pull your glasses down slightly and rest your glasses on it. That would solve the problem

I am asthmatic and wear glasses , I wear a face covering.

It is uncomfortable my glasses steam up but if it helps to keep the population safe and the r number down I will do my bit.

I go to a local hospital each month by minicab and last week the bloke who picked me up wore his mask around his neck. Mine was on, ready for the pickup. I said a few words, he said he got breathless so I said he should not be driving a minicab inappropriately attired. It was a silent journey to the hospital!

I have to wear a mask- it’s the law - and I wear glasses. This tip works. ( hope I am not advertising).
www.visionexpress.com/eye-health/glasses-mask-tips Wash your glasses with soap and water

If your glasses don’t have a special coating on them you could try washing them in soapy water and then let your glasses air dry. The soap should leave behind a film that prevents your glasses from getting fogged up. Avoid using soap with lotion when you’re doing this.

My DD and grandchildren all have a hidden disability. They have ASDs and for my DD and GS2 in particular, they have great difficulty wearing anything on their faces. My DD got a lanyard, but because of the misuse of these she prefers not to use it.
She found a face covering that is bearable for a short time, and uses that.
It is a pity that people with a genuine need not to wear a mask are being disbelieved. My grandson hasn't been in a shop or any enclosed area since the end of February.

Because my DH has a serious illness and has been shielded from the start, I am the only one of us who can shop. I walk to the same local shop where they are very strict about mask wearing, sanitising, distancing etc. I feel very safe shopping there.

However I have to drive DH to hospital this week for a clinic appointment when he has to have a procedure (day surgery) and I am not entirely confident about the hospital which has just had an outbreak of covid 19 in the cancer ward and several patients have died.

All you can do is avoid situations which frighten you and if it means going to another shop or ordering online, you should.

I wonder if those who can’t get on with masks have tried a visor?

They feel much less claustrophobic and no problem at all with glasses misting up !

There is a knack that helps with fogging glasses.Wash the glasses with soapy water,soap from a bar works best,and preferably leave to air dry after.Honestly it helps.Ive also found that face coverings have several advantages- I dont worry about a few stray moustache hairs anymore,they hide my hot flushes and blushes,doesnt matter if I have bits in my teeth,or if I smile and my top lip gets stuck! I have eczema and Asthma and hot flushes alot,and still I wear my mask to hide all the above issues and to keep safe.I try not to judge the non wearers and give them extra space,after all they are at a higher risk....

Well I guess nobody loves wearing a mask. I don’t like it, it’s uncomfortable, if you wear glasses they mist up or slip, if you are hard of hearing, like me, there’s no way you can guess what people are saying. But we know it helps together with distancing and hand washing, what else can we do?

Face masks are mandatory in all indoor public places throughout Italy; they also must be worn outdoor in proximity of other non-cohabiting people.
In Lazio, face masks are mandatory outdoor in all circumstances.

So we make a big fuss about wearing them in shops......