Wembley this evening, no more masks for me..

I shall continue to wear one of my many masks when travelling on public transport and when entering shops public toilets etc. I don't have to copy anyone else.... I'll choose.

B9exchange At least have the decency to stay clear of other people. I shall avoid anybody without a mask like the plague. I'm just relieved I don't have to use crowded public transport if others are like you.

MayBee70

Chris Witty was also in favour of going for herd immunity at one time as well wasn’t he? And also put a stop to testing and tracing last spring because the virus was already in the community. He’s got plenty wrong over the past 18 months.

To be fair to Whitty, the WHO changed its advice about masks. There haven't been randomised, real world trials because it would be unethical to breathe Covid all over people to test whether masks work. However, there is evidence from mass gatherings of people who didn't wear masks and where a high proportion of people were infected. The effect of aerosol transmission has also been modelled in a lab and scientists have concluded that masks do have an effect.

Given that there wasn’t a flu epidemic last winter masks obviously helped prevent that. And it would be a good idea o prevent a flu epidemic this winter too. Strange that some people that liken covid to flu then say no body cares about people dying of flu but then go on to say that they don’t want to wear masks. Imo people just believe what suits them.

I agree that seeing thousands of people flouting the rules and getting away with it is appalling BUT I'll carry on wearing a mask to keep myself and others safe.

Hellsbells63

Masks don’t work.
They are no more than compliance signifiers.
If you can breathe through them, a virus can get through.
Take them off and get some air into your lungs.
Oh and stop giving filthy looks to those who can’t wear them.

DH and I were with friends visiting a cathedral where there was a bank of votive candles, the kind you light when you say a prayers for someone departed. Being DH, he tried blowing out the candles wearing his mask to see what would happen. There wasn't even a flicker. So breath doesn't get through does it?

I will be wearing a mask or face covering for the foreseeable. They can be irritating but health and peace of mind are more important - my health and other people's. Chucking masks now is irresponsible.

There are already posts in FB from people boasting that they’ve never worn a mask or sanitised or socially distanced and they’ve never had the virus. I expect there’ll be more.

Mollygo oh dear so its on facebook so must be right?

And if they jumped off a cliff would you do that too OP

lemsip

Mollygo oh dear so its on facebook so must be right?

I just said there are already folk claiming that they have never worn a mask etc.
It’s not just on GN that posters are claiming they aren’t going to wear a mask any more/mask serve no useful purpose etc.
Do I think it’s right, no, so I’ll carry on wearing mine while it’s expected and possibly until I feel comfortable not doing.
The only difference really between claims made on GN and FB is that ALL posters on GN use pseudonyms.

I plan to continue wearing a mask for the foreseeable future. I’m also booking my supermarket delivery slot for the next 12 months. As members of gransnet we are of a certain age. We need to take a pragmatic view and also protect ourselves. Take care, Xxx

Just say you’re exempt and there’s not a thing any one can do I’ve complied even though I’ve struggled but no more struggling

Masks are not mandatory, but face coverings are. We are obliged to wear a face covering in shops, indoor areas and on public transport. Its okay to wear a visor or any other reusable face covering. I prefer a visor as this is comfortable, easy to use and hygienic. They can be sanitized after each time you use them.

I guess that's up to you. But I really don't understand why you don't want to at least try to protect yourself.
Maybe if you'd been in hospital with it then you's have a different perspctive.

@Sago Obviously it's entirely up to you if you want to throw away all the good your precautions up til now have done you, and risk abandoning mask wearing just as we're having another surge of cases. However, I can tell you from watching my beloved husband die of Covid in deep distress, as I held his hand for the last time on earth, that if you catch the virus, you're really going to regret that decision.

Also, please ensure you stay at least the recommended 2 metres away from everyone else - your decision shouldn't be allowed to cause risk to others.

My OH got a FREE pack of 7 Covid test kits from our ASDA pharmacy last week. That was the easy part. He said actually using a kit was pretty horrible! At least it was negative.

After all the recent reports of high numbers of cases in Glasgow I can’t understand why thousands of footy fans were allowed to watch Sweden v Ukraine on 29 June at Glasgow’s Hamden Park. Surely it would have been better for the game to have been played in one of the two participating countries. Also, why do England have to travel to Rome to play their next match against Ukraine? This seems a guaranteed way to spread Covid to as many countries as possible in four weeks!

Sports players, whether they are footballers, tennis players or formula one drivers and their fans are definitely not immune to Covid, so why are such events taking place putting everyone at risk again? Pure madness!

Mollygo

There are already posts in FB from people boasting that they’ve never worn a mask or sanitised or socially distanced and they’ve never had the virus. I expect there’ll be more.

Presumably those who didn’t wear masks and died from Covid were not able to post on FB. ?.

It’s a bit like all those regular smokers who live to be 100. You rarely hear from the smokers who didn’t make it even to retirement age due to lung cancer.

I will continue to wear my mask for the foreseeable future. I don’t even like it when other shoppers get too close in shops and if no-one is wearing masks from 19 July I will feel even more uncomfortable.

During my normal life I don’t actually go anywhere you need a mask shop online or the local market. But then there are the treat times like now presently in a hotel waiting for ferry later today to Jersey. They no longer wear masks apart from public transport so it will be different
Will be easier in the hotel I have never seen the point of having to wear a mask going into a restaurant but allowed to take it off whilst seated
They don’t wear masks in shops which will be a pleasant relief
I have had both vaccinations don’t people trust them We will be tested on arrival and isolate until results then again day 8

DillytheGardener

A friends son in law, late 30’s and double vaccinated is currently in hospital very sick with the delta variant. (Thanks Boris for letting that one get in)

I would continue with the masks. It’s really not worth the risk.

Sorry to hear about that. People really need to comply with the advice of experts. I often travel on buses as don't have my own car, and more often than not see people either not wearing masks or with them on their chin!!! Only yesterday I said to a man on the bus with the mask on his chin, "you need to cover your face with that, not your chin"...he immediately covered his face. My son says I need to be careful in case someone thumps me when I remind them how to wear their masks. Yes...the Delta variant...it makes me so angry that borders were not secured in a timely manner..they must have known about it and just ignored it. This government has a lot to answer for. Unnecessary deaths and the NHS being overwhelmed. Anyway, I hope your brother-in-law makes a full recovery. Stay safe, take care xxx

I wear my face mask and disposable gloves when I go out and I will continue to do so even when Boris says we needn't bother with them anymore.

I understand that masks don't protect the wearer but stop them spreading the virus to others - so it's not you that is protected by wearing a mask but the people you come into contat with. Read this some where - may not be accurate.

GrannyGear

I understand that masks don't protect the wearer but stop them spreading the virus to others - so it's not you that is protected by wearing a mask but the people you come into contat with. Read this some where - may not be accurate.

They reduce the viral load and, yes they do protect the wearer. No protection is 100% but the more lines of defence we use the less ill we will be if we do catch it.

And is the fact that a mask will only protect someone else and not oneself a good reason to not wear one? Are people really that selfish

We have to remember Chris Witty's words last year. "In terms of wearing a mask, our advice is clear: that wearing a mask if you don't have an infection reduces the risk almost not at all. So we do not advise that".

When did the policy change?
B9 it changed when it was finally understood that Covid is airborne and transmitted by breath, not droplets or spit or globules. . It took them long enough, to be sure, but that’s why advice changed.