Face Masks in shops

Joplin I saw the news clip showing thousands of disposable masks floating in the sea.

Queuing outside the supermarket recently I’ve also noticed them strewn around the car park by customers who remove them and discard them at their feet.

On a very windy day last week a few had actually taken flight and were stuck in the trees in a wooded area behind the car park. The splashes of bright blue provided a lovely contrast to the black bags of dog poo that had been hung on the trees by other lazy idiots!

But not compulsory for shop workers !!!!!!

Furret I think the WHO mentioned medical masks for the over 65's but I think that's OTT. Let's just get people wearing something!

But staff don’t have to wear them !!!!

And besides the WHO meant the proper contraption used in ICU for the over '65's, not a surgical mask, which next to nobody is going to do. Shop staff could wear shields as they do in hairdressers unless they are already behind a screen like in supermarkets. Obviously staff would have to wear them for 8 hrs while the shoppers just for the 1/2 hr or hour you are in shops.

I wear a mask on the odd occasion that I accompany DH on shopping trips. Now I know how racehorses feel wearing a sheepskin noseband. ?

Map of the London Underground in case I fancy taking a trip ?

Some shops are going to be taking temperatures of non mask wearers. This should be interesting. (It’s a joke, by the way!)

saetana as I mentioned earlier we have the same problem, however our understanding from The Letter, shielding will be at least till beginning of August so my husband is not going inside shops or other peoples houses at present. As I am unable to drive and he can , it’s still online shopping except odd bits (milk etc) so he can pop me to the nearest small shop and stay in the car.

There are vulnerable people who have been shielding all this time and we need to think of them. How are they going to feel as they prepare to take their first tentative steps outside and realise that some folk don’t want to wear masks because they are uncomfortable? If I hear one more person say it’s an infringement of their civil liberties..arghh !! ?

Grannynannywanny oh, how I agree! If only people would stop and think of people they could be, unwittingly, infecting because the mask is not to their liking!

For goodness sake. Just wear the damn things.
I did see a lady on the TV who has COPD and she has a letter from her doctor saying she can’t wear a mask.
But for most of us just wear one and quit whining about your rights.

Oopsminty I sent your YouTube clip to my sister who declares vehemently that “She isn’t going to wear a mask!” . She messaged me to say how stupid those people were, not seeing herself as one of them at all
m.youtube.com/watch?v=DaFSH0K4BdQ
I think they’re crazy, but at least they have the courage to come out in public and say what they think. I’d rather have the anonymity of Gransnet. Imagine if we had to post videos of ourselves making our views known.

I don't like the idea of wearing one but here in Blackburn we have to start wearing them from today because of the rise in cases here. So I shall start to wear them.

Narrowboatnan like your mask and sense of humour in that shop sign!

If it helps anyone - I looked into face masks last year. I need to wear a face mask and face visor whilst I am turning. I did find my glasses only steamed up when I wore a mask that had no metal piece over the nose.

One thing I always notice when you see people talking to others who are wearing masks is how much they fiddle with the things, always pulling them back up or down. If, as is sometimes said, the fabric is damp from the wearers breath after about 15 minutes surely they will spreading any germs via their hands.
I will only be using one for inside the supermarket once a week and will stay away from any other shops. I think a lot of people will do the same so the bit of footfall that was starting may be affected once again.

Mollygo I watched that clip. If it were not so tragic, it would be funny. Florida now has more victims of the virus than any other state in the US although, this is not just because of the refusal to wear masks.

jusnoneed You are quite right about fiddling with masks. I think we should have more public information thrown at us about the correct and safe way to wear a mask.

That is so funny Narrowboatman.

I have seen even professionals in various settings fiddling with masks.

There are quite a few people wearing them with nose
protruding! Once you touch the front of the mask you should really take it off, gel your hands and apply a fresh one..............

Hancock said yesterday that mask wearing was to protect shopkeepers.

A disproportionate number of retail assistants have died in this Pandemic, presumably because of their interactions with the public so it makes sense.

Staff apparently don’t have to wear masks, I guess they would need to be changing them frequently, but you’d think visors would give some protection.

I have serious lung problems and couldn’t breathe when I tried a disposable mask.

I have made some masks from a cotton pillow case. They come high on my nose to under my chin and I can breathe in one ok. My glasses did not steam up.

I haven’t been in a shop for about four months but will have to eventually.

These are the reasons you don't have to wear one:

"Face coverings exemptions

The requirement to wear a face covering on TfL's public transport stations, platforms and services does not apply to:

Children under the age of 11
Employees of, or persons providing agreed services to, TfL
Police constables (including British Transport Police officers) acting in the course of their duty
Members or employees of the emergency services responding to an emergency

You also do not need to wear a face covering if you have a good reason not to; such as:

If you have a physical or mental illness or impairment, or a disability that means you cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering
If putting on, wearing or removing a face covering would cause you severe distress
If you are travelling with, or providing assistance to, someone who relies on lip reading to communicate
If you are travelling to avoid injury or escape the risk of harm, and you do not have a face covering with you
If you need to remove it during your journey to avoid harm or injury or the risk of harm or injury to yourself or others
If you need to eat, drink, or take medication you can remove your face covering
If you are asked to remove your face covering by a police officer or other official, for example to check your railcard"
From the TfL website

They are a bit vague, who is going to prove whether your distress at having to wear one is severe?

For those with a genuine mask phobia, sadly there are some, or if you feel you fit one of the criteria above, you can download an exemption card tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/face-covering-exemption-card.pdf

I will wear one in shops, but stable doors and bolting horses spring to mind.

I wonder if those with difficulties can manage visors better? I
think they mainly offer protection to the wearer, not for others so much.

We were advised at teh daily briefing at the end of April that masks should be worn in shops and other busy areas.Advise ..not compulsory but a lot of people local to me wore them from then in supermarkets .We had quite a high rate which is almost at zero ..Scotland has had NO deaths for 7 days and only 2 people with confrmed CV19 in intensive care for the apst 3 days .If wearing a mask means we can get back to "normal" then masks it will have to be .I dont understand all the civil liberties nonsense ...surely by protecting yourself and others you're protecting civil liberties for all

There’s an informative article on the BBC news website today. A User’s Guide to Wearing a Face Mask
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53395513