So masks are to become optional, do you think this is a good idea?

Unfortunately, many of them are JaneJudge. My local secondary school doesn't enforce mask wearing, but pupils have told me that nearly all the pupils and all the staff still wear them. There was a serious outbreak a couple of weeks ago, seeded by a pupil whose family don't wear masks. The names couldn't be released, but just about everybody knows who it was and I've read some of the comments about the family on local social media. They've been more or less blacklisted. I wouldn't like to be in that child's shoes when he returns to school.

rosie1959

growstuff

rosie1959

EthelJ they are asking us to use a bit of common sense. Sometimes rules around masks are daft. My DH walks into the pub wearing a mask after about 6 feet he sits down and takes it off To me the end of such pointless exercises is beyond overdue

There's no such thing as common sense.

Personally, I wouldn't go into a pub where people aren't wearing masks, unless it were extremely well ventilated, but there's no reason to give other venues an excuse for people not to be masked. All it will do is give business owners yet another headache, if they want to enforce mask wearing.

Better keep out of the pub then Growstuff

No problem! I don't much like pubs anyway. There are plenty of much nicer places with plenty of open spaces.

Incidentally, this is from the official Jersey website:

"All passengers are offered testing on arrival into Jersey free of charge.

Passengers who do not take part in the testing programme must isolate for 14 days."

Presumably that means that cases can be controlled on a small island, unlike the UK.

I dont think its a good idea as the infection rate is still going up. Im still going to wear mine.

Jersey has a population of about 100,000 (not counting thousands of tourists), which is about the same as my council district.

Jersey has had 69 Covid deaths. My district has had 370 (which is actually quite low for the UK).

The difference is that we're not an island and we can't insist that everybody crossing the county border is tested and forced to isolate. In effect, Jersey has set itself up as an almost Covid-free zone, so it's not surprising you can be more relaxed.

It's like comparing apples and pears.

PS. I'd still walk out of anywhere where I saw that mask wearing isn't the norm. Fortunately, I don't have to use pubic transport.

Was it Beth Rigby who accused the PM of being reckless about saying masks and social distancing will no longer be mandatory from the 19th July.? The data proved that the cases are rising and will possibly continue to do so although because the vaccine has worked the hospitals have not been overwhelmed. They were asked twice about the expected death
rate but would not give an answer.
I suspect it all comes down to getting everything opened up
and money moving in the economy which after all that is what Boris has wanted for a long time, and also now having S.J he too has said the same.
I agree with Beth Rigby although I would say Boris is taking perilous risks with the overall health of the public and playing russian roulette by rushing out of the lockdown and leaving people open to any further damage from the virus.

You could display a polite notice in view of the door entrance, to say face masks are still required.

So a family has been "more or less blacklisted" because their child is the one who has been made responsible because his "family don't wear masks".

What a lovely country we live in. So, you "wouldn't want to be in that child's shoes when he returns to school" well neither would I if I lived in the community you live in growstuff.

Smileless2012

So a family has been "more or less blacklisted" because their child is the one who has been made responsible because his "family don't wear masks".

What a lovely country we live in. So, you "wouldn't want to be in that child's shoes when he returns to school" well neither would I if I lived in the community you live in growstuff.

I suspect my community isn't that much different from many others. I didn't make any judgement, but I'm afraid that's how communities work. We were down to just one or two cases a day (sometimes nil), but this single outbreak resulted in at least 7 children being infected.

As I posted "What a lovely country we live in* that poor child and his family.

Grow stuff. I feel sorry if that child who's going to be blacklisted. There must be some horrible people in that community. There's always someone ready to look down their nose at some unfortunate person / people. Disgusting!!!!

I've got almost the opposite where I live. There are so many people who have always refused to wear masks, and refer to the ones who have stuck to the rules as sheeple! Their attitude didn't change when we had a surge in cases in my street a couple of weeks ago.

I live in a small rural village. We have a weekly postal van that goes around many rural villages. After Christmas, we had at least 9 cases of Covid some in ICU and luckily all survived.

Using the van a few weeks later all the elderly stood socially distanced masked up, I was told someone entered announcing they had forgotten their mask. They had been in contact with a case in ICU.
Can we really rely on people to use their better judgment?
If I had a shop I would keep up all the screens and precautions possible and seek legal advice about refusing entry.
I will continue to wear a mask when I think it is necessary .
In many Asian countries, people automatically wear masks when they even have a cold.

Yes growstuff I know all the rules about entering Jersey. We came here because it’s something we do every year. There are 572 active cases now but very few from tourists
Also you have the benefit here of not isolating just because you come into contact with a positive case which I am sure the uk will also do
The tourist trade has dropped dramatically because Jersey change their entry rules a lot And coming here now unvaccinated is impossible
All I was saying initially is how easy I found it to make the transformation from constantly wearing a mask to only wearing it on public transport

A mask-wearing refuser (student) in our school stood out from all the others and created bad feeling. The individual was not blacklisted or anything like that, but the attitude came across as extremely arrogant not to mention concerning for fellow students and staff.
JaneJudge some teachers in school are insisting students continue to wear masks in their classes despite the recent 'relaxation'. Some students ask what the member of staff prefer, and will comply. Others are starting to remove masks. Some keeping them on, some not sure. Just about everyone got used to wearing masks most of the day very quickly. I wish they'd stick to it especially as we know about the increase amongst teens. I've noticed the return of coughs and colds since last half-term too unfortunately. ?

... and we have many children self-isolating in an area not yet afflicted with Delta.

3nanny6

Was it Beth Rigby who accused the PM of being reckless about saying masks and social distancing will no longer be mandatory from the 19th July.? The data proved that the cases are rising and will possibly continue to do so although because the vaccine has worked the hospitals have not been overwhelmed. They were asked twice about the expected death
rate but would not give an answer.
I suspect it all comes down to getting everything opened up
and money moving in the economy which after all that is what Boris has wanted for a long time, and also now having S.J he too has said the same.
I agree with Beth Rigby although I would say Boris is taking perilous risks with the overall health of the public and playing russian roulette by rushing out of the lockdown and leaving people open to any further damage from the virus.

She tried to follow up her question but they cut her off….

My two year old grandson, when leaving the house used to say ‘mask’. All these people are saying children are being damaged by it but the kids have just taken to it and accept it as part of life.

Yorki

Grow stuff. I feel sorry if that child who's going to be blacklisted. There must be some horrible people in that community. There's always someone ready to look down their nose at some unfortunate person / people. Disgusting!!!!

There are also some lovely people, who are cross that their children have been infected. I have no idea who the family is, but it appears the parents have been very vocal about not wearing masks. The child is 15, so quite capable of making his own decisions.

If you honestly don't think other communities are the same, try joining a local social media group and seeing what kind of gossip goes on. I'm a member because I like to know which restaurants serve good food, who's a good plumber or where there are roadworks, etc. Every so often people have a rant about something and this was one of those times. The admin did close the thread down and removed some posts, but the damage had been done.

This kind of gossip has been going on for years - but used to be confined to over the garden fence or the school gate. I expect people remember the stigma attached to having a child who brought nits into school.

My point is that peer pressure might very well result in the majority of people continuing to wear masks, if that's what most people in a community are doing.

lemongrove

esgt1967

I think screens in shops, where possible, is a good idea to protect shop workers but I'm not convinced of the benefits of face masks and/or other "precautions" we have been taking. If face mask, distancing and self isolation reduced the transmission, why are there still so many new positive tests every day?

I am very much in the "we have to learn to live with it" camp and personal responsibility needs to come into play much more - as someone said earlier, they will probably go shopping off-peak to avoid crowds, that is exactly what I am on about. We need to try to get back to a more normal life (I want a life now, not an existence!) and so if are still feeling vulnerable or do things differently to try to reduce your risk you are more than welcome to do that eg shopping off-peak, wearing a mask.

Every day we take risks - eating, drinking, smoking, driving a car, even walking in the street all have an element of risk of injury or possibly death - we can't avoid risk and we need to get the Covid risk into perspective now rather than trying to eradicate the risk entirely (which we will never do) and make our own decisions about what we do and don't do each day.

Excellent comments, in my view.??

Couldn’t have put it better myself, thank you ?

Most certainly agree they should be optional. 'Life' is risk. From the moment you put your feet to the floor. I actually feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders after hearing Boris' news. I just hope it does not change.

I genuinely don't understand the problem with wearing a mask. (apart from those who actually do have some medical condition which makes it very difficult). I'd quite happily go on wearing one all the time.

I may well wear one when going into Tesco in 'poor?' area when busy. I am just so happy with the other restrictions being lifted as well!!

Blondiescot I agree. My home made, three layered ones are very comfortable. Keeps your face warm too in cold weather. Seriously, they make me feel protected despite what some may say to the contrary.

Yay no masks at last can’t wait!