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

CafeAuLait

I'm not sure I've ever lived a really normal life. :-) I don't mind wearing a mask, just not outdoors. It makes it really hard to exercise.

I agree with you about wearing masks outdoors. It's not really necessary.

No growstuff, in my opinion it isn't.

If it was a little thing we would have been doing it to prevent flu, and chest infections, and all the rest of it.

And all those people in the East doing it? They do it when they themselves are ill, or when the pollution is bad, or when they are just coming out of an epidemic. It isn't just something you put on every day, like your shoes.

Of course we have to do it for now, but its not normal. Never has been, never should be.

Never mind *TwoWolves" you stay at home and let the rest of us get on with life as normal, knowing we're relatively safe.

I'm not sure I've ever lived a really normal life. :-) I don't mind wearing a mask, just not outdoors. It makes it really hard to exercise.

Why shouldn't we let ourselves think mask wearing is a "little thing"? It is.

Could somebody please point out what rule says we have to live a "normal" life (whatever that is)?

Lockdown and restriction seriously affects the economy and can't continue indefinitely. However, mask wearing doesn't cause anything except minor inconvenience for some.

How about those who don't want to wear a mask could stay at home if it bothers them so much and those who don't mind wearing one could go out and about and get on with "normal" lives?

Take yourself back 2 years.

If someone came along and told you there was an illness that was going to result in the deaths of about 15 or 20 people a day in the UK, and that about 20,000 a day might catch it. But don't worry, we've got a vaccine that prevents nearly everybody from dying and most people who catch the disease will either get a mild version or won't even know they've had it.

But just in case it gets worse, we need you to stay away from everybody else, and wear a surgical mask just in case you have it. We need you to take time off work for 10 days if somebody else on the bus had it, even though you might not be infected and you probably won't be ill. Oh, and your work place may have to close down for another few days and might go out of business.

I can imagine how that would go down. I'll be wearing a mask as long as its mandatory, but we should never let ourselves think its a "little thing" or that its the new normal.

Woman on Radio Scotland just now just replied to a balanced scientific view with "I know she's a scientific advisor but I'm in the real world and I know what's right" or words to that effect. We're doomed.

Biscuitmuncher biscuit everyone isn't of course they are the spreaders maybe.

I guess that you had better inform the head of the BMA, he was saying just this morning that mask wearing cuts down transmission. He seemed to think that this was proven.

Wearing a mask doesn’t protect you, only others from your Covid/Flu/Cold transmissions and unless everybody near you wears one, there’s no point really.
We have to start living a normal life at some point, and with it being Summer it’s a good place to start.Everybody our age should be double vaccinated by now and we can still make sure we wash hands regularly / hand gel ( no bad thing to do all the time.)

Not sure what happened there, A GN glitsch I presume.

NotSpaghetti By demeaning, I mean exactly what it says on the tin. It means that whoever wears them appears gullible and conforming to whatever nonsense the government spews out. It means for me, that despite knowing facemasks were useless, I was still forced to wear one. I could not believe the emphasis that people placed on them, and still can't.

It is the power that people have given this inanimate object that has really amazed me. But true, I'm also giving the blasted things power by getting so worked up about them. Thank goodness that, from 19th, I will no longer have to wear them, and will be able to relax when I go out.

And if Sajid Javit is behind this way of thinking, then I positively adore him.

All good feelings to those that continue to wear them; just so long as I don't have to .

I think there is a balance to made between, some medical advice, not all, and how long you can expect people to keep using masks etc when so many peoplecan see how much things are mproving.

The alternative, if the rules are not changed soon, is many people just ignoring rules - and that is already happening. You can see this about you all the time, especially now two thirds of adults, and rising, have had both jabs.

The political judgement is balancing the risk between the science and mass disobedience. In a democracy, government needs the support of the people and if it wants to be able to re-impose stringent rules like those that still govern us over COVID, they need to know when to drop them because they have become unenforceable. And we have now reached that stage.

I think there is a balance to made between, some medical advice, not all, and how long you can expect people to keep using masks etc when so many peoplecan see how much things are mproving.

The alternative, if the rules are not changed soon, is many people just ignoring rules - and that is already happening. You can see this about you all the time, especially now two thirds of adults, and rising, have had both jabs.

The political judgement is balancing the risk between the science and mass disobedience. In a democracy, government needs the support of the people and if it wants to be able to re-impose stringent rules like those that still govern us over COVID, they need to know when to drop them because they have become unenforceable. And we have now reached that stage.

Everyone is still wearing masks, right? So why is the Delta variant on the rise? Because masks do nothing!!!!!

I shall continue to wear a mask when travelling on a bus or train. I think it should be compulsory on buses where you are closer to people.

I suspect the government hoped this decision would help them retain their popularity. I don't object to wearing a mask and will probably continue to do so because I want to feel safe.

Elizabeth, I don't know if this helps but there are clinical trials for the vaccine to be administered in tablet/capsule form or dissolvable tablet, so hopefully these injections may not go on for the foreseeable future anyway. I wonder if anywhere is doing CBT type exercises on needles, as you can't be alone in this fear

No i don`t think it`s a good idea,weve came this far so why risk yet another covid breakout.
We still have this new variant to deal with for heavens sake.

Elizabeth1

Being very frightened of Needles is causing me to think too far ahead into the autumn when we’re being offered flu jabs and another Covid jab. Ive had three jabs already this year including shingles and the thought of more jabs does my head in can anyone put my fears to the side? I’ll be wearing Masks when in a crowd and in shops just like the Japanese have been doing for years.

Think “Is this the worse thing that can happen to me?”

Of course it isn’t! Hopefully that helps. It’s the way I deal with stuff. Even told I had cancer I was able to console myself that at least my children weren’t starving to death.

M0nica, I would consider 80% of the population double vaccinated to be a clear indication that we would be safe to withdraw restrictions, so we wouldn’t have too long to wait. My concern is that the change in mask wearing rules is a bit too soon. I am not an expert, so what I think is neither here nor there, but I think we should be guided by science, not politics.

Being very frightened of Needles is causing me to think too far ahead into the autumn when we’re being offered flu jabs and another Covid jab. Ive had three jabs already this year including shingles and the thought of more jabs does my head in can anyone put my fears to the side? I’ll be wearing Masks when in a crowd and in shops just like the Japanese have been doing for years.

TwoWolves
I think you are feeding one wolf too much!
I don't like them but how can a mask be demeaning?


Don't let an inanimate object get to you in this way!

YAAAAAY - this couldn't come too soon for me. Disgusting, demeaning and USELESS items.

I can feel a facemask burning party coming on.

I just hope they decide to keep them on public transport.
I think that's when you are basically stuck with a bunch of others.