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

Yes got to try and get back to normal life again soon ?

I want people to continue wearing masks. My mother has gone into a care home for a fortnight. She has been allowed visits but today, two carers tested positive so the home is now in lockdown. This means we cannot see her but more importantly, she can't see us which will make her feel abandoned. We were hoping this was going to be a tester to see how she coped but that'll put pay to her wanting to go back.

This thread is listed as the headline thread in today's Gransnet daily email.

I'm with Aggie, I will continue to wear a mask where I feel appropriate. Hopefully less virus/flu/colds

Is making them optional going to make any difference to the *** idiots who think it is OK to wear them below their nose?!

Having wearing masks as a supposedly legal requirement really hasn't worked anyway if you see the number of people that don't wear masks anyway. I'm sorry, but I can't believe that they all have a medical reason not to!
What about all the people that you see that are wearing masks over their mouth but leave their nose uncovered ? Pointless or what?
It is true that we have to learn to live with Covid, as we have with influenza, but not 100% sure that this is the right time quite yet.

If I have to wear a mask then I shall go elsewhere.

You should all wear masks all of the time, to keep people who do not want to be vaccinated safe, people should not be so bloody selfish walking around in public without a mask.

I'm just wondering if you ban medically exempt people from using your shop when they don't wear a mask? In the shops by my house it appears more and more people have become medically exempt over the last 12 months. In fact I'm often the only person without a lanyard and with a mask.

MissChateline

At the moment wearing a mask in a shop is for most of us a legal requirement. A shop owner is quite entitled to refuse to serve someone either not wearing a mask through choice. However after 19th July I’m not convinced that a shop can refuse to serve someone not wearing a mask as it is no longer a legal requirement.
Maybe they can……but they would be losing valuable custom and revenue.

Shops have always been able to refuse to serve anyone, providing there is no discrimination. So, they can continue to refuse to allow unmasked people in. They will, however, as you pointed out, probably lose some customers. They might, of course, gain others

clair1966

You should all wear masks all of the time, to keep people who do not want to be vaccinated safe, people should not be so bloody selfish walking around in public without a mask.

If not wearing a mask is selfish, how much more so are people who “don’t want to be vaccinated”?

Unless you wear a PPI grade mask it will not protect you from the virus . An ordinary mask helps to protect those around you from your coughs and sneezes if you have a virus . So it would seem sensible to recommend using a mask if you have signs of infection . This happens in Asia I went to a pharmacy in Vietnam for medication for a sore throat and was issued with a mask to protect others .

Well if you continue to wear your mask then you are protected but unfortunately you can’t tell ppl what to do as it’s not law. Otherwise you could find yourself in hot water. I will continue to wear mine in shops etc but I’m vulnerable so I have to be careful. I personally feel we should continue to wear them in shops, on trains buses etc, because without it’s going to make ppl like myself more vulnerable.

I'm another who can't wait to ditch the masks. I've followed every rule, including not seeing family or friends for months and I'm ready to get on with my life.

My Mum died last year (not Covid) but we'd been unable to visit her or be with her at the end. Ten people at her funeral.

Most people are double jabbed so the risk of death or serious illness is unlikely. We're told that we now will be able to take personal responsibility for our decisions and I will be happy to do that.

I think stopping compulsory masks in shops and public transport is a crazy idea and so selfish for those who are scared to go out unless others protect them. When I visited the UK recently there already seemed to be people who were ‘exempt’, not something one sees here in France

twinnytwin

I'm another who can't wait to ditch the masks. I've followed every rule, including not seeing family or friends for months and I'm ready to get on with my life.

My Mum died last year (not Covid) but we'd been unable to visit her or be with her at the end. Ten people at her funeral.

Most people are double jabbed so the risk of death or serious illness is unlikely. We're told that we now will be able to take personal responsibility for our decisions and I will be happy to do that.

So take personal responsibility and wear a mask! It's not as though they're stopping you from doing anything you want to do - apart from eating, drinking and kissing, of course.

Duty of care to others: we will continue to wear them. Transport should continue to use. Lots of vulnerable still out there and of course, more virus in circulation, more chance of harmful varients arising.

LADYSMITH54

Unless you wear a PPI grade mask it will not protect you from the virus . An ordinary mask helps to protect those around you from your coughs and sneezes if you have a virus . So it would seem sensible to recommend using a mask if you have signs of infection . This happens in Asia I went to a pharmacy in Vietnam for medication for a sore throat and was issued with a mask to protect others .

FFP2 masks are mandatory in Germany, where incidence rate is a fraction of the UK. I have some and will be wearing them if others really do stop wearing them and I need to use public transport or go somewhere where there are likely to be unmasked people.

runnerbean

Duty of care to others: we will continue to wear them. Transport should continue to use. Lots of vulnerable still out there and of course, more virus in circulation, more chance of harmful varients arising.

Let's hope the majority continue until more people have been vaccinated.

The standard surgical face mask has some value in lowering transmission but isn't the be all and end all. Most establishments I have visited have installed perspex screens at counters to protect staff. Those wanting to wear ffp3 masks please bear in mind that these need to be professionally fitted and worn on a clean shaven face as my dental surgeon DH will testify. Also, they are not very comfortable when worn for long periods he has said!
Overall I think that time has come for masks to be worn in non clinical settings at one's discretion and should not be mandatory after 19 July.

Boris is not only putting a nail in his own coffin but he is also putting a nail in ours . How does he think this will end , there's only one way and that is badly . Give it 3 months and we will be all Locked up again .

M0nica

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 you’re right here, M0nica. There has to be a balance between what might be ideal and what the population is willing to do.

I shall continue to wear a mask in closed indoor spaces such as shops, public transport and restaurants when I’m not at my table. I shall do this both to protect myself a little but more importantly those around me, especially the staff working indoors all day.
I shall swerve to avoid any non-mask wearers as we all know (but clearly they don’t understand) that the virus is mainly AIRBORNE. The clue’s in the word!
I don’t believe that the Covid virus gives a hoot about my ‘freedom’ or ‘getting back to normal’ - the virus is just hell bent on getting into my system and, if possible, to avoid the effects of the vaccines by mutating into a new variant.
Andrew Marr who was double vaccinated nonetheless felt pretty rough with it. As someone way older than he is and with limited lung capacity I don’t want this nasty disease, not even a little bit if possible. It’s not ‘just flu’. Ever heard of anyone with ‘long flu’?

First time I have had to admit that biscuitmuncher has a point. If masks work how come the Delta (Indian) variant is still rising.

Nannapat I'm always clean-shaven and mine were supplied by a professional. No, they certainly are not very comfortable and they're expensive. That's why I don't wear them very often, but I will if I need to and other people behave selfishly.