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

What about the child that’s in ICU because the other child’s family decided covid rules weren’t for them?

Has it been proved that the one child infected the other by genomic sequencing? Is it at all possible that the ICU child caught the infection from somebody else? Judge, jury and executioner comes to mind!

I have kept every rule and guidance and will continue to wear a mask in populated areas, but these trials by gossip turn my stomach.

Having read all the comments, it is apparent that there will be quite a few customers who, despite a sign requesting the wearing of masks, will not be doing so. Yes, we do have a protective screen around the pay desk but we often have to assist customers. We also limit customers to four. We are not “frightened” as has been suggested by a couple of posters, we are just being sensible and trying to avoid catching Covid. Most of our customers are lovely but there’s always one and I’d rather avoid getting into an argument with them about not wearing a mask. We may lose a few customers if we insist on mask wearing, but if that is the case, then so be it. As I stated originally, I don’t want to have to wear masks forever, just until we have a higher percentage of the population vaccinated.

MerylStreep

growstuff

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.

There’s almost a whiff of schadenfreude in this post.
Your talking about a child for goodness sake!!!

What about the child that’s in ICU because the other child’s family decided covid rules weren’t for them? I’m afraid that’s where my sympathy lies. As for our local Facebook page it’s always been full of people pouncing on and sneering at anyone complaining about people not wearing masks or not socially distancing. Most of the comments when someone complained that a local pub was flaunting the rules was ‘just don’t go there then’ and people were constantly referred to as the ‘covid police’.

Oh and that child caught it from someone else, maybe even one of those heading the hunt!

growstuff what wonderful people who know who seeded the infection without any genomic testing data! They obviously are totally ignorant of asymptomatic cases who can infect others willy nilly, nasty vigilante types, and to do this to a child!

growstuff

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.

There’s almost a whiff of schadenfreude in this post.
Your talking about a child for goodness sake!!!

Boris being Boris and handing us the keys to liberty but also telling us it is our responsibility to act sensibly. Therefore, absolving himself of all blame should the figures go into meltdown. Typical. Personally, I shall carry a few face masks with me and wear one if I feel it necessary, in the supermarket and cinema, for instance.

What is the difference between those who 'believe' in government statistics and those who place their trust in unsupported podcasts and unsubstantiated information on social media? For those in the community who are not yet vaccinated COVID is still a real and present risk.

growstuff I am horrified that a child who caught COVID is being victimised by the local community. I doubt they set out to get COVID deliberately and when at school would have been obeying school rules in relation to mask wearing. If they got it through their parent's behaviour, they are still the victim, not the perpetrator.

My local facebook page seems to be mainly about sharing information, an informal local freegle, and an occasional bitch about litter louts. Nome of the personal innuendo yours seems to suffer from.

We know the name of the first person to bring it into my sons school too growstuff both his parents are key workers. We are self isolating because of another son though the PCR test result still hasn't come through and it was picked up 3pm Saturday, I'd have thought we'd have had the result by now..

JaneJudge

Chewbacca

Actually, I wonder if you realise how judgmental you're being about where I live! hmm

It was you who described it growstuff! You described your community as "more or less blacklisting a family who don't wear masks" to such an extent that the online comments on social media were bad enough for "an admin to close the thread down and remove some posts, but the damage had been done". You yourself admitted that "you wouldn't want to be in that child's shoes when he went back to school". That poor child.

Based entirely on the information that you've provided about that community; yes, I've judged.

A lot of local facebook pages are like this aren't they? I am members of a few and they all go on about teenagers, people smoking, parking, petty crime, so and so did this, everyone appalled, drunks, people swimming in the river, the overflowing bottle banks, our MP flytipping, gypsies...they've ran out of bags at asda, no potatoes in the co-op...the list seems the same everywhere. Oh and stray cats and dogs on the loose. Is this cat a stray? <links to photo of very well fed cat>

I can't say whether a lot are like this because I only belong to a couple, but one of mine certainly is. Most of the time, it's about sharing information, but every so often somebody lets off steam about something. Thank you for posting this and confirming that my small town isn't inhabited by some coven of gossiping witches.

The situation at the moment is that a couple of weeks ago, we had one of the lowest infection rates in the country, but that all changed when there was an outbreak in the secondary school. Everybody (except me it seems) knows the name of the first pupil to be infected and to bring the infection into school. Initially, there were seven further infections - all had been in contact with the same pupil - and now there are dozens of infections, including the headteacher. At least two of the pupils are seriously ill, including one who has been hospitalised and is in ICU. Other family members have been infected and have had to take time off work and had their lives disrupted - all from an original source. People wouldn't be human if they weren't angry.

Thank you Growstuff. You were far more polite in your response than I felt like being.

effalump

It's a no brainer! If you're still petrified by the numbers spewed out by the government and the BBC, then wear a mask. That's entirely up to you but at a time when deaths are at an all time low and you sitll believe all the hype about 'cases' (which means nothing) then you, along with the government, are part of the problelm. If you have Spotify, Tunein or some other podcast app, have a listen to the second half of the ritchie allen show for Monday 5th July to listen to the interview with a very well respected funeral business owner.

How rude (and wrong)! People who "believe" the government's statistics on cases and see them in context aren't part of any problem. The majority of cases are now in younger people and it's downright selfish of people to think they don't matter.

Cases do matter. Thankfully, they're not being reflected in hospitalisations and deaths, but don't be fooled into thinking that all the cases are mild and will just resolve themselves. Some of those cases will result in long-term health issues (long Covid) and there is a very real possibility that more rapid mutations will result in at least one variant which is more deadly.

Chewbacca

^Actually, I wonder if you realise how judgmental you're being about where I live! hmm^

It was you who described it growstuff! You described your community as "more or less blacklisting a family who don't wear masks" to such an extent that the online comments on social media were bad enough for "an admin to close the thread down and remove some posts, but the damage had been done". You yourself admitted that "you wouldn't want to be in that child's shoes when he went back to school". That poor child.

Based entirely on the information that you've provided about that community; yes, I've judged.

A lot of local facebook pages are like this aren't they? I am members of a few and they all go on about teenagers, people smoking, parking, petty crime, so and so did this, everyone appalled, drunks, people swimming in the river, the overflowing bottle banks, our MP flytipping, gypsies...they've ran out of bags at asda, no potatoes in the co-op...the list seems the same everywhere. Oh and stray cats and dogs on the loose. Is this cat a stray? <links to photo of very well fed cat>

I believe Cyprus has added us to their red list now. All getting silly. I am sure this so called 'Delta' variant is just about everywhere now. It is just that our government has kept banging on about it that had made other countries take the high ground. Other countries have just kept their mouths shut. That is the only difference. I am hoping Boris will now learn to keep his shut!

I see that Jersey which recently relaxed the rule on masks has had a surge in cases meaning that Guernsey now requires people arriving from Jersey to isolate for 10 days

It's a no brainer! If you're still petrified by the numbers spewed out by the government and the BBC, then wear a mask. That's entirely up to you but at a time when deaths are at an all time low and you sitll believe all the hype about 'cases' (which means nothing) then you, along with the government, are part of the problelm. If you have Spotify, Tunein or some other podcast app, have a listen to the second half of the ritchie allen show for Monday 5th July to listen to the interview with a very well respected funeral business owner.

It is interesting to know that in places like Taiwan where they have controlled infections since February 2020, they still have to wear masks on public transport. It is ridiculous that the UK government learnt nothing from them. The New Zealand government did.

Nannapat1

Beanie654321, if there is a rise in cases while they are mandatory, how can you say that they are effective?

Clearly because of other factors like not social distancing, travel etc. Sorry but that’s such a silly argument, would you have preferred to have no masks and see how much worse we could have had it ?

MerylStreep

I’m not waiting until the 19th. I started yesterday.
B&Q, Garden centre, local tip, car wash.
It was interesting that one of the girls on the check out didn’t have a mask on.

I have asked before meryl why you are so anti mask ?

“ and find it offensive for others to state flippantly that there's no hardship in wearing them”. Well that was me and I wasn’t being flippant. How long do people spend in shops ? How many people were genuinely needing to be exempt ? Sorry but a lot of people just “didn’t like” wearing a mask.

I’m not waiting until the 19th. I started yesterday.
B&Q, Garden centre, local tip, car wash.
It was interesting that one of the girls on the check out didn’t have a mask on.

I will be wearing my mask and I am dreading the bus journey to work when things get a bit back to "normal"

Growstuff, do please provide me with a link so that I can educate myself ?

Nannapat1

Savvy then I expect that it will be the same when legally enforcible restrictions become advice. Personally I am mystified by the importance so many attach to mask wearing as somehow being the key to beating the virus. Perhaps it's because it is a visible symbol of 'doing one's bit'.

Maybe you should read the results of some of the research if you are mystified.

Savvy then I expect that it will be the same when legally enforcible restrictions become advice. Personally I am mystified by the importance so many attach to mask wearing as somehow being the key to beating the virus. Perhaps it's because it is a visible symbol of 'doing one's bit'.