Face coverings to become mandatory in shops in England (includes poll)

[LAX54]

You can make your own.

A bit like how you cook your own food, rather than buying McDonalds every night.

Or scarves, bandanas etc are acceptable. It doesn't have to be a mask.

With the new WHO recommendation on fabric masks, all the ones I have seen would fail the recommendation, (3 types of different fabric)

 

[duncanp]

You can make your own.

A bit like how you cook your own food, rather than buying McDonalds every night.

Or scarves, bandanas etc are acceptable. It doesn't have to be a mask.

True, but not everyone can do this, or if they tried would the result be sufficiently effective?

Scarves and bandanas would still have to be washed in the same way as a purpose made cloth mask, so you would need several of them.

 

[Ianno87]

True, but not everyone can do this, or if they tried would the result be sufficiently effective?

Scarves and bandanas would still have to be washed in the same way as a purpose made cloth mask, so you would need several of them.

I bit like how you (hopefully) have more than one pair of underpants.

 

[Richard Scott]

I bit like how you (hopefully) have more than one pair of underpants.

Underpants are a lot cheaper than masks

 

[westv]

I bit like how you (hopefully) have more than one pair of underpants.

Ah! You learn something new every day!

 

[Cowley]

Underpants are a lot cheaper than masks

And you can legally go commando...

 

[Ianno87]

Underpants are a lot cheaper than masks

Matalan sells 3 pairs for £6 (£2 each).

Boots have 50 masks for £30

 

[duncanp]

I bit like how you (hopefully) have more than one pair of underpants.

Last time I counted, I had about three weeks supply of underpants, and indeed I have seen people suggest that underpants can be used as a face covering.

You might get some weird looks on the train, but people would probably give you a wide berth, so it would assist with social distancing.

But whatever type of face covering you use, you still need to have an adequate supply which involves expense in buying them, and the chore of washing them in the case of reusable ones.

 

[Skymonster]

I won’t be in mask poverty. I have one disposable mask that I have already used six times on public transport, stuffed it in my pocket in between times, and not washed. I will continue to use it until it falls apart and then repeat the process. I am not concerned about the risks it poses to me, and I don’t care if it poses risks to others - the government has illogically put us in this unjustifiable situation and the government will have to answer for any consequences of mask misuse. I have no interest in supporting government stupidity of mandating masks, the absence of which poses no measured threat to me or others.

Wales seems even more bizarre - supposedly it is mandating three layer masks on public transport. How the hell Is anyone in enforcement going to be able to tell whether a mask is three layer or not? Are they going to start testing masks worn by suspects?

 

[Richard Scott]

Matalan sells 3 pairs for £6 (£2 each).

Boots have 50 masks for £30

Do Boots do disposable underpants too?

 

[MikeWM]

I'm still using a pair of plain black underpants as a 'mask' - though it is quite hard to tell, just looks like a piece of cloth unless you look closely enough. Started as a way of showing my opinion of the whole thing, but turns out to be more comfortable than any of the alternatives I've tried. I can bear doing that for 30 minutes or so before my breathing is badly affected - much less than that with anything tighter over the mouth.

Was good enough for my hospital appointment yesterday morning, no objections from the nurses

 

[BJames]

I'm sorry but I disagree. While masks do have a small impact on transmission, I think they're dehumanising. It isn't as if other pieces of clothes cover the one part of us which is most unique, and where most of our non-verbal communication comes from. This is another difference between us and some Asian countries - apparently there much more non-verbal communication is done through the eyes so face coverings aren't quite as intrusive.

While I'm willing to endure this for a few months, I'd be desparately sad if we became a masked dystopia for the rest of our lives. Imagine never seeing another smile, or properly seeing anyone's face in public - that horrible thought should convince you we shouldn't mandate masks for a moment longer than necessary.

Quite. I'm against them but will put up with it for the short term. But I must say I think the vast majority of society is the same. Trying to tell people once the pandemic is over that they need to continue to wear their masks is quite unlikely to be met with the same level of enthusiasm.

 

[duncanp]

Was good enough for my hospital appointment yesterday morning, no objections from the nurses

Where were you wearing the underpants, on your head, or where they are usually worn?

 

[MikeWM]

Where were you wearing the underpants, on your head, or where they are usually worn?

:P

As an aside, has anyone heard of 'discolouration of fingers or toes' being a symptom of COVID? That was one of the 10-or-so 'symptoms' questions I had to answer before they let me inside the hospital. Weird.

 

[Cowley]

:P

As an aside, has anyone heard of 'discolouration of fingers or toes' being a symptom of COVID? That was one of the 10-or-so 'symptoms' questions I had to answer before they let me inside the hospital. Weird.

Yes and Chilblains too oddly enough.

 

[PupCuff]

As an aside, has anyone heard of 'discolouration of fingers or toes' being a symptom of COVID? That was one of the 10-or-so 'symptoms' questions I had to answer before they let me inside the hospital. Weird.

Yes, it was one of the first things I noticed about my other half when he had it, his feet turned purple. At that point the only two recognised symptoms of coronavirus were cough and fever, I was worried it might have been a sign of diabetes so I suggested he went to see his GP (Of course he didn't, he is a man). It was only when the coughing started not long after that we realised what the problem was and bought Wilkos out of deep cleaning supplies.

 

[Skymonster]

so not sure what the actual benefit is, apart from shopworkers will no longer have to wear them at at work !

There should be more of an imperative for shop workers to wear masks than the customers. They come into contact with more people during their work day, and therefore if they are asymptomatic pose a much greater risk of transmitting the virus. If individual shops try to impose mask wearing on their customers, it would be a sign of good faith they apply the same rules to their employees.

 

[LAX54]

There should be more of an imperative for shop workers to wear masks than the customers. They come into contact with more people during their work day, and therefore if they are asymptomatic pose a much greater risk of transmitting the virus. If individual shops try to impose mask wearing on their customers, it would be a sign of good faith they apply the same rules to their employees.

Mr BJ has announced that they will not have to wear them, I assume from 24th

 

[Skymonster]

Mr BJ has announced that they will not have to wear them, I assume from 24th

Indeed... Yet another example of his government’s lack of logic and reason

 

[Yew]

Has it yet reached the point where you're more likely to die from lightning that to catch COVID-19 in a supermarket and subsequently die from it? Whilst I suppose you could do a Fermi analysis, something statistical would probably be more reliable.

 

[Richard Scott]

Has it yet reached the point where you're more likely to die from lightning that to catch COVID-19 in a supermarket and subsequently die from it? Whilst I suppose you could do a Fermi analysis, something statistical would probably be more reliable.

If so then we'd all better go around in Faraday cages to prevent the issue?

 

[Ianno87]

If so then we'd all better go around in Faraday cages to prevent the issue?

Well, it is considered dangerous to not seek shelter in a lightning storm (which are visible, audible and don't happen very often)

 

[Richard Scott]

Well, it is considered dangerous to not seek shelter in a lightning storm (which are visible, audible and don't happen very often)

True but just in case I can't find shelter and haven't had time since hearing it coming, best be on the safe side? Bit like the mask issue? About the same likelihood?

 

[Ianno87]

True but just in case I can't find shelter and haven't had time since hearing it coming, best be on the safe side? Bit like the mask issue? About the same likelihood?

Carrying a Faraday cage around with you is a significant inconvenience, so is not "reasonably practicable".

Putting something on your face to go in a shop is reasonably practicable, and a minor invonvenience to most.

 

[DB]

Putting something on your face to go in a shop is reasonably practicable, and a minor invonvenience to most.

Yes, I think we've all got the message now that you view it like this! Some of us don't agree.

 

[Ianno87]

Yes, I think we've all got the message now that you view it like this! Some of us don't agree.

I was only restating it due to the ridiculous argument trying to make a face mask equivalent to a Faraday cage.

If people didn't resort to ridiculous arguments, I wouldn't have to keep saying it.

 

[DB]

I was only restating it due to the ridiculous argument trying to make a face mask equivalent to a Faraday cage.

If people didn't resort to ridiculous arguments, I wouldn't have to keep saying it.

Sounds like you don't get satire...

 

[Ianno87]

Sounds like you don't get satire...

Silly me. I was mistaking this for an intelligent debate. Clearly I was mistaken

 

[Richard Scott]

Silly me. I was mistaking this for an intelligent debate. Clearly I was mistaken

It is but some satire doesn't hurt occasionally.

 

[Ianno87]

It is but some satire doesn't hurt occasionally.

Nor does trying to understand why wearing a face covering as a temporary requirement is really, really not the biggest ask in the world when scores of people (in NHS, Transport and others) have died fighting Covid.

At that point, I'll leave it there.