Is there a growing sense of apathy over the virus restrictions

[bramling]

The guidance does say that if you develop symptoms away from home, eg at work then you can travel home and while public transport use should be avoided where possible, it is not a prohibition on using it under those circumstances, though travelling from London to any part of Scotland symptomatic is taking the wee wee.

The point about Ms Ferrier is that the MP should never have been in London to require to make that journey in the first place!

The thing is, though, certainly at my local station there’s signage stating “do not enter if you are experiencing symptoms” (though it doesn’t actually say don’t enter if you’ve tested positive!).

But what is someone supposed to do?

 

[DB]

Hancock has now explicitly stated to Parliament that that is not the option they are pursuing.

Yes, but the practice being pursued by the government still appears to be one of elimination, whatever they are claiming.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes, but the practice being pursued by the government still appears to be one of elimination, whatever they are claiming.

Suppression is what they are claiming - to the lowest level feasible, not to zero.

Mitigation is probably the one they should be pursuing, i.e. keep it within NHS capacity.

 

[C J Snarzell]

Was Margaret Ferrier visiting Dominic Cummings when she drove to London? She's obviously a member of the same double standards club.

CJ

 

[Journeyman]

If there was a clear policy and reasons were explained (and logical) then people might be more willing to accept, but the constant knee-jerk reactions, inconsistency and pointless restrictions cause people to just ignore it all. Also the fact that there is absolutely no exist strategy beyond 'let's hope for a vaccine'.

Plus the claims of "growing evidence" for masks, etc - evidence which simply doesn't exist if you look for it.

My heart sank when masks were made mandatory in various places, because no criteria for measuring the effectiveness, or dates for review, were set. I reckon we're stuck with the bloody things for years.

 

[DB]

Suppression is what they are claiming - to the lowest level feasible, not to zero.

Mitigation is probably the one they should be pursuing, i.e. keep it within NHS capacity.

But the NHS is nowhere near capacity, and they are still introducing measures right, left and centre (with dubious logic behind them in many cases).

Suppressing it to low levels has no possible exit strategy other than a vaccine, because it will cause naturally-occurring herd immunity to take years, with constant close/open/close/open/close/open restrictions every few months. Then what if the vaccine doesn't work, or has limited effectiveness?

 

[bramling]

I'd say mask compliance is still high, except on public transport.

Went to B&M and Morrisons today and didn't see anyone else without one on.

It's the things people are less likely to be caught doing that people are ignoring now, some WhatsApp group chats I'm in have people inviting others over every night.

I think a lot of people are just doing it with masks in shops in order to keep the peace - that being not having dagger looks, under-the-breath comments, or the possibility of encountering some crazed obsessive maskophile.

Having said that I was in Currys yesterday and not one single member of staff was wearing a mask.

Halfords, meanwhile, continues to play up. A nice notice in the entrance “Face coverings compulsory in this store, vulnerable members of staff work here and you will be putting them in danger”.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

We walked past a pub this evening that has a small terraced area outside, with a few tables. There were groups of drinkers gathered together, chatting and in many cases, being quite loud - much as in pre-Covid times.
My other half and I had to step into the road to walk past a group that were standing close together and had encroached onto the pavement.
My other half asked why ‘it’s not considered a problem for unmasked people to stand so close outside, yet sit in a virtually empty train without a face covering and you can be stuffed with a £200 fine even though there may be nobody within even 10m of you!
This is f***ing ridiculous, right???’

Now given my missus comes from a culture where swearing is rare, I think that speaks volumes about how fed-up and tired people have become with this madness

 

[bramling]

Yes, but the practice being pursued by the government still appears to be one of elimination, whatever they are claiming.

This government is trying to drain the ocean without actually knowing why they want to do it.

 

[DB]

Halfords, meanwhile, continues to play up. A nice notice in the entrance “Face coverings compulsory in this store, vulnerable members of staff work here and you will be putting them in danger”.

Ah yes, the tactic of treating exempt people like lepers!

If the staff members are genuinely vulnerable (a term which is over-used because of the very broad-brush definitions used originally - which many people still seem to be using despite more being known now), then Halfords should find them work which isn't public-facing.

 

[bramling]

We walked past a pub this evening that has a small terraced area outside, with a few tables. There were groups of drinkers gathered together, chatting and in many cases, being quite loud - much as in pre-Covid times.
My other half and I had to step into the road to walk past a group that were standing close together and had encroached onto the pavement.
My other half asked why ‘it’s not considered a problem for unmasked people to stand so close outside, yet sit in a virtually empty train without a face covering and you can be stuffed with a £200 fine even though there may be nobody within even 10m of you!
This is f***ing ridiculous, right???’

Now given my missus comes from a culture where swearing is rare, I think that speaks volumes about how fed-up and tired people have become with this madness

It is madness. One can be on an empty train (as many are at the moment) and there will be some maskophile walking through to look for people not in masks.

That sort of person is just the pits.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Oct 2020 ==

Ah yes, the tactic of treating exempt people like lepers!

If the staff members are genuinely vulnerable (a term which is over-used because of the very broad-brush definitions used originally - which many people still seem to be using despite more being known now), then Halfords should find them work which isn't public-facing.

It’s the same store which I got pretty rudely hounded out of back in early March. They basically didn’t want any customers in there all.

 

[C J Snarzell]

I get the impression alot of places are enforcing the face coverings and distancing as an act of legal compliance rather than actually doing it for health reasons.

Walking into a shop or a cafe without a mask almost feels like a taboo of not clearing up your dog's poo or smoking near children.

CJ

 

[Bikeman78]

My heart sank when masks were made mandatory in various places, because no criteria for measuring the effectiveness, or dates for review, were set. I reckon we're stuck with the bloody things for years.

Suddenly those big cups of coffee from station outlets are very appealing. I've made one last from Tottenham Hale to Cambridge

 

[Journeyman]

Suddenly those big cups of coffee from station outlets are very appealing. I've made one last from Tottenham Hale to Cambridge

I know what you mean. When I travelled from Edinburgh to London recently, I took lots of snacks...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Suddenly those big cups of coffee from station outlets are very appealing. I've made one last from Tottenham Hale to Cambridge

Rail travel for me has long been a matter of drinking coffee or going to the buffet for another one!

 

[Reliablebeam]

Last night in the local con club, at kicking out time i.e. 10pm several die hard tories expressed their view of Boris' face - a kind they wanted to punch. Repeatedly.

Masks are worn more outdoors round here but this is down to convienience if you are in and out of various shops. The chin ornament theme and our good friend the nose reveal are a popular look.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Last night in the local con club, at kicking out time i.e. 10pm several die hard tories expressed their view of Boris' face - a kind they wanted to punch. Repeatedly.

Wonder how many dartboards he's been pinned to? Him, "Glum and Glummer" and Hancock?

 

[Crossover]

Ah yes, the tactic of treating exempt people like lepers!

Indeed. I’ve just had to make a point in a Facebook argument where someone who wasn’t wearing a mask in a Tube was approached and the whole thing recorded

Some pillock first asked why the driver didn’t pull the bus up and then when advised it wasn’t a bus but a Tube, said why didn’t someone pull the ‘cord’

I pointed out that there are many legitimate reasons why someone may not wear a mask and the pillock has shouted me down saying they’re asthmatic and wears one.

As they say, don’t argue with idiots as they’ll beat you with experience...

 

[theironroad]

It's a bit difficult to get a haircut with a mask on.

It's not difficult. Mask stays on for whole time and only remove one elastic strap at a time to allow snippiing/clippers around each ear while holding mask in place with hand. No rocket science involved.

 

[Reliablebeam]

Wonder how many dartboards he's been pinned to? Him, "Glum and Glummer" and Hancock?

Aha well don't look in my office or lab is all I'm saying

 

[brad465]

Generally I'm complying as much as possible to avoid risking frosty encounters with others still very keen on various restrictions, but since restrictions started coming back in my frustration levels have built up, to the point my index finger occasionally needs nursing and my cycle rides have seen some very good sprint performances. This is despite generally handling spring lockdown rather well and seeing various benefits to it personally.

 

[Journeyman]

Generally I'm complying as much as possible to avoid risking frosty encounters with others still very keen on various restrictions, but since restrictions started coming back in my frustration levels have built up, to the point my index finger occasionally needs nursing and my cycle rides have seen some very good sprint performances. This is despite generally handling spring lockdown rather well and seeing various benefits to it personally.

Yeah, I disagree with masks but I've worn them where the law requires it for the sake of a quiet life, both for me and the shop staff, train managers etc I interact with. I can't be bothered with confrontation, it's not their fault we have to deal with all this nonsense.

Heading backwards is frustrating as hell, and if any serious attempt is made to return us to where we were in the spring, I think the public mood will turn ugly very quickly.

 

[packermac]

My heart sank when masks were made mandatory in various places, because no criteria for measuring the effectiveness, or dates for review, were set. I reckon we're stuck with the bloody things for years.

Well the Oriental nations have had the policy of wearing them for years, so may well become the norm for many in the winter anyway.

 

[Journeyman]

Well the Oriental nations have had the policy of wearing them for years, so may well become the norm for many in the winter anyway.

I sincerely hope not. There's no way I'll wear them outside any circumstances where they're mandatory, and if we get to the point where they're advised rather than compulsory, you can forget it.

 

[yorksrob]

Beer bottles with long necks enable one to comply with both the letter and spirit of the guidance as one can enjoy without actually taking the covering off !

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Oct 2020 ==

I sincerely hope not. There's no way I'll wear them outside any circumstances where they're mandatory, and if we get to the point where they're advised rather than compulsory, you can forget it.

I agree. I won't wear them outside.

 

[MrTurbostar170]

Large group of drunks outside on the street for quite some time tonight. Breaking rule of 6 and police never turned up.

 

[alex397]

I haven’t seen growing apathy myself. From what I’ve seen, people actually seem to be wearing masks more, and are being more compliant. Generally speaking anyway. Students have returned to my town, and they seem to be wearing masks constantly, even outside. Despite the anti-student rhetoric that they are ‘not taking it seriously’.

However, I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t think the 10pm pub curfew is completely ridiculous and pointless. I really don’t see the point of it whatsoever - just more pressure for bar staff to get everyone out by 10, and more pressure on supermarket staff to put up with drunkenness and rowdy behaviour as groups try to keep their night going.

Also, I know the anti-maskers on here might not like me saying this, but I even occasionally wear my mask outside now! Although only because I can’t be bothered to keep taking it on/off when travelling between different pubs or shops.

 

[Journeyman]

Also, I know the anti-maskers on here might not like me saying this, but I even occasionally wear my mask outside now! Although only because I can’t be bothered to keep taking it on/off when travelling between different pubs or shops.

That's the only time I've worn mine outside - when walking between shops/buses etc that are very close together.

 

[johnnychips]

Yes, I would have thought so.

Personally, I'd be happy to sit in the guards van with a few beers (so long as I was allowed to access the loo !)

What’s a guard’s van?

 

[yorksrob]

What’s a guard’s van?

Lol, I tend to gravitate towards routes with IC125's. Perhaps by the time they go the crisis will be over ?......