UK face coverings discussion

[Huntergreed]

Boris just mandated masks in museums, galleries and other enclosed public spaces from 8th August.

Not a good step at all in my opinion. This will make these sectors significantly less economically sustainable/viable for as long as this law is in place in my opinion. I certainly wouldn't want to be wearing a mask whilst visiting a museum and this will entirely put me off from doing so.

 

[Scrotnig]

Boris just mandated masks in museums, galleries and other enclosed public spaces from 8th August.

Not a good step at all in my opinion. This will make these sectors significantly less economically sustainable/viable for as long as this law is in place in my opinion.

It's a gradual encroachment that I believe is pre-planned.

Next will be workplaces.
After that it will be all outdoor settings.

 

[talldave]

It's a gradual encroachment that I believe is pre-planned.

Next will be workplaces.
After that it will be all outdoor settings.

And all without a hint of debate amongst our democratically elected representatives. North Korea here we come.....

 

[Darandio]

Boris just mandated masks in museums, galleries and other enclosed public spaces from 8th August.

Not a good step at all in my opinion. This will make these sectors significantly less economically sustainable/viable for as long as this law is in place in my opinion. I certainly wouldn't want to be wearing a mask whilst visiting a museum and this will entirely put me off from doing so.

Regardless of whether it's right the mandate it or not, it's weak. 8th August? If it's such an issue do it right now.

 

[johntea]

The final nail in the coffin for many cinema chains right there

Who wants to sit in a cinema wearing a hot and sweaty mask for 2+ hours?!

 

[BJames]

I hope that doesn't give Nicola Sturgeon ideas. I've gone along with it in shops and public transport, mainly because I want a quiet life and don't want to cause any grief, but if an attempt is made to mandate masks outdoors, I would break the law without any qualms whatsoever.

I won't be wearing masks outside either, especially if I'm just walking down the street!

Regardless of whether it's right the mandate it or not, it's weak. 8th August? If it's such an issue do it right now.

Exactly. I don't agree with it but this makes it look even more pointless.

The final nail in the coffin for many cinema chains right there

Who wants to sit in a cinema wearing a hot and sweaty mask for 2+ hours?!

Not me. I will be sticking to Netflix and Amazon Prime.

 

[adc82140]

In Spain it's everywhere. Don't be surprised if our leaders decide it's a "good" idea too.

Spain was also the country that committed institutional child abuse by locking them up for 12 weeks, but at the same time decided straight after that it's OK to open night clubs, because, you know, masks. I don't think anyone will be following their lead.

 

[MikeWM]

It's a gradual encroachment that I believe is pre-planned.

Next will be workplaces.
After that it will be all outdoor settings.

Of course it is.

It will only stop when people stop going along with it. Which, given that the British people are showing themselves to be nothing more than sheep, obediently doing whatever nonsense they are told, will probably be never.

 

[adc82140]

I won't wear a mask outside. As I haven't seen a beat police officer for about 10 years, who is going to question it? As I've said before pottering round Asda is one thing, a brisk walk is another.

 

[Huntergreed]

Cinemas are practically doomed, nobody in their right mind will want to wear a mask whilst at the cinema (does this means snacks are also going to stop being offered/permitted?)

Museums and Galleries likely won't do very well, I wouldn't want to spend long in one if I had to wear a mask (I often find myself trying to speed up my shopping just to avoid wearing one!)

 

[Jamiescott1]

Spain was also the country that committed institutional child abuse by locking them up for 12 weeks, but at the same time decided straight after that it's OK to open night clubs, because, you know, masks. I don't think anyone will be following their lead.

I was in catalonia (spainish side) last week and face masks certainly weren't worn outside by the vast majority of people

 

[Jamiescott1]

With his new announcement will the actual written legislation include pubs and restaurants too? Johnson conveniently forgot to mention it

 

[Huntergreed]

With his new announcement will the actual written legislation include pubs and restaurants too? Johnson conveniently forgot to mention it

For tables: absolutely not, for walking in, toilet visits etc it's a little less clear. We'll have to wait on the legislation (which no doubt, will be released late on August 7th through the emergency legislation powers, bypassing the opportunity for parliamentary scrutiny.

 

[westv]

I was in catalonia (spainish side) last week and face masks certainly weren't worn outside by the vast majority of people

Whenever you see news reports from Spain they always seem to show floods of masked people. Selective editing I wonder?

 

[MikeWM]

Cinemas are practically doomed, nobody in their right mind will want to wear a mask whilst at the cinema (does this means snacks are also going to stop being offered/permitted?)

If snacks aren't able to be sold, the cinemas might as well close their doors now. It's the only way they make money - they can't cover their running costs on ticket sales alone.

But if like on the railways there is a food/drink exemption then it is entirely pointless (I mean, it is pointless anyway, but even more so...) Easy to make eating popcorn etc. last pretty much a whole film.

 

[AdamWW]

Whilst I can't speak for the OP, I'd suggest that we should have proper income protections for those who can't work due to vulnerability, shielding or self-isolation. Given the scale of the furlough scheme, it doesn't seem unreasonable.

It sound like a reasonable plan, doesn't it?

 

[Yew]

It sound like a reasonable plan, doesn't it?

It'll never happen, they've only just decided that discharging people with COVID back into care homes is a bad idea. That should have started happening back in January.

 

[Scrotnig]

I won't wear a mask outside. As I haven't seen a beat police officer for about 10 years, who is going to question it? As I've said before pottering round Asda is one thing, a brisk walk is another.

Neither will I. I can claim exemption anyway but it doesn't matter.

It's generally accepted you really shouldn't wear masks when exercising. Any walking I do is my exercise. That's the only reason I do it. So, no chance.

 

[Journeyman]

If snacks aren't able to be sold, the cinemas might as well close their doors now. It's the only way they make money - they can't cover their running costs on ticket sales alone.

But if like on the railways there is a food/drink exemption then it is entirely pointless (I mean, it is pointless anyway, but even more so...) Easy to make eating popcorn etc. last pretty much a whole film.

I hate popcorn, but if nursing a giant box of it is suitable excuse not to wear a mask, I can do that.

 

[The North Briton]

The final nail in the coffin for many cinema chains right there

Who wants to sit in a cinema wearing a hot and sweaty mask for 2+ hours?!

Question is, who is going to see who is or is not wearing one in the DARK??

 

[MikeWM]

Question is, who is going to see who is or is not wearing one in the DARK??

The staff will be able to - most modern cinemas have 'night-vision' cameras (not sure of the technical term!) in each screen - presumably to check if people are trying to film the screen. In some cinemas (usually Odeons, in my experience) you can see a bank of screens somewhere near the ticket check desk showing the seating area for each screen.

 

[87electric]

Regardless of whether it's right the mandate it or not, it's weak. 8th August? If it's such an issue do it right now.

The 7 days wait gives the brain time to process the information. The repetition of this will breed familiarity and a new normal.
You know how the saying goes, "Repeat something often and you will begin to believe it". It's very manipulative and it works.

 

[43066]

We certainly don't have any protections for those vulnerable enough to have to shield themselves.

What you are suggesting is that we force people to choose between their health and their income. I'd say that is pretty hard actually.

Sadly, not everyone does jobs that can be done from home, and the government cannot continue to pay for vast swathes of the population to sit idle.

Given that the virus currently isn’t very prevalent in the wider population, I’d suggest it isn’t unreasonable to ask vulnerable people to return to work. They can still observe social distancing in most settings (including on London commuter trains) , and take reasonable precautions.

If we get to a point where the virus is once again spreading exponentially, then I agree it may be necessary to make provision for them to shield again.

I should add that I know several people who are technically “vulnerable”, who also cannot work from home. They have nevertheless chosen to carry on working, and generally get on with things.

 

[AdamWW]

Sadly, not everyone does jobs that can be done from home and the government cannot continue to pay for vast swathes of the population to sit idle.

Given that the virus currently isn’t very prevalent in the wider population, I’d suggest it isn’t unreasonable to ask vulnerable people to return to work. They can still observe social distancing in most settings (including on London commuter trains) , and take reasonable precautions.

If we get to a point where the virus is once again spreading exponentially, then I agree it may be necessary to make provision for them to shield again.

I should add that I know several people who are technically “vulnerable”, who also cannot work from home. They have nevertheless chosen to carry on working, and generally get on with things.

I agree. I think, at least in most of the UK, it would be very hard to justify the current level of restrictions in terms of an individual's health. The justification is that they are there to prevent levels from rising again.
So it should be fairly safe for anyone to come out now.

Whether I would think the same way if I were particularly vulnurable, I don't know though.

 

[bramling]

I should add that I know several people who are technically “vulnerable”, who also cannot work from home. They have nevertheless chosen to carry on working, and generally get on with things.

At my place we've certainly had some people who have, generally on their own initiative, been able to do some useful work from home - which has greatly assisted those still physically at work. Needless to say the majority haven't taken that initiative, indeed at this moment it seems for many their priority is to ensure they still take their full annual leave allocation, which hasn't exactly gone down well!

 

[MikeWM]

I should add that I know several people who are technically “vulnerable”, who also cannot work from home. They have nevertheless chosen to carry on working, and generally get on with things.

Out of interest, are we talking 'clinically extremely vulnerable' or 'clinically vulnerable' (or both) as defined here?

The 'clinically vulnerable' list seems very wide-ranging - I fit two, or perhaps three, of those bullet-points. (I think it is more-or-less the same list as they use to determine whether people get offered the flu vaccine each year).

The 'clinically extremely vulnerable' list seems closer to what I would have classified as 'vulnerable' - if i was on that list, I may have considered being a bit more careful, at least back in March and April.

 

[talldave]

Question is, who is going to see who is or is not wearing one in the DARK??

The British Cinema Police, wearing night vision goggles. Like their transport counterparts they will maximise irony and hypocrisy by not wearing masks themselves.

 

[Yew]

The British Cinema Police, wearing night vision goggles. Like their transport counterparts they will maximise irony and hypocrisy by not wearing masks themselves.

Indeed, Rumour is that they have a secret network of tunnels between all the nations Cinemas, so they don't have to take off their goggles and go into the Overworld

Apologies, this thread has been a bit serious, and I thought it could do with a little lightening up

 

[adc82140]

Indeed, Rumour is that they have a secret network of tunnels between all the nations Cinemas, so they don't have to take off their goggles and go into the Overworld

Apologies, this thread has been a bit serious, and I thought it could do with a little lightening up

You've revealed it now. Just don't let everyone know that the spotty popcorn salespeople are actually masters of disguise.

 

[Enthusiast]

The final nail in the coffin for many cinema chains right there

I haven't been to a cinema since 1979 and have no intention of starting now so it won't worry me. One of the reasons is that I got fed up with being surrounded by people who could not go for a couple of hours without having to scoff or munch something entirely unsuited to when you are in an audience. The thought of that and the more recent habit of faffing about with phones during the performance (the unsuitability of which I had to point out to one of my fellow guests in the stalls when I last visited the theatre) means no cinema for me. However, the notion that people will sit for a couple of hours masked up to watch a film when they can (for the moment at least) do so in their own front room without such a vital precaution means those running the show couldn't run a bath.

It's funny because I thought cinemas were going to bite the dust some years ago when home movies (via VHS and then DVD) became popular, along with the likes of "blockbusters". But they survived. I'm not so sure they will this time.