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

[Cowley]

OK. We’ve now added a poll to give those members who may not feel like they want to post anything a chance to at least have a vote, and also it’ll give us an idea of what the general feeling is amongst forum members.
You can vote for more than one option and also change your vote if you change your mind.
Votes will be publicly viewable.

Thanks all.

 

[Skymonster]

OK. We’ve now added a poll to give those members who may not feel like they want to post anything a chance to at least have a vote, and also it’ll give us an idea of what the general feeling is amongst forum members.
You can vote for more than one option and also change your vote if you change your mind.
Votes will be publicly viewable.

Thanks all.

The poll needs another option, stronger than the last current option: “I will not use a shop that demands its customers wear a mask”

 

[Skymonster]

Will they educate people how to wear them properly, or are they just paying lip service.

I’ll certainly only be paying lip service to the requirement and doing the absolute minimum that complies with the legislation, on the basis that I don’t see sufficient evidence they are necessary. So for me all the crap about above the bridge of the nose and under the chin isn’t happening - the requirement is just to cover the nose and mouth and if that can be achieved with a two inch strip of material with plenty of breathing space about and below that’s fine with me.p (and the law).

 

[Puffing Devil]

The poll needs another option, stronger than the last current option: “I will not use a shop that demands its customers wear a mask”

Excellent! More virus-free air and space for me.

 

[Skymonster]

Excellent! More virus-free air and space for me.

You keep on clinging to your placebo-boosted view of life then.

 

[Richard Scott]

Excellent! More virus-free air and space for me.

Every chance it is free of SARS-CoV-2! As for other viruses sure there's plenty around for you to breath in, facemask or no facemask!!

 

[trebor79]

Coronavirus: I trust people's sense on face masks - Gove

Minister Michael Gove says he does not think face coverings should be mandatory in shops in England.

www.bbc.co.uk

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said Labour would support mandatory face coverings for shops, as it "would inspire greater confidence and might encourage more people to go out and spend money".

Nothing to do with reducing transmission rates (which actually makes sense as transmission is now nearly zero), but a misguided attempt to encourage more people to shop. It's likely to have the exact opposite effect, as revealed in the poll here.
Gove is talking some sense.

 

[Tetchytyke]

but a misguided attempt to encourage more people to shop. It's likely to have the exact opposite effect

Definitely.

Mandatory masks won't encourage the frightened and vulnerable to come out of hiding. Masks simply reinforce the message that it's not safe to be outside.

Mandatory masks will, at the same time, just annoy those who are happy to be out, being sociable and spending money, and make it less likely that those people will go out. Why go shopping or to the pub when you have to wear a muzzle?

 

[greyman42]

I doubt many people get up, go to work, come home and go to bed, though, as the only structure to their day, without spending any working hours at home at all. And if they do they need to look at their work/life balance as it's not healthy.

Anyone working 12 hour shifts more or less has this lifestyle while they are on their days "on".

 

[nlogax]

One vote here for 'just as likely to go into shops as I was before' because it's just a mask and when all's said and done I'd rather support businesses who are struggling over staying home and complaining about wearing a mask.

 

[BJames]

One vote here for 'just as likely to go into shops as I was before' because it's just a mask and when all's said and done I'd rather support businesses who are struggling over staying home and complaining about wearing a mask.

I've voted less likely but what I actually mean is less likely to go to shops like H&M and Topman, but just as likely to continue going to shops like Sainsbury's and Tesco. I do really hope they are not mandated though.

It will be interesting to see if Johnson follows Gove's line tomorrow or does indeed pursue the mandatory route.

I think very valuable points have been raised above. If they are mandated now then it's telling people to be scared. Which is not what the government want to do.

 

[NorthOxonian]

It will be interesting to see if Johnson follows Gove's line tomorrow or does indeed pursue the mandatory route.

My suspicion is that he will follow Gove's line, but a little harsher. I expect that there will be an aggressive public information campaign promoting mask wearing, and he might encourage shops to set their own rules (so perhaps Boots would have mandatory masks but Morrisons wouldn't). But at this point it's anyone's guess.

 

[adc82140]

Don't give em ideas. Boots will probably have compulsory radiation suits.

 

[SJN]

They’ll just carry on driving the customers away. They don’t seem to want any.

 

[DimTim]

We’ve gone from 2 metres to 1 metre plus.
But what is the plus?

it’s stated more prevalent indoors rather than outdoors so
Social distance @ 2 metres but where not possible 1 metre plus mask. Required indoors, indoor shopping centres.
In pubs a cafes required until seated and when rising to walk to toilets etc.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

In pubs a cafes required until seated and when rising to walk to toilets etc.

Is COVID-19 more prevalent when one is standing?

And it has been widely quoted that it is extremely unlikely you will infect somebody else unless within 2 metres of them for 15 minutes or more, so walking to the toilet has negligible risk. In fact there's probably more risk of you tripping and falling over a chair on your way to the toilet.

 

[ChrisC]

I've voted less likely but what I actually mean is less likely to go to shops like H&M and Topman, but just as likely to continue going to shops like Sainsbury's and Tesco. I do really hope they are not mandated though.

It will be interesting to see if Johnson follows Gove's line tomorrow or does indeed pursue the mandatory route.

I think very valuable points have been raised above. If they are mandated now then it's telling people to be scared. Which is not what the government want to do.

I also voted less likely for some of the same reasons. I will still continue to go into my local village Co op and small independent butchers, bakers etc but it would probably result in it being less likely that I will return to the large supermarkets any time soon. One thing the lockdown has done is convinced me of the importance of supporting my small local shops. I certainly would not want to go on a shopping trip to a large shopping centre or department stores etc in a city centre if I had to wear a mask for any long period of time. Shopping would become purely for necessity and not for leisure.

 

[midland1]

Or just crossing the road!

 

[corfield]

What happens when they make it compulsory and you go to the shop to buy one and aren’t allowed in because you don’t have one?

I’m just going to wear my Respirator.

 

[AM9]

They’ll just carry on driving the customers away. They don’t seem to want any.

They will drive away those who won't take steps like wearing a face covering to reduce their spreading of the virus to others. That's no bad thing actually.

 

[takno]

We’ve gone from 2 metres to 1 metre plus.
But what is the plus?

it’s stated more prevalent indoors rather than outdoors so
Social distance @ 2 metres but where not possible 1 metre plus mask. Required indoors, indoor shopping centres.
In pubs a cafes required until seated and when rising to walk to toilets etc.

It's 1m plus additional measures, which can include masks, as well as avoiding being face-to-face, reducing contact time, enhanced hand-washing etc. It's a pretty simple message, so it's a bit disappointing that some people have taken to muddying it by claiming it's just about masks

 

[Bletchleyite]

Anyone working 12 hour shifts more or less has this lifestyle while they are on their days "on".

Fair point, but most such people have more fully free days to compensate, and most people don't work 12 hour shifts.

 

[AM9]

One vote here for 'just as likely to go into shops as I was before' because it's just a mask and when all's said and done I'd rather support businesses who are struggling over staying home and complaining about wearing a mask.

I agree, - that's the problem of a snap poll. Although wearing a face covering isn't particularly pleasant, it wouldn't stop me going shopping if that is what I wanted to do anyway. I managed to get a haircut last Monday, and wearing a homemade mask for that wasn't an unreasoanble price to pay.
I'm quite happy to wear a mask for the benefit of others lest I should pass an the virus if I was asymptomatic. It would be much more pleasant of many more weren't so hung-up about their rights. I'm not an obsessive libertarian, and don't have any issue about helping fellow citizens, even if the science is somewhat marginal.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not an obsessive libertarian, and don't have any issue about helping fellow citizens, even if the science is somewhat marginal.

I am quite strong on civil and personal liberties (though I wouldn't go as far as to say libertarian), but in my book with freedom comes great responsibility in how you use it, and taking care not to spread COVID is one way to do this.

I put "for" and "would go to shops less". I believe it's necessary and proportionate but unpleasant and so I will put up with it only for the necessary time.

 

[corfield]

They will drive away those who won't take steps like wearing a face covering to reduce their spreading of the virus to others. That's no bad thing actually.

Except for the businesses and their staff of course. Which is the point of opening up.

Very few people wear masks at present, I’m still not sure what it is supposed to stop. I simply can not remember when I or anyone else surprise sneezed or coughed on or even near someone. I suppose it depends on how you were brought up, but when you feel it coming on, removing yourself and oreventing a wide spray

I am quite strong on civil and personal liberties (though I wouldn't go as far as to say libertarian), but in my book with freedom comes great responsibility in how you use it, and taking care not to spread COVID is one way to do this.

how does a mask do that? do you really walk round coughing or sneezing at people?

 

[trebor79]

In pubs a cafes required until seated and when rising to walk to toilets etc.

No that wouldn't work, because then you're fiddling with a stupid mask around your face, and avoiding hands near face is one of the first things we were told to do. Putting it on an off if going to cause more problems than either wearing or not wearing.

 

[bramling]

Except for the businesses and their staff of course. Which is the point of opening up.

Very few people wear masks at present, I’m still not sure what it is supposed to stop. I simply can not remember when I or anyone else surprise sneezed or coughed on or even near someone. I suppose it depends on how you were brought up, but when you feel it coming on, removing yourself and oreventing a wide spray

how does a mask do that? do you really walk round coughing or sneezing at people?

I agree with all the above. Despite being a non-mask-wearing disease-spreading monster with blood on my hands, I’m not going round shops coughing and sneezing over people, nor do I particularly wish to get close to people even in normal times, being one of those people who relishes personal space. If it really spreads in the air then we’re all screwed masks or otherwise, however were that the case then we wouldn’t have seen the sustained reduction in cases during lockdown when people were still using essential shops.

There’s a certain irony that the ones most vocally advocating masks on my local social media are quite clearly the people choosing to shop at the busiest times, that being weekend daytime. If they were that bothered about getting Covid then perhaps they could have opted to do their shopping at quieter times. The very suggestion of this prompted a brown-stuff storm of the most almighty proportions...

 

[bramling]

No that wouldn't work, because then you're fiddling with a stupid mask around your face, and avoiding hands near face is one of the first things we were told to do. Putting it on an off if going to cause more problems than either wearing or not wearing.

Yep just what we need is people fiddling with masks when they’ve just been to the toilet.

 

[Bletchleyite]

how does a mask do that? do you really walk round coughing or sneezing at people?

It is not necessary to cough or sneeze to emit adequate droplets to spread respiratory infections. Most colds I seem to get when I've been sat near someone who simply has a streaming nose.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Sorry, I can't quote your post, but how do you know you don't have it? Did you have a test today?

I had a test on Friday evening which was negative, but obviously the chance that I do have it will increase following that point.