I went out today for the fourth time in the past few months (Bethnal Green), and tried wearing a proper mask for the first time - wore a bandana the other times. It was surprisingly difficult, to the extent that I don't think I could do it again. It's an N95 mask and was comfortable enough, but it made my breathing significantly more difficult. OK so I do have breathing problems, and cough pretty much all the time when I walk around, which is one of the reasons to wear a mask because it increases the chances of me passing on covid even when I'm asymptomatic, but it was such a marked difference in breathing that I think anyone would have found it hard. And it steamed my glasses up enough that my vision was badly obscured - had to pull it down in the supermarket in order to see what I was buying.
It's probably just a shit mask, although it was certainly sold as a proper one (wasn't me that bought it), but it made me understand people's dislike of masks a lot more. Surgeons wear masks for hours in warm environments but their disposable masks are way thinner than this one is. If other people got ones like mine then they will definitely be put off wearing them.
If I have to take public transport I'll go back to the bandana I was wearing before, or maybe get some disposable masks if I end up travelling more often than I usually do. Having any sort of barrier does still provide some protection to those around me without meaning I can't breathe well enough to walk around.
The only four people I saw wearing masks - I was out for a couple of hours and it was really busy - were two east Asian students wearing them on the street, which happens round here sometimes anyway, and two supermarket workers. Nobody in the park was wearing them, but I don't think that matters. Nobody else in the supermarket was wearing a mask, customers or staff, even those working on the shop floor - I felt like a weirdo. One of the supermarket workers without a mask on actually pushed past my friend to get by, even though he could just have asked him to move out of the way (he had no idea he was in the way). Unexpected rudeness and definitely breaching social distancing - maybe they'd had some arsey customers in earlier or something. None of the customers made any effort at social distancing and there was no one-way system or any attempt at limiting customers.
Not what I was expecting, TBH.
(bolding mine) In the interests of fairness, you're a tiny bit more compliant than I am, then.
I have been spending time at my Dad's house throughout lockdown but I tell myself that was OK under the "provide care or help to vulnerable person" exemption, then whenever I have had to go outdoors and engage with doctor, taxi driver, whatever, I go to my own flat and stay there without seeing anyone for at least 7 days. It's all legit now, though, 'cos we can be a bubble.
I think everyone agrees that masks are a bit of a pain, particularly if you wear glasses, but this damn virus is a more urgent threat than not eating enough vegetables.
That is complying, though, because you were supplying help to a vulnerable person. And if it's just one person then you're not really spreading much around anyway.
Did anyone's streets burst into applause at 5pm then? Cause back in April we had screaming children banging pots and pans, fireworks, the lot. Plenty of NHS workers in my street too. Not a peep today. I've been sat in the front room all afternoon and didn't hear a thing. BBC are reporting it as having happened everywhere though.
Some on our street came out - I leaned out of my window and clapped - but not as many as the Thursday claps, which was practically every house on the street. But then it wasn't well publicised and I suspect that at 5pm on a sunny Saturday a lot of people weren't at home. And NHS workers only really care about the clap when it's something that comes up in a STD clinic.
