Will you continue using a face mask after 19 July?

[wemakeyousoundb]

the brand I referred to above comes with 5 back-head straps for tightening the facial fit, the optimum sitting spot for this being at the (still small) back /top of the head bald patch (the one you can't see but keep gettin nagged about) and also reduces ear strech/pain
[For ear looped models]

 

[Cloo]

I'll confess, now I've started going to some events - theatre, work stuff - I've not been wearing a mask in them because no one else is and you just feel like a lemon and your doing so won't make any difference. Like we went to see Hamilton a month ago, full theatre. Some people, including me, wore them when moving about the theatre but I was surprised that, once sat down, I could a see only two people wearing masks from where I was sat. I figured those around me had, at least, made their call that they were prepared to bear the risk. At the end of the day, it's probably less of an infection risk than my kids being in school all day

 

[Voley]

I'm sat in a caff without a mask on just now because this bacon butty would struggle with an FFP2.

It's beginning to feel okay but it's taken me a while to get here. Still wearing them in shops. Still not comfortable with big gatherings/gigs etc. It'll be a while yet before that feels OK I think.

 

[pesh]

I spent 3 nights on the side of the stage in a sold out Academy venue recently, wore an N95 mask from the moment doors were opened till i left after the shows, a few other crew did the same, nobody else was wearing one. Felt mental being in there at all but bills need to be paid.

 

[l'Otters]

Just got a sausage roll and a coffee from a uni campus canteen out in the sticks. Considered sitting inside to eat but it was quite busy in there and couldn’t see any evidence of decent ventilation. Found an outside bench with cover, which probably exists thanks to the smokers

If there was no cover and the rain was heavier this would have been a harder decision.

 

[Numbers]

I still wear one if in the supermarket, shops or on the tube/trains.

I’ve been to a few football games tho’ with 1000s of others, singing etc. and I’ve not worn one. I do there and back but not watching the game or having a beer before or at half time - touch wood I’ve been OK so far.

 

[Numbers]

^^ to add to that, nobody was wearing masks at the football.

Even typing that now is making me a bit para.

 

[sojourner]

Well I've got an indoor gig on 22nd of this month. Me and the other poet won't be wearing masks, not sure about the audience. I'll do a test beforehand, for audience safety, but again, not sure if the audience will.

 

[Badgers]

^^ to add to that, nobody was wearing masks at the football.

Even typing that now is making me a bit para.

It is odd how your mind works isn't it.

I would wager that there is little difference between masks in a supermarket or at a footy match.

Supermarket is indoors but people are more spaced out (compared to footy stadiums anyway). Social distancing in shops is not always easy, but more manageable than at footy.

The main issue with the footy is the airborne transmission. Although people are outside they are not distanced and there are a lot of very busy bottlenecks through the stadium. The Delta varient is highly transmissible sadly so if you think about thousands of people all close to each other singing, shouting etc for 90mins plus there is a lot of risk.

However most masks protect others from your plague but won't protect you so if you are in among thousands of maskless people you kind of ask what is the point

Both places have a LOT of touch points but a bit of hand gel and social distancing negates most of that.


That ^ is the logic however if you put me in a seat at Anfield watching that Salah goal I would risk my life to cheer and sing

 

[Numbers]

Well I've got an indoor gig on 22nd of this month. Me and the other poet won't be wearing masks, not sure about the audience. I'll do a test beforehand, for audience safety, but again, not sure if the audience will.

I test twice a week (for work) and was tested once a week in hospital since March, but I no longer go to the hospital.
I might rethink my mask wearing at games.

 

[Numbers]

It is odd how your mind works isn't it.

I would wager that there is little difference between masks in a supermarket or at a footy match.

Supermarket is indoors but people are more spaced out (compared to footy stadiums anyway). Social distancing in shops is not always easy, but more manageable than at footy.

The main issue with the footy is the airborne transmission. Although people are outside they are not distanced and there are a lot of very busy bottlenecks through the stadium. The Delta varient is highly transmissible sadly so if you think about thousands of people all close to each other singing, shouting etc for 90mins plus there is a lot of risk.

However most masks protect others from your plague but won't protect you so if you are in among thousands of maskless people you kind of ask what is the point

Both places have a LOT of touch points but a bit of hand gel and social distancing negates most of that.


That ^ is the logic however if you put me in a seat at Anfield watching that Salah goal I would risk my life to cheer and sing

Mate, I've been hugging people left right and center at the footie + you can see spittle come out of some peoples mouths when singing. I carry hand gel and wash my hands but I also hug people and hold my head in my hands etc.

Thankfully you (will) need to show your covid passport to enter now, well... that's the theory.

 

[prunus]

I wear masks everywhere indoors (public spaces I mean) - shops, cinema, theatre, transport. Compliance by others ranges from about 10% to about 60%, and yes, it does feel a little futile when one is eg in the minority in a theatre full of people cheering and laughing - but then I figure, it’s not exactly much hardship, and it may make some difference for me (I wear well-fitted surgical masks) and even more so to others should I be carrying unknown. So why not?

Main problem really is trying to calmly ride out the rising rage at the stupidity and selfishness of everyone else without going incandescent…

 

[pbsmooth]

I wear one on the tube and train and that's about it. if I go to a local shop I am in and out. and i've been to pubs, cinema, office plenty of times and don't wear masks any more. I am double vaxxed, everyone has been offered it, we have to live with it now, much like the flu. wearing mask to go to the toilet in a pub, say, then taking it off for the two hours you're sat there seems just ridiculous.

 

[l'Otters]

It’s never been just my life I’m risking when I made these judgements on what to do and whether to wear a mask.

On a personal level the odds are better than eg any of my cev mates / relatives.

My own health does come into it on some level but idk, I find it weird how so many ppl only frame as a personal risk.

 

[Sue]

crojoe, I was going to the cinema occasionally but people not wearing masks has completely put me off. Why would you not wear one then?

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

I wear masks everywhere indoors (public spaces I mean) - shops, cinema, theatre, transport. Compliance by others ranges from about 10% to about 60%, and yes, it does feel a little futile when one is eg in the minority in a theatre full of people cheering and laughing - but then I figure, it’s not exactly much hardship, and it may make some difference for me (I wear well-fitted surgical masks) and even more so to others should I be carrying unknown. So why not?

Main problem really is trying to calmly ride out the rising rage at the stupidity and selfishness of everyone else without going incandescent…

I think the thing with this though, is that 'it's OK to go to the theatre but you should wear a mask' is a pretty arbitrary point to mark as 'ok' on the safe/not safe scale isn't it? I mean it would be much safer just not to go to the theatre and a lot of people are still taking that view, and for most of the last 18 months it would have been seen to be unacceptable, so what's the difference now really?

Not to criticise as my spot on that scale is probably around the same sort of point I think, but just thinking about how we judge that line, in ourselves as well as others.

 

[Orang Utan]

crojoe, I was going to the cinema occasionally but people not wearing masks has completely put me off. Why would you not wear one then?

I sometimes take mine off for comfort but I only tend to go to screenings that are sparsely attended. My usual cinema is Vue and they have excellent ventilation and recliners that separate people anyway - have not sat directly next to anyone yet

 

[pbsmooth]

crojoe, I was going to the cinema occasionally but people not wearing masks has completely put me off. Why would you not wear one then?

seem pretty well-ventilated, wasn't full, but I understand why you might want to - someone I was with did.
I am in favour of masks and not an anti-mask loon - and wore one again, as I have always done, on the tube yesterday despite being in the minority - I just think as we all try and get back to some normal, the logic in some situations doesn't make sense to me. unless you've decided you're going to wear a mask forever. you could say, why didn't you wear a mask before all this? always a risk of illness. or will you ever stop wearing a mask? if so, why would you if you're not stopping now?

 

[l'Otters]

Have you had a look at the data on current cases and hospitalisations?

 

[l'Otters]

Pre March 2020 my knowledge of viruses, transmission, immunity etc, was a lot lower. I’ve adjusted my behaviour according to what I’ve learned. As with many other things in life. Be a bit daft not to.

 

[pbsmooth]

well I have now. it is around 20% the peak of January. in January less than 1% of people were fully vaxxed. now 67% are. 72% one jab. everyone offered it. quite a difference.

 

[Sue]

seem pretty well-ventilated, wasn't full, but I understand why you might want to - someone I was with did.
I am in favour of masks and not an anti-mask loon - and wore one again, as I have always done, on the tube yesterday despite being in the minority - I just think as we all try and get back to some normal, the logic in some situations doesn't make sense to me. unless you've decided you're going to wear a mask forever. you could say, why didn't you wear a mask before all this? always a risk of illness. or will you ever stop wearing a mask? if so, why would you if you're not stopping now?

Wearing a mask on the tube is the bare minimum. And the thing is, we're not back to normal life yet. I didn't wear a mask before because we weren't in the middle of a bloody pandemic. I'll stop wearing a mask indoors when this one is done.

To be blunt, I think it's really selfish not to continue wearing a mask inside for the moment. I mean it's not exactly a hardship, is it?

 

[prunus]

I think the thing with this though, is that 'it's OK to go to the theatre but you should wear a mask' is a pretty arbitrary point to mark as 'ok' on the safe/not safe scale isn't it? I mean it would be much safer just not to go to the theatre and a lot of people are still taking that view, and for most of the last 18 months it would have been seen to be unacceptable, so what's the difference now really?

Not to criticise as my spot on that scale is probably around the same sort of point I think, but just thinking about how we judge that line, in ourselves as well as others.

I try to think of it from a utilitarian point of view, where safety (by which I mean chance of transmission of the virus) isn't the only factor in the utility function - there are others, prime of which I guess are the importance of economic activity and the mental health benefits of a social existence. Within that context one can still sit where one wants on the continuum, depending on the weighting one gives the factors - however, whereever you sit the wearing of a mask has very little negative effect on the overall function, and definitely contributes to lowering the chance of infection (a negative factor), and so has to have a positive effect overall.

 

[_Russ_]

will you ever stop wearing a mask? if so, why would you if you're not stopping now?

Umm, Do you think the dangerous phase of the Pandemic is over or something?, of course I'll stop wearing at some point but not when in the middle of a Pandemic..is that hard for you to understand?

 

[l'Otters]

Cases in January were fucking insane. We had 1,000 deaths a day at that point. Sure vaccines are having a very positive effect, we’d be completely fucked without them.

Health services are still under a huge strain.

 

[pbsmooth]

Wearing a mask on the tube is the bare minimum. And the thing is, we're not back to normal life yet. I didn't wear a mask before because we weren't in the middle of a bloody pandemic. I'll stop wearing a mask indoors when this one is done.

To be blunt, I think it's really selfish not to continue wearing a mask inside for the moment. I mean it's not exactly a hardship, is it?

but millions of people aren't expected to wear one in the office, pub, restaurants etc. why is that OK?
also - why will the pandemic "end"? the virus won't go anywhere, we will have to live with it like flu. as we did before, which didn't involve masks.
as I said, I am not anti-mask, but I think the time has come to be a little bit more realistic about what can and can't be expected.

 

[pbsmooth]

Umm, Do you think the dangerous phase of the Pandemic is over or something?, of course I'll stop wearing at some point but not when in the middle of a Pandemic..is that hard for you to understand?

well, yes, it clearly is. look at all the stats and the fact we have a vaccine given to everyone who wants it.

 

[l'Otters]

Still baffled as to why it’s too much to expect people to wear a piece of cloth over the lower half of their face.

 

[Elpenor]

I wear masks everywhere indoors (public spaces I mean) - shops, cinema, theatre, transport. Compliance by others ranges from about 10% to about 60%, and yes, it does feel a little futile when one is eg in the minority in a theatre full of people cheering and laughing - but then I figure, it’s not exactly much hardship, and it may make some difference for me (I wear well-fitted surgical masks) and even more so to others should I be carrying unknown. So why not?

Main problem really is trying to calmly ride out the rising rage at the stupidity and selfishness of everyone else without going incandescent…

The same here. I don’t wear them when socialising in friends houses, but in any shop / Petrol station / hotel communal areas. Don’t go out a great deal to pubs and restaurants but when I do where them from the door to my table.

Considering going to see Bond film but a bit cautious about mask wearing in cinema so probably won’t.

 

[Orang Utan]

I will certainly continue to wear them on public transport