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Coronavirus

Coronavirus - The Poll

  • Total voters
    97
delta79 said:
Plucked out the air by the government.
A week friday till it become into affect. Why not say wear them now with fines start in 10 days on 24 july.
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Because it requires a change of law which cannot happen instantly, and it gives businesses time to plan how to manage any changes required. Anything which isn't law is advice, and they are advising wearing them.

Alsty said:
It's almost like they're making it up as they go along...
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People keep saying this as if it's a bad thing or avoidable, but of course they are. There isn't a one size fits all unknown disease pandemic response you can be sitting on for a rainy day. Every government in every country is making it up as they go along based on the data they have, data which keeps changing.
 
Perhaps by "making it up as they go along", I should quantify that statement... I don't mean changing the advice as the evidence changes. You're right, that will happen. What I mean is the government making illogical decisions and not even being able to get its own story straight.

Two examples spring to mind immediately:

Quarantine
  • The government bought in a quarantine for all persons coming into the UK on the 8th June. One might question why this was introduced so late (well after the peak of infections in April) rather than being introduced at the start of the pandemic in February or March? Most countries closed their borders in March.
  • The government then exempted a whole swathe of countries on 10th July (a little over four weeks later). Why didn't they just exempt these from the 8th June? They waited so long to impose the quarantine restriction that they had plenty of time to get this right "first time". The infection rates and death rates across Europe were well-known and below UK levels on the 8th June.
Face masks
  • I know the science has evolved on this a little bit, but...
  • On Friday, Boris Johnson hinted that he was looking at enforcing their use in shops.
  • On Sunday, Michael Gove said he didn't think they would be mandated
  • Today, they are being mandated
  • For comparison, face masks became compulsory in Germany and France in April.

While this is a novel virus and the UK government has to find its way through it, it should be remembered we are not the only country in the world experiencing it. There are plenty of lessons to be learned just by looking at other countries and seeing what they are doing and what is working. The UK government seem to be doing everything too late and not learning lessons from other countries, and as a result we end up doing what other countries have been doing three months prior. That is what I mean by "making it up as they go along".
 
Alsty said:
Face masks
  • I know the science has evolved on this a little bit, but...
  • On Friday, Boris Johnson hinted that he was looking at enforcing their use in shops.
  • On Sunday, Michael Gove said he didn't think they would be mandated
  • Today, they are being mandated
  • For comparison, face masks became compulsory in Germany and France in April.
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I read that as Michael Gove doesn't know what he was talking about. The Prime Minister was thinking about it and then they came in as mandatory. In the meantime, someone who probably doesn't know what is going on expressed an opinion that turned out to be wrong.

I think that they should have been mandated as soon as non-essential shops re-opened a few weeks back. In April there were shortages for medical use and it could have made it worse if people were buying up supplies that should have gone to medical professionals. Also back in April the message was stay home, unless its essential, encouraging mask use may have encouraged even more shopping trips that weren't needed.
 
Another thing about masks..... people think they are now protected.

No, you're not.... please keep away from me.

I will be very interested to see how the social distancing works when people wear masks.

But it is a step in the right direction and I guess unlike other countries who started wearing masks right in the middle of their worst months, we're now wearing them just to help keep down what is an already reducing infection rate.
 
Masks have been proven to substantially reduce transmission; the lowest percentage I saw was 33%, and I saw some other scientists saying higher numbers, of well above 50%.

So while they do not make you impervious to the disease, they do definitely reduce transmission according to most scientists. So this new legislation will most definitely help.
 
Matt N said:
Masks have been proven to substantially reduce transmission; the lowest percentage I saw was 33%, and I saw some other scientists saying higher numbers, of well above 50%.

So while they do not make you impervious to the disease, they do definitely reduce transmission according to most scientists. So this new legislation will most definitely help.
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Problem is, I think a lot of people won't go to shops when this comes into force, which will harm the economy even more. Plus, they've hinted that offices could be next, so if workers refuse to go back the government's "go back to work" message will backfire.
 
skyscraper said:
Problem is, I think a lot of people won't go to shops when this comes into force, which will harm the economy even more. Plus, they've hinted that offices could be next, so if workers refuse to go back the government's "go back to work" message will backfire.
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A fair few offices have already mandated masks, mine for instance!
 
skyscraper said:
Problem is, I think a lot of people won't go to shops when this comes into force, which will harm the economy even more. Plus, they've hinted that offices could be next, so if workers refuse to go back the government's "go back to work" message will backfire.
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In general I am only willing to wear a mask in corridors, toilets etc at work. Once at a desk I would rather use distancing.
 
Rob said:
We're very late to the party with face coverings in shops, other European countries have mandated in since April! Seems to make perfect sense to me, for most people it is no real hassle yet it can help reduce transmission.

It will be interesting to see if those working in shops have to wear them also, as most do not seem to have been doing so thus far.
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BuT tHe CaRbOn MoNoXiDe :rolleyes:
 
There are a lot of reasons why people won't want to wear masks and most of them are justifiable. People are allowed to be unhappy over this, just because other counties have been wearing them for months doesn't mean we have to suddenly be YAY about it.

My mum is not happy, but she bought cotton masks last night - her main issue is the style of some masks and the colours, they are a bit Bane like some of them in my opinion. But unhappy or not, she knows she has to wear one and that's it.

I think most reasonable people who now have enjoyed venturing out in recent weeks will see they have to wear one or face a lockdown of their own making.

If staff are going to face abuse for trying to get customers to wear masks when they themselves aren't wearing one, they need to be wearing something visible that is the universal symbol for "exempt".
 
Spookle15 said:
There are a lot of reasons why people won't want to wear masks and most of them are justifiable. People are allowed to be unhappy over this, just because other counties have been wearing them for months doesn't mean we have to suddenly be YAY about it.

My mum is not happy, but she bought cotton masks last night - her main issue is the style of some masks and the colours, they are a bit Bane like some of them in my opinion. But unhappy or not, she knows she has to wear one and that's it.

I think most reasonable people who now have enjoyed venturing out in recent weeks will see they have to wear one or face a lockdown of their own making.

If staff are going to face abuse for trying to get customers to wear masks when they themselves aren't wearing one, they need to be wearing something visible that is the universal symbol for "exempt".
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It's perfectly reasonable to not want to wear a mask, it's people who don't wear a mask when they can and know they should probably that should be frowned upon.
Not helped by people coming up with derogatory names for them like face nappies. (Yes I've seen that term used)
 
Spookle15 said:
There are a lot of reasons why people won't want to wear masks and most of them are justifiable. People are allowed to be unhappy over this, just because other counties have been wearing them for months doesn't mean we have to suddenly be YAY about it.

My mum is not happy, but she bought cotton masks last night - her main issue is the style of some masks and the colours, they are a bit Bane like some of them in my opinion. But unhappy or not, she knows she has to wear one and that's it.

I think most reasonable people who now have enjoyed venturing out in recent weeks will see they have to wear one or face a lockdown of their own making.

If staff are going to face abuse for trying to get customers to wear masks when they themselves aren't wearing one, they need to be wearing something visible that is the universal symbol for "exempt".
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Photosymbols on Facebook have designed some exemption cards that can be printed out. https://m.facebook.com/pg/photosymbols/posts/?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0
 
imanautie said:
It's perfectly reasonable to not want to wear a mask, it's people who don't wear a mask when they can and know they should probably that should be frowned upon.
Not helped by people coming up with derogatory names for them like face nappies. (Yes I've seen that term used)
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Well those people will have minimal opportunity now with the £100 fines coming in. Disney required a face mask to enter and provided customers without one.

This should happen in all stores now. You don't get it without one.
 
skyscraper said:
Photosymbols on Facebook have designed some exemption cards that can be printed out. https://m.facebook.com/pg/photosymbols/posts/?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0
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All but one member of staff at Alton (Galactia so it was dark) didn't question me not wearing a mask presumably after seeing this badge of mine. I would hope that shops and similar make a reasonable assumption that someone with badges like this not wearing a mask has a legitimate reason.

[Image description: a round name tag style button badge saying hi I'm autistic, next to silver and brown lanyards]
94282214956edca1e2af06dfa0515554.jpg
 
delta79 said:
Then the universal symbol will be hijacked by the anti mask brigade, making it completely useless.

Sent from my SM-J600FN using Tapatalk
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Sainsbury's brought of a hidden disability lanyard for customers. They should have something for staff, something individual to each supermarket for example, that is only for store employees working their shift.
 
Spookle15 said:
Sainsbury's brought of a hidden disability lanyard for customers. They should have something for staff, something individual to each supermarket for example, that is only for store employees working their shift.
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It can't be discreet like say the virgin Atlantic hidden disability badge, because it's going to be more for the customers not staff.
 
Spookle15 said:
Sainsbury's brought of a hidden disability lanyard for customers. They should have something for staff, something individual to each supermarket for example, that is only for store employees working their shift.
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I've got one of these sunflower lanyards at home that I obtained from work (I actually work for Sainsbury's, for the record!), with the intention of using it for solo travel abroad later in the year. Looks like I'll need to use it sooner rather than later! I've got an exemption card to go on the lanyard on order, as well as a clear plastic wallet for it to go in if necessary. I've also printed something off from the National Autistic Society's website that I'll fill in ahead of the legislation coming into force. I really should've been more proactive earlier on, but this has spurred me into action.
 
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