Will you still be wearing a face mask from July 19th? (Poll)

[jon81uk]

I expect many businesses will face a hard time however. Mask enforcement has been relatively easy as businesses know they have the law on their side at the moment. This won't be the case in a couple of weeks so I'm bracing myself for an onslaught of abuse.

Although I do wonder if it in one way makes it easier if people falsly claim an exemption as there will be no legal need to allow people in without a mask too. Realistically I don't think many places will stop entry without a mask, but it might happen.

 

[jon81uk]

Good point, I wonder how cross border travel will work.... "Right were approaching the Scottish border masks on" / "we are now arriving in England, remove masks!"

The train company may well mandate that masks have to be worn for the entire journey anyway.

But I expect many people will ignore it once seated and will just put the mask on to leave the train anyway.

 

[Matt.GC]

Although I do wonder if it in one way makes it easier if people falsly claim an exemption as there will be no legal need to allow people in without a mask too. Realistically I don't think many places will stop entry without a mask, but it might happen.

I can tell you what will happen. We'll be wearing them, most others won't and we won't be able to do anything about it. We've been asking for social distancing for 18 months and most of the GP didn't even bother with that.

 

[BigT]

Probably worth bearing in mind that mask wearing is likely to remain a legal requirement in the rest of the United Kingdom, the July 19th relaxations only apply to England.

Another good reason not to go to Wales or Scotland then, now where did I put those matches…..

 

[NuttySquirrel]

Depends really, I think it's stupid to have to wear one on something like an outdoor rollercoaster (mine kept flying off on Nemesis anyway!) - however if I'm in a small crowded shop trying to buy groceries I think it's stupid not to wear one.

I don't agree with the whole 'personal choice' thing - masks don't protect the wearer but the people they come in contact with, and so many people just don't give a sh*t.

 

[geo4chg]

I have had a message from my local doctor's saying face masks, social distancing etc will continue in there past 19th July, which makes total sense as it is a medical setting - I would expect hospitals to work similarly while rates are currently so high.

In terms of actual Alton Towers, I think personally the requirement on-ride should be dropped for most rides (esp as vast majority are outdoor), but I think indoor queue areas, indoor ride stations (when off-ride in air gates etc) should still require mask wearing as it is so many people in close proximity to one another. Hopefully they also will start filling Oblivion shuttles more fully (and then perhaps say that if you are seating next to a stranger, please wear a mask (?)) as I presume that is what is causing Oblivion queues to get so long recently. They should make it clear at entry what their policy is (that you may be seated next to a stranger in order to fill rides etc) so everyone is clear on what will be expected.

 

[Matt N]

Personally, I will still wear one. I wore one in sixth form at numerous points last year even when it wasn’t mandated, simply because I felt as though it was good for me to wear one.

I’m not the most socially active of people, and lead quite a reclusive lifestyle, so the risk of me spreading anything might not be as high as it would be in the case of a more socially active person, but when our family caught COVID last April (mum tested positive), I was the only one in our house who had absolutely no symptoms. Given the high transmissibility of COVID, it’s probably safer to assume that I may have had the disease asymptomatically (1 in 3 people who catch it are apparently asymptomatic, so it wouldn’t surprise me), and even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t like to assume that I would definitely be showing notable symptoms if I caught the disease. As such, I will still personally be wearing a mask on numerous occasions; I might be fine if I caught COVID, but I don’t know if a potential person I might spread it to would be.

I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to wear it, though, as my parents make me take it off if we’re in an area where masks aren’t mandated.

 

[tayspru]

I work for an airline so masks are going to be around for a while longer. What I’m not looking forward to is trying to enforce mask wearing on a plane once other restrictions are lifted. Even though it is clear in booking terms we got a lot of “I know my rights” people before masks were mandated, and it will probably be the same again afterwards. People fail to see that travel is with a private airline and you’re subject to the terms you agree to when buying a ticket

 

[Benjsh]

I won't be wearing one for a second longer than required to. I'm fully vaccinated and ready to get my life back.

 

[NuttySquirrel]

I work for an airline so masks are going to be around for a while longer. What I’m not looking forward to is trying to enforce mask wearing on a plane once other restrictions are lifted. Even though it is clear in booking terms we got a lot of “I know my rights” people before masks were mandated, and it will probably be the same again afterwards. People fail to see that travel is with a private airline and you’re subject to the terms you agree to when buying a ticket

Yes and I think that's something that the mavericks in government have completely failed to mention - that when you're on private premises it's the discretion of the owner, not government policy, that actaully matters. That is definitely going to cause some headaches over the next few weeks!

 

[mo237]

100% keeping mine on for the next few months, either until cases drop right down or I've been double jabbed. It's still a sensible precaution to take; covid isn't dissappearing entirely after the 19th.

 

[Danscott22]

It will dependent on the location for me - places where I don't feel necessary, no. Places where I do, yes.

 

[Alsty]

For the most part I'll stop wearing mine, but will carry it with me and wear it in busy trains or venues. To be honest though I think I'll avoid anywhere busy as I don't want to get pinged by the app and have to self-isolate.

I suspect in the short term a lot of places will still ask you to wear one but won't enforce it.

 

[WillPS]

What if they refuse to give you one and refuse to allow admission? Or charge for one?

Then I won't be going in. Probably. I'll see where things are after those couple of weeks I guess, but I don't expect to be asked to wear one in any of the places I frequent.

Interestingly my workplace (a University) sent a memo out saying that from Jul 19th they'll expect staff to wear a mask while inside buildings, without the nuance that currently exists that they're not needed while sat at a socially distanced desk.

 

[jon81uk]

Then I won't be going in. Probably. I'll see where things are after those couple of weeks I guess, but I don't expect to be asked to wear one in any of the places I frequent.

Interestingly my workplace (a University) sent a memo out saying that from Jul 19th they'll expect staff to wear a mask while inside buildings, without the nuance that currently exists that they're not needed while sat at a socially distanced desk.

I also work for a university and they are currently considering mandatory testing to come onto campus, but I’m not sure what we are doing about masks. I expect short term they will be required in corridors/toilets etc but as you say not in offices.

 

[WillPS]

Seems the ground is being laid in this morning's political slots for mask wearing to actually be a bit more required than earlier promised. Guess we'll see what tomorrow brings.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

I won't be wearing one for a second longer than required to. I'm fully vaccinated and ready to get my life back.

I imagine many people feel like this. A large part of me does too, but. . .

100% keeping mine on for the next few months, either until cases drop right down or I've been double jabbed. It's still a sensible precaution to take; covid isn't dissappearing entirely after the 19th.

This time next week I'll have had my 2nd jab. I think it's a fortnight after that when you are as fully protected as possible. So I don't really see the need to wear one beyond that, unless the establishment you are visiting demands it. So, I voted "Depends - I will carry one and use depending how busy and compact places are."

For the most part I'll stop wearing mine, but will carry it with me and wear it in busy trains or venues. To be honest though I think I'll avoid anywhere busy as I don't want to get pinged by the app and have to self-isolate.

I suspect in the short term a lot of places will still ask you to wear one but won't enforce it.

I keep hearing about people being 'pinged by the app'. I don't have the NHS app so I'm not going to be told by my phone to stay at home for 10 days.

Depends really, I think it's stupid to have to wear one on something like an outdoor rollercoaster (mine kept flying off on Nemesis anyway!) - however if I'm in a small crowded shop trying to buy groceries I think it's stupid not to wear one.

I don't agree with the whole 'personal choice' thing - masks don't protect the wearer but the people they come in contact with, and so many people just don't give a sh*t.

Am I missing something here? I was never very good at science, but as Covid is an airborne thing, surely masks serve a dual purpose of both stopping you spreading it if you have it, AND stopping you catching it too? So if you are 2 weeks into your 2nd jab, you are extremely unlikely to catch Covid, hence also extremely unlikely to then spread it. We have to trust the vaccine, surely when a certain percentage of the population are fully vaccinated, the wearing of masks will simply stop in all but maybe a small few settings, otherwise we will be wearing them for the rest of our lives?

 

[NuttySquirrel]

Am I missing something here? I was never very good at science, but as Covid is an airborne thing, surely masks serve a dual purpose of both stopping you spreading it if you have it, AND stopping you catching it too? So if you are 2 weeks into your 2nd jab, you are extremely unlikely to catch Covid, hence also extremely unlikely to then spread it. We have to trust the vaccine, surely when a certain percentage of the population are fully vaccinated, the wearing of masks will simply stop in all but maybe a small few settings, otherwise we will be wearing them for the rest of our lives?

It's a fair question. I think we all agree that being double-jabbed means you're very unlikely to get ill from Covid (unless you have an immunodeficiency condition or similar) - however I don't think it's clear yet whether being double-jabbed stops you from contracting the disease and spreading it to others. There just haven't been enough studies yet showing that being fully vaccinated means you can't be a carrier or be infectious to others. So from that perspective I think it does make sense to keep wearing them in certain settings - at least until we know more.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

It's a fair question. I think we all agree that being double-jabbed means you're very unlikely to get ill from Covid (unless you have an immunodeficiency condition or similar) - however I don't think it's clear yet whether being double-jabbed stops you from contracting the disease and spreading it to others. There just haven't been enough studies yet showing that being fully vaccinated means you can't be a carrier or be infectious to others. So from that perspective I think it does make sense to keep wearing them in certain settings - at least until we know more.

Fair enough. It just seems like we're gonna be wearing the flaming things forever. The way I see it, the elderly and vulnerable have, I guess, all been fully vaccinated. Most adults who want the vaccine, will have had one dose by now. Second dose numbers are going up all the time. Everyone I know in their 50s has had both, most people I know in their 40s have had both. I guess by late Summer / early Autumn, all adults who want it will be fully vaccinated. This leaves the under 17s - I don't know much about this, but heard they need to do more research on whether or not it is a good idea to jab that age group. They are seemingly the ones picking up Covid right now, BUT who are they spreading it to, if you think that adults have been single/double jabbed? I guess they are mainly passing it around themselves and perhaps it isn't going much further due to the success of the vaccine rollout so far.

At that age they are very unlikely to get seriously ill from it, the only positive cases I've heard of, saw those children back a week or so later, which makes it little worse than the flu, and I guess this is where it becomes a case of it being something we have to learn to live with. Isolating rule for kids is changing soon, I think then if you've been in close contact with a positive tested person, you are still expected to go in unless you feel unwell / have symptoms, and just do a daily test for however many days. Makes sense especially as households have piles of home test kits, and they are used to doing them like twice a week anyway.

There will be a point soon (when vast majority of adults are double jabbed) where I'm not sure who we are trying to protect anymore by wearing masks. Teenagers won't be spreading it to parents, grandparents, etc, as they are fully vaccinated, and will just pass it around each other. Won't we then be at the point of the herd immunity thing, where all school age kids will just get it, have a few days off to recover, then get on with life again? Unless in the meantime the powers that be deem it safe for that age group to be vaccinated. That just leaves those who chose not to be vaccinated. What do we do with them, just let them catch it and die? I'm not wearing a mask forever just because some people chose not to be vaccinated!

Yes there are some cases of double jabbed people still getting Covid, but the chances are very small, and even if you do still get it, those people aren't getting seriously ill with it. Cases are up but hospital admissions and deaths are down, and the fear and panic of pre-vaccine 2020 has gone, which tells us that the vaccine is doing its job.

 

[RoyJess]

I fully agree with everything that you have said @Dipper_Dave, but there are those that can't be vaccinated due to medical reasons as well as those that have had the double jab, but are still vulnerable to the virus because they have an autoimmune condition. Jess and I are both double jabbed. We only go out once a week. We were social distancing before covid hit due to Jess medical condition. We won't be wearing our masks unless it's a requirement after the 19th, however if someone is still vulnerable, then don't come close to us, we will be keeping our distance anyway.