OT - to mask or not to mask........

[MadAmster]

...... that is the question.

So far we haven't had to in NL except for on public transport. masks on full buses, trams,metro and train make sense to me when folk are up close and personal. Whether it's necessary out in the open where the consensus of medical of opinion is that it's far less transferable there warrants masks is the question. IMO, if folk keep to the stipulated distance, it shouldn't be necessary but people are, increasingly congregating, making places very busy and in those circumstances masks might be a help.

Thanks to a couple of hot spots, the R number here has now risen to 1.29 and that has led a group of 7 specialists to write to the government recommending the use of face masks in all public spaces including on the street. Not sure how that would work in a bar or restaurant though.

Do masks help? there are 2 different schools of thought. One is that they don't and, what else, one that they do. You can't get round the fact that face masks do not prevent you getting droplets in the eye and possibly catching CV-19 that way. They may not stop you inhaling droplets, they may. However, they may well stop many of the droplets you breathe out reaching others. This photo might be photoshopped but it does show what many think the benefit of masks is......

[ramAnag]

...... that is the question.

So far we haven't had to in NL except for on public transport. masks on full buses, trams,metro and train make sense to me when folk are up close and personal. Whether it's necessary out in the open where the consensus of medical of opinion is that it's far less transferable there warrants masks is the question. IMO, if folk keep to the stipulated distance, it shouldn't be necessary but people are, increasingly congregating, making places very busy and in those circumstances masks might be a help.

Thanks to a couple of hot spots, the R number here has now risen to 1.29 and that has led a group of 7 specialists to write to the government recommending the use of face masks in all public spaces including on the street. Not sure how that would work in a bar or restaurant though.

Do masks help? there are 2 different schools of thought. One is that they don't and, what else, one that they do. You can't get round the fact that face masks do not prevent you getting droplets in the eye and possibly catching CV-19 that way. They may not stop you inhaling droplets, they may. However, they may well stop many of the droplets you breathe out reaching others. This photo might be photoshopped but it does show what many think the benefit of masks is......

Sounds like the Dutch are taking a very similar line to us, until today at least, MA.
As far as shops are concerned...I went to my local Homebase yesterday and genuinely forgot to take a mask. Interestingly, perhaps, the majority of customers were wearing one, but none of the staff were.
I know it wasn’t mandatory, until today, but I think I’d decided to wear one out of respect for others...especially shop workers who have no choice but to be in their place of work. On yesterday’s minimal evidence...they’re not that bothered.
Conversely no one has been allowed into my local medical centre without a mask for the last fortnight or so.
Guess it’s just best to ‘go with the flow’ on this one...if it makes people feel more comfortable and secure I suppose that helps with the return to normality.

[Andy_Faber]

Sounds like the Dutch are taking a very similar line to us, until today at least, MA.
As far as shops are concerned...I went to my local Homebase yesterday and genuinely forgot to take a mask. Interestingly, perhaps, the majority of customers were wearing one, but none of the staff were.
I know it wasn’t mandatory, until today, but I think I’d decided to wear one out of respect for others...especially shop workers who have no choice but to be in their place of work. On yesterday’s minimal evidence...they’re not that bothered.
Conversely no one has been allowed into my local medical centre without a mask for the last fortnight or so.
Guess it’s just best to ‘go with the flow’ on this one...if it makes people feel more comfortable and secure I suppose that helps with the return to normality.

Currently out in Spain and guess which nationality is being least compliant on face masks.....

[Ram59]

Sounds like the Dutch are taking a very similar line to us, until today at least, MA.
As far as shops are concerned...I went to my local Homebase yesterday and genuinely forgot to take a mask. Interestingly, perhaps, the majority of customers were wearing one, but none of the staff were.
I know it wasn’t mandatory, until today, but I think I’d decided to wear one out of respect for others...especially shop workers who have no choice but to be in their place of work. On yesterday’s minimal evidence...they’re not that bothered.
Conversely no one has been allowed into my local medical centre without a mask for the last fortnight or so.
Guess it’s just best to ‘go with the flow’ on this one...if it makes people feel more comfortable and secure I suppose that helps with the return to normality.

I like the fact that you're going with the flow RA, but this isn't advisory, it is a legal requirement.

It makes me laugh when the TV media, as usual, are hyping up as to who is going to police this and interviewing store management, who are saying that they are powerless and unwilling to enforce this law.

These are the same people who took it upon themselves to refuse to allow me to buy more than one bottle of milk, when I was shopping for 3 shielded households in addition to my own. It's simple, no mask, no entry or no access to the checkout. Do they allow children to buy glue or alcohol?

We are all part of society and should all contribute to it, with or without the law.

[Andy_Faber]

We are all part of society and should all contribute to it, with or without the law.

Exactly. Be grown ups eh?

[Geoff Parkstone]

Currently out in Spain and guess which nationality is being least compliant on face masks.....

The Persians?

[AdiSalisbury]

Currently out in Spain and guess which nationality is being least compliant on face masks.....

Welsh?

[ramAnag]

I like the fact that you're going with the flow RA, but this isn't advisory, it is a legal requirement.

It makes me laugh when the TV media, as usual, are hyping up as to who is going to police this and interviewing store management, who are saying that they are powerless and unwilling to enforce this law.

These are the same people who took it upon themselves to refuse to allow me to buy more than one bottle of milk, when I was shopping for 3 shielded households in addition to my own. It's simple, no mask, no entry or no access to the checkout. Do they allow children to buy glue or alcohol?

We are all part of society and should all contribute to it, with or without the law.

I understand that it’s a ‘legal requirement’, Ram...and personally I agree with your ‘no mask...no entry’ stance.
It doesn’t make total sense imo...for instance the online Derbyshire advice yesterday was emphatic about masks in shops while in the next article they were encouraging maskless people to ‘Help Out - Eat Out’...but my point was that the best thing to do is set aside the questionability of the advice and follow the rules for, as you suggest, ‘the good of society’.

I do however have more sympathy for those who have to enforce those rules...there are some aggressive a****oles around who will make things difficult and such issues are not usually matters that shop keepers/workers have to deal with.

[MadAmster]

Dutch Justice Minister announced yesterday that, as the experts don't seem capable of agreeing on masks/no masks, they see no need, at this time, to change their advice/instructions. Namely, maintain 1.5m, wash your hands raw, avoid crowds and to wear a mask on public transport.

They will, of course, be keeping an eye on the data and masks could become compulsory outdoors at a later date. There are also indications that, should a further lockdown be deemed warranted, it will be local/regional as opposed to national.

Also yesterday, both Germany and Belgium announced a return to compulsory mask wearing outdoors and in shops etc. Guess where we were planning to go for a week from the 10th.......... yep, Germany and Belgium visiting family.

[mistaram]

I like the fact that you're going with the flow RA, but this isn't advisory, it is a legal requirement.

It makes me laugh when the TV media, as usual, are hyping up as to who is going to police this and interviewing store management, who are saying that they are powerless and unwilling to enforce this law.

These are the same people who took it upon themselves to refuse to allow me to buy more than one bottle of milk, when I was shopping for 3 shielded households in addition to my own. It's simple, no mask, no entry or no access to the checkout. Do they allow children to buy glue or alcohol?


We are all part of society and should all contribute to it, with or without the law.

Great points Ram , it's mainly the snowflakes moaning about having to wear a mask But they moan about everything don't they