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

[MadAmster]

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

Could the snowflakes, theoretically, be part of a conspiracy?

[Ram59]

Not a large survey, but it may give an indication as to why the BAME figures have been so high.

I regularly visit my local Aldi store with a predominantly white customer base. Generally, there is 1 shopper or family group who are not wearing face masks, so you've got around 95% compliance.

Coming through inner city Birmingham today, I popped into another busy Aldi. 3 white customers all wearing face coverings. The rest were BAME, of which only around 25% were wearing them.

If this is an indication of the level of BAME visible compliance with the law, what has been the level of compliance in their homes and meeting places?

[Geoff Parkstone]

I can corroborate that - I recently went through East Croydon train station in what used to be called "rush hour", where masks were mandated. Had to change trains there. Almost everyone was sporting masks, except for 5: all 5 of whom were black. Typical ethinc mix on station at that time of day 80% white 10% black 10% brown.

Further correlation is evidenced in the secondary lockdown figures. Leicester, Bradford, Luton, Blackburn (and then later most of south Lancashire/Yorkshire) All these areas have high BAME element in population. Question is, which is cause and which is effect?

[Andy_Faber]

Not a large survey, but it may give an indication as to why the BAME figures have been so high.

I regularly visit my local Aldi store with a predominantly white customer base. Generally, there is 1 shopper or family group who are not wearing face masks, so you've got around 95% compliance.

Coming through inner city Birmingham today, I popped into another busy Aldi. 3 white customers all wearing face coverings. The rest were BAME, of which only around 25% were wearing them.

If this is an indication of the level of BAME visible compliance with the law, what has been the level of compliance in their homes and meeting places?

Now the tourists have gone its a very similar situation in my bit of Spain, nearly 100% compliance amongst white locals, BAME (which here is almost all black African) maybe 10% compliance, most wearing them on their chins and keeping a lookout for the Guardia Civil
For balance, the local rag is reporting tourist boats ADVERTISING trips with no social distancing or masks required, I believe the govt are on the case of this

[Ram59]

Next, we consider cause and effect. We know the effect part, higher covid numbers, but what is the cause and how can it be addressed?

Surely, after all this time, it can't be ignorance. You can use anything for face coverings, so we eliminate cost. All that leaves is defiance, at the risk to your society's health, which doesn't make sense, either. Maybe Panorama should investigate or maybe it would be considered racist?

[Andy_Faber]

Next, we consider cause and effect. We know the effect part, higher covid numbers, but what is the cause and how can it be addressed?

Maybe Panorama should investigate or maybe it would be considered racist?

There's the problem yet again, the media dare not call out racial/cultural weaknesses. There was a news item on BBC breakfast earlier in the weak reporting on the causes of new spikes. The original report fingered 'the young' and 'BAME communities'. It was repeated (as they do) the hour following and the 'BAME communities' bit had been edited out, and, being suspicious of mind, I checked later on the iplayer and its been edited out there too. Similar regarding Roma communities, I mentioned this ages ago in Stoke and its also an issue in Sheffield, where the local press are telling it like it is (very poor compliance if any) but it doesn't make it onto TV where most folk get their news

[ramAnag]

Always wary of such anecdotal reporting. I was in Ashbourne on Tuesday and there was virtually 100% compliance, including me.
Visited a mate in Quarndon yesterday and returned via Allestree where there didn’t appear to be anyone wearing a mask.
Is Ashbourne compliant and Allestree uncompliant or was that just my ‘snapshot’?
Suspect there is a problem with some in the BAME community but the spikes may be more the result of living in extended families than failure to wear masks
Wouldn’t suggest the majority of those on the crowded beaches of Dorset and Brighton were anything other than white but I haven’t heard anyone draw particular attention to that either.
Interestingly another friend visited Holland last week...they appeared mystified at his willingness to wear a mask in public, ‘too late for that now’ was the apparent consensus.

[Andy_Faber]

Always wary of such anecdotal reporting. I was in Ashbourne on Tuesday and there was virtually 100% compliance, including me.
Visited a mate in Quarndon yesterday and returned via Allestree where there didn’t appear to be anyone wearing a mask.
Is Ashbourne compliant and Allestree uncompliant or was that just my ‘snapshot’?
Suspect there is a problem with some in the BAME community but the spikes may be more the result of living in extended families than failure to wear masks
Wouldn’t suggest the majority of those on the crowded beaches of Dorset and Brighton were anything other than white but I haven’t heard anyone draw particular attention to that either.
Interestingly another friend visited Holland last week...they appeared mystified at his willingness to wear a mask in public, ‘too late for that now’ was the apparent consensus.

But if there’s evidence that there’s even a 1% reduction in spread by wearing them, then they are wrong. Or to paraphrase a discussion I heard before I came away ‘I’m more bothered about not killing your mum than you are’...

[ramAnag]

But if there’s evidence that there’s even a 1% reduction in spread by wearing them, then they are wrong. Or to paraphrase a discussion I heard before I came away ‘I’m more bothered about not killing your mum than you are’...

Yep, sorry...I wasn’t suggesting otherwise. The Dutch comment was just an observation. I was neither criticising nor applauding it.

[Andy_Faber]

Ra, my comments, like yours, aren’t anecdotes they’re observations. There is an interesting point about the South Coast beaches and that is that if the Vast majority of the virus is in the BAME community and the vast majority of beach Goers are white (they aren’t all white, most of the people BBC interview there are BAME...), they are actually fairly safe as the two communities are effectively shielding from one another. That’s not an observation, I think it’s a hypothesis. Edit and it doesn’t excuse the beach goers...