Forum Topic

Face masks in shops compulsory - about time

Great news. Long overdue.  Hope it is policed properly.  All fines should go towards NHS.

Alina Danford ● 2303d9 Comments

Shame it's from the 24th of July....

Dominika Szulc ● 2303d

Agree about delay but ai guess its to allow stores to implement changes and allow people time to get masks. They should have said from now and fines will be issued after 24 July. Hopefully common sense will prevail !

Sean Wales ● 2302d

Even this morning there was another virologist on TV saying that face coverings are only of limited use, and that putting on, and especially taking off said mask is likely to spread more germs than enough.What is it with this God forsaken shower of a government that they cannot make a decision and get on with it? To be honest we really don't seem to know whether we're coming or going. And how long will this go on? Quite honestly lumbering the police with enforcing this latest edict is ridiculous, they are hard put to deal with crimes never mind dealing with stroppy people in shops.

Vanessa Smith ● 2302d

Given that a number of people on a fairly empty train on the Hounslow Loop yesterday evening were flouting the rules and not wearing masks, I wonder how many will do the same once the shop ruling comes in ? AFAIK SWR still has guards (or whatever they call them now) on their trains and it would have been easy enough for one to walk down the train and admonish the rule-breakers, but nary a sign of one.

Richard Greenhough ● 2302d

Relying on 'common sense' offers far too much room for personal interpretation. 'They don't make any difference' 'It's a Bilderberg conspiracy' 'I take cannabis oil instead'. For things to work we need clear rules about what to do and what not to do. 'Wear a mask!' Got it. By their nature, rules are arbitrary, but that's what makes them so much easier to follow and enforce. 'Excuse me, sir/madam. Where's your mask?' 'But I don't need one in the pub!' 'I don't care. Put this mask on or you'll have to get off at the next station.'

Peter Evans ● 2302d

Good news, I guess the issue has been divided opinion from medical and scientific community. Social distancing is the key safe guard and the fear is that people wearing masks will get too confident and forget social distancing. Plus as someone pointed out there is a correct way to put on and take off the mask to ensure germs if any do not transfer onto hands. Then it’s important to wash hands/sanitise after removing mask just in case. They need to create public broadcast, social media ads to clearly explain how to wear the facemask, removing etc, some people have no common sense

Jayne Thorburn ● 2302d

Perhaps it would help if the government cut down on the number of 'experts' it keeps wheeling out to harangue us. It is one of the defining characteristics of experts that they love to argue with each other on tiny points of difference and interpretation, hence the 'Wear masks/Don't wear masks' confusion. A firm and clear decision, which this government seems incapable of making, is surely what is required (though they do seem to have tiptoed towards one today).

Colin Jordan ● 2302d

The problem is that any benefit from masks is relatively small, and it does come with the risk of other problems.I was in the queue outside B&Q a few weeks and everyone was keeping a 2m distance, apart from a group who were wearing masks.I think there is a genuine risk that people will get closer to people because they have a mask.  Google the term Risk Compensation.  There is also the issue of them putting it on and taking it off correctly.The overall evidence does seem to suggest that there is a small benefit from masks, but there is no absolute sicentific consensus on that.

Al Webber ● 2302d

I do wonder how they are going to enforce it and god forbid what happened in France should happen here.......French bus driver killed after asking people to wear maskshttps://time.com/5866326/french-bus-driver-beaten-masks/

Carol Burge ● 2302d