Are people here still masking up with in shops and public transport?

[Lance]

FTFY.

the medical exemption was an absolute joke. Exploited by ****s.
If anyone is actually ill enough that they cannot wear a mask then they shouldn't even be outside in a pandemic.

[d000hg]

If anyone is actually ill enough that they cannot wear a mask then they shouldn't even be outside in a pandemic.

The idiots are really queuing up to flaunt their ignorance and prejudice today.

On what basis are you correlating mask exemptions and covid high risk... do you even know which (genuine) conditions might give exemptions? Are you now in favour of telling people they aren't allowed to leave their homes rather than personal freedom?

[OneManBand]

If anyone is actually ill enough that they cannot wear a mask then they shouldn't even be outside in a pandemic.

If anyone is p**ing themselves in fear of a glorified flu, then they shouldn't even be outside in a plandemic of said flu.

[vetran]

Partly that, but I also think it's a useful service to keep peoples' immune systems on the go

Sadly not everyone's immune system is capable of dealing with the workout.

I wear a mask as one relative has breast cancer, another COPD and another prostate cancer and a dicky heart. Then we go on to friends kids with asthma etc. Stay selfish bro!

[NotAllThere]

If anyone is p**ing themselves in fear of a glorified flu, then they shouldn't even be outside in a plandemic of said flu.

Hey look. A covidiot. Enjoy it while you can, they're beginning to die out for some reason.

[OneManBand]

Hey look. A covidiot. Enjoy it while you can, they're beginning to die out for some reason.

Yeah, I've been waiting to catch it for two years now. Can you ask that pathetic wimp of a virus to hurry up and come get me?

I mean seriously: I've been going out grocery shopping every day without a mask ever since this scam started, and never bothered staying 6 ft away from anyone. What's wrong with your virus, really? What does a man have to do to catch it?

[Lance]

The idiots are really queuing up to flaunt their ignorance and prejudice today.

On what basis are you correlating mask exemptions and covid high risk... do you even know which (genuine) conditions might give exemptions? Are you now in favour of telling people they aren't allowed to leave their homes rather than personal freedom?

so tell me. What are the genuine conditions? Everyone I know who has the exemption is an asthmatic smoker. So there is no good reason they cannot wear a mask. It's just uncomfortable for them.

Anyone who struggles to breathe with a mask on, is unlikely to survive a nasty case of Covid. Hence my point that if they're too poorly to wear a mask they should isolate.

And at no point is a person isolating to save their life a restriction of their personal freedom (not unless you're of the Lawrence Fox school of hard thinking).

[d000hg]

so tell me. What are the genuine conditions? Everyone I know who has the exemption is an asthmatic smoker. So there is no good reason they cannot wear a mask. It's just uncomfortable for them.

Autistic people. Many others with mental illnesses are either unable to cope, or unable to have the capacity. Not to mention that asthma isn't just "uncomfortable" either. Attacks can be brought on by anxiety and can be fatal.

Anyone who struggles to breathe with a mask on, is unlikely to survive a nasty case of Covid. Hence my point that if they're too poorly to wear a mask they should isolate.

Nonsense. There are very few people for who Covid poses a mortality risk of >50%.

And at no point is a person isolating to save their life a restriction of their personal freedom (not unless you're of the Lawrence Fox school of hard thinking).

Forcibly restricting the disabled and elderly while allowing the healthy to move freely is about as clear a demonstration of discrimination as one could find, unless they lack the capacity to make these decisions.

And I suppose you'd prefer they sit at home and starve? Despite a huge amount of work, many people on the former shielding list had nobody to do their shopping for them and lacked the ability to have online shopping. They had little choice but to venture outside.
But as you've made clear, you are unable to countenance anyone outside your immediate circle of "asthmatic ex-smokers". Is lack of empathy a hidden disability?

[Lance]

Autistic people. Many others with mental illnesses are either unable to cope, or unable to have the capacity. Not to mention that asthma isn't just "uncomfortable" either. Attacks can be brought on by anxiety and can be fatal.

Nonsense. There are very few people for who Covid poses a mortality risk of >50%.

Forcibly restricting the disabled and elderly while allowing the healthy to move freely is about as clear a demonstration of discrimination as one could find, unless they lack the capacity to make these decisions.

And I suppose you'd prefer they sit at home and starve? Despite a huge amount of work, many people on the former shielding list had nobody to do their shopping for them and lacked the ability to have online shopping. They had little choice but to venture outside.
But as you've made clear, you are unable to countenance anyone outside your immediate circle of "asthmatic ex-smokers". Is lack of empathy a hidden disability?

I think you are misunderstanding my position.

Think back to over a year ago. When the government realised that this wasn't a flu, it was airborne.
The NHS was at risk of being swamped.
We were staring at an R0 of >2.
With a possibly >2% mortality rate. Higher if the hospital ICUs filled up.
And a vaccine wasn't any near ready.
Masks were mandated at that stage to prevent spread.
Most people with even a slightly higher risk were advised to shield.
Schools were closed.
Non-essential shops were closed.

The medical exemption was a sop to pricks who were worried about their "freedumb".


It was high-risk to go into indoor spaces with anyone. hence "wear a mask".
I don't doubt that there might have been a very small percentage of people, with genuine (and reasonable) medical reasons to not wear a mask.

At no point did I ever suggest "forcibly restricting" anyone.

As a point of note. My daughter was never at any point required to wear a mask. But she did.
And I know personally more than one person who had a medical exemption to not wear a mask, but they still wore masks, because they understood the perceived gravity at the time.


As for my lack of empathy..... I don't wear a mask because of me. I wear one for other people. So make of that what you will.

[Whorty]

As sn asthmatic (never smoked) I can wear a mask 95% of the time. Some shops though are too hot and stuffy and I can't get enough air in so I have to lift the mask to breath. If I'm just browsing I'll leave the shop but if I need something in there I'll stay and keep away from people.

Asthma attacks are not pleasant and can be brought on quite easily. Masks really don't help as they do restrict the air coming through.

HTH