A disproportionate amount of (Former) High street shoppers are older, and have spare cash (the youth are busy working and paying mortgages etc). Now they want to try to ‘reboot’ our consumer economy (which they deliberately switched off) they need to make the boomers feel confident to go out again. Most remain absolutely terrified perhaps by the constant fear news (the BBC has been just one story for 4 months!....coronavirus.)....the incoming Mandatory mask protocols are an attempt to assuage their fears and get them out spending again.... discussion of the efficiency of a sawdust mask or blue surgical mask (which a surgeon will change every 15 minutes) are moot. It’s about psychology and stopping millions being dumped on the dole due to small Retail and service business failure. Serious potential problem and much bigger than having a sweaty bacteria laden oxygen inhibiting bit of paper on your face, .... if the economy is more like a physical body than a computer, then the reboot won’t really work ..
What if someone has breathing difficulties? or (like me) Claustriaphobia? But it's okay because we were told to do it by a government that knows nothing about anything.
That’s a tricky one. My mum has quite bad claustrophobia (no breathing problems unless panic sets in), so she is ‘training’ herself in wearing a mask. There are probably masks out there that facilitate breathing far better than standard ones. All else can be done is to keep a distance, keep as much as possible sanitised (we touch so many things then inadvertently touch our faces) and if possible allow others to do as much on your behalf as they can e.g shopping trips. These are all just minimising measures. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I also suffer from claustrophobia. Luckily it isn't triggered by wearing a mask, but if it was then it would be nigh on impossible for me to go into a shop without having a 'panic attack' (only description I can give for what occurs if claustrophobia strikes). Anybody who doesn't suffer from it really can't imagine the feeling. The way I try to explain it is by saying that it would almost be preferable to be put out of my misery than to have my legs strapped down. Personally if masks caused me to panic I would use a bandana. No difference to somebody who doesn't suffer from claustrophobia, huge difference to somebody who does.
My own personal opinion is this: If you knew the full ins and outs, I asume it will not make you less claustrophobic and it certainly wont make someone with difficulties breathing breath easier, will it? ( im not a doctor or a scientist) A face covering is not an airtight seal against the face breathing through charcoal filled cylinders to filter out really nasty gases, a mask like that (lets call is a respirator) is a bit resrictive to breath through, BUT you can still breath through it, it even keeps you alive, it even allows you to control and fire a weapon, run and walk with heavy equipment. What I am trying to say here is that having a fairly loose fitting face covering of some variety may well help stop the spread of the virus. With the experiences I have had around the world, I am pretty good at follwing rules, I dont try and find a get out clause. However if there is a good reason (claustrophobia, breathing diffculties etc) then so be it, I am sure there is some sort of exemption you can get.
The BBC has simply covered the same story most of the broadcast and news media has covered for the last four months. Has that contributed to the older shoppers fear of going out? Possibly, but as mainstream media has become sidelined to a degree by social media, it’s also possible some of the fear has come from the scaremongering rubbish shared on the likes of FB. We got our washable masks yesterday, so we’ll wear them as requested. None of us have health conditions that would exempt us so we don’t mind too much
I don't think it's so much fear as that the whole shopping "experience" that was once a social pleasure for many has been stripped to it's bare essentials and is no longer any fun.
I tried going shopping the other day and had to go out the shop and tbh the mask made it more difficult. The main problem is people with masks think they are safe so don't tend to social distance.
It does stop their breath hitting you with force, if they cough, sneeze,etc. It’s a physical barrier, which shortens the travel distance of the breath.
Again another horrible shopping experience today, this time B & Q herded around the shop 3 times to find what I wanted and Screwfit only taking online orders. Think I'll just sit on me backside and watch Amazon take over the world.
Safe distancing in a super market, is nonsense, really. Imagine this... It’s winter, it’s cold, there’s no air flow. You can see your breath hanging in the air, yes? Now. It’s summer, it’s warm, there’s no air flow. You CANT see your breath, but it’s still there. Walking 2m behind someone in a supermarket, you are effectively walking into someone’s exhaled breath, pretty much all the time! If everyone wore a mask, then it’s really not a problem.”Coughs and sneezes, spread diseases, As my dear old mum says. She always used to say “wash your hands before you eat”. The advice from decades ago, hasn’t really changed!
Another question is because we are not mixing with other people and not breathing in their exhaled air, our own immune ststems could be not as good as before C19. Also what about dating? how's that gonna happen?
screwfix are doing online orders but y0u can click and collect from store, buy and pay online and then go and collect, you wait in a soicailly distanced line and are called forward when you goods are ready, you go in collect and leave. very fast and simple experince in screwfix
Man shopping stylee... I used to dream of the day when man would no longer have to drag round shops following woman. Sadly it came too late for me, but for millions of men - what a reprieve!
