Coronavirus - the new strain XXII

But if it's not enforced it becomes pointless hence the reason why Wales/Scotland have not fared any better than England.
It's strange because if you'd asked me before the pandemic who'd be more likely to follow rules I'd have put the French at the bottom of the list but in reality they just get on with it and the general concensus is they do it to protect others which is a pretty good reason in my book.
I came back from a week in London yesterday and I'd say on balance that compliance on the tube was better than in September but those that wilfully travel without a face covering won't change their habits from today.
As for shops - I can honestly say I felt like the odd one out wearing a mask - unbelievable really.

 

Certainly some truth in that. Though I wouldn't take that (or the rest of your post) as being sufficient reason for not mandating masks.

Your post reminded me that for a brief period last year the police would walk down the train when it came into Lewisham station and bang on the window at anyone not wearing a mask. I thought it was quite a good idea! *ducks*

FWIW we all received a text and email yesterday from my employer (a college) stating masks are now compulsory in communal areas. But no one seems to be enforcing it and I'm not sure many more people are wearing masks than last week. I'm trying to do my bit by opening windows!

 

In the most recent survey, 93% of people in Scotland and 97% of people in Wales said they had worn a mask outside their home in the previous week, compared with 80% in England. (October)

Covid: Are people wearing masks less often? - BBC News

 

Oh well if they said so that's all right then.

 

I think that anecdotes about mask wearing are too untrustworthy for making generalisations, because what I see changes from time to time and place to place dramatically.

 

Face mask wearing in South Glasgow is pretty patchy, I don't really go into shops but when I do I'd say there was at least one person not wearing a mask and the staff don't wear them in some shops.

Last week I was in Morrison's petrol station in Giffnock, the guy behind the counter had no mask on, there was a young woman cutting about the shop with a mask on under her nose and she wasn't 'properly queuing' ie just meandering about behind a customer at the counter so I kept out of the way but the customer at the counter turned to leave and had to walk right into her to leave the shop, turned out she was a staff member buying her lunch then a guy came in with no mask on to ask for vouchers for the car wash.

This 'shop' is tiny and I mean tiny, it is actually crowded with four people in it.

Same thing in two merchants I go to, some staff wear masks in one of them and no staff members wear masks in the other one, and customers go in without masks, no one say's a thing to them.

Both places are tiny with posters saying masks are mandatory and only five people at a time and so on.

Same thing in customer's houses I go in with a mask and they look at me as if 'oh, do we have do this!?' I was at a customer yesterday she was obviously caught out cause she just wrapped something (not a mask) around her face, she looked like a bank robber

 

Yes. I had to catch three different tube lines for a journey a few weeks back. It felt like compliance varied greatly from line to line even in the course of a 45 min journey. I've no idea why that might be - though I'm sure there's a PhD in there somewhere!

 

Tory Steve Baker urges MPs to vote against latest Covid rules, saying they are 'path to hell'
Baker says MPs face “a fundamental choice between heading towards heaven and heading towards hell”. The government is taking “the path to hell”, he claims. He says he is going to vote against all the measures, because he want to take the path towards heaven. He says he hopes MPs will follow him.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...08cf1826dd7e18#block-61a640728f08cf1826dd7e18

 

Still - 'world leading' Boris is on TV in a minute so all will be well.

 

We're in North Lanarkshire and compliance is pretty high around here, however, you do see the odd idiot or two.

 

What is it with these people ? The right wing are collectively behaving like 2 year olds. Just wear the f*ck*ng masks, idiots. It's like there's a worldwide pandemic of regression to infantile behavior.

 

Now all you need to do is use up the 1.1.529

 

You've only got to read this thread to realise how many think they are a questionable intervention despite medical evidence by the bucket load to the contrary.

 

Try 'Steve Baker' otherwise known as Deputy Chair of 'The Covid Recovery Group' - does that not say an awful lot..

 

My question wolud be 'who votes these clowns into power' but then, thats going on in another long running thread.

 

Not against mandates in principle either, and they might well be necessary to get mask-wearing to a point where it's going to make a difference. But we're nearly two years into this now, evidence of various kinds is piling up, and we know the costs of this approach as well as the benefits. One cost is the over-policing of black communities: those Lewisham cops did a lot more than bang on a few windows last time. Another cost is public demand for more and more policing, because no matter how high compliance there will always be people who don't wear them, they will not do enough to stop the virus, and there are a lot of angry people out who just can't help putting those two things together. That's part of the price we pay, IMO, for focusing so much on public responsibility and restrictions, and not enough on government responsibility and support.

FWIW, I think the likes of Steve Baker are genuine cranks who actually believe all the things they say about masks and liberty. But also it really is in their interests to ham this up to the max.

 

You have to wonder about the rest of the local party if he's the one they put up for election - it's not like he's just an isolated example either...

 

The sooner the bloody lot of the tories take the path to heaven (or wherever it is tories go) the better.

 

39 716 cases today, 159 deaths and 607 admissions

 

Israel’s health minister has suggested that individuals fully vaccinated against Covid – and within six months of a booster – may also be protected against the Omicron variant. Without citing any data, Nitzan Horowitz told local reporters: “In the coming days we will have more accurate information about the efficacy of the vaccine against Omicron – but there is already room for optimism, and there are initial indications that those who are vaccinated with a vaccine still valid or with a booster, will also be protected from this variant.” The remarks come amid conflicting information about how effective various vaccines and therapies are likely to be against the new variant.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/l...08ab53167b74f9#block-61a65e878f08ab53167b74f9