Wearing face masks or coverings on public transport to be mandatory from June 15th

[BR(S)]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

I’m getting increasingly grumpy (yes, there is still more room on the dial) about mask-wearing, or rather the lack of it, in the supermarket.

 

Even fewer people wear a mask now, so I truly do look like the Lone Loony going round in one .......... I’m doing it in case I’ve got the bug, but don’t yet know it, but barely 1:100 other people seem to bother to protect me!

 

If that’s how it is in a shop, it will be interesting to see how it is on trains.

 

My own unscientific survey yesterday was that "most" people were wearing a face covering (mostly a mask of some sort), both on platforms and on trains.  There was a definite increase in passenger numbers, nowhere near shoulder-to-shoulder of course, but each coach on all trains I saw now had "some" passengers (see what I mean by unscientific?!).  I passed through central London a couple of times, on a shift between 15.00 and 23.00.

 

So on day one, the message had got through and most people were just getting on with it.  Didn't see any fuss or interventions from staff or police.

[The Stationmaster]

15 hours ago, John M Upton said:

Indeed, a defence solicitor would have that thrown out of court in ten seconds flat.  CCTV cannot prove if a person is eligable to claim one of the accepted exemptions for a starter.

But police investigation would - so it would never get to court.

 

4 hours ago, Andy Kirkham said:

 

I'm still not not sure I understand the reason for this. 

The reason for most of us to wear a face covering is to prevent the wearer from infecting other people. If you're not going to meet any other people before you get home, why do you need to keep the mask on?

 

Masks need to be handled and used in various waysbecause there a number of important factors -

1. Wear the mask the right way up - it helps prevent your specs steaming up if nothing else apart from helping it to stay on.,

2. When handling a mask which you have been wearing, or are wearing,  never touch the outside of it -  i.e the blueish-green coloured side of an NHS PPE1 style mask - because that is where someone else's aerosol borne germs or virus will have landed and that is a potential route of infection if you do not immediately wash your hands.

3.  Masks of that type are disposable and not designed for re-use or washing or any other sort of cleaning, dispose after wearing (so you need to have a stock of them if you are regularly going out to places where they are required to be worn).

4.  Once you've put on such a mask then keep it on (and remember Item 2 above if/when you take it off).   And if you don't like wearing the things just spare a thought for NHS staff who are wearing a mask throughout a 12 hour shift.

 

Basically just plain common sense

 

[MR Chuffer]

2 hours ago, Chris116 said:

The test was described to me by the doctor saying that it would test if my wife had had the virus or not. It did not show how much or if she had immunity and did not show if she had the virus at the time of the test. He called it an anti-body test and was very clear that the answer would be yes or no with nothing in between so far as whether my wife had been infected in the past.

I can assure you, mere mortals have no recourse to the anti body tests round here, unless you are front line medical or care staff, or my daughter has been lying to me all these years about being a doctor.

[Chris116]

5 minutes ago, MR Chuffer said:

I can assure you, mere mortals have no recourse to the anti body tests round here, unless you are front line medical or care staff, or my daughter has been lying to me all these years about being a doctor.

My doctor said they had become available to anyone who asks in my area (Wandsworth) about 10 days ago. He had only had a few people ask as most don't know about it. I do know that different areas seem to have different rules on what a doctor can ask for.

[MR Chuffer]

3 minutes ago, Chris116 said:

My doctor said they had become available to anyone who asks in my area (Wandsworth) about 10 days ago. He had only had a few people ask as most don't know about it. I do know that different areas seem to have different rules on what a doctor can ask for.

You're probably right, rural East Lancashire and zero patients in ICU here for many days, not like the London epicentre.

[boxbrownie]

4 hours ago, MR Chuffer said:

Are you confusing anti-body tests with anti-gen tests? Yes, I can have an anti-gen test delivered in the post, to see if I have the virus, not that I've had it = anti-body.

 

My daughter is a doctor, no antibody tests round here, I suspect because the government doesn't want to encourage post-Covid freedoms.

That very strange as our Son is a Doctor and he had the anti-body test easily the other week.

 

Maybe it’s a regional thing?

[Pete the Elaner]

1 hour ago, MR Chuffer said:

I can assure you, mere mortals have no recourse to the anti body tests round here, unless you are front line medical or care staff, or my daughter has been lying to me all these years about being a doctor.

Where exactly is "here"? Your profile does not disclose it.

 

I had several symptoms of Covid in late March/early April. I followed guidelines by staying out of everyone's way until I felt better. At the time, tests were only available for those who needed treatment, so not for me.

I am therefore eligible to donate plasma, which should contain antibodies, so I volunteered & today I became a donor. Apart from taking longer, it was a little different to donating 'whole' blood, mainly taking longer, but certainly not a painful process.

I have been told that they will let me know whether or not I have antibodies & if my plasma has a high count, they are likely to ask me back. White cells are quickly regenerated so I could donate as frequently as every 2 weeks.

 

I learnt quite a lot today!

[Chris116]

22 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

Where exactly is "here"? Your profile does not disclose it.

 

 

His last reply to me says East Lancashire.

[MR Chuffer]

44 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

I had several symptoms of Covid in late March/early April. I followed guidelines by staying out of everyone's way until I felt better.

At the time, end of January, I didn't know that was what I had. My doctor daughter moved in with me having split from her boyfriend just before lockdown having been a GP in Liverpool, another epicentre after that stoopid Champions League football match, what were they thinking of? Within a week, she definitely went down with it, as a test later proved. And we shared food, wine, beer, cuddles during a good film, over 9 weeks. So I'm either immune or I've had it, and if the government isn't prepared to tell me, I'll follow my instincts, like DC.

 

Would happily donate plasma or whatever but the government is so screwed on the facts and the handling of the affair, it's not likely to happen.

 

With all the government hypocrisy and double dealing, do I really need to drive to Barnard Castle for an eye test, I'm done with lockdown, masks and pseudo science.

[Nearholmer]

Have you had this conversation with your GP?

[MR Chuffer]

Why? I know what pressures they're under and they're not about to subvert government policy, and I live with one....

 

Oh, and I drink, or did, with several of them in the local pub.

Edited June 16, 2020 by MR Chuffer
Predictive txt

[Nearholmer]

But, if you don’t ask for a test .......  

[MR Chuffer]

I have been told that I do not qualify because I am not front line medical or care staff, so why should I worry?

 

I have my public transport mask exemption pass and have moved out of lockdown, are people still staring at you in supermarkets for wearing a mask?

[Nearholmer]

17 minutes ago, MR Chuffer said:

why should I worry?

I don’t know, but something seems to be bugging you.

 

Im not sure they are; it’s probably more a case of rampant paranoia or narcissism.

 

[MR Chuffer]

I can assure you, nothing's "bugging" me, not much does. When we get to this number of responses to a non-railway topic, no one cares what you say nor what I say. Do you get it?

 

Perhaps not....

[Nearholmer]

Get what?

[AY Mod]

Ok. Enough please.

[Butler Henderson]

Transdev who operate bus services in parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire are selling these face coverings with proceeds to NHS Charities - available on line (£2.50 from their information kiosks)

 

[Mark Saunders]

3 minutes ago, Butler Henderson said:

Transdev who operate bus services in parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire are selling these face coverings with proceeds to NHS Charities - available on line (£2.50 from their information kiosks)

 

 

These should be sent by post to each household without charge by the Government rather than another profiteering scam by many of those selling them!

[Butler Henderson]

1 hour ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

These should be sent by post to each household without charge by the Government rather than another profiteering scam by many of those selling them!

er.. proceeds to NHS Charities.

[Mark Saunders]

15 minutes ago, Butler Henderson said:

er.. proceeds to NHS Charities.

That's what's worse NHS charities, when the NHS should be fully funded by HM Government!

 

All the word charity does is send people on a guilt trip and companies jumping on the bandwagon!

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

another profiteering scam by many of those selling them!

Personally I consider £4.50 to be a fair price for this style of re-usable covering.  And only £2.50 from their kiosks.  It costs time and money to produce these and mail them.  How much?  My wife has made six for me of a similar style and reckons the fabric costs £1.50 each plus her time.  And those are not professionally produced but home-made in spare time.

 

Proceeds go to NHS charities.  

 

Who is profiteering?  Where is the scam?  Their £4.50 price-tag is cheaper than many bus fares and (London aside) £2.50 would surely be among cheapest bus fares anywhere.  Just my opinion.  

[Mark Saunders]

4 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Personally I consider £4.50 to be a fair price for this style of re-usable covering.  And only £2.50 from their kiosks.  It costs time and money to produce these and mail them.  How much?  My wife has made six for me of a similar style and reckons the fabric costs £1.50 each plus her time.  And those are not professionally produced but home-made in spare time.

 

Proceeds go to NHS charities.  

 

Who is profiteering?  Where is the scam?  Their £4.50 price-tag is cheaper than many bus fares and (London aside) £2.50 would surely be among cheapest bus fares anywhere.  Just my opinion.  

 

You try going around and seeing the one use disposable ones for sale at silly money for rubbish, plenty profiteering about!

[Gwiwer]

4 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

You try going around and seeing the one use disposable ones for sale at silly money for rubbish, plenty profiteering about!

I get those free for use at work.  As do many other people.  And no, I will not pay what I consider silly money for a chuck-away item; there is always someone offering a better price if you need to buy them at all.  

[John M Upton]

It's totally unscientific survey time:

 

Meandering along the Sussex Coast for four days, the average observed face covering rates I have observed, about 75% on Monday, down to about 60% on Wednesday, today it was heading down to about 40%.

 

Lots of confusion about where you have to and do not have to wear them (some still under the impression that you have to wear them on the station but not on the train rather than the correct other way around for example) and seemingly different policies for staff as well between operators, everyone on GTR (most drivers not bothering though) but hardly anyone on SWR that I have observed.

 

By this time next week I think the whole thing will have become unintentionally voluntary/advisory outside of Greater London.