I wear a mask or not for the purchase of my food -My question for the moment- What is your opinion ?

Even more disturbing are people like me who have to enforce mask wearing while working in a restaurant to ensure job security when I most certainly do NOT think it is any of my business to tell a customer to wear a mask like I'm their mother! Better yet, I have to look upset and angry at customers who do not wear masks to 'blend in' with my coworkers! Time to work on my acting skills... Blending in might be the best defense when your friends, family and coworkers start reporting people to the authority!

Me too I'm sorry Doug, that's one of the most horrible places to be in in that whole craziness :-(

There is an old German protest song that I find very touching and appropriate in this situation. It's called "Die Gedanken sind frei" - "The thoughts are free". No matter what they do to us, they cannot touch our thoughts, and our soul. We always can be free, at least in our hearts :hug2:

Here's the English version by Peter Seeger, and the German original with English subtitles:


 
Just to clarify, I have no intention of paying the fine (£100) and would either make a dignified exit if requested after presenting my case (if necessary) or wear a face covering and continue shopping. I fully expect however that most store employees would be satisfied with viewing an exemption card.

As mentioned previously my current stance on this issue is to use a printed face covering exemption card or show one on my phone. I have opted to use the card "I am exempt because I have a health issue which means I cannot wear a face mask" which I have placed inside a plastic lanyard wallet. I have kept it in the top pocket of my shirt for easy access this morning while shopping. I also have relevant website pages ready for viewing on my phone if further information was requested. So today, the first day in the UK for the mandatory wearing of face coverings in shops my experiences thus far are:

1. Launderette - The lady who works there asked me what the regulations are and where she could get exemption cards after showing her mine. I am giving her some spare ones later when I collect my washing. She was interested in the hearing about the detrimental effects of wearing face masks.

2. DVD store - I was the only one without a face mask, including the staff. At the till I chatted to to one them who recognised me as a regular customer. No one asked me to put a mask on or queried why I wasn't wearing one.

3. Newsagents - Some man who approached the store just after me yelled "He isn't wearing a mask" just as I was entering. I got my paper and queued up and the woman on the till asked me to put a mask on. I said I have an exemption card and showed it and she was happy with that, giving it a cursory glance at distance. When at the till she apologised and said she had to ask. I replied that I fully understood her position. The man who yelled initially came up to me outside and asked about the exemption cards and where he could get one.

4. Bakery - I got a coffee to take out. No one asked me to put a mask on or queried why I wasn't wearing one.

So far it has been pretty much as I expected. It does feel uncomfortable at times for sure to be 'the odd one out' but that is fine and is may be character building. :-D

At some point I will probably come across a petty tyrant type, but I have been practising and preparing for such scenarios and have knowledge and the courage of my convictions on my side. Acting in a courteous manner, being informed and having the confidence to engage with someone when necessary is my current strategy.

I know I have absolutely nothing to be afraid or ashamed of despite a few unfriendly looks from onlookers. I also have the choice to walk away quietly, calmly present my case if necessary or even wear a mask if no other option presents itself. Every situation may be different but I always have choices.
 
Masks are mandatory here in shops and public transport, basically anywhere anti social distancing is not possible. I've been to the supermarket twice and the butchers, didnt wear a mask. No one said anything, I might be flying in a few weeks, depends on how things go. Don't think I'll get away with not wearing a mask on the plane or the airport, so will have one with me.

People are up in arms with Americans not quarantining for two weeks on arrival, hotels are now asking for dates of arrival.

Here's a video from 'an old man in a chair', Dr Vernon Coleman on mask wearing.


This guy is great, enjoy listening to him.
 
@liam1310 I recently flew to Portugal.

You can get away by wearing your mask under the nose in the airport, or you can go to a food court, buy something to eat, sit down, take your mask off and if anyone questions say you are eating. No one will question you as airports are massive and people are minding their own business!

In the plane you can't escape wearing a mask but you can have it under your nose as long as you keep an eye out for the gestapo - the employees.

I saw one guy with a VERY nifty home made design.

You know how masks have 2 straps, one that goes up your ear and the other that goes underneath.

The guy cut off the bottom one and tied the top one round his ears. The mask was resting on his nose but it wasn't actually latched onto his face.

You wouldn't know this unless you took a very close look at him.

Not sure if that meant he could breath freely but anyways, it was wonderful to see a REBEL out there - a clever one at that, keeping a low profile pretending to be sheep!
 
Cheers @SOTTREADER



Just wondering was the 14 day quarantine in effect on your return to the UK?? Did you fill out a form on your return??

On return to the UK you have to fill out a form... It doesn't matter what country you're coming from.

The interesting thing about this form is that they won't email it to you... If on your return you haven't downloaded and filled it in from the government website, you'll have to do it at the airport.

The form is basically you listing out most of your personal info (info that they have anyways) - Name, address, contact details, passport details etc.

Regarding the quarantine they just tell you that you should stay at home for 14 days... At the moment, there has been no enforcement of this in the UK as it'll involve police randomly turning up to your house to spot check and the cops are like they aren't going to waste their time driving round to people's houses.

But yeah, apparently they can turn up at any point to check you're indeed at home.
 
Also just wanted to mention that what the UK government is doing with regards Portugal is VERY strange. For some reason they don't want people to visit it but I don't understand why.


Lisbon, where I visited appeared very safe and almost deserted of tourists.

Most of everything you can do outdoors - eat, sightsee etc so you're hardly ever in where "risk may be elevated".

Most tourists are avoiding the country anyways which if I'm to be honest is making it a VERY SAFE DESTINATION.

Some photos

Crowded beaches - BE VERY AFRAID!

IMG_20200719_141337.jpg

Other side of the beach - VERY CROWDED!

IMG_20200719_141312.jpg

Crowded monuments

IMG_20200717_143209.jpg

Crowded streets

IMG_20200720_130022.jpg
 
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As mentioned previously my current stance on this issue is to use a printed face covering exemption card or show one on my phone. I have opted to use the card "I am exempt because I have a health issue which means I cannot wear a face mask" which I have placed inside a plastic lanyard wallet. I have kept it in the top pocket of my shirt for easy access this morning while shopping. I also have relevant website pages ready for viewing on my phone if further information was requested. So today, the first day in the UK for the mandatory wearing of face coverings in shops my experiences thus far are:

1. Launderette - The lady who works there asked me what the regulations are and where she could get exemption cards after showing her mine. I am giving her some spare ones later when I collect my washing. She was interested in the hearing about the detrimental effects of wearing face masks.

2. DVD store - I was the only one without a face mask, including the staff. At the till I chatted to to one them who recognised me as a regular customer. No one asked me to put a mask on or queried why I wasn't wearing one.

3. Newsagents - Some man who approached the store just after me yelled "He isn't wearing a mask" just as I was entering. I got my paper and queued up and the woman on the till asked me to put a mask on. I said I have an exemption card and showed it and she was happy with that, giving it a cursory glance at distance. When at the till she apologised and said she had to ask. I replied that I fully understood her position. The man who yelled initially came up to me outside and asked about the exemption cards and where he could get one.

4. Bakery - I got a coffee to take out. No one asked me to put a mask on or queried why I wasn't wearing one.

So far it has been pretty much as I expected. It does feel uncomfortable at times for sure to be 'the odd one out' but that is fine and is may be character building. :-D

At some point I will probably come across a petty tyrant type, but I have been practising and preparing for such scenarios and have knowledge and the courage of my convictions on my side. Acting in a courteous manner, being informed and having the confidence to engage with someone when necessary is my current strategy.

I know I have absolutely nothing to be afraid or ashamed of despite a few unfriendly looks from onlookers. I also have the choice to walk away quietly, calmly present my case if necessary or even wear a mask if no other option presents itself. Every situation may be different but I always have choices.

Reading your reactions that you got, had me thinking, it might be fun to get one of those name tag thingys, and just clip it on. Could be a real conversation starter.
😷🎭
 
I'm so sorry for you, and many others who are in the same situation! What a world! But please feel free to rant here, while you keep your strategic enclosure and your job. Some people are forced to act as the Gestapo, but are the best kind of "resistance" inside their minds and in their own networks. So, hang in there.

I will hang in there! One of the beautiful things I have enjoyed about my time in food service is that it makes for great 'practice' with dealing with a huge assortment of personalities that requires an adapt 'quick on your feet' mental muscle. It is exhausting but its all I got at the moment in terms of employment opportunities so I'm just making the mental switch to see it as practice and to just sort of realize that it has nothing to do with me because well, it doesn't.

Another interesting note is that the "realities are splitting" comment from the Cs in the last session is totally apparent in the restaurant world. The way people have been tipping has been greatly polarized. Some people are leaving proportionally huge tips (30-50% range) seemingly out of sympathy and I have also been completely stiffed (i.e. 0%) way more often than before Covid.

Lastly, I would also recommend to anyone here that if you havn't already to read "Defying Hitler" by Sebastian Haffner. A great and easy read that is completely relevant to the mask wearing situation at hand.
 
As mentioned previously my current stance on this issue is to use a printed face covering exemption card or show one on my phone. I have opted to use the card "I am exempt because I have a health issue which means I cannot wear a face mask" which I have placed inside a plastic lanyard wallet. I have kept it in the top pocket of my shirt for easy access this morning while shopping. I also have relevant website pages ready for viewing on my phone if further information was requested. So today, the first day in the UK for the mandatory wearing of face coverings in shops my experiences thus far are:

1. Launderette - The lady who works there asked me what the regulations are and where she could get exemption cards after showing her mine. I am giving her some spare ones later when I collect my washing. She was interested in the hearing about the detrimental effects of wearing face masks.

2. DVD store - I was the only one without a face mask, including the staff. At the till I chatted to to one them who recognised me as a regular customer. No one asked me to put a mask on or queried why I wasn't wearing one.

3. Newsagents - Some man who approached the store just after me yelled "He isn't wearing a mask" just as I was entering. I got my paper and queued up and the woman on the till asked me to put a mask on. I said I have an exemption card and showed it and she was happy with that, giving it a cursory glance at distance. When at the till she apologised and said she had to ask. I replied that I fully understood her position. The man who yelled initially came up to me outside and asked about the exemption cards and where he could get one.

4. Bakery - I got a coffee to take out. No one asked me to put a mask on or queried why I wasn't wearing one.

So far it has been pretty much as I expected. It does feel uncomfortable at times for sure to be 'the odd one out' but that is fine and is may be character building. :-D

At some point I will probably come across a petty tyrant type, but I have been practising and preparing for such scenarios and have knowledge and the courage of my convictions on my side. Acting in a courteous manner, being informed and having the confidence to engage with someone when necessary is my current strategy.

I know I have absolutely nothing to be afraid or ashamed of despite a few unfriendly looks from onlookers. I also have the choice to walk away quietly, calmly present my case if necessary or even wear a mask if no other option presents itself. Every situation may be different but I always have choices.

Nicely done! Really interesting - I think a lot of people don't really agree with the mandate for masks, but are just so used to going along with what they're told, don't want stir the pot even a little. The very first time I wore a mask in a store when it was announced by the city, I walked into a Walmart Grocery store and saw a few other people not wearing them, and I thought "Hmmm.. well, no one is saying anything to them, or bothering them, I shouldn't be wearing this - wait a minute - I wonder if by seeing others who dissent, that gives courage those who would like to dissent, but don't yet possess the courage?". It's also important to mentally prepare for the occasion where you're confronted, and to use knowledge, confidence, with a polite tone.
 
Hello to the Group,

Are there people who live in a place where you are obliged to wear a mask in closed places ? What do you do when you go to the store to buy your food ?
I am aware of the uselessness of the mask. The scientific facts are clear on this. I want to respect my ethics and my freedom but I cannot enter the store without having a mask. I would like your opinion. What do you do if you experience the same thing ?

Thank you for your help

Marc
Recently a bylaw was passed in my city, making masks mandatory, but there are exemptions
"2. (a) The policy shall include the following exemptions from the requirement to wear a Mask or Face Covering:
(1) children under two years of age;
(2) persons with an underlying medical condition which inhibits their ability to wear a Mask or Face Covering;
(3) persons who are unable to place or remove a Mask or Face Covering without assistance;
(4) employees and agents of the person responsible for the Establishment within an area designated for them and not for public access, or within or behind a physical barrier; and
(5) persons who are reasonably accommodated by not wearing a Mask or Face Covering in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code.
(b)The policy shall permit the temporary removal of a Mask or Face Covering where necessary for the purpose of receiving services, or while actively engaging in an athletic or fitness activity.
(c) Subject to the exemptions in section 2(a), the policy shall require that employees wear a Mask or Face Covering when working in the enclosed public space.
(d) The policy shall not require employees or members of the public to provide proof of any of the exemptions set out in section 2(a)."
To me 2.(d) is a lot of wiggle room, a pretty big envelope that I take advantage of by not wearing a mask.
Technically, since I have been diagnosed with COPD, I have an exemption, but since NO ONE can ask me if I have an exemption, I just walk into what ever enclosed space and I am sometimes asked if I have a mask, and I will say, "No I don't, thank you." One fellow guarding the door of a supermarket in another town said it was mandatory to wear a mask. I said "I am not going to wear a mask, thank you" and walked in. I think most people are compliant, and friends have said they have gotten 'dirty looks' when not wearing a mask, or wearing it improperly. I think as I look older, that people just assume I have an exemption, or perhaps it is my confidence, that fact that I am not scared of 1) not wearing a mask, and/or 2) by implication not afraid of the virus? Perhaps it is so far out of the norm of the majority of people around me, that people aren't sure of how to react?
I don't know if this is of any assistance in your situation Marc, I don't know if there are exemptions where you are, and if you need to prove that you have an exemption, like a permission to travel pass on an occupied planet. If there are exemptions that might be a route to go if you are comfortable with it.
If they make masks mandatory for all with no exemptions then I suppose I will have to wear one as I don't think I would use an 'exemption card' if that is what I needed to not wear a mask.
I am toying with the idea of making up a business size card with information on the uselessness of masks (links to studies, etc) to hand out to people I see wearing masks, especially the ones that break my heart such as old people walking with canes or walkers wearing a mask, even and especially outside! If I present the information properly, and if they are open to it, it may do some good even though I suspect that for most people it is a social convention, a protection not against the virus, but against standing out from the crowd.
Perhaps wearing a mask would actually be a good thing for me to do, as a form of work on myself.
 
I haven't managed to read the entire thread (sorry, I am also discovering that I am a slow reader) but I thought it would be good for me to just share my experiences in COVID-84 land in Malaysia. and I apologize for not being a very good poster as of late. Work has been amping up the stress factor.

Well as far as face masks are concern I would consider myself to be more than willing to wear them if it means being able to get my groceries, however, my previous attitude was completely the opposite, devil may care and you authorities and shop owners be damned with your rules, so to speak. I did take my FOTCM membership as a sort of license to behave this way but a recent incident two weeks ago at a gym (they don't force wearing of face masks) where I blatantly did NOT write my name on the book after getting temperature scanned, and then after that having this extremely strong attack of fear and guilt that I might possibly get in trouble with the authorities, changed my attitude completely. So I don't take the rules as lightly as I used to, because I now realize that there can be emotional consequences, 3D lessons at my level at least.

To be fair though, I did have a conversation with the gym guy a week before that based on this article where the Chief Medic of the UK says how the COVID is not as harmful as it's hyped up to be. He said that what happens in the UK is not relevant to what happens in this country. In the end we kind of concluded that it was up to me to sign the book or not. But today he says that the Health Ministry representatives conduct spot checks to ensure compliance and there are fines involved. So they are cracking the whip now, I guess. :-(

The government has made wearing of face masks mandatory in public after Aug. 1, so I guess it will be time to stay at home more, comply to the rules. I'm not saying that I WANT to be controlled, though I have to say that I am an extremely "bendable"/flexible kind of individual - which tells something about my level of being and gives me pause to think about how much I still need to learn (moral endoskeleton vs. exoskeleton comes to mind, some great articles below). However, I can look at it as an exercise in doing what IT doesn't want, at the same time (and this is one of those paradoxes our times are providing us as lessons, osit) keeping that awareness of the utter absurdity of the situation, the inept public policy-making of the PTB based more on power and control rather than knowledge of concepts like natural/herd immunity, not to mention the harm that masks can cause to one's blood oxygen levels.

Oh well, that mask Gandalf posted looks like a great compromise, I might see if I can find one myself. 😷

Our "reality" has become but a parody of it, thanks to 4DSTS and their stooges.

Some articles:

 
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En France, le masque est obligatoire dans les boutiques et certaines villes même dans la rue...
Personnellement je me fais livrer mes courses à domicile car je ne VEUX pas porter de masque donc je reste chez moi..
J'ai même reporté des rendez-vous médicaux pour ne pas me plier à leurs obligations...

In France, masks are compulsory in shops and some cities even in the street...
Personally I have my shopping delivered at home because I do not WANT to wear a mask so I stay at home...
I have even postponed medical appointments so that I don't have to comply with their obligations...
 
Reading your reactions that you got, had me thinking, it might be fun to get one of those name tag thingys, and just clip it on. Could be a real conversation starter.

Nicely done! Really interesting - I think a lot of people don't really agree with the mandate for masks, but are just so used to going along with what they're told, don't want stir the pot even a little. The very first time I wore a mask in a store when it was announced by the city, I walked into a Walmart Grocery store and saw a few other people not wearing them, and I thought "Hmmm.. well, no one is saying anything to them, or bothering them, I shouldn't be wearing this - wait a minute - I wonder if by seeing others who dissent, that gives courage those who would like to dissent, but don't yet possess the courage?". It's also important to mentally prepare for the occasion where you're confronted, and to use knowledge, confidence, with a polite tone.

I was talking about this issue with a good friend of mine last night and have sent him links to the exemption cards and the UK Governments exemption list, which specify clearly that you do not need to wear a face covering if you have a legitimate reason not to including - if it causes "severe distress" and "risk of harm" to yourself. He is knowledgeable enough on the detrimental health effects of wearing these face coverings to appear informed enough to cite these exemptions if required. So his strategy also is to be polite, informed, non-conformist and share information with those who ask.

The more people who we see not adhering to these ridiculous laws, the 'mask less ones', the more encouragement it may give others to question their own motives for doing so. There is a small minority of nazi-type "you are killing granny" zealots out there, but because of the relentless propaganda by MSM, they seem more powerful than they really are.

Such small acts of non-compliance may not seem significant, but they send out a signal I think, and after months of passively witnessing the devastation caused by this lockdown / plandemic it feels good to 'push back' a little against this totalitarian takeover. We might also get more courageous and creative and even enjoy the show a little. :-)

These cards are only given a cursory glance by store staff it seems and using a plastic lanyard wallet gives them a more official feel. There are many exemption cards available (health, disability and deaf) for printing at home, all having the same blue background with mask image, so my friend and I are considering doing our own versions to wear:

"I am exempt because mask wearing rules are illogical, unscientific and dangerous"

"I cannot wear a face mask as it is detrimental to my health and I am therefore helping the NHS"

"I am exempt because I have a hidden disability clear ability to think for myself"

"I cannot wear a face mask as the need to breath is really important to me"

"I cannot wear a face mask because My Breath Matters!"

:-D
 
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