Covid-19 Virus

I personally wouldn't get into an altercation over it but didn't it stop being a personal choice when wearing a mask in shops became a legal requirement again?

Like I say, I wouldn't challenge anyone. I'm not that certain what the "right" path is. But I can understand why some people get frustrated when people totally ignore the law.

My son, who is at college, has a "festive contract" at Tesco. I certainly don't expect or want him to police the mask wearing. I just wish people would just wear one now it's law, even if they don't believe they are effective, just so people can shop and work without this conflict and stress.

It's not really such a big deal to wear a mask for the little time you are in a store is it?

 

Got off a train last night, took my mask off then immediately put it back on. They don’t half keep your face nice and warm in this arctic weather.

 

I simply think it’s up to people whether they wish to comply with the law or not. They can weigh up the consequences and then act accordingly. That’s the personal choice. I really don’t think it needs others to intervene or attempt to police it, the authorities can do that.

And honestly it was just such a pathetic spectacle. Mr Non-Mask Wearer was not even making eye contact and when he tried to move around the Mask Wearer moved his trolley round to actively block him.

 

I agree that others shouldn't intervene. The trouble is who is the "authority" that will?

Certainly the shop workers don't get paid enough to police it. And are the actual police going to use their resources to patrol supermarkets for non-mask wearers?

I can imagine it was a pathetic spectacle. Most conflicts are. But I can understand why people get frustrated when they feel they are obeying the law and are doing the "right thing" while others just don't seem to care about others or the law.

Like I say, is it really that much of an imposition to wear a mask for the brief period that you are in a shop? The fact that some people think it is is the real pathetic thing here imho.

 

Shame you didn't whip your phone out and film it. You'd have 'gone viral'

 

That is a fair point. But the mindset of some people is that not wearing a mask is putting everyone else at risk.

It doesn't surprise me that they feel the need to "stand up for what is right".

Like I say, I don't think that is a sensible course of action and not one I would follow. But it's still, imho, the non wearing of a mask in a shop that is the pathetic thing here.

 

Two 70 year olds? Maybe they just looked it, but it was in fact our recent centre back pairing.

 

Sorry, just a silly play on words as you missed out a 't' in the 'matter' you were considering....

 

Of course, none of us can know what previous events may have caused him to behave in such a manner. Had he, for example, lost a close relative to Covid he may find it less easy to act rationally when he comes across people 'risking other peoples' lives' by not conforming fully with all current guidelines.
Alternatively, he may just be a curmudgeonly busybody.

Such incidents reinforce my belief it was totally asinine not to keep mask-wearing in some locations mandatory as part of the 'great opening-up'. Very hard now to get the genie back in the bottle.

 

Really? What a very odd thing for someone with a law degree to say.

 

Yeah, but it is from UEA…

 

I stand corrected.

 

The point I’m getting at, without going too far off topic, is there are laws that most people break regularly. There probably isn’t a driver around that hasn’t exceeded the speed limit at one time or another. There’s a punishment for that and so in speeding the driver is weighing the potential punishment (or more likely the chances of being caught) and then opting to do it anyway. Their motive might be selfishness, ignorance of the reason for the limit or incompetence. There’s also a very small chance one of the few legal exemptions applies and so they have a defence for speeding. I think we’d also broadly accept speeding past a school at drop off/collection time is entirely different to doing 55 on a 55mph dual carriageway. Essentially, there are parallels here.

 

But just because people do in fact break laws on occasion doesn’t make it right to do so. You can’t pick and choose which laws you wish to comply with, otherwise society would descend into anarchy.

Where I am inclined to agree with you is that it is not the role of another individual to enforce the law.

 

Not to enforce it, but free to offer an opinion. But you can’t even offer an opinion these days without some busybody joining in.

 

Absolutely. But I didn't say or mean to imply it was right. It was more a statement of the obvious and comes from a long-held view I've had that almost nothing can stop someone intent on committing a crime. And in the vast majority of cases they've made an active choice to do so. That's the exercise of personal choice right there.

 

I honestly love them in winter. Lovely stuff.

 

I can well believe it. There’s divisive and bullying numpties on both sides.

 

To be honest when I worked on the railway 35 years ago, it was a struggle to get some well healed to treat staff with common courteously in any interaction; the drunk from urinating where they thought no one could see them; and a fair number to pay for travel they had or wished to consume.

How people working in shops and public transport are expected to enforce this rule is beyond me. As in all these sort of laws/rules 80% comply because they don’t want the embarrassment of getting caught out or they simply happy to comply, because they see the value in doing so. The rest will or won’t depending on how they feel at the time about themselves and their responsibilities to others. That might be parking in double yellows outside schools or wearing a mask.

Unfortunately they are quite a few poor examples of how people shrug off their responsibilities and a few of the over zealous who see this as another example of the terrible behaviour they are surrounded by.

 

its a good argewment m8

 

So dare they bring in Christmas restrictions again? Not going to happen after that leaked tape is it?

 

Was about to say the same, I’d imagine there would be riots if they attempted it now. The timing of these type of leaks, or indeed any leak like this is always interesting.

 

They probably should.
They probably can't
Family Xmas for me. Pretty much 2 social bubbles, 6 people and thank god no office Xmas party.

 

I can't imagine they'd have the gall to try now. Which is great news for everyone

 

Is it?

 

Of course. Get your mistletoe out and party, Willis!

 

Sounds like BJ is to announce 'Plan B' this evening.

 

Give us a kiss, Lloyd!

 

Retrospective emergency legislation to offer an amnesty for any Christmas parties held last December?

 

They can **** off. My father wasn’t allowed to have a proper funeral to bury his sister last year, and these ****’s had a jolly up and a good laugh at us all last Christmas.

I’ll refrain from any further comment so this doesn’t hijack the thread in a political direction. Mods feel free to remove if inappropriate.