I got yelled at by some bozo who took exception to my mask. He was on the street corner with two dogs. I was more than happy to say hi to the dogs, but he hollered that they could give me covid.
How strange - was he making fun of you for wearing a mask outdoors? It's not the norm to wear them outdoors in the UK, but I've never seen anyone yell at anyone for it. People sometimes do keep them on if they are in a shopping area, rather than keep taking them off and putting them on again when they go into different shops. I've seen people on FB (more Americans than Brits) make sneery comments about why anyone would be walking outside in a quiet area with a mask on, but for myself, when I get off the bus home and I am carrying bags, I don't bother taking my mask off till I get home, because it's too fiddly when my hands are full, plus I may also be wearing a sunhat (on sunny days, that is - not lately!) that needs removing to take the mask off. I've never received any hassle for it.
They now have ticket inspectors on the train, which there hadn't been since I started using trains towards the end of last year. I suppose it's some attempt at getting back to normality; sadly I haven't seen any of them remonstrating with maskless numpties.
I wonder if they're not allowed to question people who aren't wearing masks, for fear of upsetting those with genuine medical reasons why they can't?
I think the complication is that you can be exempt from mask wearing because of disability but they aren’t supposed to ask about the disability as you don’t have to declare it.
How strange - was he making fun of you for wearing a mask outdoors? It's not the norm to wear them outdoors in the UK, but I've never seen anyone yell at anyone for it. People sometimes do keep them on if they are in a shopping area, rather than keep taking them off and putting them on again when they go into different shops. I've seen people on FB (more Americans than Brits) make sneery comments about why anyone would be walking outside in a quiet area with a mask on, but for myself, when I get off the bus home and I am carrying bags, I don't bother taking my mask off till I get home, because it's too fiddly when my hands are full, plus I may also be wearing a sunhat (on sunny days, that is - not lately!) that needs removing to take the mask off. I've never received any hassle for it.
Under current regulations here, you are required to wear a mask when in a shopping area, be that a street, car park or an enclosed centre; also on trains and I assume buses/light rail/trams. A new regulation includes common areas in blocks of home units.
I think the complication is that you can be exempt from mask wearing because of disability but they aren’t supposed to ask about the disability as you don’t have to declare it.
I suspect that almost nobody actually has a genuine requirement not to wear a mask. I do have a friend who had panic attacks at the idea of putting a mask on at the beginning of the pandemic, but managed to desensitize herself to the point that she could wear one all day. I give her plenty of respect for understanding that masks were important, and managing to do this.
We are coming out of lockdown with one large positive. We have re-established a friendly relationship with a difficult relative. The impossibility of actually meeting gave us a framework within which to keep in touch with regular, but short, messages, which have evolved into Facetiming for longer chats.
We are going to meet up next week, and I hope that we can maintain the positive online trajectory into RL.
How strange - was he making fun of you for wearing a mask outdoors?
He was angry. I think it was just free-form anger. I hollered "you're delusional" as he walked away from me.
It's only two blocks from work to the bus stop. Mask required at either end, so I don't usually bother to take it off.
There was a brief period when I could unmask even at work, but that's gone now.
A lot in California is going to depend on the recall election. The right wing has pushed through a recall of our governor, who I think has done a pretty good job of managing the crisis. If he is recalled, we'll get whatever crackpot wins through in the second part of the election. God save us from some of the candidates -- I'm afraid they'll be imitating some of the real lunatics like DeSantis (Fla.)
How strange - was he making fun of you for wearing a mask outdoors?
He was angry. I think it was just free-form anger. I hollered "you're delusional" as he walked away from me.
A friend of mine figures that everyone is so stressed that we're right at the edge all the time and it doesn't take much to push anyone over. That makes more sense than trying to make sense of any particular behaviour.
He was angry. I think it was just free-form anger.
There is certainly a lot of it about, but it is the increasing violence of the way it manifests itself that is worrying.
Rather like the climate crisis.
Have just started a "short sharp" lockdown in my "state" of Aus. THe first known case turns out to be a very sociable man who politely recorded all visits using the local check-in (track and trace) app. Turns out he was in a nightclub until 4.30 am on Sunday morning and a pentecostal church from 9am. That makes a lot of contacts to trace and test!
Yes, he was pretty mobile. There’s now a case in a large school, which is just as worrying. Also it is exposing some of the cross border problems, as while the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) has made a good first iteration of which postcodes should be part of ‘greater ACT’, nobody in the NSW government, seems to have thought about whether it might be sensible for Queanbeyan to be under ACT rules, and remove the temptation of cross-border raids on Spotlight and Kmart.
I'm impressed that someone could club until 4.30 and still be awake to attend church at 9am. That seems almost super-human. Not to mention church at 9am being close to inhuman. I don't think I'd ever have been able to do that, certainly not now.
When infected people are traced here it never ceases to amaze me how far some people travel. Most weeks I probably wouldn't travel more than 5 kms from home - 10km before my favourite craft shop closed.
1. People who meet a lot of people (either travel a lot or go to very busy places) are more likely to come into contact with someone who's infected and thus become infected themselves
2. People who are infected who meet a lot of people are more likely to infect others and produce an outbreak which then traces back to the wide ranging person
Also, a reporting bias in that the source of an outbreak becomes a person of media interest, and even more so if they had travelled somewhere unusual, long distance, attended a large event or something else that would appear unusual for the majority of people - it's part of what makes it a more interesting news story. Though, that reporting can create it's own problem, it can make it appear that doing something unusual (travel longer distance, attending busy places etc) is very risky and by contrast could make our normal life seem safer than it probably is.
I'm impressed that someone could club until 4.30 and still be awake to attend church at 9am. That seems almost super-human. Not to mention church at 9am being close to inhuman. I don't think I'd ever have been able to do that, certainly not now.
Thanks Alan. that makes more sense of it. The instances I was thinking of mainly happened last year as we haven't had a community infection this year in the South Island.
I'm going out for lunch next Friday with a small group of former Ambulance crewmates (probably about 6 of us all told). We're going to a popular village pub/eatery, and I'm really looking forward to sampling some of the items on their menu...
I only hope that they're taking sensible precautions re The Plague...
This will be my first social outing since March 2020...so I think I shall have to polish up my table manners beforehand.
Is there any sane explanation why the UK allows vaccinated Americans to enter, but refuses to recognise the same vaccines administered and approved in Canada? I am not considered to be fully vaccinated, so must pay for two tests and isolate for 10 days.
It could be "the UK hasn't made an agreement with Canada yet". Does that count as sane? I think it's only recognizing vaccines in the EU and US at the moment, so it's more like "Canada isn't on a very short list" and less like "Canada's being singled out".
Current Covid irritations: I suspect I've perforated an eardrum but I can't get it checked out at the GP as they have half the staff off either with or isolating from Covid. And my daughter was prescribed another anti-histamine to try and control her symptoms at her consultant's appointment a month ago today, and still has not had it written up by the surgery. As she's not doing well, unless that med appears and works soon she's looking at her fourth round of prednisolone this year, imminently. Grrr.
If tourist numbers here are anything to go by the Lakes are probably going to be bumper to bumper for the next month or so. Small compensation, I know.
If tourist numbers here are anything to go by the Lakes are probably going to be bumper to bumper for the next month or so. Small compensation, I know.
In good news I'm Prescotted at last.
We were going to be in Ennerdale, three miles from the nearest public road. Bumpers not an issue.
A large annual outdoor rock concert due to happen in a few days in our town has found one of the famous head-liners dropping out of her whole concert schedule because of fear of spreading the virus. So now people are trying to unload their tickets to no takers. Whoever thought this was a good idea anyway? I am guessing when it was planned they thought with vaccinations Covid would be under control. I feel for musicians whose livelihood is based on being able to perform live.
If tourist numbers here are anything to go by the Lakes are probably going to be bumper to bumper for the next month or so. Small compensation, I know.
In good news I'm Prescotted at last.
We were going to be in Ennerdale, three miles from the nearest public road. Bumpers not an issue.
Aaaaaand - PCR test results are in. Both Boy #1 (17th Birthday today, well done Universe!) and Boy #2 are +ve. Girl -ve but has already had it. I seem to be immune despite only having had the first dose.
No actual symptoms. It's a mahoosive pain more than owt else.
That's the bugger of the thing, isn't it? The kids feel fine, and so want to to all their normal stuff, but they're infectious. It's somehow not so bad staying at home in bed when you actually feel sick.
(And happy birthday to the boy. I bought my kids a cuddly coronavirus for Christmas last year - just saying )
No actual symptoms. It's a mahoosive pain more than owt else.
That's the bugger of the thing, isn't it? The kids feel fine, and so want to to all their normal stuff, but they're infectious. It's somehow not so bad staying at home in bed when you actually feel sick.
(And happy birthday to the boy. I bought my kids a cuddly coronavirus for Christmas last year - just saying )
It rather begs the question as to how many infectious people there are Out There, who don't know they're infectious...
It rather begs the question as to how many infectious people there are Out There, who don't know they're infectious...
This is why everyone should wear masks, and the whole "personal choice" thing is nonsense.
Quite. So much for *Freedom Day*...
My regular visits to Tesco on Mondays and Thursdays see fewer people wearing masks each time I go, although the check-out staff are pretty good (and they have the perspex screens as well). I've not yet risked my local Co-Op, as it's too small to accommodate more than one or two covidiots at once...
It rather begs the question as to how many infectious people there are Out There, who don't know they're infectious...
This is why everyone should wear masks, and the whole "personal choice" thing is nonsense.
Quite. So much for *Freedom Day*...
My regular visits to Tesco on Mondays and Thursdays see fewer people wearing masks each time I go, although the check-out staff are pretty good (and they have the perspex screens as well). I've not yet risked my local Co-Op, as it's too small to accommodate more than one or two covidiots at once...
I can only speak of my suburbs, and those nearby - travel further is prohibited at the moment. Every pedestrian/shopper/walker/cyclist seems to be wearing a mask. We don't when we're going for an exercise walk unless we see someone else walking; then it's on with the mask until we're well clear.
Went to my favourite local supermarket the other day (sensibly-priced fruit and veg, interesting variety of stock serving several of the local immigrant communities) to find that none of their staff are wearing masks any more. It's a shame - I liked that supermarket.
And mask less is something Some folk feel strongly about. Very Much So apparently! My mask offends/ upsets/ starts ‘em off.
Only there are Others of us around and about the place with already badly damaged lungs, who just don’t fancy playing Russian roulette with the whole symptomatic/ asymptomatic thing.
Thing is, casually passing by in the street …..isn’t really the place to start a sensible conversation around this topic. Neither is on the end of a phone. And let’s not start with social media.
I m finding it best to avoid situations where casual hatred is battered back n fore…..followed by “oh, but I didn’t mean you!”
Today's Not Being On Holiday is consisting of the making of a Lego AT-AT Imperial Walker while watching the original Trilogy. Apologies if you don't know Star Wars as that previous sentence is incomprehensible in that case.
Silver Wedding Anniversary (I shit you not; the timing is impeccable) tomorrow and I'm under some pressure from the geekier members of the family to run a D&D one-shot* later in the week.
*traditionally D&D adventure last several sessions which could take months. One-shots are shot adventures that are completed in a single session. It's very much like the difference between the short story and the novel, in several ways.
Comments
How strange - was he making fun of you for wearing a mask outdoors? It's not the norm to wear them outdoors in the UK, but I've never seen anyone yell at anyone for it. People sometimes do keep them on if they are in a shopping area, rather than keep taking them off and putting them on again when they go into different shops. I've seen people on FB (more Americans than Brits) make sneery comments about why anyone would be walking outside in a quiet area with a mask on, but for myself, when I get off the bus home and I am carrying bags, I don't bother taking my mask off till I get home, because it's too fiddly when my hands are full, plus I may also be wearing a sunhat (on sunny days, that is - not lately!) that needs removing to take the mask off. I've never received any hassle for it.
I wonder if they're not allowed to question people who aren't wearing masks, for fear of upsetting those with genuine medical reasons why they can't?
Under current regulations here, you are required to wear a mask when in a shopping area, be that a street, car park or an enclosed centre; also on trains and I assume buses/light rail/trams. A new regulation includes common areas in blocks of home units.
I suspect that almost nobody actually has a genuine requirement not to wear a mask. I do have a friend who had panic attacks at the idea of putting a mask on at the beginning of the pandemic, but managed to desensitize herself to the point that she could wear one all day. I give her plenty of respect for understanding that masks were important, and managing to do this.
We are going to meet up next week, and I hope that we can maintain the positive online trajectory into RL.
He was angry. I think it was just free-form anger. I hollered "you're delusional" as he walked away from me.
It's only two blocks from work to the bus stop. Mask required at either end, so I don't usually bother to take it off.
There was a brief period when I could unmask even at work, but that's gone now.
A lot in California is going to depend on the recall election. The right wing has pushed through a recall of our governor, who I think has done a pretty good job of managing the crisis. If he is recalled, we'll get whatever crackpot wins through in the second part of the election. God save us from some of the candidates -- I'm afraid they'll be imitating some of the real lunatics like DeSantis (Fla.)
A friend of mine figures that everyone is so stressed that we're right at the edge all the time and it doesn't take much to push anyone over. That makes more sense than trying to make sense of any particular behaviour.
Rather like the climate crisis.
https://theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/11/people-waiting-vital-nhs-services-england-covid-delays-treatment
God alone knows how many of those awaiting brain surgery will become completely disabled, or just die...
Also Florida: We won't pay school administrators if they tell kids to wear masks.
Praying for Florida,
1. People who meet a lot of people (either travel a lot or go to very busy places) are more likely to come into contact with someone who's infected and thus become infected themselves
2. People who are infected who meet a lot of people are more likely to infect others and produce an outbreak which then traces back to the wide ranging person
Also, a reporting bias in that the source of an outbreak becomes a person of media interest, and even more so if they had travelled somewhere unusual, long distance, attended a large event or something else that would appear unusual for the majority of people - it's part of what makes it a more interesting news story. Though, that reporting can create it's own problem, it can make it appear that doing something unusual (travel longer distance, attending busy places etc) is very risky and by contrast could make our normal life seem safer than it probably is.
Alan, you clearly were not brung up RC
I only hope that they're taking sensible precautions re The Plague...
This will be my first social outing since March 2020...so I think I shall have to polish up my table manners beforehand.
de Santis... Florida... Our 8 year old great niece in Florida now has the virus.
Oh Karl, I'm so sorry. What a pain.
If tourist numbers here are anything to go by the Lakes are probably going to be bumper to bumper for the next month or so. Small compensation, I know.
In good news I'm Prescotted at last.
We were going to be in Ennerdale, three miles from the nearest public road. Bumpers not an issue.
Aaaaaand - PCR test results are in. Both Boy #1 (17th Birthday today, well done Universe!) and Boy #2 are +ve. Girl -ve but has already had it. I seem to be immune despite only having had the first dose.
No actual symptoms. It's a mahoosive pain more than owt else.
That's the bugger of the thing, isn't it? The kids feel fine, and so want to to all their normal stuff, but they're infectious. It's somehow not so bad staying at home in bed when you actually feel sick.
(And happy birthday to the boy. I bought my kids a cuddly coronavirus for Christmas last year - just saying
It rather begs the question as to how many infectious people there are Out There, who don't know they're infectious...
This is why everyone should wear masks, and the whole "personal choice" thing is nonsense.
Quite. So much for *Freedom Day*...
My regular visits to Tesco on Mondays and Thursdays see fewer people wearing masks each time I go, although the check-out staff are pretty good (and they have the perspex screens as well). I've not yet risked my local Co-Op, as it's too small to accommodate more than one or two covidiots at once...
I can only speak of my suburbs, and those nearby - travel further is prohibited at the moment. Every pedestrian/shopper/walker/cyclist seems to be wearing a mask. We don't when we're going for an exercise walk unless we see someone else walking; then it's on with the mask until we're well clear.
There were a few maskless people around, mostly youngsters, but it wasn't busy, so they were easily avoided.
There's a similar place not far from here, which I have used once or twice in the past, but that, too, is now a maskless zone...
Only there are Others of us around and about the place with already badly damaged lungs, who just don’t fancy playing Russian roulette with the whole symptomatic/ asymptomatic thing.
Thing is, casually passing by in the street …..isn’t really the place to start a sensible conversation around this topic. Neither is on the end of a phone. And let’s not start with social media.
I m finding it best to avoid situations where casual hatred is battered back n fore…..followed by “oh, but I didn’t mean you!”
Silver Wedding Anniversary (I shit you not; the timing is impeccable) tomorrow and I'm under some pressure from the geekier members of the family to run a D&D one-shot* later in the week.
*traditionally D&D adventure last several sessions which could take months. One-shots are shot adventures that are completed in a single session. It's very much like the difference between the short story and the novel, in several ways.