Why Bother With A Mask

[retrocop]

Today I had to visit my local hospital to collect some Gastrografin in advance of a procedure to be undertaken on Friday 13th. My wife dropped me off at the main entrance as I walked through with my smiley mask affixed. There was a large woman sitting at a small table with a tray of masks on it. She looked like she was a poppy seller. I used the hand cleanser on the wall of reception and carried on walking to the CTC suite. A voice boomed at me,'come back here and take a mask' I walked back and asked if she was talking to me.'Put this mask on and wear it in the hospital'. She then proffered it to me on the end of a pair of wooden tongs like I was a walking Covid Germ.I was sorely tempted to tell her to shove her inferior paper tissue mask where the sun don't shine.
I asked her what was wrong with my mask and she replied,'Nothing but we need to stop covid so you must wear this mask' I then asked her if I would get another mask on Friday or do I keep the one she had just given me as a souvenir. She said,' keep it if you like'.
If the NHS let some job's worth hand out inferior masks to visitors to the hospital and demand I replace my medical grade re-useable mask then why the hell do I bother wearing my mask in other public venues if it isn't deemed suitable. Obviously why no apparent improvement over the last 20 or so years no matter how much wasted money is thrown at it. No quibble if they have the Gestapo insisting a mask is worn but to hand out inferior ones to visitors who already comply by wearing their own seems stupid..

[retrocop]

sorry sqad. Crossed posts.

[aelmpvw]

i don't think for a second that wearing a mask makes an iota of difference but i wear one just to make everyone happy . . .

[TrevorThePug]

Poor woman. She probably had a job lot of naff Turkish ones from Matt Hancock and was told to get rid of them by any means.

[teacake44]

^^ I don't (think) and you could say I don't know. That's the reason we are wearing them, just in case. Anyone would think that we are being asked to wear handcuffs.

[teacake44]

^^ 11.27

[THECORBYLOON]

You're correct, you didn't say she was fat.

However, you did describe her as "a large woman", "A right bumptious old cow."
"Frau Flick" and
likened her to the Gestapo.

[aelmpvw]

^ knew i should have added 'but i don't know' to my post

[THECORBYLOON]

Apologies, I missed off the "jumped up ,butch ex WRAC type jobsworth do-gooder."

[aelmpvw]

wearing one isn't a problem for me, i've only worn one once and that was for a doctor's appointment . . . i don't do shopping

[teacake44]

Its obvious that they just want to be sure everyone coming in has a clean mask, really don't see anything wrong with that. Regarding her being rude, well I do wonder if she was, after reading past posts.

[agchristie]

"had a job lot of naff Turkish ones"

Yep,bazaar indeedy ;-)

[hannah40]

Rules are rules. I support someone with down-syndrome and he is unable to wear masks over his ears so he wears a bandana . In the out patients they requested he wore a paper mask he wasn’t going to he stormed off.I got him back and tried again mask wouldn’t stay hooked over ears he stormed off again.
Eventually the nurse tied the paper mask around his head . They just were not going to allow my old face coverings.

[New Judge]

//Their house, their rules. If you don't like them, stay home.//

Yeah, like you can if you are ill and need medical treatment.

[Prudie]

"Their house, their rules. If you don't like them, stay home". I am surprised at how many (not just jno) of what are meant to be intelligent people think we should just do as we are told without ever questioning it. Thank goodness not everyone has felt that way throughout history or we'd have had no innovators, trailblazers, reformers or progress, just a society of sheep too mindless to question things.

[TrevorThePug]

Yes its funny how an astronaut can fly through space at 16,000mph and still be told what to do and what to wear. Silly *** sheep.

[retrocop]

Thank you TCL. I know exactly how I described her and I don't recant what I said. I didn't recognise what asquith wrote and that is why I queried it.How else do you describe an ample bosomed,less than petite framed lady who throws her voice with the authoritarian manner of a sergeant major lady in a boot camp. There was no need for her manner and no need to scream down a hospital corridor from the reception? I don't like wearing a mask but I will to avoid the type of carp she is dishing out. The PPE doesn't appear to work in more than one sense.
My point is also. If we are urged to wear a mask or face covering then the policy and stance this hospital is taking is tantamount to declaring anything we wear 'out there' in public or in shops is rubbish and must be only NHS issue. That defeats the hearts and minds of the public into complying with this government dictat and decree that any face covering or mask helps and protects others.

[pixie374]

Retro, it does make sense, that if you think a mask will help, a rewashable one, that hasn't been washed, will be useless. Her attitude seems to be the problem... but why did she need to call after you? I would have checked, in a hospital, before I walked off.

[anneasquith]

NB. We have a one sided encounter being describes . Good on you sqad for recognising your poor describing of the lady .

[teacake44]

I always find if you've been use to dishing out an authoritarian manner, its difficult to accept when the boot is on the other foot. Can't see the problem in being instructed, and given a clean mask to wear in a hospital visit. No different to the nurse who came to work on the bus with a mask on, then but a clean one on before she / he started their shift.

[lankeela]

I would have just put it on over my own and asked if that made her happy.