Supermarkets and Covid-19

[RomeoCharlie71]

I was in Aldi the other week and there was a bloke walk round there with no mask on wearing a badge saying 'No to Masks' so no it's not a myth. The bloke was an idiot.

Sounds like he was asking for confrontation tbh. I despise masks, but can't stand people like that.

 

[Freightmaster]

If you want to see red then read some of the comments on the BBC article.

Covid: Morrisons and Sainsbury's ban maskless shoppers

People refusing to wear face coverings who are not medically exempt will not be allowed to shop inside.

www.bbc.co.uk

Holy Moly!!

For the sake of my blood pressure, I just scanned through quickly,
but here are a few which caught my eye...

The Gov should support all supermarkets to the hilt with this. It is completely unacceptable that the minority think it's acceptable to potentially murder a shop assistant by not putting a bit of cloth over their mouth.

Too many Covidiots out there. No mask, no service. You don’t have the right to infect people because you need attention. If you can’t breathe with a mask then time to shield

Well done Morrison’s. You have gained my custom...
All the rest, expect loss of customers or increase of the wrong ones if you do not follow.

Been saying this a year now.. this will go on and on until we have a full lockdown enforced by the army. Heavy fines and prison sentences for demonstrators.

They're mostly just attention seekers. 'Everybody look at me!' If you told them no one was allowed to wear masks then they'd put one on. Some emotional deficiency from childhood, no doubt.

Wow - just wow!



I know people on this forum have been pointing out that a lot of the public have become paranoid and hysterical
in recent months, but this is the first time I have seen so many delusional comments in one place. What is driving
their open hatred and intolerance towards people who are not coping with the restrictions - is it just raw fear,
selfishness or something more sinister???





MARK

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Sainsbury's are next to jump on the enforcement bandwagon.

COVID-19: All four major supermarket chains to enforce mask wearing in shops

The moves come after the vaccines minister said there were concerns about behaviour in stores.

news.sky.com

Supermarket chain Sainsbury's will enforce mask-wearing and shopping alone in its stores, the company has said.

In a statement, the firm said it has written to customers to ask them to play their part in keeping everyone safe, and said it has "significantly reduced" the number of customers allowed into stores at any one time.

Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury's, said: "I've spent a lot of time in our stores reviewing the latest situation over the last few days and on behalf of all my colleagues, I am asking our customers to help us keep everyone safe.

"The vast majority of customers are shopping safely, but I have also seen some customers trying to shop without a mask and shopping in larger family groups.

"Please help us to keep all our colleagues and customers safe by always wearing a mask and by shopping alone.

"Everyone's care and consideration matters now more than ever."

Sainsbury's said it would put trained security guards at store entrances to challenge those not wearing a mask and those who were shopping in groups.

https://twitter.com/hwallop/status/1348725668167741440

CEO of @SAINSBURY’s – trained security guards will now be at the front of stores to challenge customers who are not wearing a mask or who are shopping in groups.

Sainsbury’s also to significantly reduce number of customers allowed into stores at any one time

 

[nedchester]

Holy Moly!!

For the sake of my blood pressure, I just scanned through quickly,
but here are a few which caught my eye...










Wow - just wow!



I know people on this forum have been pointing out that a lot of the public have become paranoid and hysterical
in recent months, but this is the first time I have seen so many delusional comments in one place. What is driving
their open hatred and intolerance towards people who are not coping with the restrictions - is it just raw fear,
selfishness or something more sinister???





MARK

I loathe wearing masks but not wearing one in Morrisons (or other supermarkets) because you want to make a twit of yourself (i.e. not having a medical exemption) does not equate to 'not coping'. I'm having difficulties with all this and want it over asap but there's a number of people who just want to argue for the sake of it.

I agree there is real fear and mental health issues out there and that concerns me.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

The poster will be referring to a historic example of when a particular group of people were forced to wear an identifying marker. This historical example is an extremely cautionary tale from history from which one would hope lessons might have been learned.

Clearly not, if some of the ridiculous comments on the BBC News article about it are anything to go by...

The Gov should support all supermarkets to the hilt with this. It is completely unacceptable that the minority think it's acceptable to potentially murder a shop assistant by not putting a bit of cloth over their mouth.

I know what you are saying but i think you are being a bit OTT.

No, he’s not.
one by one, our liberties are being taken away and minority groups are being marginalised

 

[david1212]

I would be interested to see a study between supermarkets "pre-mask" (numbers severely limited, very quiet inside, ample space to social distance, genuine fear of catching the virus) versus the situation now where masks make people complacent. I went in some seriously busy shops before Christmas and given the limitations of hospitality at the time, would say that was a serious reason for the surge in cases (the new variant doesn't help).

The core of one conversation at work today and part of many since last July when a face covering, i.e. any old bit of cloth was required in shops, on public transport etc soon after social distancing was reduced from 2m to 1m plus.

At the start many shops were too cautious with the numbers allowed in. If now there was a return to 2m and a return to floor markings clearly showing this, so no excuse for not know how far 2m is, it would help. So too would shops removing all racks at the end of aisles that reduce the entry / exit width as they create congestion.

A campaign to shop alone if possible would help too. With other restrictions and the winter weather supermarkets have been one place to meet and chat even if entering individually. The work colleague I was in conversation with said yesterday he saw two elderly couples stood talking for some time, one of the groups we are all expected to be trying to protect ......

 

[Skimpot flyer]

Meanwhile, from the Sky News live feed:-



Regarding the bit I underlined:-

So Professor, it's OK for us to get food poisoning because we are not allowed to examine the sell by dates on perishable food, and get indigestion because we are not allowed to check whether fruit is ripe.

It doesn't matter though, because it's not COVID.

This has got to be one of the more stupid suggestions I have heard.

The nutty professor clearly hasn’t been shopping for a while if he thinks people hand over their credit or debit cards. Has he not heard of Contactless, Apple Pay etc etc

 

[duncanp]

Holy Moly!!

For the sake of my blood pressure, I just scanned through quickly,
but here are a few which caught my eye...










Wow - just wow!



I know people on this forum have been pointing out that a lot of the public have become paranoid and hysterical
in recent months, but this is the first time I have seen so many delusional comments in one place. What is driving
their open hatred and intolerance towards people who are not coping with the restrictions - is it just raw fear,
selfishness or something more sinister???





MARK

And I wonder how many of these mask zealots actually use them properly, such as:-

• Always wash your hands before and after putting the mask on
• Always wash your hands before and after taking the mask off
• Never reusing a disposable mask
• Always washing a reusable mask before using it again
• Changing your mask after 4 hours, regardless of whether it is reusable or not
• Disposing of reusable masks correctly.

I suspect that people who follow all of the rules all of the time are rarer than hen's teeth.

The line about "murdering a shop assistant" by not wearing a mask is just hysterical nonsense, and shows that these people are just nutters.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

And I wonder how many of these mask zealots actually use them properly, such as:-

• Always wash your hands before and after putting the mask on
• Always wash your hands before and after taking the mask off
• Never reusing a disposable mask
• Always washing a reusable mask before using it again
• Changing your mask after 4 hours, regardless of whether it is reusable or not
• Disposing of reusable masks correctly.

I suspect that people who follow all of the rules all of the time are rarer than hen's teeth.

The line about "murdering a shop assistant" by not wearing a mask is just hysterical nonsense, and shows that these people are just nutters.

I confess. I took the bait. I replied to the effect that I hope he stayed away from all shops in the period when masks were mandatory for customers, but not for the staff, to avoid their murderous behaviour.

I would go to church to confess, but I don’t know any more if that’s legal, against guidance, or permitted

 

[initiation]

and shows that these people are just nutters.

Unfortunately social media and government focus groups seem to have been captured by these hysterical types.

 

[LowLevel]

And I wonder how many of these mask zealots actually use them properly, such as:-

• Always wash your hands before and after putting the mask on
• Always wash your hands before and after taking the mask off
• Never reusing a disposable mask
• Always washing a reusable mask before using it again
• Changing your mask after 4 hours, regardless of whether it is reusable or not
• Disposing of reusable masks correctly.

I suspect that people who follow all of the rules all of the time are rarer than hen's teeth.

The line about "murdering a shop assistant" by not wearing a mask is just hysterical nonsense, and shows that these people are just nutters.

Though if you leave it on outside or in your car to avoid taking it off and putting it on constantly when you're running multiple errands then you will be declared criminally insane and stupid on this learned organ so you can't win

 

[kez19]

Holy Moly!!

For the sake of my blood pressure, I just scanned through quickly,
but here are a few which caught my eye...










Wow - just wow!



I know people on this forum have been pointing out that a lot of the public have become paranoid and hysterical
in recent months, but this is the first time I have seen so many delusional comments in one place. What is driving
their open hatred and intolerance towards people who are not coping with the restrictions - is it just raw fear,
selfishness or something more sinister???





MARK

Yet people complain that people over at the Daily Mail or the so called "right wing rags" as they are called are the opposite?

 

[island]

The nutty professor clearly hasn’t been shopping for a while if he thinks people hand over their credit or debit cards. Has he not heard of Contactless, Apple Pay etc etc

Even old fashioned chip & PIN payment doesn‘t involve the cashier handling the card.

 

[Bikeman78]

I confess. I took the bait. I replied to the effect that I hope he stayed away from all shops in the period when masks were mandatory for customers, but not for the staff, to avoid their murderous behaviour.

I would go to church to confess, but I don’t know any more if that’s legal, against guidance, or permitted

Good point. As masks are so important, the people writing those comments will have been wearing them months before they become required by law. Funny how I didn't see many of them.

 

[packermac]

I noticed Hancock referred to the new variant being "an extremely contagious" virus, and I thought at the time that he's got that wrong, as to the best of my knowledge contagious means spread by contact.

Definition of contagious disease​

: an infectious disease (such as influenza, measles, or tuberculosis) that is transmitted by contact with an infected individual or infected bodily discharges or fluids (such as respiratory droplets), by contact with a contaminated surface or object, or by ingestion of contaminated food or water

 

[Cdd89]

I was in Aldi the other week and there was a bloke walk round there with no mask on wearing a badge saying 'No to Masks' so no it's not a myth. The bloke was an idiot.

I haven’t seen anyone like that in the U.K. (yet... I don’t doubt you at all), but I have seen them in the U.S. They are generally repugnant people and as has been said, they do those who genuinely find masks difficult no favours.

I’m sure you’ve noticed people attempting to tar all those without masks with an “anti masker” brush and the problem is that makes like difficult for those in society who deserve our full support. In the US everyone without a mask is seen as an anti masker and as a result some section of the population is forced to be excluded from society. It is a cautionary tale of what happens when mask enthusiasm goes too far.

 

[Bantamzen]

A campaign to shop alone if possible would help too. With other restrictions and the winter weather supermarkets have been one place to meet and chat even if entering individually. The work colleague I was in conversation with said yesterday he saw two elderly couples stood talking for some time, one of the groups we are all expected to be trying to protect ......

Oh the horror, elderly people trying to break their loneliness with a chat....

This is become the real problem in this country, the complete dehumanisation of society.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Oh the horror, elderly people trying to break their loneliness with a chat....

This is become the real problem in this country, the complete dehumanisation of society.

Not just the elderly! The young are susceptible too. More so in some ways as they're used to socialising on weekends and evenings etc. A supermarket is hardly conducive to social time.

 

[Bantamzen]

Not just the elderly! The young are susceptible too. More so in some ways as they're used to socialising on weekends and evenings etc. A supermarket is hardly conducive to social time.

The absolute majority of young people will not be anything like a susceptible as the over 65/75s. This is has been discussed more than enough.

 

[birchesgreen]

The absolute majority of young people will not be anything like a susceptible as the over 65/75s. This is has been discussed more than enough.

Susceptible to what? I thought the OP was talking about loneliness and i can assure you they are very susceptible to it.

 

[Bantamzen]

Susceptible to what? I thought the OP was talking about loneliness and i can assure you they are very susceptible to it.

Oh maybe I got the wrong end of the stick then!

 

[birchesgreen]

Oh maybe I got the wrong end of the stick then!

Might be me to be honest, hopefully the OP can clarify!

 

[trainophile]

Definition of contagious disease​

: an infectious disease (such as influenza, measles, or tuberculosis) that is transmitted by contact with an infected individual or infected bodily discharges or fluids (such as respiratory droplets), by contact with a contaminated surface or object, or by ingestion of contaminated food or water

Well I never knew that, thanks.

 

[greyman42]

And I wonder how many of these mask zealots actually use them properly, such as:-

• Always wash your hands before and after putting the mask on
• Always wash your hands before and after taking the mask off
• Never reusing a disposable mask
• Always washing a reusable mask before using it again
• Changing your mask after 4 hours, regardless of whether it is reusable or not
• Disposing of reusable masks correctly.

I have a disposable mask which i have washed multiple times and it is still as good as new.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Haven't seen a return to stupid queueing yet but then I'm still on furlough and therefore still go weekdays during the day. Asda Stockport was almost dead at 3pm yesterday: same goes for Stockport in general! The only (short) queues I've witnessed since Spring were on Christmas week which is/was understandable especially with the way days fell this year (many don't want to go shopping on Boxing Day out of morale and the 27th was a Sunday, so six-hour law south of the border)

 

[P Binnersley]

Morrisons have now announced they will ban shoppers who refuse to wear a mask. I've no issue with them banning people who openly say they are not exempt and are just flat out refusing to wear one, but I fear we are going to see further harrassment of those genuinely exempt when staff demand to see proof of exemption without requirement.

Covid: Morrisons and Sainsbury's ban maskless shoppers

People refusing to wear face coverings who are not medically exempt will not be allowed to shop inside.

www.bbc.co.uk

Went into my local Morrisons today. The usual security man was standing between the two entrance doors. He wasn't waring a face covering or face shield and was in a position you had to go closer than 2m to get past him.
All the customers were wearing masks so I don't know what he would have done if they weren't.

 

[VauxhallandI]

Haven't seen a return to stupid queueing yet but then I'm still on furlough and therefore still go weekdays during the day. Asda Stockport was almost dead at 3pm yesterday: same goes for Stockport in general! The only (short) queues I've witnessed since Spring were on Christmas week which is/was understandable especially with the way days fell this year (many don't want to go shopping on Boxing Day out of morale and the 27th was a Sunday, so six-hour law south of the border)

No no, everyone is out breaking rules! Did you not get the memo

 

[Mojo]

l suspect a lot of the reasons for the announcements from Supermarkets the last few days are probably connected with the government threats to force reduced customer throughput and other actions which could reduce sales / increased costs. in reality these are not much different from standard customer practice beforehand. l’ve found Tesco and Sainsbury’s in particular have been quite reasonable with sunflower lanyards available to be given out by security / customer services and announcements that mention exemptions.

 

[henairs]

The core of one conversation at work today and part of many since last July when a face covering, i.e. any old bit of cloth was required in shops, on public transport etc soon after social distancing was reduced from 2m to 1m plus.

At the start many shops were too cautious with the numbers allowed in. If now there was a return to 2m and a return to floor markings clearly showing this, so no excuse for not know how far 2m is, it would help. So too would shops removing all racks at the end of aisles that reduce the entry / exit width as they create congestion.

A campaign to shop alone if possible would help too. With other restrictions and the winter weather supermarkets have been one place to meet and chat even if entering individually. The work colleague I was in conversation with said yesterday he saw two elderly couples stood talking for some time, one of the groups we are all expected to be trying to protect ......

So it's okay for you to talk with a work colleague whilst at work but not for two couples who may have not seen anyone much for some time. Get a grip none of us are angels but to many try to be gods

 

[STINT47]

'We can't stop everyone without a mask': Sainsbury's security guards on new rules

Compliance relatively high in stores but some customers react badly to compulsory face mask rules

www.theguardian.com

An interesting article in the Guardian. This quote from a security guard is concerning.

“Some customers wear the flower lanyard [to signify hidden disabilities], others will produce medical papers as evidence. But with people who seem relatively young, healthy and able-bodied, it can be very difficult for us when they have no proof that they are exempt,” said one member of staff. In these cases, however, they are asked to leave, he said.

As I understand it the law says that you do not have to provide proof and should not be routinely challenged. In any case doctors are not giving out proof. So if like me your relatively young (mid 30's) have no apparent dyabilities, based upon my appearance and no proof am I not allowed to go shopping?

It's a sad situation that we are in when people are being discriminated against like this and a large part of the population is stood behind cheering them on. People would do well to think that one day they may have a hidden disability themselves and think how they would want to be treated. 10 years ago I was in good health and believe me a disability can happen to anyone, with no warning and nothing you can do about it.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.