27th January - Plan B easing - observations and usage

[kristiang85]

Some of these companies seem to want mask wearing and even social distancing to continue forever it seems!

I feel there really needs to be a push from government and campaign groups to get all this remaining nonsense from these companies removed ASAP!

.
The problem is that the government cannot mandate companies to not social distance or to ban them making people wear masks- it opens a lot of other problems in terms of government interference .

What they can do is an effective messaging system to reassure people it is safe to leaf a normal life again - using the tools they used to scare the wits out of people.

In the meantime, any business that wants to make me distance or wear a mask simply won't be getting my business. If the majority of the public take that attitude, then they will need to change tune to survive.

 

[Cdd89]

While we are in a better position than much of Europe mask-wise where they are still mandatory, they are highly politicised in England (second only to the U.S.) and remain as a virtue signal.

This means that places where this isn’t the case stand to be in a better position. For example, despite serious mask and lockdown cringe in the Netherlands, masks weren’t mandatory in most contexts (except public transport) there in October, and without the political divide on the topic, almost nobody wore them where not required. I expect that will resume in the near future, once they are no longer mandated; whereas in England the virtue signal divide will drag on.

 

[LAX54]

Mask wearing is plummeting big time on my bus to work in Norwich. Would say there was about 95% compliance last Wednesday, today it's below 50%.

Some shops still stipulating how many in the store at one time. walked by a Baker's shop the other day in Harwich, ONE person at a time allowed in, with about 5 standing outside !
Little Sainsburys just outside Clacton, still had the 'Mandatory Mask wearing ' sign on display.

 

[bramling]

Two short TFL journeys just now.

Circle Line - 20 in car, 9 wearing masks.

Northern Line - 18 in car, 10 wearing masks.

Well under 50% on stations.

 

[Polarbear]

Not rail related, but my office has today, removed signs asking people to wear masks around the building. They’ve also increased lift capacity from 3 to 15 (the nominal capacity for each lift), and have relaxed the requirement for only two people to be sat on a bank of four desks.

 

[DelayRepay]

I've even noticed a few bakeries round my way which still have actual social distancing measures. Only 2 customers allowed in there at a time, social distancing floor markings, one-way systems, huge high perspex barriers. Absolutely ridiculous.

Some shops still stipulating how many in the store at one time. walked by a Baker's shop the other day in Harwich, ONE person at a time allowed in, with about 5 standing outside !

Do bakers have a particular fear of Covid? I ask because in my local high street on Saturday, the bakery was the only shop still enforcing 'rules'. Queue outside, one person allowed in the shop at a time. All the other shops were back to normal apart from the odd mask poster and bottle of hand gel.

I couldn't be bothered waiting to be allowed into the bakery, so I was delighted to discover a new cake stall at the farmer's market!

 

[Huntergreed]

Do bakers have a particular fear of Covid? I ask because in my local high street on Saturday, the bakery was the only shop still enforcing 'rules'. Queue outside, one person allowed in the shop at a time. All the other shops were back to normal apart from the odd mask poster and bottle of hand gel.

I couldn't be bothered waiting to be allowed into the bakery, so I was delighted to discover a new cake stall at the farmer's market!

I guess that’s what you call, taking the biscuit!

Up here it seems to be butchers and takeaways which are the worst offenders.

 

[kristiang85]

I guess that’s what you call, taking the biscuit!

Up here it seems to be butchers and takeaways which are the worst offenders.

Maybe it's because these are independent businesses and would not be able to open if staff got ill, unlike Tesco or another large company who can always find staff if needed?

Just guessing, and the measures make no difference apart from deprive them of business, but the sooner this isolation nonsense is done the better.

 

[Huntergreed]

Maybe it's because these are independent businesses and would not be able to open if staff got ill, unlike Tesco or another large company who can always find staff if needed?

Just guessing, and the measures make no difference apart from deprive them of business, but the sooner this isolation nonsense is done the better.

I think that’s a very good take on it (although I would replace “get ill” with “have to isolate”, as the overwhelming majority of cases are now very mild!) - I don’t blame these businesses to be fair, it’s the government’s fault and to suggest otherwise is simply passing the blame!

Agree with you on isolation though! It must end soon, and it absolutely should end before (if not sooner than) 23rd March.

 

[kristiang85]

I think that’s a very good take on it (although I would replace “get ill” with “have to isolate”, as the overwhelming majority of cases are now very mild!) - I don’t blame these businesses to be fair, it’s the government’s fault and to suggest otherwise is simply passing the blame!

Agree with you on isolation though! It must end soon, and it absolutely should end before (if not sooner than) 23rd March.

Yes, thanks for correcting my slippage

 

[John Luxton]

Please to say at Costco Liverpool today most shoppers 70% appeared mask free and most staff also mask free about 20% staff.

 

[Phil R]

Been on bus 149 Edmonton Green to London Bridge twice this week, I'd estimate about 40 % not wearing masks, me included.
A bloke got on near Tottenham police station, looked at me and pointed at his mask as if to say that I should be wearing one, I just said "that's nice, you've got a blue one" and ignored him.

That's brilliant, kill them with kindness.


First day back in the office for nearly two months for me today. Train each way had a middling percentage of shyfaces. Auto-announcement about showing courtesy by wearing a face covering had me muttering under my breath while I had another flashback of a would-be mugger waving a knife at me.
Sainsbury's also a middling percentage of believers, noticeably down on my local Waitrose. I suppose I should shop elsewhere while they have their dress code recommendations in place but I take the view that carrying on as normal might just send them a useful message.

 

[greyman42]

I think that’s a very good take on it (although I would replace “get ill” with “have to isolate”, as the overwhelming majority of cases are now very mild!) - I don’t blame these businesses to be fair, it’s the government’s fault and to suggest otherwise is simply passing the blame!

It is the businesses that are imposing the restrictions, not the government.

 

[Dent]

It is the businesses that are imposing the restrictions, not the government.

I think the point is that the government is imposing the requirement for staff to isolate if they test positive, so in light of that the businesses are being more careful to avoid their staff becoming infected. Some businesses have gone too far, but you can see where they are coming from given the current government requirement.

The sooner the government get rid of the requirement to isolate the better, then businesses would not be in this position.

 

[jumble]

Traveled on Central Line today
Tannoy at At Pauls Station states that you can be fined by TFL or BTP if you are not wearing a mask
I was bored so and wanted to do my good deed of the day so went and politely advised the gateline staff who promptly told me it was correct under the byelaws
After a bit of discussion they said they would advise the station supervisor

Afternoon told Lidl in Pinner to remove the sign saying the government mandate masks
To give the manager credit he went and removed it immediately

 

[greyman42]

Traveled on Central Line today
Tannoy at At Pauls Station states that you can be fined by TFL or BTP if you are not wearing a mask
I was bored so and wanted to do my good deed of the day so went and politely advised the gateline staff who promptly told me it was correct under the byelaws
After a bit of discussion they said they would advise the station supervisor

Afternoon told Lidl in Pinner to remove the sign saying the government mandate masks
To give the manager credit he went and removed it immediately

He should of removed it days ago. If you had not brought it up he would of left it there.

 

[Freightmaster]

He should have removed it days ago. If you had not brought it up he would have left it there.

Quite. Retail outlets seem ruthlessly efficient when it comes to installing signs, one way systems,
announcements. etc. when mask/social distancing mandates are enacted, but suspiciously slow
to remove them at the end of the restricted period.





MARK

 

[bramling]

Short journey on LU just now, again 50/50, though a journey on the Northern Line last night was rather disappointingly 8 in the car, 7 masks.

Meanwhile, the "Enforcement & Compliance" remain out and about. A presence in Euston booking hall this afternoon, but doing nothing other than eyeballing people, plenty of people walking in and out without a mask. A rather dubious use of limited funding to be having staff paid to eyeball.

 

[Huntergreed]

Short journey on LU just now, again 50/50, though a journey on the Northern Line last night was rather disappointingly 8 in the car, 7 masks.

Meanwhile, the "Enforcement & Compliance" remain out and about. A presence in Euston booking hall this afternoon, but doing nothing other than eyeballing people, plenty of people walking in and out without a mask. A rather dubious use of limited funding to be having staff paid to eyeball.

It is rather ironic that, whilst considering major cuts to service levels provided by TfL, they managed to fund a large bank of enforcement officers to stare at passengers and enforce an entirely purposeless condition of travel.

I wonder just how many of the “enforcement officers” actually agree with the conditions they are expected to be enforcing.

 

[Hadders]

I’ve been to Colchester today. Less than 50% masked on the 4 trains I travelled on. Similar on the Underground between Farringdon and Liverpool Street.

It was noticeable that many of those wearing masks were not wearing them properly, either nose not covered or constantly adjusting it. Makes a mockery of using one imo.

At Ingetstone on the way back what seemed like a whole secondary school got on the train. They were behaving as normal teenagers do (which was good to see). No masks, distancing etc.

For those who believe masks are a good thing in classrooms, what is the point of them when the kids just behave normally (i.e. no masks, distancing etc) on the way to and from school?

 

[Bikeman78]

At Ingetstone on the way back what seemed like a whole secondary school got on the train. They were behaving as normal teenagers do (which was good to see). No masks, distancing etc.

For those who believe masks are a good thing in classrooms, what is the point of them when the kids just behave normally (i.e. no masks, distancing etc) on the way to and from school?

I've observed the same on Hertford and Cambridge trains for several months. As you say, it makes all of the restrictions in the schools completely pointless. The 06:28 LST-CBG is particularly enjoyable and it's now a 720 instead of a pair of 317s so they're squashed in closer together.

 

[david1212]

As I predicted last week yesterday in Aldi far fewer mask wearers.

 

[yorkie]

I had the misfortune to be subject to LNER's awful messaging today which spoilt the start of the journey.

The bad news is many of the unmasked passengers near me put masks on when the Guard made a threatening announcement shortly before departure, but the good news is that when I walked through the train later in the journey the vast overwhelming majority were unmasked

For those who believe masks are a good thing in classrooms, what is the point of them when the kids just behave normally (i.e. no masks, distancing etc) on the way to and from school?

The whole thing is pointless, but I am pleased to say that something like 99% of secondary school kids are NOT wearing masks based on my observations

 

[bramling]

It is rather ironic that, whilst considering major cuts to service levels provided by TfL, they managed to fund a large bank of enforcement officers to stare at passengers and enforce an entirely purposeless condition of travel.

I wonder just how many of the “enforcement officers” actually agree with the conditions they are expected to be enforcing.

Same again when I passed through Euston just now, at least 4 enforcement staff spread around the booking hall, all they were doing was eyeballing. Plenty of people passing through unmasked.

 

[Class 33]

I had the misfortune to be subject to LNER's awful messaging today which spoilt the start of tLookhe journey.

The bad news is many of the unmasked passengers near me put masks on when the Guard made a threatening announcement shortly before departure, but the good news is that when I walked through the train later in the journey the vast overwhelming majority were unmasked

This sort of disgraceful threatening messaging from the likes of LNER really should not be tolerated. Why oh why are they so against passengers not wearing masks?? What harm does it do to them as a company??

 

[yorkie]

This sort of disgraceful threatening messaging from the likes of LNER really should not be tolerated. Why oh why are they so against passengers not wearing masks?? What harm does it do to them as a company??

Some of the managers are very pro-mask, and they post their views prominently on Twitter.

Most LNER passengers do not wear masks, so they are flogging a dead horse

 

[brad465]

I've certainly taken much less of an interest in the pandemic generally in the last few weeks than before, to the point I haven't really contributed so much to this section of the forum compared to the many months before, and as a "data junkie", I've stopped regularly following what covid has been doing here and abroad, even though I still kept this up after July 19th to the same extent as before it.

 

[ABB125]

After a week of lectures, the following seems to be the situation at my university:

• Perhaps 10% are wearing masks in lectures. Obviously I can only speak for my course; I imagine there may well be some variance in other courses
• Whenever I walk round the university campus, there's always at least one person wearing a mask. Outside...
• For both the above, most of (but not all) the mask wearers are of Asian heritage
• There are far more people about when I'm walking around, to the extent that it almost feels like what I imagine it would be like in "normal" times (though I have no experience of that unfortunately )
• On the other hand, I have far more online lectures this term than last. However, that suits me fine, as I can then do other things at the time of the lecture, and catch up later
• The lecturer for one module wears a mask. In another module where there are only 8 of us, the lecturer asked whether we would like him to wear a mask. The answer was no!
• The Music Society still has the same copy-and-paste message about wearing a mask etc at the bottom of every email. One or two people are wearing masks at choir rehearsals (which somewhat affects your ability to sing...). I observed one of the theatre groups having a committee meeting - everyone was wearing a mask
• I'm going to the UniBrass competition in Sheffield tomorrow. In order to compete, all participants mast show proof of two negative coronavirus tests in the previous 72 hours, and must ear a mask at all times (apart from when playing obviously! I haven't tried myself, but I imagine playing a trumpet through a mask is somewhat... challenging ). I don't know if this is a requirement of the organisers of the competition, or Sheffield's Student Union. Unfortunately, I may accidentally forget to bring a mask...

 

[yorkie]

LNER guard today asking people to wear masks; I am pleased to say most passengers were not and neither was the ticket inspector

Waiting room at Doncaster was busy and no masks in sight; felt very normal! On the Northern train to Sheffield no -one in sight of me is wearing a mask.

At meadowhall they still have a sign saying coverings 'must' be worn at transport interchanges, but no-one is.

Next stop Sheffield.

 

[rg177]

LNER guard today asking people to wear masks; I am pleased to say most passengers were not and neither was the ticket inspector

Waiting room at Doncaster was busy and no masks in sight; felt very normal! On the Northern train to Sheffield no -one in sight of me is wearing a mask.

At meadowhall they still have a sign saying coverings 'must' be worn at transport interchanges, but no-one is.

Next stop Sheffield.

The signage at Meadowhall Interchange (and at many, many other bus stops in South Yorks) has been up for the entire pandemic to be honest. A lot of it is just gradually peeling off and falling apart and will probably disintegrate before it's wilfully removed

I'm currently on a GWR service from Paddington to Exeter St David's. Guard is masked and maybe 25% of passengers but not much more. Victoria Line this morning was more like 80% masked.