Will you continue to wear your mask when they are optional?

I suppose that if there is one thing that this thread does, it's help us to remember why masks needed to be made mandatory.

I can understand people not wanting to wear them, or not caring if they catch or help to spread on a disease. If you want to be like that, then be like that. Where it gets a bit worrying is where people parrot on Facebook-esque scutter about why they believe that masks offer no protection. Or the scroungers going on about "bed-wetters". Just lazy people who, instead of doing their bit, have to justify in their own head to make themselves feel better as why they are happy to sit up on the backs of others who are making an effort.

I think that they should retain one or two carraiges on trains or Luas where masks are mandatory for those who want to wear them.

Santy and the tooth fairy are amazing also

I will personally due to being immune compromised, I don't believe wearing them should be mandatory but do fear there's going to disputes over this, sarcasm etc. I'll deal with that appropriately if it does happen.

If I'm being totally honest and mindful Omicron has not be as severe as Delta, new cases are stubbornly high and that is a concern.

You exactly prove my point. If people had more sense, we'd never have needed to make them mandatory because people would have just been responsible and wore them.

Where are you getting your medical advice from? How about the vaccine? Did ya refuse to get the vaccine as well because Dr. Nicki Minaj released the findings of her paper on twitter that her cousin's friend's balls swelled up and his fiance called off the wedding?

Parrots quoting parrots describes most pro-restrictions discourse, with an overuse of canned phrases.

I will be wearing one in some circumstances as there are immunocompromised people close to me but I would not expect anyone else that doesn't have or want to at this stage to wear one .

I will be wearing a fp95 or a surgical face mask for shorter hops because they do work.

To be fair, your own "proof" that masks don't help with covid is that a survey of surgeons found that 4% of respondents said they didn't bother wearing masks during surgery. I'd say that was pulled right of Facebook (or maybe Dr. Minaj again?)

Even though, despite your medical knowledge, you kinda don't bother to consider that a patient under general anaesthetic will be wearing an oxygen mask and neither be breathing in the surgeons air, not would the surgeon be breathing in the patient's air.............

Why would you mandate something that clearly doesn’t work? These face masks clearly zapped whatever little oxygen goes to the rational side of some people’s brains. Read it slowly so you can take it all in- Masks do not work.

You mandate it to protect the slow learners from themselves. The ones who can't get their head around the fact that a filter which stops an infectious person coughing out a respiratory virus might actually help them not to catch it.....

Scientific newsflash. Condoms have a 100% failure rate. Dr. Nicki Minaj has just posted about her cousin's friends swollen balls again. Apparently he's not impotent anymore and just got some young wan up the pole, despite wearing a condom. No point using them anymore so!

Question for you, If your work colleague had a cold/flu, would ya have a preference between any of the following scenarios

1) They come to you to tell you something and start coughing into your face

2) They come to tell you something, but turn away from you and cough into their elbow or a tissue

3) They don't come near you when they are coughing

I'm just trying to find out whether you understand the concept of a respiratory infection being infectious. If the person does (1) and you request them to do (2), does that make ya a hypochondriac?

Well ya see, covid is no longer something to worry about for most people - especially those who are vaccinated and boosted. But that is a combination of better understanding and treatment, and of the vaccines. There are still people who are vulnerable to it. I'm not vulnerable to it. If I am on a train and there are people there wearing their masks, I will wear mine. If I'm sitting beside some gimp who won't wear theirs, I won't wear mine (I picked up a symptomless infection after being vaccinated and boosted). I can still carry it but am pretty much fully protected for the next few months. If you sit down beside me with no mask, I'm not going to bother my bollix keeping mine on to protect you. If you sit down beside me with one on, I'll keep mine on because you obviously have some concern about catching it (maybe you have a vulnerable person at home etc). So out of manners, I'll wear mine.

You might have heard of the concept of "having good manners" before, or you might not have.

But Dr. Minaj tweeted it. So I'm gonna believe it. Doesn't matter what you say. Doesn't matter what used to be accept as fact. It's what I believe. 'tis the new "science"!

Suppose that you had to spend time in a room with someone who had just tested positive. Emergency and you are locked in there for the next hour. They have a mask with them. Would you have any preference for them wearing it?

So essentially you've no rational basis or consistent approach to it, and certainly no medical basis - you'll just do what everyone else around you at the time is doing to fit in.

It has nothing to do with manners. That's just a massive stretch. It's a fear of standing out basically.

It's a very common Irish trait I'll grant you, but not really one to be celebrated.

I'd say that you are wasting your time giving DOI names. The people you are arguring with probably think that a "published paper" means the "metro" you get free in the morning

(If that is still a thing!)

It's called "having good manners" genius. If someone is concerned enough to wear their mask, I'll wear mine around them. They might be wearing it because they have a vulnerable person at home. If they are making an effort for a reason, then I'll respect that.

Scroungers is a perfect analogy. You don't want to contribute by wearing your own mask, but seem to want others to wear theirs to protect you. Analogous to a person who doesn't want to work but wants others to work to pay taxes so that they can benefit.

What are you on about? I tell you what, if you sit down beside me on a train and you're fat, I'll be fat as well. If you sit down beside me on a train and you are skinny, I'll be skinny as well. Just so ya won't catch fat off me.

That makes about as much sense as your post did in response to mine.

My analogy to scrounger is perfectly valid, as I said.

If ya don't want to contribute your bit but are happy to benefit of the backs of others who make an effort, then ya can't get a more accurate word than "scrounger"! If that's who ya wanna be, then by all means embrace it. It's a valid choice.

What benefit? What are you still so concerned about? Covid is now at the endemic minimal risk stage for almost everyone who get it - and even NPHET have advised masks should no longer be mandatory.

Your argument is based on a notion of feeling better for doing the right thing with a lot of misdirected anger towards anyone who doesn't recognise your consideration or share your attitude. I'm not quite sure why you're so upset by this.

If you feel better by wearing your mask and telling yourself that you're doing your bit and scowling at anyone who isn't as "considerate" as you are then by all means work away, but you are the one with the issue I'd suggest, not them.

It's precisely this attitude that has emerged over the last 2 years that we could very well do without though.

Yeah...........I see that we are dealing with a certain type here. I'll try one more time (although I've already tried a good few times above)

If you are wearing a mask, I will assume you are doing that for a reason such as either being vulnerable yourself, or having a vulnerable person at home. Out of manners (again I've tried, seemingly unsuccessfully to introduce you to the idea of "having good manners") I will wear a mask then.

If you're not wearing a mask, and having no consideration of others, then I won't give enough of a bollix around you to wear mine. Why would ya think I'd necessarily give a **** if you catch it? You're not the centre of the universe. I won't give a ****. If you can't be arsed to wear a mask and bring it home to someone vulnerable in your own circle, then that is on you dude.

Dude. Can you not read. I have no fear of covid. I'm vaccinated and boosted and already had symptomless infection.

But I will have the manners and enough respect for others to recognise that if someone sits down beside me and chooses to still wear a mask, that they will probably be doing it for a reason and I'll happily wear mine.