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

I'll continue to wear mine depending on busyness of wherever I am, etc.; I don't find it to be the enormous inconvenience some are making out. And I'll especially wear them when I'm ill - have done that before covid too, on flights. There were a group in sniffling and spluttering in the room in uni yesterday (masks on chins of course) - even with no covid floating about, it's still irksome behaviour.

Yeah I don't think you can come to any accurate conclusions on the popularity of something that's been a legal requirement for the last 18 months.

I think by April it will be clear how "popular" masks actually are. They won't just disappear next week. More and more people will gradually stop wearing them as they get more comfortable with it.

I won't be wearing one, I honestly don't see why you would. I have been vaccinated and have had Covid so I can't imagine that I pose too much of a risk to anyone. Didn't have to wear one when I went into work yesterday so nice not to have to wear it.

Its nice for shopworkers as well who have to wear them all day now. They must be delighted. Its not a big deal for me as I only had to wear them for a few minutes in a shop or a train but I do feel for people who have to wear them all day.

It will all drift away in a few weeks. The incredibly considerate people wearing them now will stop when nobody else is wearing one and nobody cares any more.

It blows my mind that after 2 years of this so many people still don’t understand the basics of how masks even work.

I think older people and others who feel more vulnerable will continue to wear them because it gives them a feeling of security. So I doubt they’ll disappear completely. I won’t be wearing one outside of work but in work I have no choice for now.

I won't be wearing one, can't wait to get rid of it! I know some people seem to not find them uncomfortable but I do and I feel for anyone who has to wear them fulltime. I have shopping to do and I'm putting it off until next week when I can do it without a mask, have put many things off since they became mandatory. I won't fly again either until they are gone.

People can make their own decisions about them but if someone is feeling vulnerable then obviously they should wear the FFP2 masks or similar to protect themselves, makes more sense than everyone else wearing a mask that may or may not be of any use.

In my day job masks are used in a controlled environment. There are procedures regarding how to put them on, fit them, no touching them etc. In that controlled environment our product doesn’t get contaminated once we completely follow these procedures any slight deviation can lead to contamination.

So in the real world where very few people are wearing a well fitting mask, many are reusing multiple times, rearranging it etc the effectiveness of masks is no way near the same as a controlled environment.

I think masks make people feel safer, but the protection might not be as high as they think. For those that are vulnerable I think they need to consider what mask they are wearing and wear a mask that protects them. That way they don’t have to consider all the poorly fitted masks or chin nappy’s out there.

I don't understand all the hostility from either side. Masks will no longer be mandatory from Monday, surely then everybody has a choice whether to wear one or not.

I am eldery and vunerable, and at no time during the last two years have I expected anyone to protect me. I am old enough to have the common sense not to put myself into what I would cnsider a dangerous situation, and that won't change,I will still wear a mask in hospital settings, which I agree with.

I am also deaf, and the masks have been a nightmare for me, I find it hard to breathe in them too, so for me I'm delighted to see them go. There is no joy anymore to browse in shops, I just go in and out in as little time as possible now. Whatever you choose to do, respect what choice the other person has made. I won't be giving anyone funny looks if they are wearing a mask, and I will expect the same respect to be shown to me for not wearing one. If anyone is breathing down my neck, whether they are wearing a mask or not, I politely ask them to take a step back, and that also won't change.

I can imagine them on the way into the shops next week..........

Voted yes in all situations as its the closest to what I will do. I'll wear them in shops and my work brings me in close contact with people so I will continue to wear one in work.

I haven't caught COVID so far and don't really want to, so I'll probably still wear FFP2 masks in supermarkets and shops or when entering small/poorly ventilated spaces (like toilets). I'll definitely still wear them on planes and public transport. It seems like they protected me quite well on fully booked flights last year even when I had several exposure notifications after being on planes. I don't really fancy flying somewhere and getting sick/being stuck in quarantine/isolation.

And how would you know ?

You thought Averil Power " was a medic " !

Am glad you included the last paragraph because tbh, it all sounded just a bit judgemental up to that ,Diamonds !

In my experience all the other categories would be a minority and the vast majority fall in th the immunocompromised and vulnerable.

But that is my experience and I accept you probably see more suffering with different issues , so fair enough .

On the subject of cloth masks agree . Useless except are used for brief spells with social distancing and everybody wearing them .

Anybody who seriously needs protection from now should be wearing either surgical masks or ffp2. The latter really do work but are a pig to wear .

I really think it's time masks went for most people , but would prefer that people maintain vigilance where others are vulnerable and be kind .

Well by April a lot will be moving outdoors anyway and hopefully this wave gone .

A good summer and no further variants ..will be a different landscape .