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

Aside from the dig about overweight people, vulnerable could be anyone else, even ourselves only we don't know it yet. What you, and others are saying, is that you won't consider any inconvenience for yourself in order to mitigate against putting others (which again, could include you or people you care about) at risk.

That's fine, but it is a selfish premise and pointing that out isn't trying to guilt trip someone, it's merely acknowledging something for what it is.

It’s also selfish of fat people to expect others to pander to their “vulnerabilities “ but such realities aren’t PC to mention and don’t give out the holier than thou moral vibe mask lovers so crave.

So fat equals vulnerable in your eyes?

I suggest you look up the list of those with weak immune systems on HSE website so you don't write a post with such a lack of knwledge again.

I missed the data that showed only fat people are susceptible to or have suffered from Covid.

Basic common knowledge.

Never heard of her, what exactly does that have to do with anything?

The entire beauty, fashion and entertainment industries have 50+ years of telling people their fatness is a problem. There's a program on TV specifically focused on it.

How much more of a discussion do you think there needs to be?

I simply refuse the notion that continued wearing of face masks is an expression of consideration for others with the implied reverse angle that those who won't are inconsiderate.

And anyone who pushes that line is IMO indeed virtue signalling and at the very least puts their own fears and anxieties before society in general. And when we go further into how little actual evidence of any meaningful contribution was made by face masks then this becomes in my view an outright selfish expectation.

I know a lot of people say mask wearing is not big deal but for me personally it is a dystopian notion of where we eye each other up as suspected and potentially dangerous germ spreaders best avoided. Psychologically I find it absolutely horrible.

Lastly when I look at countries that had different mask experiences to Ireland - say Sweden on the one hand and Spain on the other. As 'extreme' examples if you like with Ireland somewhere in the middle.

And I see that Swedes never had to wear masks, don't wear masks and never did and nothing happened in Sweden that is in any way different to Ireland in terms of how the pandemic panned out.

And then I look at Spain where the mask mandate was applied to outdoors even and I see that the majority or at least a very large number of people still wear masks outside there - even when not mandated. And again the pandemic panned out there very much the same way as here or in Sweden.

When I look at those 3 examples I must come to the conclusion that mask wearing and the expectations around it are mostly a matter of social conditioning and not of necessity or even usefulness.

No one is insisting you should continue to wear a face mask after the 28th of February. Being considerate towards others, in its most simple terms is not being condescending, generally insulting or even attributing those who choose to do so as being "fearful" "social conditioned" or any the other odd, strange and downright bizarre attributes regularly cast at those who just might to continue to wear a mask for whatever reason, whether that is medical or looking out for a family member or whatever

He's just a troll, best ignored.

I agree with you on that and I wouldn't do it.

But whether you like the attribute of 'social conditioning' or not its a very real thing. Its not a negative attribute even though you seem to have picked it up that way. We all are socially conditioned. Its how we fit into the society that surrounds us.

But that doesn't mean that all of our social conditioning is rational or that its parameters don't change over time and that we all look at those equally. I'm sure you know what I mean. There was really no need to pick it up as an insult or as condescension.

Really?

I trust scientists who are qualified, and the evidence is they did help to reduce transmission of airborne viruses (even homemade ones) to some degree*. That's evidence rather than "case numbers are x so they clearly don't work". A lot of the strategies were to slow, rather than necessarily stop, the spread.

Going forward - wearing a mask (or not) shouldn't be viewed through the extreme lenses we have at play at the moment. If I'm smothered with a "normal" cold, it's completely legitimate for me to wear a mask and potentially stop others getting it. If I don't want to catch any cold or virus on the dart, it's completely legitimate for me to wear a mask to mitigate it. It is 100% not me making any statement.

It would be a massive benefit for everyone, if people that are coughing and spluttering continued to exercise the same hygiene we've been told about the last two years. Just because it's good hygiene! And also, work remotely if you can rather than sit at a desk/ dart beside me thanks. Not because I'm fearful of catching something, just I could do without a couple of days feeling like crap.

It's going to become a personal choice - can people not just respect others personal choice.

*I don't need links etc. thanks - I trust actual peer review science on this, and in general.

The peer reviewed Bangladesh study of 600 villages, found no benefits from a cloth mask and around 9% with a surgical mask. Or in real numbers 1086 in the mask group and 1106 in the unmasked group. This could also be attribute to the number that responded 170,000 and 150,00 respectively.

Or the Danish study of approximately 6000 people which showed a 1.8% chance in the masked (surgical) and 2.1 in the unmasked group's respectively or 0.3% difference between masked and unmasked group.

Both of these studies are peer reviewed and RTC.

Hardly statistically different.

One problem that no one seems to have brought up regarding mask wearing and how it might actually harm more people is, if you believe that mask offers good protection they migh be more likely to put themselves into a crowed situation and believe the mask will protect them.

That's hardly surprising since neither of those "masks" actually filter the air.

I don't know whether any similar studies have been done on N95 masks, but probably not in Bangladeshi villages for obvious reasons.

The Bangladesh study was carried out from professor's from Stafford and Yale University.

It's also very rare to see people walking around with filter masks. I'd say cloth then surgical with the odd few N95 are the most common used at least in my local area,

Some people hold very strong views on something that has very weak evidence that they provide any benefits.

I doubt there will be many of those, especially as it will affect business. Even if they do exist it'll be short term.

As long as there is daily case numbers of well over one thousand, then yes i will continue to wear my mask. Everyone is acting like it's over, but the virus is still in circulation! I do have basic consideration for myself and the people around me.

Looks like you are a slow walker.