Masked Balls Tomorrow

[Richard]

Masks will be required in shops as of 24th July (as is currently the case on public transport) but If there’s table service in a restaurant it is not necessary to wear a mask.
People will also need to wear a face-covering in takeaways, in England, under new regulations due to come into effect on 24 July.
Masks will be needed in shops (such as Pret a Manger) if people intend to take their food and coffee away.
However, if they sit down to eat or drink, they will be able to remove their face-covering in that area.
If a shop or supermarket has a cafe or a seating area to eat and drink, you can remove your face-covering in that area.
The logic is that you can't eat and wear a mask at the same time.

Has the world gone mad or is it a case of the government wanting to encourage business with exemptions that defeat the attempts to control the spread of the virus?
I am happy to wear a mask but is there clear evidence that any sort of non-medical mask is effective acceptable?
And if a non-medical mask is acceptable then why do staff in the NHS not just put any old cloth around their face?

Confused.com.

[cbe]

[Richard]

I noticed about 5 or 6 members of the public in Morrisons today without face-masks.
I asked a member of staff why they were allowed to walk about freely and was told that staff are not allowed to challenge them, that they may have reasons for not wearing masks, and staff could not get involved.
Unenforceable rules!
Mandatory or compulsory Laws or rules that have no consequences are a bit daft in my opinion.
It makes no sense at all.

[cbe]

I understand that none of the main supermarket stores intend enforcing the rules. I should imagine the reasons are two-fold. (1) they do not want their staff to have confrontations with customers and (2) they do not want to antagonise customers - who may take their future trade elsewhere.

[Richard]

Realistically only the Police can enforce, and they do not have the numbers.
Station Plaza medical centre would not let me enter the 'guarded' vestibule area without one (I forgot again - Duh!) and was told me to buy one at the attached chemist where they were charging £2.50 for two.
I returned to the medical centre and said I had no money, the security chap scoffed and said 'okay here's one' and brought out a contraption with 4 fiddly ribbons to tie on behind my head.

Morrisons will provide one (with sensible elastic straps) at the security post, if you forget to take one out with you.
In future I will find cloth, about 22 inches square, and make my own face bandana as some of the commercial surgical masks make me cough!

[cbe]

Indeed, only the Police can enforce - but shops can prevent entry - but will not.

[Richard]

'shops can prevent entry - but will not'
They want the customers to buy and so most will provide disposable masks to that end.

A disposable mask is only designed to be used once.
Advice on how often, and at what temperature, one should wash a re-usable (bandana?) face covering is another matter.

[cbe]

Full circle then - as I said earlier - they will not 'enforce' masks (by denying entry to non-wearers)
the policy will fail therefore