From today, face masks become mandatory in shopping centres, supermarkets, banks and takeaways. Unless you find them distressing!
That’s right. Whilst 90% of the public will be the right thing and wear them, the rules have created a nice loophole for anyone who does not want to follow suit. There are standard exemptions for those with disabilities, children under 11 or who may need to lip read etc.. But the government has also created an exemption for anyone who finds wearing a face mask ‘distressing’.
It will be interesting to see just how many large, burly blokes will be seen walking around Kent today, who will find a little face covering just too much to bear!
What makes this entire policy worse, is that some supermarkets and shops have already said that they will not enforce the rule. Sainsbury’s, for instance said “We won’t be challenging customers without a mask when they enter or when they are in store since they may have a reason not to wear a mask.”
Other smaller shops have said that they are fearing for the safety of their staff, if they refuse service if the customer is not wearing a face mask.
send us your funny face mask photos and we will share them
With the current policy, it will be impossible to work out who is exempt or not. It would have been so easy to show exemptions in a different way, such as being provied with a badge or pass or wear. Instead, the government have left a minefield for those on the frontline with a gapping hole where the non-conformists have an escape route.
On the bright side, it is going to be a very interesting day out on the High Street, as there are no rules about the kind of face masks that can be worn. Expect to see all sorts of different solutions. The jokers will have a field day wearing all sorts of face coverings and celbrity masks. Send us your best photos from the day and we will sharet the best ones…
