Council director of public health asks residents to mask up as Covid-19 cases continue to rise

No.

Seems a reasonable suggestion that will help improve local public health

I've been travelling around a lot by train recently, including the West Country, Wales, Scotland, and Yorkshire. In Scotland, masks are required to be worn in shops, bars, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs, churches and other places of worship, public transport, (including stations and bus stops), at work (including tradespeople working in people’s homes). In Wales, mask wearing is still a legal requirement on public transport and in all indoor public places with some stated exceptions.

On trains in England (all of which were pretty full, some crowded despite tales of covid-induced lack of train travel) on-board announcements asked passengers to wear masks 'to protect others and our colleagues', but few complied.

One has to question Johnson's dropping of the requirement for mask wearing in England in indoor public places at so-called 'Freedom Day'. It certainly wasn't to enable the economy to recover and people to get back to work as mask wearing is no detriment to those.

So why did he do it? For reasons of personal popularity? The devolved governments show far more sense and commitment to limiting the spread of the virus in retaining this minimally-inconvenient but effective requirement.

Vince both Scotland and Wales have higher figures, Wales is dire and it has Covud passports. I wonder why. Germany insists on masks and a Covid Pass their cases now are sky rocketing. I wear my mask inthe shop and on the train it is a closed fitting N95 mask and is to protect me. I do not judge others masked or unmasked I am nearly 90 so it is up to me to protect myself. I would not presume to challenge a non mask wearer and would expect the same courtesy extended to me by a non masker. I do not wear a useless face covering to virtue signal.
I believe are cases will plateau out and perhaps cases will rise in Europe. This pandemic seems to have peaks and troughs.

Tony, well done for wearing your mask. However, they offer little protection to the wearer. By far their largest contribution to limiting virus spread is capturing most of the aerosols and liquid droplets emanating from the nose and mouth of an infected person. The virus spreads almost entirely by these means.

According to the latest Zoe stats, Scotland has the lowest levels of covid cases in the UK, at about 1,250 cases per 100,000 people. Wales has 2,250, however, NW and NE England are not far behind with about 2,100, all of these showing a gentle climbing trend. The SW has 2,000 but cases there are climbing like a homesick angel.

There are many reasons why infection rates rise and fall (Germany for instance seems to have a high proportion of anti-vaxxers), but medical and epidemiological opinion strongly supports mask wearing indoors in public for the protection they provide to others. Masks are not a silver bullet against covid, but they do help and are a minor inconvenience. One can only speculate therefore why Johnson removed the legal requirement to wear one indoors in public in England.

I may, unknowingly at present, have a respiratory disease. If I wear a mask indoors in public, that lowers the chance that I will give that disease to those I meet. To refuse to do so is ignorant, discourteous and downright selfish. Why selfish? Because if I do wear a mask, that is because I am thinking of the health of others and if I do not wear a mask, that is because I am thinking only of myself. That's how selfish works.

Thank you again, Tony, for your altruism in wearing yours.

Face coverings limit the volume and travel distance of expiratory droplets dispersed when talking, breathing, and coughing. A face covering without vents or holes will also filter out particles containing the virus from inhaled and exhaled air, reducing the chances of infection.

Having recently returned from a 5 week stay in France visiting many towns and villages, I was impressed by the responsible attitude of the residents, the vast majority wearing face masks when outside as well as inside, Covid vaccination passes were required to be shown prior to be served in restaurants and even for coffee when sitting outside. No big deal as it became as automatic as fastening a seat belt, (remember when there was a strong resistance to that enforcement when first introduced), Last week the no. of Covid cases in France was 57 per 100,000 people.
Not much litter either !!

Kriss Koombes France is fast resembling a semi Police State and the "Passe Sanitaire" is not universally popular. It does appeal to a certain type however who adopted it with alacrity and they were just the type who supported Petain and the "collaborateurs" in the War . These (the Vichy French) welcomed the German jackboot in 1940 with open arms and glad hearts. They sold the Free French down the river and relished being asked for "Ihren Papieren Bitte". 2 pro German zealots dobbed my Aunt in to the German State Police in Alsace where she was in hiding..she perished in Ravensbrück.

I have a French pal in the Aude and he hates what Macron has become. He has had his jabs but resents the showing of a Pass to go about freely.
The Spanish currently have lower cases, hospitalisations and deaths by far than France and their heroic Parliament rejected (unanimously) the idea of a Covid Pass as unconstitutional. Apparently the spectre of Franco and the Fascists still looms large in the collective memories.
Masks outdoors at the moment are not obligatory in France and wearing one on a quiet country lane with no one around is merely eccentric. Last summer whilst in France (Hossegor, Atlantic Coast). I witnessed the hilarious yet sad spectactle of a 30 something male standing in breaking waves with a blue paper mask. A vast beach with fresh pure Atlantic air (and hardly crowds of people) and yet he thought his soggy mask was a protective talisman. These are the types who wear masks outside when there aren't huge swathes of people, (for the frail and vulnerable I think one would make an exception) but for the young and healthy it is little more than brainwashing when the streets are fairly empty....