Another anti-mask demo Saturday
Another anti-mask demo was held Saturday afternoon at the Sûreté du Québec headquarters.
I took the bus to go to a grocery store I like, Saturday. At the store, people serving at the deli counter had their masks below their noses, and one simply wore his as a chin hammock. I made a remark to him but it was like nothing had been said. I didn’t get anything from the counter, seeing how sloppy they were being. On the bus, most were properly masked, but one guy had his mask dangling from an ear.
We need some enforcers, seriously. Fines on the spot.
Chris 19:13 on 2020-08-15 Permalink
Kate, you’re never going to get 100% mask compliance, just like some people still use drugs, or drive too fast, or disobey whatever other rule. In fact, like drugs, you should look at it from a harm reduction angle. Fining drug addicts doesn’t work, and fining these guys won’t work either. Most people are wearing masks where needed, and that’s good enough.
Max 19:19 on 2020-08-15 Permalink
As always, I’m sorely disappointed at how our police force can’t be arsed to properly do their jobs. Maybe it’s the neighbourhoods I frequent, but I can’t think of one instance where I’ve witnessed them enforcing social distancing or mask wearing rules. Not even one.
I sure often do see them sitting in the cars and playing with their phones though 🙁
Michael Black 19:34 on 2020-08-15 Permalink
Drug use is most likely to affect the user, though there is fallout from things like crime to pay for the habit.
Masks are about limiting the damage to others, not about protecting yourself.
Cops say they don’t want to give out tickets, associated groups aren’t allowed. But what happened to warnings? They want authority, so why aten’t they telling people to wear masks?
SB 19:37 on 2020-08-15 Permalink
I had to go to the Westmount Square clinic twice last week. There were signs at all of the entrances to the building and the clinic itself. Clearly indicating proper regulations along with bottles of hand sanitizer at all entrances. In the clinic waiting room all were properly wearing their masks and sitting in the spaced out seats. All except the receptionists. The one that served me twice, an older woman kept removing her mask in between seeing us. Answering the phone without sanitizing it after using it. Doctors and technicians arriving in the morning, all who were properly masked, either didn’t notice her or didn’t care. I mentioned it to the doctor I was seeing both times I was there. I assume nothing’s changed given that she was still doing the same thing the second time I was there.
Michael Black 19:57 on 2020-08-15 Permalink
I had a blood test yesterday,and it was the first time I’d gone anywhere in two months. Someone at the door just asked “do you have any symptoms”, while back in June they went through the checklist.
But I saw nobody without a mask. And there was plexiglass between me and the technician with a place to put my arm through.
I haven’t seen a doctor since December, the appointment in March postponed twice. Now the end of September, but by remote they are talking about.
mare 20:31 on 2020-08-15 Permalink
Walking my dogs this afternoon I saw, for the first time ever, cops from five cars handing out warnings and maybe actually fining people in our neighbourhood park and adjacent skate park. I presume for lack of social distancing, but I’m not 100% sure. Maybe something really bad had happened and they were gathering witness statements, but they looked stern and i saw unhappy looking people fill out forms.
On my way back they had left and the teens standing around the skatepark were all back in large numbers rubbing shoulders again. I hope that when schools are reopening and the infection rate goes up the young people will start taking the pandemic a bit more serious, otherwise we’re in for a nice big second wave. Most people do their part, and outside the exposure is not that intense and prolonged so it’s not such a big deal, but I also noticed the return of the greeting of friends with hugs and kisses.
dwgs 08:06 on 2020-08-16 Permalink
I’m not saying that we won’t see a spike when the kids go back to school but I’m starting to think it won’t be as bad as I had initially feared. I’ve seen kids (including my own) interact over the last couple of months at the park, through sports, and just generally hanging around and I think if there was going to be a major breakout it would have already happened. I’m talking about teenagers here, who aren’t the best at following instructions.
walkerp 09:22 on 2020-08-16 Permalink
We were on vacation for the last week, out in the Saguenay Fjord area and mask discipline was quite high. Everybody was wearing them in the stores, restaurants and lodgings and employees were reminding people to use the hand sanitizer.
Kate 10:04 on 2020-08-16 Permalink
Chris, inspectors could at least visit grocery stores and fine those not enforcing masks on people handling food. I like the grocery store I mentioned in the post, but am reconsidering shopping there – if they’re willing to allow their public-facing workers to be sloppy about masks, what other corners are they cutting?
JaneyB 10:06 on 2020-08-16 Permalink
In Verdun, indoor and proper mask wearing, sanitizing etc is first-rate. I think I have only seen one scofflaw since it became mandatory and he was a senior holding a mask and somewhat disoriented. There’s a fair bit of outdoor masking too here though I have seen a few larger unmasked multifamily bbqs in the park. Anxiety and family stress were palpable here in April and May. Lots of seniors, disabled and health care staff in this borough. Many Verduners rarely go outside Verdun so this might also help establish strong masking norms. Now we watch and wait for the second shoe to drop.
jeather 10:22 on 2020-08-16 Permalink
Masks help both the person wearing the mask and the people near that person. They do more to help others, but they reduce the viral load you are exposed to as well, reducing the chance of infection and the severity if you are infected.
Ephraim 10:27 on 2020-08-16 Permalink
The original suggestion for not wearing a mask was because people wearing masks were getting sick, in spite of wearing masks. This suggestion is borne of the opposite idea, that those who may be sick would spread less droplets. So the two suggestions for not wearing and for wearing are from based on two different ideas and therefore not really related.
When I come upon someone who isn’t wearing their mask as they should, I avoid them… like the plague, because essentially that is what they are, to me. I literally stop in my tracks to let them go, if they are ahead of me. I walk in the other direction if they are walking towards me or a place myself near a barrier. If I have no choice, I will tell them to stay away from me, because they aren’t properly masked. Is their choice… to be an asshole… it’s my choice to not tolerate it. I’m a support for someone else. I’m keeping myself LOW risk.
I walked by a sushi place where the employee was on the telephone while making sushi…. No. Never ordering from there. It’s droplets… mask up or shut up, but don’t be talking while working over food. But in the supermarket, I would have called the manager and asked him a simple question… “How would you react if someone took a picture of this and posted it on Facebook and Google Reviews? And how do you think that head office and the city inspection agencies would feel about that?” I’ve asked the same question when I come into a bathroom that isn’t maintained… everyone has a camera, all it takes is ONE person to post it.
I walked into a supermarket that wasn’t enforcing the masks. The employees didn’t feel comfortable with enforcing it. Well, I didn’t feel comfortable as a customer being there… and I won’t be back, even to see if they have correct it. If possible, call the manager. The problem was, that it was a union problem, the unions were allowing the employee to refuse. But now that it’s law, they don’t have a choice. Manager should know and do something about it immediately.
For those who have little kids, offer them 25c for each improperly masked person that they shame. Make it a game. “Mommy/Daddy, why is that person not wearing their mask properly to protect the health of everyone?” The kids love a game 🙂
Kate 12:12 on 2020-08-16 Permalink
Ephraim, it crossed my mind to take photos, but this place would not have hesitated to throw me out and bar me. I didn’t want a scene.
MarcG 12:47 on 2020-08-16 Permalink
On Friday I went to Mont St-Bruno for a hike. Many paths were marked uni-directional for distancing and lots of people just ignored it. I saw people walk maskless past a big sign saying “masks required” into the bathroom. On the way home I stopped at the Jardins Interieurs, a seniors residence in St-Lambert, and the nurses nurses were changing shifts; half of them walked into the building without masks on. Groups of old ladies gathered in bunches at the front desk with masks dangling under their chins. The security guard couldn’t keep his mask on for more than 2 seconds. It’s very discouraging that people can’t follow simple instructions.
Regarding the kids playing outside in the parks for months and the numbers not spiking, I suspect it has to do with the fact that they’re outside moving around and not sitting next to each other in a closed room like they will be at school.
jeather 13:07 on 2020-08-16 Permalink
I don’t wear masks outdoors, and it looks like the risk of infection in the 10 seconds you take to walk past someone who is unmasked is all but non-existent. I wear them all the time and correctly in indoor public spaces, and at the public markets/at a service counter to a store out a window.
Matty 22:33 on 2020-08-17 Permalink
I figure, when I wear a mask, I’m protected, so, why should I care if somebody else doesn’t or berate them for their difference of opinion or preference or choice–after all, this is a democracy–so, non-compliance doesn’t bother me at all. I think shaming people is unkind, counter-productive, cruel and unnecessary. I practice tolerance of people whose opinions differ from mine and that police resources should be devoted to really serious issues like domestic violence, armed robber and murder, etc.
Kate 00:34 on 2020-08-18 Permalink
Matty, the virus doesn’t give a damn about difference of opinion. Armed robbery and murder are a minuscule matter here, covid is not.
MarcG 08:55 on 2020-08-18 Permalink
Unfortunately “when I wear a mask, I’m protected” doesn’t seem to be how this game works.
Chris 09:34 on 2020-08-18 Permalink
>Chris, inspectors could at least visit grocery stores and fine…
There’s a million things scarce inspectors could be doing. There’s lots of idling cars, speeding motorists, people littering, people hosing their driveways (remember that one), etc., etc. We’d need to live in a police state to have enough inspectors doing all these things. Mask compliance is quite high, and that’s good enough.
Matty: I agree completely.