On the December 29th 2022, both Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals announced that they would – once again – be asking all patients and visitors to wear a mask “due to a significant increase in Covid, flu, RSV and norovirus infections”. Despite the generalised wearing of face coverings being ineffectual in reducing viral spread, and despite the accumulating evidence of the harms (physical, social and psychological) associated with them, it is clear that a few mask zealots – many embedded in our healthcare system – are continuing to promote this senseless practice. And this obsession with covering our faces, as stubbornly espoused by a few NHS Trusts, has consequences. In combination with the way that masks have strengthened psychologically-manipulative ‘nudges’ to frighten and shame us into compliance with state diktats, this double whammy is prone to evoke crazy behaviour in some otherwise ordinary people.
Allow me to illustrate with a couple of recent personal experiences.
I was sitting outside a beachside café with a friend. A woman at a nearby table was eating while putting her mask on between mouthfuls: repeatedly touching her moist strip of plastic as she removed it, handling her food with her sodden mitts, and repeatedly touching her moist strip of plastic as she put it back on. My friend coughed, triggering rage in our fellow diner who subjected my friend to a tirade of abuse before storming out, threatening to report us.
My partner and I had ‘ordinary’ colds on the day a boiler man was due to visit to do work on our central heating system. As we knew the boiler man very well, I phoned to let him know we had colds and, straight away, he wanted to know if it was Covid. I told him no and suggested he postpone. He proposed we all wear masks for the four hours he anticipated it would take to complete the repair. Did he really expect us to cough and sneeze into masks for this prolonged period? Yuk! Instead, we opted to go on a long walk as it was a lovely sunny day.
Based on these experiences it appears that public health messaging throughout the Covid era has erased our memories of what routine life was like prior to this period. So here are reminders:
Cough: a natural bodily reflex habitually used to keep the airways clear.
Cold: a common, mild viral infection of the nose and throat.
As a direct result of the Government’s communications strategy, the terms ‘cough’ and ‘cold’ have taken on sinister meanings. This is unsurprising when one considers what we have all endured. Following the mask U-turn by our state-funded experts in April and May 2020 – when they collectively ditched the valid ‘masks won’t help’ narrative – we have been bombarded with relentless propaganda. Images of people in masks appeared everywhere: signs outside buildings, advertising hoardings, and TV and internet commercials. We were told, with no robust evidence to support the claims, that masks helped reduce the transmission of the virus that causes Covid. We were told it was our duty to protect other people by mask wearing. There were messages that read, ‘no mask, no entry’ outside shops and cafes.
During the Covid era, I was startled to find that the website of Liberty – the U.K.’s leading human rights organisation – was littered with pictures of people in masks. Our political leaders of all parties were frequently photographed in their masks. Even Extinction Rebellion were seen protesting outside, socially distanced and masked. It was a powerful propaganda campaign that affected everyone. There were no discussions in the mainstream media on the pros and cons of mask wearing, no mention of the many harms involved, no balanced reporting of the available research evidence. We were lied to. We were manipulated. We were nudged. We were shamed. We were bullied. Most of us were fooled. Most people believed that wearing a mask was ‘doing the right thing’.
A minority of the population always felt in our guts or our hearts that mask wearing was a vile, oppressive, inhuman imposition. Some people bravely went barefaced from the start and coped with whatever abuse and prohibitions they encountered. After the long weeks of lockdown and social distancing my courage was at a low ebb. Throughout 2020-21, to avoid adverse attention, I would wear a thin grey cowl (only bearable for a few minutes) or a plastic visor. I knew that neither of these was in any way useful in preventing the spread of a virus by tiny aerosols. I had done my homework. I was however intimidated and very stressed by every experience that involved being amongst masked people. I used to talk to myself behind my visor while doing the shopping and smile stupidly at the masked people around me. It’s bizarre to remember it now and I promise myself that if those pesky masks ever return my face will be free.
And, encouragingly, by the latter half of 2022 it seemed we had turned a corner. Only a deviant minority persisted with wearing face coverings in public places. But – as we enter a new year – this return to sanity is under threat. The mask disciples, like the infection control people at Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals, are baying once again for the return of the mask. When we will be free of the irrational notion that covering our faces with cloth or plastic provides meaningful protection against respiratory viruses?
Jill Evans is a supporter of the Smile Free campaign opposing mask mandates.
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I wouldn’t have been ringing to inform a tradesman, especially a boiler man ( it’s always the winter when they choose to conk out! ), that I had a cold. Sod that! Whether I knew them or not is irrelevant. How odd.
Guys, are we really going to be here, churning out the same old comments and observations for the 3rd winter running? God this is depressing.
Very depressing indeed.
The way I see it, unless you are working with asbestos, or sawing someone’s leg off, a mask is a pure *symbol*. Like a swastika, a MAGA cap, or a rainbow T-shirt. That is what is so repulsive about masking. Forget reality. Just performance posturing.
I’ve worn one willingly only to say farewell to a relative dying of cancer, who (for whatever reason) wanted it. Fair enough.
It was a requirement to wear one in 2020 if I wanted to say farewell to Granny in a “care-home” (having been unable to see her in her final months thus denying Grandad (WW2 vet) his dying wish). Whilst I was still wrestling with my conscience trying to reconcile myself to wearing the vile things, she died and it was too late. I feel unutterably angry that I and and so many others were placed in this situation.
This worst example of all that was seeing Her Majesty the Queen sitting by herself, masked at Prince Philip’s funeral. How vile and cruel that was, and yet the church itself acquiesced instead of standing up for truth and our freedom. With that and describing the unvaxxed as ‘immoral’, Welby has a great deal of grovelling apology to do.
She made that bed for herself when she appeared on television at the start of the so-called pandemic urging the public to do as they were told so they could ‘meet again.’ She was in on it, on some level.
I have never worn a mask. Never will. End of debate.
There is a positive to the masktards – continuous mask wearing will probably shorten their lives, and as masktards they will definitely be fully jabbed and boosted so their time is short anyway.
Good riddance as far as I am concerned.
I really wish we had even just one Swedish commenter. Maybe even if someone could write one of those ‘Postcard from..’ articles from over there. I feel we need a dose of what a normal winter looks like, in a land where they still co-exist with all the same lurgies as we do, and the government doesn’t go full-on authoritarian on the citizens, who in turn don’t turn into compliant, knicker-twisting cretins. I want to go to
and remember what 2019 was like at this time of year.
So for any Swedes reading, please let us know that normality and common sense do still exist in your part of the world! Please and thank you.
I can’t offer that, but am reminded of our trip to Stockholm in the autumn of 2020 when the UK was in full masktard mode, and there were almost no masks in evidence anywhere – as I recall mainly on Chinese looking people and the staff in Footlocker – global orders I think. Random strangers were hugging me, the lady who cut my hair shook hands with me, and people were brushing past me rudely in shops – so refreshing. The return to the UK was one of the most depressing moments of my life.
I can just imagine the culture shock in arriving home!
Why did Sweden get to have the lowest mortality overall? It must’ve been a combo of high oily fish and meatball intake along with their bracing weather and keeping active assembling flat-packed furniture. Definitely nothing to do with behaving like normal people who were not afraid of a Deadly Pandemic
https://metatron.substack.com/p/deadly-pandemic-what-deadly-pandemic
I had countless arguments with friends, family and colleagues about Sweden. Not a single apology or recognition I was right.
Like I say above, possibly psychologically damaged (and with good reason). Try and cut them some slack if you can.
Well to an extent they are victims but they are free, intelligent adults who made their choices and will have to live with them. In the main, not damaged, just lazy thinkers, gullible, cowardly and now don’t want to admit they were wrong. But for sure there are people who have been deeply damaged.
I agree. I still remember my huz saying I was “stupid” for not getting vaxxed. I think he felt self-conscious that he was catastrophizing about the whole scam because he’d been reeled in like a fish, whilst I was totally scathing of it all.
I unfortunately also know several who belong in the “Least said, soonest mended” brigade.
The same may well apply to many of the poor in our society. Still deserving of charity though in my opinion. It’s the ones who definitely knew what they were doing who are the first priority for me.
The people I am talking about are intelligent, successful, functioning adults. Liberty is not guaranteed and is created by people taking it and defending it. I have limited time left and don’t want to spend much of it with people like that. Agree that those who knew what they were doing are the most guilty but the only way they will be held to account is through the vigilance of the people – people we all know in our daily lives who we have tried to persuade of our case and in my case largely failed.
None of the Human Rights charities or legal firms did anything to inform the public that their Human Rights were being trampled underfoot. Funny how that….
Indeed, the problem is at least *somewhat* self-correcting in the long run.
Agree die already.
December 29th we were near the summit of Mt Etna. Group of 20. 5 tards masked. Ridiculed and Bullied by my good self. Italians. 10000 feet high in bracing mountain air and the half wits are blue diapered…..die already please.
My uncle was a mask zealot (though thankfully he has rejoined normal society at least for now) and I cannot wish him dead. In any case I truly believe that some of these people have diminished responsibility due to psychological damage and the like through being relentlessly subjected to the fear porn – lest we forget, the biggest and most sophisticated propaganda campaign of modern times by those past masters of big pharma and their various collaborators. It is the villainous masterminds I want to see in jail rather than the often unwitting pawns (though I hope they understand in time what has happened).
Ditto me. Never worn one (except when pulling fibreglass insulation out of the loft). I can’t believe so many people did.
So what would you have done in the case I outline above, just out of interest?
The people directly responsible for putting us in situations like that are the ones who need to be held to account, as I say.
But competent adults use their judgement all of the time in their day to day lives, weighing up risks and benefits without conscious thought even, therefore they need to be taking some self-responsibility and ownership for their own decisions. Perhaps you’re more tolerant or forgiving than me but I just think there’s no excuses, at least not this far down the road, and people could at least have the humility and good grace to concede that they were wrong and have changed their stance because they’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way. It’s these people I respect more, not the ones who want to just forget everything that happened ( like that ”amnesty” cobblers! ) and pretend everything is OK when it definitely isn’t. A bit of humble pie never did anyone any harm. It demonstrates strength of character to admit you were wrong.
Many supported mask mandates and vaxx passports and lockdowns. They harmed me and my family.
Thanks Mogs. Completely with you.
It would be nice, though they do say sorry is the hardest word – and I will always respect someone who admits they were wrong.
I am a loner in my family, the only one of seven of my generation who has called this scam out, add in eight nieces and nephews and my father and I am one amongst sixteen. Don’t get me wrong they dropped the masks, not sure when but they fell for ir and that includes some if not all the injections. The whole three years is now swept under the carpet.
My extended social circle would number 40 – 50, all succumbed. None of them will discuss what happened other than trot out the C1984 storyline and blame Covid. So, I am bloody angry.
The current masktards are beyond pity. If efforts were made to enforce masks once again I am under no illusions that I could expect sympathy from the zealots.
I am not aware of any of the above people having a relapse but if I do I will let my opinions be known.
A volunteer group I work with numbers three PhD’s – a physicist, a microbiologist and a psychologist, all of them bought in full the pandemic – “got me booster” next week, FFS! Then we have three teachers, three retired teachers, some ex NHS staff; nice people but utterly stupid.
Yes, I’m bloody angry and totally out of sympathy, even with family.
I have just one niece and her partner who have held out – one out of all those people.
ANGRY. Bloody angry.
I know “nice” people like that, but I suspect I will only hurt myself if I fall out with them over their covidianism. What upsets me is the thought that there are people who divided us against each other and knew they were doing it, and these are the ones I most want to see held to account. Imagine in an alternative reality if 23rd March 2020 and all the rest of it hadn’t happened and we hadn’t fallen out with family, friends, relatives, “nice” volunteers. Instead we are left with this overwhelming anger and sadness, and the fact that this has been done is reprehensible, and I truly hope that there will be a reckoning.
Fair comment Hugh.
To be clear, I meant what would you have done in this situation:
“It was a requirement to wear one (a mask) in 2020 if I wanted to say farewell to Granny in a “care-home” (having been unable to see her in her final months thus denying Grandad (WW2 vet) his dying wish). Whilst I was still wrestling with my conscience trying to reconcile myself to wearing the vile things, she died and it was too late. I feel unutterably angry that I and and so many others were placed in this situation.”
I never wanted to wear the wretched things, but given more time, maybe I would have caved in.
“To be clear, I meant what would you have done in this situation”
Hugh, apologies for my misunderstanding.
To see your Grandmother? In that situation I genuinely do not know what I would have done. I had made my decision not to accept any mask mandates very early on. I had a “Bollox to Lockdown” t-shirt printed by April, which enraged one of my sisters, and I stuck throughout to my refusal to wear masks. I had plenty of set-to’s with NHS staff which was upsetting.
It is fair to say that I am grateful that I never faced a similar situation. What would I do now? I would force my way in and let them call the police, and film the damn lot.
I do sympathise with the horrific predicament you found yourself in.
Same. I actually get nervous and jittery as soon as I see anyone wearing a mask. There’s something of the death camps about people in masks: if they’ll go as far as to wear masks, they’ll accept people being rounded up and taken to extermination camps ‘for the common good’.
I deeply regret not having children and that my family line will die out in this generation, but given the propaganda and outright lies a child of the present day would be forced to endure from day one of his formal ‘education’, I wouldn’t want to inflict that on anyone. I fear the current young generation is lost. A child starting school this year will only ever have known a world of oppression and compulsory mask-wearing.
Thanks Dom, and in complete agreement with you. Masktards, certainly now, decidedly DO carry creepy and evil portents and that is why I despise them.
Did they seriously include NOROVIRUS (aka stomach virus) in the list of reasons to wear masks in hospital? Whatever happened to simply washing one’s hands (with soap!) and disinfecting surfaces and mobile phones? It is a hardy, fecal-oral transmitted virus, as well as spread from vomit. And since people inevitably wear masks into the bathroom which absorb toilet flush plumes (yuck!), and still not everyone washes their hands to boot, masks will only make it that much WORSE! SMH.
Disinfecting mobile phones? If only! Apparently people use them in toilets without ever getting around to cleaning them, meaning they are swimming with germs (rather like those horrid masks). One of my reservations about the slave phones.
Depressingly, after the optimism of only the occasional masker over the Xmas shopping period, they seem to be making a comeback in this part of the country (South West) – still a significant minority but definitely more than the last few weeks. Including outside in the interminable rain. Words fail.
I have never work a mask – okay, I wimped out during the height of the covid era by wearing a sunflower lanyard instead, but I eventually dumped that. I have had a few run ins, but with businesses, not individuals – our regular pub of 20 years became a no go area. We found a new pub, no problem! There is no way I would ever wear one now, or conform to any other stupid government dictats. I am an angry person these days, anyone telling me what to do gets an earful of invective. It might not be polite but I no longer care.
“I am an angry person these days, anyone telling me what to do gets an earful of invective. It might not be polite but I no longer care.”
Ditto T o b.
Kettering is my nearest hospital.
Good job I haven’t been jabbed.
But wasn’t he a really untypical tradesman? They’ve struck me as perfectly rational during this evil.
I think 98% of tradesmen we’ve had here have been utterly uninterested in covid bollocks.
Off topic.
Bumping this: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/tom/
There’s an update with some documents outlining the basis for their appeal. Their adult son, who is not mentally competent to make his own decisions, is going to be forced to have a covid vaccine, even though he has had covid.
Never worn a mask, never had a bad word from anyone when simply saying “Exempt”.
I did make a lanyard that said ‘UEFA VIP – Rules for thee – not for me” for the Euro’s tournament which received quite a few thumbs up on a one-off trip to London (for a protest).
It’s as simple as this: The shitshow will continue for as long as nobody has the balls to resist it. Once a critical mass say “We’re not playing your game”, the house of cards will fall. When enough people, more or less simultaneously, say “I won’t wear a mask”, “I won’t take any unnecessary medication” and “I will behave like a rational human being”, there is NOTHING they can do about it! There are so many of us out there that covertly want to return to the old normal… SO DO IT! They can’t fire, fine, imprison, or vilify all of us. As with every era in history when tyranny has threatened to take over, it is once again in the hands of the people – US – to say no.
I went for the thrice yearly mammogram, actually it has been 5 years as the Lockdown and save the NHS stopped the last routine one so its 2 years overdue. The mammogram takes place in a portable portacabin outside a countryside hospital. I arrived at my due time on the steps up to the portacabin, on the outside of the door was a please wear a mask sign. I do not and did not wear a mask during the great Covid scam, and my suspicions of them being used purely as a product to instil fear, to humiliate and to identify the disobedient have subsequently been shown to be true. Anyway I headed in, one other candidate was there masked, plus the radiographer, again masked.
First Question by Radiographer – Do you have a mask – No
“Would you like to take on of these masks?” A : No I dont wear them
“Is that because you are exempt?” A: No , I dont wear them
“Well we prefer you to wear one, we would like you to” A: No I don’t wear them,
Radiographer, shrugged, sighed and gave me a pityful look.
I was then directed to one of the two cubicles and the proceedure went ahead.
This was Gloucestershire health trust.
I really, really do wonder where the critical thinking has gone in these willing obedients? Indeed if they ever had any. This was a portacabin in a car park, the women visiting, the “clinicians” all presumably go to shops, offices, other people’s homes, pubs etc, etc do they still wear a mask all the time when they meet others? probably not, have they all had their 5 or 6 magic experimental injections? yes probably. Being clinicians they are no doubt aware of the size of a virus particle against the size of the holes in a blue paper mask. But still they persist with this charade, this most potent symbol of fear, to me it is as potent a symbol of terrror as the double S on the German uniforms, and yet people allow themselves to be tyrannised by a service they pay so much for, why because they feel threatened that the NHS will deny them health care.
Gloucestershire health service and any other that is continuing with their reign of terror need to actually examine who was the cause of the current excess deaths and health crisis in this country, and no amount of masking will hide or stop the damage they and their pharmaceutical masters have caused.
Excellent post. I know what those battles are like with bloody NHS staff.
Tw##s.
‘Being clinicians they are no doubt aware of the size of a virus particle against the size of the holes in a blue paper mask. ‘
No they have no idea whatsoever.
My sister is a nurse and has been rendered depressed and anxious by the evident ignorance of most of her profession regarding such basic matters – even doctors!
“I was sitting outside a beachside café with a friend. A woman at a nearby table was eating while putting her mask on between mouthfuls: repeatedly touching her moist strip of plastic as she removed it, handling her food with her sodden mitts, and repeatedly touching her moist strip of plastic as she put it back on. My friend coughed, triggering rage in our fellow diner who subjected my friend to a tirade of abuse before storming out, threatening to report us.”
Fantastic! I wish it had been caught on video! Maybe one day this will all be taught in “Horrible History” or some such.
As for the gas man, I’d have told him I had no idea if it was covid (actually I probably wouldn’t have mentioned any cold unless it was so bad that I had to cancel the visit); and if he was afraid, that perhaps we would get someone else.
Take courage, Jill. I am 73, normally very law abiding and not particularly brave, but the masks so upset me (‘acute distress’ is what they really caused me, just the sight of all those people masked up would reduce me to tears) that I never wore them, using the acute distress exemption. And, do you know, no one ever shouted at me, I had perhaps only about two snide comments and, when asked to wear one (on going into a shop or hospital), when I politely said, ‘I am exempt’, mostly this was accepted. If not, I calmly left. I suppose I should have had the courage to actually explain that they were useless in the first place (I did in certain places, eg our GPs’ surgery) and, perhaps if mask-wearing comes in more generally again, I will!
I turned away a meter man who insisted on wearing a mask, said it was company policy. “Sorry mate we don’t wear masks in this house (or anywhere)” said I. “Can’t come in then” he said.
Fine by me, bye”. says I
“What I’m I going to tell my boss?”
“Up to you” and with that he walked away.
RESIST DEFY DO NOT COMPLY
It always amused me that only a couple of years previously the bon pensant were ringing their mitts over Muslim women choosing to cover their faces. Back in those days, there was a scurry to justify why covering your face was a problem.
Exactly.
And not least the French authorities who were ostentatiously explaining to people a few years ago how unhealthy “burkinis” are and why face veils could not be worn in certain situations such as by teachers in schools.
This mask charade will continue as long we allow it. ——-If one person walks into a building with no mask, they may be questioned, or in a lot of cases harassed about why they have no mask. But when 20 people walk into that same building with no mask it will become less likely that will face the same interrogation. ———Last week on GB News we saw a brave young lady who was hounded by 11 hospital staff for having no mask but refused to submit, because she knew that hospital policy or any other establishments policy regarding masks does not trump her rights. Many (including myself) who have been trying to keep the peace by simply wearing the mask that has 650-micron holes in it, when the virus the mask is trying to protect us from is only 5 microns are growing tired of this absurdity. As more of us refuse to indulge this lunacy it will fade into the distant past.
Most coronaviruses are even smaller than that, nothing more than 120 nm (0.12 micrometers). Loads more that bother us are even smaller, so the idea of using face masks against them is for the birds.
Here’s Germany after 3 states dropped mask mandates – nothing changed, i.e. no rise!
I confess to still watching some BBC programmes.
On a new series of Would I Lie to You, the unknown person whose relationship to the panelists has to be identified is still covered on each side by Perspex screens, presumably to protect the celebrities from infection, although how is difficult to see.
Happily, on Richard Osman’s House of Games there is less Covid theatre. In Covid-era editions when two celebrities swapped seats by walking past each other the point at which they crossed (and breathed Covid germs over each other) was always edited out. In the latest edition we see them actually passing each other.
In both shows the celebrities remain seated far apart, in contrast to Pre-Covid programmes.
We forget how much detail there was in how the media tried to twist the narrative of the extreme danger of Covid.