Originally Posted by
Lencoboy
TBH, I personally thing bringing back masks in shops, public transport, etc in England was already long overdue, and needed to be done anyway, regardless of Omicron and whatever risks it might, or might not pose.
Of course there are the typical 'all-or-nothing' thinkers who are asking 'why in shops and on public transport but not at the pictures, pubs, clubs, etc?'.
Thing is, the pictures, pubs, clubs, etc are optional places where pretty much everyone has a choice of whether or not to visit, so in practice they're perfectly entitled to stay away from them if they feel vulnerable and seriously fear catching Covid from such environments, unlike (essential) shops, where almost everyone has very little choice but to visit to purchase daily essentials like food, etc, plus many also don't have much choice but to rely on public transport to get from A to B, especially if they're non-drivers (like myself).
Of course masks are generally useless anyway in pubs and restaurants where the primary reason for people being in them is obviously to eat and drink, which would be totally impossible wearing a mask.
Plus of course those who still wish to visit those places do so at their own personal risk anyway, as there are still also plenty of other non-Covid-related hazards to possibly contend with as well.