exp

Alitalia is still flying?

Virgin Atlantic is still flying?

ahmetdouas

The times where I was forced to wear a mask on board, they provided me with one. The airline always have spares for their crew, so would happily give you one, but if many people come on board without wearing one, I imagine it would be a problem, so it is safe to have one with you in case you are faced with an off-boarding situation and they don't have any spares.

Badenoch

Where was this? Were you permitted to enter the airport, check-in, go through security and arrive at the gate without a mask?

ahmetdouas

Yes.
In Frankfurt I was asked twice, I said I am asthmatic and showed my inhaler and they said thats fine.
On the plane with LH I showed a doctors note and my prescription on my phone and my inhaler, but they said I needed the actual original copy with me which I did not have, so I was forced to wear one. Although it was quite funny because the meal service was more than half the flight so the entire business class cabin had their masks off for half the flight!
On the other LH flight I showed my inhaler and was allowed to not wear a mask, there was no one sitting next to me anyway so they didn't mind, I tried to board first to avoid the aggravation, but I was forced to wear one during boarding by the gate agent, after which I took it off.
In LHR no one said anything to me, and when I flew Swiss it was strongly recommended at the time but not mandatory so I was never questioned.

All in all approaches are very inconsistent, so if I am forced to wear one even if I show my inhaler, I will comply and wear one, but I try and avoid it because it makes me quite uncomfortable, and the longer I wear one the worse it gets. Flying Business Class helps as you are not directly sitting next to anyone, so less chance of upsetting people, and with airports so empty it is easy to socially distance, so I just stay away from people to not upset them.

I think Qatar in Business Class is not even forcing you anymore?

I was considering getting a new doctor's note, but I don't plan on flying that much with these rules in place so will just wear a mask if I am really forced to, as where I live in the UK only the Apple store was it a problem and I just don't go to the Apple store.

In the UK there was discussion about getting Doctor's notes, but the general consensus in the UK is if you have a good reason to not wear one, you are not challenged about it (e.g. when you are on the tube).

If the rules last forever and are not temporary, then I will have to go to the Doctor and get a new note, because it's not pleasant having to defend yourself every-time, it has changed the flying experience for me quite a bit and not in a pleasant way, and I will actively avoid shops that force you to wear one (e.g. Apple).
In fact in Apple, you cannot even get in without a mask even with a Doctor's note! (I don't even know that's legal, but Apple are a law onto themselves).

Sjoerd

This is simply not true.

ahmetdouas

The last day the data was published specifically for London (July 4), there were 26 new cases in a city of 7-8 million.

knownothing

1) Rules change as learning about the virus
2) Unless you are wearing a N95/99 mask, you are doing little to protect yourself. The whole point of wearing the mask is to protect others and slow the rate of spread

Dublin_rfk

1. Yes rules change and not always due to 'new' knowledge or information. In NYC the mayor goes to a public gym after closing them to the public. In Kalifornia the gov closes re-closes indoor eating and winery tasting rooms EXCEPT ones owned by his family. The NJ gov and several high profile elected leadership(?) across the country are sporting professional hair and makeup on all their public functions all the while banning access to the same businesses.
2. I wear N95 equivalent masks anytime I feel it is necessary for my protection. ie anywhere in public with possible 2m interactions, indoors outside my or office, and if a 'kabuki' mask is required I wear it over my N95 equivalent mask.
3. It's call PPE personal protective equipment and I wear it as such. If others don't protect themselves that's on them.
Blindly following directives without understanding the 'why' behind them is for sheepeople. I fly, putting under to edicts of several fiefdoms all with different mandatory requirements, I go out to eat or get take away, I stay in hotel rooms, I interact with people in many walks of life, a large percentage of which either don’t wear masks at all or wear them incorrectly. I work in an industry where people are and have been since early February temperature checked everyday. I am self quarantined from several family members because of what I do and were I have been. I am virus tested every week. AND I am sick and tired of having to deal with conflicting politically motivated edicts from political hacks.
I was in Asia when SARS was active and have dealt with Cholera firsthand. This is a serious medical issue but it is nowhere near being the zombie apocalypse and I refuse to treat it like it is.

knownothing

I agree with you. I think being a politician erases your mind so you cannot think
Be well

knownothing

Apple is a private business so they can do as they wish as it does not target one race, sex etc
As for asthma, I know many medical personnel who have severe asthma and they wear a mask all day. Where did you get info that you could not

ahmetdouas

https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/tri...asthma-do-now/

fransknorge

As explained this is just a legal umbrella with no basis in science. Medically speaking wearing a mask has no impact on an asthmatic person. Being asthmatic is accepted for profession wearing a mask during most of their shifts (doctors, wood workers, etc...).

ahmetdouas

Yes but medics choose to wear masks. If they hated it they wouldn’t be a medic. Being forced to wear one is something else, I have no problem if others want to wear one, just don’t force it on me.

it’s funny the same people who promote tolerance and equality in society are the ones who are the most intolerant!

Why do you think if it’s only recommended most people don’t wear one? Because it’s not comfortable and asthma makes it worse than normal


generally the uk is a tolerant society; so they don’t argue with you if you explain why you aren’t wearing one, and I had the same experience in Germany

rickg523

Don't know about the rest of these statements, but the story in California is spun as close to a lie as possible without the poster's nose popping through the screen. Newsom closed businesses - including wine tasting rooms and vineyards - in counties that were not able to maintain flattened curves after a misguided attempt at early opening. People in these counties took phase one reopening as if Covid just plain disappeared because they wanted to get back to normal regardless of facts.
Newsom's family business is in Napa county, not one of those affected by the reclosure. None of the wineries in Napa were ordered reclosed. Not just his family's.
Saying that as it was posted is a lie.

kiwifrequentflyer

Lol, being required to wear a mask means a lack of "tolerance and equality."

Has anyone ever complained you are required to wear clothes? Oh, but what about "tolerance and equality." I want to walk into a store naked! Well too bad. Some things trump "tolerance" for personal choice. When society as a whole finds being naked offensive, your "choice" to walk around naked if removed.

When society is in the middle of a pandemic and infections are soaring and masks have been scientifically proven to slow the spread, then your "choice" to walk around mask less is removed.

Complaining that laws are in place to keep people safe which mandate certain activities and actions, like wearing clothes, not driving drunk, remove your "choice" and are therefore "intolerant" is one of the worst thought out arguments I have heard.

You are welcome to have a choice, when your choice isn't selfishly infecting others.