Experience of not wearing a face covering

My second challenge was at a motorway station I stopped at to get the toilet. The lady shouted at me EXCUSE ME DO YOU HAVE A MASK AT ALL twice and I had to shout back I CANT USE ONE. It made me angry for the rest of the drive on the motorway

I am actually thrilled that everyone is wearing masks.  Now I can finally talk to people without them constantly reading my facial expressions.  It is much easier to say what I want and hide my face behind the mask.  There is much less potential for miscommunication this way.

I understand your reasoning that a badge may give people a reason to look at you, however I feel that they will still look at me if I'm not wearing a badge, just because I'm not wearing a mask like they are and they wonder why I'm not following the rules.

It was difficult to walk into that shop without a mask on, because all the other customers had them on, and part of me wanted to go up to people, hold up my badge and say "Look, I'm exempt, I'm not breaking any laws!" But of course in reality we just scuttled round the shop grabbing what we needed and then quietly queued to pay. 

As I'm likely to get looked at whether I have a badge on or not, I'm wearing one to try to raise awareness of exemptions. Of course it is everyone's personal choice whether to wear one or not - you are not required to.

Hi Trainspotter, thank you for your informative reply.

I have just had a look at the sunflower lanyards on the hidden disabilities website you provided a link to, but it appears they are out of stock. M&S website gives an email address to request one and says they will send it for free, but it doesn't show if they have any left in stock. I assume there has been a lot of demand for them.

If anyone wants to use an exemption badge and can't get hold of a sunflower lanyard, or isn't bothered about having the sunflower one specifically, it is fine to use any lanyard / badge holder. I bought plain black lanyards, with badge holders which have a black back with a clear window on the front edged in black, and they snap securely shut. I think the government website should really offer free or low cost lanyards / badge holders / printed badges with delivery, as many people with hidden disabilities are on low incomes - but I doubt that's ever going to happen.

I wore a Jason Voorhees mask on Tuesday morning in protest. Tesco handed me conventional masks, and a friend of mine - who runs the venue with the Slimming World classes - said, "People might think you're out to rob!"

In the end, I decided to re-register with Slimming World online, and explain my situation by email. No threats to shoot anyone. (how the media would have portrayed me)

I believe watching the Joker movie last October at a cinema in Belfast - which shut down for good this March - was prophetic about how those with mental health issues are shifted from pillar to post.

I've not been wearing one as it triggers my asthma for some reason, possibly the build up of warm and damp air inside the mask. I've had a few funny looks but nobody has really challenged me. A couple of staff members in places have asked but when I've said I had asthma the haven't questioned any further. I haven't been carrying an exemption card or anything.

Sunflower lanyards are available from lots of places and they should be free unless you get one from the hidden disabilities store on post.  Do not buy one from Amazon though as they are not official ones.

Sainsburys, Marks and Spencers, Argos, Tesco, some main Railway Stations, Airports, Nationwide bs (trialing in some branches), Lloyds Bank all have them but as they give them away they may be out of stock.  You might also find some other sunflower items at some of the places, such as the wallets, card holders, wristbands etc.

I put my keys on mine and a clear wallet which I think was meant for a mobile phone (watertight) which I put my 'government' face mask exemption card in (printed from government website).  No real need to pay for any of the stuff unless you are desparate for a lanyard and cannot get hold of one locally, when the hidden disabilities store should be able to oblige you.  The postage though is quite steep.for one or two items

https://hiddendisabilitiesstore.com/

I've not had any trouble at all not wearing a face mask.

The only place I was asked was Wilco where I just pointed to my 'government' card which is on a sunflower lanyard in a clear pouch round my neck and I was asked if I needed help which I declined.

I have been in many shops and supermarkets - no comments from others, no challenges.  My experiences, other towns and shops may be different.

But - that may be after they tazor or hit you with battons first then ask question later. These young Pigs (police) are just thugs all brought up on war and shootem up games - never allowed to play when kids - all just raring to hurt the public. Theyre pure scum

Glad to hear some shops are reminding people of this, although it's sad that some people have to be told not to abuse people. I understand what you mean about feeling trapped - I've been able to go back to the office for some of my part-time working hours, which has helped. But I have always tried to blend in when out and about and not bring attention to myself and now it feels like I can't. I'm trying to see myself as a "Guerrilla Aspie" but in truth I'm more like a timid kitten :(

I got my sunflower lanyard free from Sainsburys and downloaded/printed the free badges. I have had no problem in Sainsburys locally but when away from home last week some one shouted " Granny killer" at me and was told to leave the shop. Sainsburys and now other shops as well as broadcasting adverts for face muzzles are also broadcasting reminders that not all disabilities are visible and that people are not to abuse someone not wearing a mask. Mostly it's been Ok but I am avoiding both shops and public transport and this makes me feel trapped and very depressed.

They cannot fine you if you are exempt; that is quite clear in the law as set out.

I got my sunflower lanyard free from Sainsburys and downloaded/printed the free badges. I have had no problem in Sainsburys locally but when away from home last week some one shouted " Granny killer" at me and was told to leave the shop. Sainsburys and now other shops as well as broadcasting adverts for face muzzles are also broadcasting reminders that not all disabilities are visible and that people are not to abuse someone not wearing a mask. Mostly it's been Ok but I am avoiding both shops and public transport and this makes me feel trapped and very depressed.

The sheep.... Lied to by The Shepherds. It all starts at primary nativity play. :D

That was actually my first thought - He just scived off as soon as it got hard. 

I seriously doubt Boris ever had it - just a pantomime to frighten the plebs that 'anyone could get it'.     

The NHS demanded that care homes take positive patients knowing exactly what it would do in that environment - and almost half of all UK recorded deaths are from that action - and the sheep clapped for them.  

The problem is not really the politicians, it's the unelected, lifetime ministers running the government - politicians come and go - it's Whitehall that needs 'renovating' in the Beirut fashion.  

It is an excuse to murder the old and weak on a mass scale. They did it on purpose - I just wish Boris Genocide Johnson died when he had it and its a shame that explosion in Beirut wasn't under the Houses of Parliament 

In my opinion, the whole thing is a scam - how come the peak was mid March and since then, all front-line workers and the public have been maskless - and there isn't a huge piles of dead Sainsburys and Tesco workers?

Now the death rate is soooo low they are just trying to frighten people with positive test numbers - using a test that can give up to 30% false positives.      

I have a long-standing respiratory problem that causes me to cough sporadically - which can mostly be suppressed by drugs - but I don't want to bother the gp right now because I suspect their receptioninsts will go into panic / meltdown mode if I explain the symptoms.   And I don't like the odds of getting a false positive test which would cause a lot of problems for me.    (I understand anyone who had the flu-jab last winter will likely generate a positive test result - and I had the jab in January).

Remember, this virus is soooo deadly you have to be tested to know you have it.   

(I know there's lots of conspiracy theories out there but this is looking like the NWO/big financial reset - decimation of the middle classes around the world - and the 'virus' is a very good (sneaky) way of implementing it).

I got the lanyard from Gatwick airport a couple of years ago when they were first launched - free - and the badge was downloaded from the interwebs and printed / laminated by my wife. 

I think some supermarkets give the lanyards away too.

Hi Plastic, where did you get your sunflower lanyard and badge from, and how much did it cost?