https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54779697A rape campaigner is calling for government to "educate" the public about face-covering exemptions, as England moves into a second lockdown.
Having her mouth covered still prompts traumatic flashbacks for Georgina Fallows, who was attacked and raped some years ago.
And now, she feels re-traumatised by being verbally abused in public when she doesn't wear a mask.
She has written to ministers with seven mental-health and disability charities.
They are asking the government to promote a "recognised badge [or] identifier to signify the wearer as exempt".
But, the letter states, a badge "is no substitute for greater public understanding" of why people might not be able to wear face coverings and that this reason may be invisible.
Standing at the entrance to Swindon Station (which I have done for a few hours each week for a while) as a "Journey Maker", my primary intenti/role has been to help people feel welcome and safe back to the rail. As a corollary, seeing someone there in bright pink, wearing a very obvious (thank you, Severnside
CRP▸ ) mask, and holding a pack of displosable facemasks has acted as a gentle reminder.
The question comes - "what about people who walk in without a mask?". Sunflower lanyards are widely (universally amongst the team at Swindon) recognised and an extremely useful guide. For sure, they are not exactly "I am exempt from wering a face mask" but they are an indication that the wearer of the sunflower has thought about their personal situation and is claiming extra consideration. That's fine for me - it significes they have thought about the matter and are helping me and other volunteers and rail staff know that. It's up to the
BTP▸ if they feel that there's a need to check the validity of the exemption; by wearing a lanyard and no mask when not in an exempt category, a very few are raising the stakes if a PCSO or PC raises it with them.
From a stafifng viewpoint in the area I have worked, I do not agree with Ms Fallows than an awareness campaign is needed - we are all very much aware. For the more general public, it may be worthwhile but as I'm educated on this, I know already.
As an aside, it takes a personal decision to wear something marking you out as "vulnerable" and I thank those who do so. It
does make the job so much easier for the rest of us, and help encourage others who are not exempt to follow the rules, by seeing that the vast majority are either masked or sunflowered.
As a corollary, there are some exempt people who need educating on the extra need for them to social distance.
P.S. HUGE respect for the majority of people who are following the rules, with a special note of honour to school pupils who are not renowned for following all the rules, and also to those who very clearly require that little (or lot) of extra consideration, but are yet still ready, willing, and able to wear a face covering.
