Our rights do not trump the common good. When people regard their right to do as they please as more important than being a good citizen, then the executive has to step in to make laws mandatory and not merely advisory. So the awkward bugger who insists on exercising his prerogative to do as he wishes instead of following advice to wear a mask and socially distance, only makes it more likely that laws will be drafted to make these things compulsory and not merely advisory.

@Marionville There is a prima facie case for treating a failure of social distancing as a case of physical assault. Deliberately exposing another person to risk of death by disease is just as unacceptable as bashing their head with an iron bar.

@Marionville, @anglophone Basically our very existence endangers others. Humans and all life is loaded with bacteria and viruses. In many cases, a bacteria or virus that might be considered deadly also coexists with us naturally. For example, E. Coli (https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/general/index.html). So, instead of running around like dutiful chicken littles we need some kind of criteria to define when Personal Protective Equipment is appropriate. Because if I apply the criteria you just gave, all of us need to wear it 24/7. And that is, IMHO, is out of balance, irrational and nonsensical.

@beenthere. No you don’t...all you need to do is wear it when you are in enclosed spaces in close proximity to other people outside of your normal family circle. Such as in shops or on public transport...the exercise of common sense and proportionality needs to be applied.

@beenthere You write "Basically our very existence endangers others.". On what basis do you make that claim? Ping @Marionville

@Marionville I do not understand @beenthere's leap of logic from what each of us wrote to what he wrote.

@anglophone I can’t follow his argument either...unless he’s just saying that being alive is a dangerous business ordinarily even without COVID-19, because there is always going to be some risk that some person we come into contact with may carry something infectious. This of course is true, but the odds are usually vastly in our favour that it’s unlikely to happen, unlike at present during a pandemic, when the odds are very high that we will.

@Marionville Yes - What are the odds? Is there a chart that compares the odds? Shouldn't we have that before we start threatening and bullying people?

@beenthere I’m sure there are risk assessments available if you care to find them for your area. I do hope you are not referring to me or anyone here when you mention bullying, but if wearing masks is made mandatory by being a legal requirement, then you could possibly interpret it as such, and either decide to comply or take the risk of being arrested.