The Lone Ranger never had this much trouble. Everyone on the range accepted his mask without protest. The question: “Who’s that man in the mask, pa?” often ended an episode and there was always admiration for the masked man.
It wasn’t like that in the shop of my local M&S petrol station the other day. I was wearing my mask in the queue to pay while it was still mandatory. Admittedly, I hadn’t rescued anyone or defeated an outlaw, just filled up my car. I wasn’t astride a big white horse.
I wasn’t seeking admiration but I didn’t expect to be subjected to snarling abuse because of my mask.
I was in the till line behind a woman in her 60s who was not wearing a mask. As she half turned to look at a shop display I moved a foot to the side to give her space.
“I am not infectious,” she snarled at me with an aggression that took me aback so much I did the British thing and ignored her. But it wasn’t over.
As she paid and turned to leave she shouted “Ridiculous” in my face. I was shocked and, back in the car, angry. She must have been having a bad day was the kindest thing I thought. This abuse didn’t happen frequently.
But no. Before I could tell my tale, my wife recounted the story of a friend in her 80s who was on a tube train with her daughter heading for Kew Gardens.
A well-dressed young man berated them for wearing masks. It’s unsettling, unnecessary and upsetting. What sort of man shouts at an elderly woman who is just following the rules? Come to that, what sort of woman abuses men in shops?

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• Cheshire Life – March 2022
• Broadcast Magazine – 25 February 2022