Mask and gloves rule do not apply to a Catalkoy chemist

[ifonly]

Needed to go to a chemist yesterday. So i went to one of our local ones in Catalkoy. It is well known - and popular amongst ex pats - and is well established.
The chemist and his wife were both serving behind the counter - no gloves no masks on either of them. There were 4 customers/people in there (apart from myself) and only 1 had a mask and gloves on. 2 unmasked ungloved were sat drinking coffee - the other unmasked ungloved person was stood talking on his mobile.
I walked out - as i was leaving a delivery arrived - the delivery person had gloves on - mask under his chin and didn't bother putting it on as he went in.

Maybe they know something the rest of us don't - or maybe they are above the law.

I for one will be taking my custom elsewhere - to a chemist where they are following the rules - rules that are there in order to try and protect me and the other people who live here.

[Laura B]

Yes my husband went in there last week and mentioned they were not wearing masks. Hard to understand.

[sophie]

Do you say anything to them when you go in? I wouldn't be able to just walk out. Pharmacies are on every street corner it seems to me, so we have plenty to choose from.

[13roman58]

On the west side the chemists are serving at the door,so you actually don't go into the shop ,with masks ,gloves and sanitizer.

[ifonly]

13roman58 - the ones on the East side are also - except that one !
No - i didn't say anything - usually i would ( i complained in the supermarket about a customer wandering around with his mask dangling from his ear - the manager shouted at him to put it on properly) but i was just so shocked and didn't want to stay in there - i actually felt quite vulnerable - like i was the odd one out and so i quickly came out. It felt as if i was walking into a private club .

[tansycat]

Same at the Muchtars office in Ozankoy no gloves or face masks!!!

[frontalman]

We were walking our dogs with masks on (us not the dogs). As we walked past the football pitch the ten guys playing football, or training, I should say, pointed at us and thought it was hilarious.

[EnjoyingTheSun]

Do you say anything to them when you go in? I wouldn't be able to just walk out. Pharmacies are on every street corner it seems to me, so we have plenty to choose from.

As always you can always vote with your feet. There is a shortage of scallops and good mozzarella in the North but not chemists.

[paul90]

We were walking our dogs with masks on (us not the dogs). As we walked past the football pitch the ten guys playing football, or training, I should say, pointed at us and thought it was hilarious.

Mark - from my house I have seen you and Sally walking the dogs when the lads have been training. In my opinion both of you are setting a good example (some Brits are not) considering that we are “guests” in this country.

[helendj]

The chemists near what used to be the Sartaj restaurant, just past garage and near dry cleaning shop, is fully covered. She attends to you at the door, no entering shop, and is fully protected.
Apart from that she is the loveliest girl you could meet, I wouldn’t go anywhere else, the other chemist sucks lemons

[frontalman]

We were walking our dogs with masks on (us not the dogs). As we walked past the football pitch the ten guys playing football, or training, I should say, pointed at us and thought it was hilarious.

Mark - from my house I have seen you and Sally walking the dogs when the lads have been training. In my opinion both of you are setting a good example (some Brits are not) considering that we are “guests” in this country.

Thank you, lieutenant.

[snd1966]

The chemist and his wife were both serving behind the counter - no gloves no masks on either of them. There were 4 customers/people in there (apart from myself) and only 1 had a mask and gloves on. 2 unmasked ungloved were sat drinking coffee - the other unmasked ungloved person was stood talking on his mobile.

Maybe they know something the rest of us don't - or maybe they are above the law.
//quote]
Maybe they are taking the advice of Hasan Taçoy
It would be more appropriate for all employees to use hand sanitizer instead of gloves. After being in contact with each citizen, disinfect their hands, and wait for the disinfectant to dry in order for it to be effective.
Masks protect you as a customer not them therefore maybe they feel they are taking more of a risk being open and know they have not got the virus.

[waddo]

Personally, I think they have it right. Every time I have been in there and been served or watched anyone else be served the staff always - without fail - use hand sanitizer after every customer. That would mean that anything they handle should be fine so that the product you pick up and carefully put in your bag till you get home - then when you are not wearing your gloves you handle the product - will also be free of germs. Now that would also include any money transferred between you and the shop keeper or vice versa should, in effect, also be free if germs. Not the same if you are wearing your germ covered gloves and taking the product out of the bag where it has been placed by the shop keeper wearing their germ covered gloves of course!

As for face masks, they are there to prevent me passing my germs onto you and as there is always a minimum 1 mtr barrier between the customer and the staff in that chemist due to the size of the check out, I think they are safe from catching anything from you and you are fairly safe from catching anything from them. After all the common use face masks probably won't stop any germs anyway - the jury is still out on that - and I think they are only being used to give the public some confidence after all.

All personal opinion of course.

[silverfir]

Waddo, you are correct. The common use face mask won’t do much and should probably be washed after every use. Hands up all those who use and wash... Yes I thought so.

[Deniz1]

I do!

[helendj]

So do I, and I disinfect every product that comes into the house, and wash all fruit and veg, whatever other people’s opinions are, we must all do what makes us feel confident we are doing the best we can.

[waddo]

Quite right Helendj, that is the best thing to do - what makes us feel confident - I do wash my mask (even through I do not believe it offers me any protection anyway) as it is good practice. It is impossible for me to disinfect every product that comes into the house however and despite people saying they do I have yet to see a loaf of bread, a bag of flour, a scoop of olives or a cake being wiped down with a disinfectant soaked rag or washed under the tap! I know I am being picky, it is the way I was trained to be. In situations like this, to be safe, you need to question everything that you do and then ask if you could do the same thing again in a safer manner. Best advice is not to over worry the problem because there honestly is no way, short of total self isolation inside a sealed and filtered environmental chamber, that you could be 100% sure of not catching this or any other virus.

[Keithcaley]

Listen to waddo on this one - he knows what he's talking about!

Come the Apocalypse, I'm gonna be 'round 'is 'ouse