I have no patience left. I was at the PULMONOLOGIST and some guy wasn't wearing

[Maraya1969]

a mask. He wasn't the patient because his wife was up at the window. I just said to the receptionist, "That guy isn't wearing a mask" loudly. And she yelled, "Do you need a mask?" at which point the guy pulled his mask out of his pants pocket and put it on. He was in his 70's at least.

The patients in this place mostly all have lung disease and this jackass is not wearing a mask????

I don't care if I sound like a tattletale or whatever you want to call me. It's the rules and it's written in big letters on the door. And truthfully I have 3 vaccinations so it would not be that big of a deal for me personally but it's the damn point.

I hope I embarrassed him. He needed it. (And it wasn't like he could have made a mistake - which I have done because he was with his wife who was wearing an N95 mask and obviously has some sort of lung problem.

[Faux pas]

1. Kickin' with Admiration!

[spanone]

2. You did the right thing.

[flying_wahini]

3. Glad you called him out. They ARE jackasses but it should have been enforced the moment

He walked into the office.

[Maraya1969]

5. It's a big office and a lot of people were waiting. They could have easily missed him.

[wnylib]

19. Most of the medical offices that

I have been in during the pandemic have one employee placed at the entrance to check temps and masks before anyone can enter. They give masks to anyone who isn't wearing one and wait until they put it on before letting the person in the door. Anyone who refuses does not get in. Anyone who removes the mask after entering gets one warning before being told to leave and getting banned.

[quakerboy]

38. Ive been in a lot of medical offices

And it seems to depend on the office, size, and health system, at least around here. Some have consistently had a checking person reminding and screening entrants. Others only have them during covid surges, or during times when appointment traffic is usually heavy. Others never had anyone.

[wnylib]

45. I'm in a small city. It's possible, I guess, that

the med offices have generally agreed among themselves on best practices. Some things, like masks in med offices, are mandated by NY state. The local hospital, and my primary care office, eye doctor, and dermatologist all follow the same practices.

[SCantiGOP]

30. In Texas and 18 other states

You could have just shot him.

[NullTuples]

32. "What? I felt threatened."

[Rabrrrrrr]

36. The only thing that can stop a bad guy without a mask on is a good guy with a gun.

Fuck 'em.

I don't want to get to that violent of a society, but on the other hand, THEY DO, so why not just play their game? Don't want to get shot in the head, then follow the rules - put on the fucking mask.

[BlueMTexpat]

33. I was recently in the US and

getting caught up on missed medical appointments there.

In two instances, I was requested to text the office upon arrival and wait for their return text before I could even enter the waiting room.

In some others, there was someone at the door to check my temperature and that I was wearing a mask before I could enter the waiting room.

In ALL cases, waiting room chairs were well-spaced so that no one could have accidentally missed someone who was not wearing a mask. Masks were absolutely required.

So far as I could see, everyone complied with the rules.

Of course, where I reside in the US is a very "blue" area. That may make a BIG difference.

*********
I have since returned to Switzerland, where I primarily reside, and have recently visited the dentist and the ophthalmologist. Here, we are asked not to enter the medical office at all if we are >15 minutes early.

Also, persons who accompany us are not allowed to enter the waiting room at all unless the patient is severely handicapped and cannot function without their assistance.

In these recent instances here in Switzerland, neither waiting room had more than three other patients while I was there and there was plenty of space separation.

[MoonRiver]

4. You did the correct thing.

These idiots are endangering everybody in their presence.

[marble falls]

6. It's not ratting out, it's reminding. I've had to be embarrassed several times since I got my ...

... booster shot. But I always carry one and have an extra in my car and my wifes's.

But I am with you, if I see someone unmasked I say something.

[MontanaMama]

7. Kicking

for that ass kicking. Keep it up! We all need to call out the asshole contingent.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

8. Oh hell no. I would have done the same thing!

In fact there's a very good chance I would have just told him directly to put on his mask.

[maxsolomon]

9. He could have forgotten

sometimes I walk out of the house without a mask, or at least without remembering that I have one in every coat and several in each car.

[Slammer]

24. mask doctor

Yeah, the guy being in his 70's could mean that his wife has to remind him of everything. And she likely walked in while he was parking the car.

I couldn't tell you how many times I've stopped outside of doctor's offices to try to remember what I was forgetting. And sometimes after standing there a couple of minutes, I go ahead and step inside then realize that it was my mask I was trying to remember.

[OldBaldy1701E]

10. MUCH applause! (n/t)

[kairos12]

11. Good work.

[Evolve Dammit]

12. Good for you!

[whathehell]

13. Good on you!!

[TNNurse]

15. Hope he will remember and do better,

but I am a realist so probably not.

[Marthe48]

16. Great Job!

[mgardener]

17. When we were required to wear masks

A older gentlemen dud not have a mask in the grocery store.
I always carried extra disposable ones, so I asked him, do you need a mask.
He grabbed his face and apologized and said he forgot it.
He almost ran out of the store. I saw him later, masked. He gave me a thumbs up

[electric_blue68]

20. Good for you, and poor guy. I'd...

be embarrassed, too, if I walked indoors anywhere w/o a mask!

Glad he you later.

Someone genuinely trying to do the right thing vs
fucking anti-vaxxers/maskers!

[Maraya1969]

40. I actually did that once and got the same thanks. But this guy's wife was wearing a mask

as was everyone around him. I've walked into places forgetting to wear my mask but usually when I see a bunch of masked faces I quickly remember.

[NYC Liberal]

44. At the end of last year, I made it all the way from my building to

the Starbucks next to my subway station without my mask. I only realized when I stepped inside the Starbucks. I had been wearing a mask religiously indoors and out for 8-9 months, but that one day I just walked out and didn't even notice at all!

So I try to give people the benefit of the doubt as you did.

[HipChick]

18. Kudo's to you

[electric_blue68]

21. Very good! You definitely did the right thing! 👏...

There was one time I totally forgot! Ran across the street for some pizza (I was only one in there), and
gasped when I realized I'd forgotten (the pizza guy wears one). Luckily I have a couple in my purse, so I grabbed one. 👍

Otherwise, the farthest I've gotten is some steps beyond my apt building. It's rare, thank goodness.

I'm 68, overweigh, free otherwise of any other medical issues, and vaxxed (booster at end of the month) - I wear my mask outside my apt all the time except in the day when I get to a park, or garden where there aren't many people around so I can steer clear of them for the he 6 ft as well

[ProfessorGAC]

22. You Should Feel Pride In Yourself

No other feelings are appropriate. You did a good thing.
You protected everybody there.

[demigoddess]

23. I admire your guts. Good for you.

[colsohlibgal]

25. Kudos!

Saw a woman in my local Grocery today sans mask, defying the mask mandate. Not sure if at some point she was confronted by Store personnel. Would bet heavily she was a Trumpster.

[Blue Owl]

26. K&R

[RVN VET71]

27. Maybe he's just an old "70's". A really old 70's

Some people grow old, others grow decrepit. May not be his fault he’s in the latter category. Bad genes, maybe, or worse booze. Or maybe it was the damned vaccine? (j/k)

[calimary]

28. NO! You were ABSOLUTELY in the right, my friend.

That dude deserves to be loudly shamed. Refusing to mask up in a doctor’s waiting room for LUNG PATIENTS??? And worse, having a mask WITH him, on his person, and not putting it on? How selfish and blockheaded can one get?

Loud public shaming can be a very good thing.

[ShazzieB]

29. You did GOOD!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

31. There are signs at the door of my pulmonologist's office

[Roc2020]

34. good.

[Joinfortmill]

35. You go!

[grantcart]

37. You can't get through the door at my Drs office building without a mask

They call to remind you the day before to wear it.

You get a questionaire and temp check in the hall before entering the office.

The doctor wears 2 masks and a face guard.

At no point would anyone be tolerated not wearing a mask.

[quakerboy]

39. I think you did the right thing

And he was probably embarrassed, which may help him remember in the future.

That said.. Ive watched a lot of folks who forgot a mask, and then got reminded, and put them on. Working in an eldercare situation, thats very normal. I have a couple times left my car without my mask, but usually remember it about 3 steps off, but in my personal observations when a 70-80-90 year old scratches their nose or takes a sip of a beverage, or any other thing that involves displacing a mask, they forget to put the mask back up often as not. Especially in those with even very light memory impairment, the mask habit is not as ingrained, and mostly if you remind them they just take care of it.

All of which to say, thanks for reminding him, wish someone could have done that at the door, not inside, but unless there was something to mark him as an antimasker, i wouldn't tend to assume ill will when not necessary. But then, making the charitable assumption helps me keep my blood pressure down, so i can save my ire for people who clearly willfully do the wrong thing.

[misanthrope]

42. I saw the same thing at my pulmonologist's office back in late August

Here's the kicker: I'm in Mobile, Alabama and the county was experiencing one of the hottest Delta variant surges in the nation during that period. Owing to the demographics and political propensities of the area, it's safe to say this older, white male was likely a firm Trumpist.

There were maybe seven others in the sizable waiting room when I arrived and everyone stayed as far from this jerk as possible while he filled out forms on a touch pad, telling me he was likely a new patient. When he brought the pad back to the reception desk, they didn't bother trying to give him a mask. I'm betting when he arrived he walked right past the bold notices on the doors reading "MASKS REQUIRED," was given a mask by the desk staff and just refused to wear it.

As you said, everyone there has compromised lungs or is in proximity to those who do. You have to be a special kind of asshole to act that way in that situation. Why he wasn't asked to leave, I don't know.

[BlueIdaho]

43. I had a similar experience at the eye doctor.

It’s a busy practice that has several surgeons on staff. There are three receptionists there and as I’m checking in a guy wanders in maskless and starts talking to one of the other receptionists. After a couple of minutes I point out he’s not masked ask her to please do her job. She rolled her eyes and handed him a mask. I hate it when the signage clearly says masks mandatory and I have to be the asshole who demands they do their job and protect their patients.

I get how awkward this can be but Christ on a Cracker - why is it up to a patient to enforce the rules?