One in the eye for maskless majority amid the great rush hour cover-up
It was a rush hour like no other. For a start there was no rushing; even the long-awaited reopening of retailers like Selfridges and Nike could not override the orderly demands of socially distanced travel. But it was the unnerving sight of covered faces that really served as a reminder that despite the cautious loosening of lockdown, the world we are stepping into isn’t the one we have left behind. The spectre of the pandemic looms large.
As Britain yesterday continued on its road map-less journey towards our new normal, there was something freshly surreal about the sight of commuters in disposable masks entering rail stations and ascending from London’s Underground network.
“It felt a bit like a scene from a disaster movie when I arrived at my Tube station and saw everyone in masks and policemen stopping anyone without one,” said retail manager Denise Masood, 40, who was wearing a simple black fabric version.
“But that was half an hour ago and I’m already used to it. It’s bizarre how quickly you adapt to things these days.”
From today, face-coverings are compulsory for anyone travelling by bus, train, ferry or plane in England to help reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission. Those who fail to cover their nose and mouth will be barred from boarding and could be fined up to £100. That’s if they don’t succumb to an even worse fate: being maskshamed by scornful fellow travellers.
It’s a curious phenomenon that until now the stubbornly maskless majority have tended to feel irrationally irked by the cautiously masked.
Yet, in the space of just 24 hours that has been entirely reversed. More astonishingly, the accompanying sense of pique has also swivelled 180 degrees. Overnight it is now the recklessly unmasked who find themselves in the minority and viewed with fear and suspicion.
“There was a guy in my carriage who wasn’t wearing a mask and you could tell some people were unhappy,” said Tim Plater, who travelled in from Bedfordshire to King’s Cross on a three-quarters empty service. “But being Britain nobody actually said anything, just stared a bit and sighed.”
Mr Plater, 50, engineering manager at Harrods, was wearing a smart mask in the department store’s trademark green livery. “We have been treated very well at work during lockdown. Furloughed staff had their salaries topped up and every member of staff has now been given two masks,” he said.
Those exempted from covering-up include children under the age of 11 and people with disabilities or breathing conditions. But as anyone with an “invisible” disability knows all too well, rightly or wrongly sometimes their status needs to be flagged up in order to circumvent resentment.
Early signs would indicate there needs to be some sort of easily identifiable lapel badge or wrist band in order to defuse tensions; in these judgmental times of heightened emotions, barefaced cheek is no longer acceptable to sitting on the moral high ground.
But on this first morning there was tolerance; in stations across the capital and beyond, staff in pink high-vis vests stood by tables laid out with free lightweight surgical masks. This service will continue until June 28, after which passengers must provide their own.
On day one, soft disposable masks, available on the high street and online were by far the favourite choice, followed by black masks made from stretch fabric.
Those wearing bright colours – any colours – stood out from the crowd. A pop of Roy Lichtenstein print and an occasional ditsy floral raised a smile.
The lurid Day of the Dead skull mask worn by one young woman was possibly a shade too memento mori for some, but in the days to come there will doubtless be more scope for creativity.
Home-made was the choice of the cognoscenti. Interior designer Nicole Rayment, also 26, from Chelmsford in Essex who works for luxe interiors practice Joanna Wood, was sporting a navy and white patterned mask that she had made by “repurposing” an old jump suit.
“I’ve only recently started using public transport to come into work but because the traffic is getting so bad I decided to catch the train and I’m entirely relaxed about it,” she said.
“We have spent so long avoiding people that it’s hard at first to be out
‘It felt a bit like a scene from a disaster movie when I arrived at my Tube station and saw everyone in masks’
and about but once you do it, you realise it’s fine and as long as you are sensible there’s nothing to worry about.”
But a word to the wise for the style conscious; now that we’re all masked, ultra white teeth are no longer à la mode and lipstick is passé. The emphasis is on eyes and lashes and of course the brows; for both sexes.
“This rather bright Paisley mask is a bit more of a showpiece than I’d normally wear, but my mum got it for me,” explained Ben Smith, 26, who had travelled into central London from Marlow, Bucks, to start a new job with a commercial property firm.
“The 15-year-old daughter of a family friend made it,” he said. “It’s really comfortable because it has wire across the bridge of the nose, but what I have noticed is that some people have really been making an effort with their eyebrows. I’ve seen sparkles today; if this goes on I might have to raise my game.”
Maybe a little self-consciousness is no bad thing for a nation that has spent so many weeks languishing at home.
And if covering up means more carefully curated arches on the Clapham Omnibus and dramatic smoky eyes smouldering throughout the rail network, who are the rest of us to raise an eyebrow?
Staying safe is a serious business, but with pubs, restaurants and cinemas still closed, nobody should really complain if commuters decide to have a masque ball.