From top Dr Marcus De Brun with a badge denoting his ‘reasonable excuse’ for not wearing a mask under the government’s emergency face-covering legislation

Last night.

Dr Marcus De Brun writes:

If like me you cannot wear a mask on public transport or in shops, because wearing one would cause you “severe distress” You are exempt under Section 6 a (ii) of the mask legislation.

I have made this badge (above) for the benefit of others who see me without a mask and become anxious.

Earlier: “Is There A Magic Number For Schools, Pubs Or Anywhere Else? There Isn’t”

Sponsored Link

62 thoughts on “Baring All

  1. george

    Its always the Covid-19 deniers that can’t wear masks. He wears one at work without a problem. He’s lying.

    1. SOQ

      Dr Marcus has been treating CoVid-19 patients from the very begining of this thing so hardly a denier- he watched some them being euthanized in nursing homes after all.

      Because someone must wear one at times in work situations does not mean they do not have valid reason outside of such.

      Some asthma suffers for example can wear one for short periods but not all the time.

      1. paul

        Sounds a bit like me, the short spells of mask-wearing. I have to wear a mask for long stretches in work (operating theatre, clinics, wards etc) despite them giving me headaches (the heat in the mask and the pull of the straps are the likely culprits, neither of which can be avoided). When it comes to shopping and commuting, I pop on my mask when going into a shop and when stepping onto a train and pop it off when leaving. It’s really not hard and even if I feel the first strings of the concerto of pain that is my headache when halfway through my journey or shop, I keep it on because others benefit from me wearing it.

        My personal belief is that if a person is in real, genuine need of not wearing a mask, then they can get a doctors note to prove as much.

        1. SOQ

          If you are a medic paul then you should well know that there is no ‘one fit for all’ in these sorts of situations. You should also be aware of how unhygienic public mask wearing is of course- especially reused cloth rags.

          Legally there is no reason why anyone should have to disclose their private health or disability information to another member of the public. This is why in the UK- Sainsburys have recently stated that non mask wearing is a matter for the police, not their employees.

          1. paul

            not a medic but yes, the cloth rag that I wash every day is more unhygienic than blasting my droplets all over a busy train? I’d much prefer I keep my breath to myself and change out for a clean mask every morning.

            If I see someone not wearing a mask on a train or in a shop I don’t immediately scramble for a diagnosis, I assume that they have forgotten their mask or are selfish and do my best to avoid them so they don’t put me at risk. As I myself operate with reduced lung capacity I’ll probably be one of those non mask wearing people in the future (maybe even lugging around an oxygen tank) and I’ll just have to put up with such scrutiny. Tough luck on my part.

            I’m not going to invent the means to validate someone not wearing a mask, I’m not in Government. Every Tom/Dick/Harriet (thanks Giggidy) can just invent a reason why they’re not wearing a mask though I would imagine that such behaviour is very much in the minority. Most of the people I’ve met who are exempt from wearing masks take this exemption very seriously and shop at quiet hours and keep public interactions to a minimum.

          2. SOQ

            You may wash it every day but I am pretty certain most people don’t- I’d go further and say that most have not seen the inside of a washing machine since they were bought.

            But even then, you should be well aware of the hand washing procedures associated with their application, none of which is possible in a public setting.

            I have a family member who takes panic attacks when she wears one. Her medical reason is real but to people like you she is just being selfish.

            That is wrong- you have no right to judge her without knowing her medical condition which in turn- is none of your business.

          3. paul

            hand washing is practicable in public, not particularly hard either. Alcohol gel and then use elbows to push button etc. The instructions are printed everywhere and are easily followed if the person is willing and able.

            If your family member cannot wear a mask due to their own condition then it falls to the people around them to wear masks to ensure that she is safe. I may personally feel one way but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to protect anyone I come into contact with. Hand washing, social distancing, mask wearing, all take very little effort but have wonderful potential for keeping vulnerable members of society safe.

            You’re right that it’s none of my business, I’ll ensure that it’s none of my business by keeping my distance, washing my hands and wearing a mask. Three steps to make sure that everyone else business is none of mine.

        2. GiggidyGoo

          “My personal belief is that if a person is in real, genuine need of not wearing a mask, then they can get a doctors note to prove as much.”
          And what – show the note to every Tom/Dick/Harriet?
          None of their business if a person has a medical condition.

        1. SOQ

          What else would you call sticking symptomatic people from hospitals into a group of the most high risk in the country?

          1. Hector Rameriz

            Yeah a DNR is for when a person will expire naturally, Euthansia in this country would be murder.

        1. SOQ

          Once one resident tested positive they were not allowed to test others in the home- call it what you will but those poor people were just left to die- alone.

  2. Jonickal

    Could he describe his “severe distress” to us. Record a video and send it to us. We all need a good laugh.

      1. Gearóid

        So long, broadsheet.

        I have been a reader since 2012, but I’m done with the agenda-pushing “hey, we’re just asking questions” at this point. I used to recommend your website far and wide, but I’m embarrassed to be acknowledged as a reader now. Might check in on the daily newspaper front pages, we’ll see, but will certainly not be recommending the site again.

        1. Susan

          Why announce it? Attention-seeking much?
          “ I may check on the front page, we’ll see” —who precisely do you think benefits from this knowledge?
          The narcissism is strong with this one….

          1. Johnny Green

            its a very stressful time for a lot people,Broadsheet by going where most dont,provides an essential public service-a sense of the surreal times we live in helps:)

  3. Broadbag

    ”If like me you’re an absolute gobsheen and can’t be bothered trying to protect others, do the selfish thing and claim ‘severe distress’ as you’re pathetic lilly-livered excuse…”

    never mind the severe distress of others possibly ending up on a ventilator or dying, diddums doesn’t want to wear a mask, boo f-ing hoo!

    1. Johnnythree

      Me too – No Mask. Absolute tosh. Don’t bother trying to tell me about studies etc. Civil liberties are being eroded.

  4. Just Sayin

    During early lockdown no-one wore masks, we all still had to buy food. Did we kill any of the grocery store workers? Either LIDL were quietly replacing their staff as they died off, or else masks are a load of boopa-doopa-doos

    The pandemic was over 8 weeks ago.

    All we have now is a #CASEDEMIC which is PCR tests reporting false positives and old exposures.
    We’re not seeing deaths or ICU admissions for covid anymore.

    https://twitter.com/vicky35352334/status/1295771005856743424/photo/1

    1. Johnnythree

      Grocery stores are quite hysterical to watch. Neighbours meeting each other for that chat. 2 inches from each other with a hanky fashioned into a mask. It confers them with super human powers y’know….

    2. Dee

      Well, you may not have killed my grocery store working daughter by not wearing a mask in early lockdown, but people like you did put her in hospital for a few weeks.

  5. Shitferbrains

    Good of Broadsheet in performing a public service by sweeping all the loons into one corner.

    1. Micko

      Hey @Shiferbrains.

      What makes us “loons” chief?
      I bet we agree on tons of stuff man.

      This is just one subject that I‘d say we disagree on.

      Let’s find out. I’ll go first.

      Racism = Bad

      Now you!

  6. Hector Rameriz

    Hope he presents his badge if he needs use of a ventilator or will he let someone who followed the guidelines have first dibs?

    1. Micko

      Ah… my favourite comments are always the ones that advocate for no medical help for any people who think differently than me.

      Well done.

      Truly compassionate.

      1. Hector Rameriz

        Yep I am advocating for that. If the mask is causing severe distress I’m sure his use of a ventilator will knock him completely sideways.

        And speaking of compassion the good doctor is showing his compassion for others, by not wearing a mask because of ‘severe distress’

  7. m

    if the whole country wore masks and one less person died, wouldn’t it be worth it?

    christ alive what a great country, filled to the brim with medical experts, who manage to find an expert of sorts on twitter who agrees with them, ignoring all the people that don’t

    1. Micko

      No, it wouldn’t. You can’t stop death anymore that you can hold the tide back.

      You don’t need to be a medical expert to understand numbers, or to be able to read.

      “Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too.” Voltaire

      1. m

        ah yes, noted Covid-19 expert Voltaire, thank god he spent as much time studying epidemics and mask wearing as the current crop of doctors advising the government

        “dont take advice from micko the thicko” Nostradamus

        1. Micko

          Ah, the typical reply with an insult.

          The last resort of someone who’s lost the argument.

          Good luck to ya ;-)

          1. m

            “You can’t stop death anymore that you can hold the tide back.”

            my point was you can type any old poo poo quote under nonsense but it doesnt make it true.

  8. newsjustin

    I dont love wearing a mask. Didnt rush into it.

    But then I remembered that, for me, it’s only a little piece of cloth when in crowded places and that I wasn’t a self-aggrandising silly billy. So I just wear one now.

    In the unlikely event that masks don’t actually help prevent the spread of this disease, I’ll have just worn a cotton mask occasionally for a few months.

    1. Micko

      But do you think that people should be forced into it?

      By financial ruin or imprisonment

      Is that just?

        1. Micko

          Tell that to someone who’s homeless.

          But, I of course meant the 2500 euro fine.

          A months rent for a lot of folks.

  9. Do I need a username?

    Reading this delusional cretin’s musings on his blog cause severe distress and furthermore reveal his distressing and abominable command of the English language. He is aware of the existence a lot of big words, just not their correct meaning.

    Needless to say, a fully paid-up member of the Trumpian populism bandwagon and all associated deplorables. Recent stunts are all aimed at attempts to make headlines to increase his profile and electability IMO. As is common with this lot, he sees himself as a political messiah.

    1. SOQ

      The fella became disillusioned and angry after watching his patients die because he was not allowed to give them the treatment they required- can you honestly blame him for feeling that way?

      Since the, like a fast growing number of other people, he has been questioning the state narrative because it just does not make sense.

      The introduction of masks at a point when the thing was clearly on the wane should be questioned because if they are so effective- why were they not made mandatory in February?

      1. newsjustin

        Hasn’t that consistently been explained – that it was in order to ensure availability of masks for front line and/or vulnerable people early on….before manufacturing caught up?

        1. SOQ

          Exactly what group was more vulnerable than the elderly with comorbidities bunched together in nursing homes?

          It just rouses me when these lazy clowns try to paint him as a conspiracy theorist or far right is all- he is neither.

          1. Do I need a username?

            You may wish to hang on the words of a delusional twit and his counterproductive stunts which are more political than medical in thrust but I won’t. Needless to say, de Brun is only a hop, skip and jump away from calling himself “The People’s Medic” or “Award-winning doctor”.

            Most see through his transparent nonsense that have more to do with his inflated sense of importance than anything grounded in reality and bona fide debate.

            By the way, I am still waiting for evidence of your claim 1 million people attended the recent Anti-Covid restrictions march in Berlin…

            Birds of a feather, eh?

          2. SOQ

            So you had a quick glance at his twitter account and decided all that eh?

            Way to go super researcher.

          3. Do I need a username?

            Even worse – I wasted my time reading his blog.To be frank, it was a cascade of tripe and it wasn’t so much the delusional and predictable content that irked me but his incredibly poor command of English: gibberish smothered in inappropriately deployed “big” words, the proper meanings of which totally elude him.

            It doesn’t take much though for one to see what this fellow is all about. Another “truth” crusader…

            What noise do ducks make?

  10. Junkface

    He’s being a big Baby. Some people think that the whole thing is about oppression. It’s not. If you were older and in danger this attitude would be less so.

    When I was a kid, all of the people in school who had constant notes for not doing P.E. ended up fat later on.

    1. Do I need a username?

      Lol.

      If you look at de Brun sideways, he’ll call you a liar. It is sort of his favourite word.

      Of course, he and only he, knows the *real* truth…

  11. H

    I went into my local supermarket last night and completely forgot to put mine on for a good five minutes, none of the staff I spoke to in that time said or did anything that reminded me to put it on. It was only when another customer stood too close to me that I thought about it!
    My point is, in London, most people don’t pass any comment, and if you’re not wearing a mask it is assumed that there is a reason.
    One thing that did annoy me on that trip was seeing two people with their masks pulled down under their chins, it’s one thing to absentmindedly forget to put it on, it’s quite another to deliberately render it useless.

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie