Essex hearing loss charity is cautious over end of mask restrictions
The Plan B restriction is lifted today
Last updated 27th Jan 2022
As the government lifts Plan B measures, including mandatory mask wearing in shops and on public transport, an Essex-based charity has warned people to be cautious.
Hearing Help Essex, based in Chelmsford, is a charity which works to ease any isolation or loneliness that can come with acquired hearing loss, by offering practical help, support, advice, and guidance.
Sophie Ede, the charity's CEO, says the restrictions lifting is a double-edged sword: "Obviously there'll be fewer people wearing masks, which yes, will make communication easier, but will it make anxieties around the virus easier?
"I don't know, and one is always going to outweigh the other."
The charity will still be asking people to wear masks inside their buildings: "I just think the safest way to to get us back to normal is for people to be wearing masks in enclosed spaces. During our service delivery we will be wearing face coverings."
She'd rather people kept wearing masks, so long as they're considerate to those hard of hearing: "There's some really key and easy ways to to make life easier. If you think someone is not understanding you, the first step is to try saying it in a different way, not to shout - as soon as you shout, your facial expression changes and to suddenly see some kind of furrowed brow above a mask really does not help with communication.
"Having a pen and paper handy is also good as is offering to lower your mask temporarily for the 30 seconds to get get your message across.
"Most of our interactions in shops with shop assistants are quite short, brief interactions... and there are some retailers out there, like Waterstones, which, during the pandemic, put signs up in their shop saying 'if you're hard of hearing, or deaf, and need us to lower our mask, please say, and we will' - that's a really helpful thing to do...
"I'm profoundly deaf myself. I wear hearing aids in both ears, and actually for me with mask wearing, the biggest problem is being getting my mask on and off with glasses and hearing aids - there's a lot going on behind the ears! Just being able to lower it occasionally is really helpful."