Medical exemption from the requirement to wear COVID-19 mask

[Chi_42]

Originally Posted by Caglee

This is what I have been doing and it's making my quick grocery store trips much more bearable. While I think the op is dramatizing a little bit, I can definitely sympathize with how uncomfortable and awful it is to wear a mask. I only wear them at stores who require it (out of respect to the store, don't give a hoot about Pritzker or the scare-mongering Karen's roaming the aisles), and wearing them for any length of time is uncomfortable and off-putting. So I found a bandana made of the lightest thinnest fabric possible and it's a little better than something thicker like an n95 mask.

I've seen multiple people at Walmart and Jewel not wearing the masks and the employees don't seem to be enforcing it, so maybe try different stores if yours are doing that?

Which Walmart and Jewel stores are not enforcing the face-covering order? I go to Walmart and Jewel stores in Evanston, Skokie, and Niles, and each store has personnel at the front making sure that customers are wearing face coverings.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

My spouse and I have and use these most of the time:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They're pretty lightweight (a bit lighter than a light scarf), relatively cool to the touch, and you can wear them down around your next when you're not using them and pull them up over your mouth and nose when you need them.

I ordered a couple of these last week. Appreciate the link. They’re pretty good. I also recently got a homemade mask that is clearly made out of an old blazer or something, but it covers my mouth and fits pretty comfortably. I also have a couple winter head coverings that can cover my mouth and nose that feel fine, though I look kind of silly, but we all do at this point so who really cares.

Really I think it’s a minimal requirement when going into a place of business. I feel for those that truly have a medical issue with breathing with a mask on. Those that find it uncomfortable - it’s not that bad. You don’t need an N95, a motorcycle helmet, or anything that can lead to massive discomfort. . I don’t wear a mask when out for a walk/run/bike, and it doesn’t appear to have a use in that situation.

[Chi_42]

Earlier, I stated that I have several medical conditions that make it difficult for me to breathe while wearing a COVID-19 mask. I stated that one of these conditions is severe allergies, and that my allergy doctor is refusing to write mask-exemption letters for any of his patients.


Well, I just received word from a doctor who treats me for another one of these conditions. This doctor said the following:

"Face masks are important for protection of yourself and also protection of others. I do not write notes for this exemption. If you cannot wear a face mask, I advise you to stay at home."


It seems that the Illinois medical profession cares more about appeasing Pritzker than about patients' health.

[Chi_42]

Just to add to my last post:

It seems that my doctors believe that, if I can not wear a mask for medical reasons, then I should just stay home. (I guess they think that food will just magically appear at my doorstep.) It seems that my doctors are at least *tacitly* acknowledging that the mask poses medical difficulties for me.

But Pritzker's order says that, if I can not wear a mask for medical reasons, then I do not have to wear a mask in places where the mask is required. Even Pritzker himself does not tell people who can not wear masks to stay home.


The fact that my doctors agree that wearing a mask is medically difficult for me, should be enough to get me an exemption. These doctors' personal opinion (that people who can not wear masks should stay home) is just that, a personal opinion. This opinion goes father than Prizker's order.

I probably should contact an attorney about this situation.

[nap1313]

If you don’t want to wear a mask, you can do curbside pickup or delivery.

[Chi_42]

Originally Posted by nap1313

If you don’t want to wear a mask, you can do curbside pickup or delivery.

When it comes to produce (cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, etc.), I need to pick out the merchandise by hand. I have to make sure that I do not buy the spoiled crap.

And, if I place an order today, the order will probably be delivered in a week. I shop for food as I need it.

[nap1313]

Jewel usually has curbside pickup the same day if you order early or next day if ordering in afternoon and evening. I use it all the time. Haven’t been in a store in weeks. Whole Foids has also opened up more delivery times. I load my cart up on the site, and if there are no times available that day, I just keep clicking to update every few minutes. It works every time, and I’m able to get it within a day.

For pantry items, you can also do drive up pick up at Target. A lot of times, I order Jewel and Target in the morning, and it’s ready for pick up when I’m done with work that evening.


I’m an avid cook, and I like choosing my own produce too. Sometimes the shopper picks up produce that’s not quite ripe and needs a day or two. However, they’ve never given me rotten produce.

These are not normal times, so unfortunately, we all have to be slightly inconvenienced and make small sacrifices. If you don’t want to wear a mask, there are many other ways to get what you need.

[Little Egypt]

Originally Posted by Chi_42

When it comes to produce (cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, etc.), I need to pick out the merchandise by hand. I have to make sure that I do not buy the spoiled crap.

And, if I place an order today, the order will probably be delivered in a week. I shop for food as I need it.

The latest numbers I've seen show 1,528,235 cases and 91,664 deaths just in the US alone.


But the real tragedy is that you might not be able to pick out your own kumquats

[Chi_42]

Originally Posted by Little Egypt

The latest numbers I've seen show 1,528,235 cases and 91,664 deaths just in the US alone.


But the real tragedy is that you might not be able to pick out your own kumquats

Well, picking my own kumquats may be the least of my concerns.


Before COVID-19, I worked as a freelancer of sorts in two different industries. Both of these industries have been shut down during COVID-19. There has been talk about what these industries will look like when they resume operations. Some people say that each worker in these industries will be forced to wear a mask during all or most of his shift.

These shifts can be 10-12 hours long, and I don't think that I will be able to handle wearing a mask for that long. And no, these jobs can not be done from home.

Also, I don't think that I am qualified for any corporate-type job that *would* allow me to work from home.

So, if I can not get some legally binding exemption to the masks, then I may be unable to work and may have to apply for some kind of disability.

[Sunbiz1]

https://www.who.int/airpollution/amb...th-impacts/en/
"An estimated 4.2 million premature deaths globally are linked to ambient air pollution, mainly from heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections in children."

A better reason than Covid to be wearing a mask, as today is the first of many poor air quality.
And we are such a paradox, the very non-essential businesses we clamor for are killing us; and the planet.