Face coverings in shops and on public transport to be compulsory again

PM Boris Johnson

Face coverings in shops and on public transport are to become compulsory again, as a temporary measure, due to the detection of two cases of new covid variant Omicron in the UK.

The face covering restrictions come in from next week on Tuesday (November 30) and includes and other settings such as banks, post offices and hairdressers. All hospitality settings will be exempt.

At a press conference this evening the PM said as well as adding a number of countries to the UK travel red list, including Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola, measures needed to be taken to tighten protection in the UK.

These include requiring anyone who enters the UK to take a PCR test by the end of the second day after their arrival, and to self-isolate until they have a negative result.

All contacts of those who test positive with a suspected case of Omicron are to self-isolate for ten days, regardless of vaccination status.

 

He added: “We will also go further in asking all of you to help contain the spread of this variant, by tightening up the rules on face coverings in shops and on public transport.”

He also urged people to get their booster jabs, saying: “We don’t yet exactly know how effective our vaccines will be against Omicron, but we have good reasons for believing they will provide at least some measure of protection.

“And if you are boosted – your response is likely to be stronger. So it’s more vital than ever that people get their jabs, and we get those boosters into arms as fast as possible.”

 

The government will accelerate the booster campaign and look at widening eligible groups and reducing the gap between the second dose and the booster.

He added: “The measures that we are taking today – including on our borders and face masks – are temporary and precautionary, and we will review them in three weeks.

“At that point we should have much greater information about the continuing effectiveness of our vaccines.”

One case of the new variant has been located in the Chelmsford area and the other in Nottingham. The government says early indications suggest this variant may be more transmissible than the Delta variant and current vaccines may be less effective against it. A rapid rise in infections in South Africa has been attributed to the spread of this new variant of COVID-19.

The seven day covid positive rolling rate for Thanet is 450.3 per 100,000. The England average is 434.1 and the UK average is 437.(As of November 22, according to government data.)

81 Comments

  1. Makes no difference to me and my behaviour as I’ve been continued to wear a face mask in shops and when in large crowds like at the Paul Weller concert.the other night at Margate Winter Gardens where only myself and possibly a dozen other people wore a face mask for protection., which I think is quite shocking as well as surprising too ..
    It doesn’t help either that theatres are requesting that you turn up for the show with a Covid pass only to not bother to look at it when you attend the theatre .which I think is outrageous and appalling.
    Margate Winter Gardens , The 02 , and London Palladium to name and shame but 3 of these.Venues .that I’ve experienced this at l
    I’ve just been practical and have been amazed how blasé people ( dare I suggest especially young people ) have become just because we’ve got / had a vaccination.
    They seem to forget that it isn’t the golden bullet to save you getting the deadly infection .

    • Perhaps the self same young people have understood the statistics well enough to realise that in the absence of an underlying condition or being obese they have next to onothing to worry about and behave accordingly. Those sufficiently concerned about the likely risks will choose to be vaccinated and stay clear of large crowds.
      As for this latest variant just another overreaction

      • First of all you’re factually wrong to suggest that anyone without an underlying health problem or is obese and regardless of age can’t catch Covid ….just look at the number of schools now having problems
        On the other hand , I’m double vaccinated and had my booster jab ,got a Covid pass and taken the precaution of wearing a mask so why should I not attend concerts or shows that we booked in advance of Covid and that I’m taking every precaution when attending against catching the virus ?
        Surely a more sensible and reasonable attitude can be applied

        • I wasn’t referring to catching covid, but that to the vast majority of younger healthy people it represents a tiny risk once they’ve caught it with the added bonus of aquiring either initial or additional natural protection.

  2. From personal experience of working within retail I cant wear a mask due to an ongoing health issue but I stay as safe as I can.

    I find the younger generation more polite with/without masks than the older generation who cough with covering their mouths, who lean over you without warning.

    I’ve started to get narky with them as its common decency to say “excuse me” with or without a pandemic!

    Also it’s about time numbers were back in place within supermarkets.

    Obviously people will complain but would you rather masks for awhile if it means we get to see family this Christmas?!

  3. Why was the wearing of face masks ever made optional?
    Wearing a proper face mask cuts your chance of catching Covid by 50%
    And on what grounds are people exempt?

    • You do know that the fabric masks that most people wear (not the surgical ones) make absolutely no difference dont you? Aside from that it’s about time you woke up. You boasted about the vaccine and here you are still harping on about masks worrying about catching covid. Did it not ever occur to you that if you have had multiple vaccines you shouldn’t be worrying about someone not wearing a mask anymore? You should be protected? Demanding people feel uncomfortable with masks all the time and blaming everyone else instead of looking at all the lies you have swallowed in the last 18 months. The likes of simpletons like you are enabling tyranny and peoples lives to become a misery existence. Over what? What does it tell you when 100k doctors and nurses don’t want the jab?

        • A supposed scary pandemic and you are happy to see 100k doctors and nurses walk away. It’s actually laughable how little sense it makes. It means they have no fear of it and they are close enough to see the lies and exaggerations

          • I don’t see where Andrew has said that he is ” happy to see 100k doctors and nurses walk away”.

            Denden- could you provide a link to an impartial factual site proving e that this number (in Britain) “don’t want the jab”?

        • Ultimately Marva, you and the likes of Andrew and Peter are a disgrace. You act like it’s natural for people to have their fundamental freedoms taken away. 100k doctors and nurses haven’t had their vaccines. So that is the potential number we will see walk away

          • What “natural freedoms” have been taken away from us, in your opinion, “Denden”?

            Where have you found the “100k” doctors and nurses statistic you refer to?

  4. I’ve continued wearing masks on public transport and in shops when busy… but I’ve alse attended concerts, gone to restaurants and stayed in hotels, all largely without masks. In other words I’ve reduced my chances of getting it whilst also still living a life. Oh, and I’m also triple-jabbed, and will be first in the queue if/when offered more.

    • Yes, it is amazing that with such a clown for a leader-his latest infantile wheezes are waxing lyrical about a cartoon pig’s homestead & publishing personal correspondence to a prime minister on his Twitter account, that the public have largely behaved pretty well with the masks he told us were no longer needed. If they copied him & his cronies example of never wearing them then we would be in a far worse state.

  5. The anagram of omicron is moronic. Every thought you’ve been played? Two weeks to flatten the curve? Initial gene therapy experimental pricks are safe effective? Well certainly not effective judging by the continuous boosters – and not safe according to official government adverse reactions and death statistics from across the world. How many more sudden deaths are we going to see? Big pharma continues to make billions, the behavioural scientists continue to weaponise fear propaganda to keep the unquestioning folk under control, the bought mainstream media gives no platform to tens of thousand of censored medical and scientific experts calling this all out, and most governments across the world are merely puppets with no opposition. Global protests are huge and of course get little airing in the mainstream. Meanwhile, suicides and the mental health crisis continues, and small businesses go to the wall while Amazon takes over. Masks are a symbol of serfdom and servitude, are unhealthy for continual use and are not used by those in power behind closed doors. They laugh at the unthinking and compliant. Moronic indeed.

    • People that think about the pandemic and the tools available to fight it have long said that vaccination alone won’t fix it. It’s vaccine + that will give us a fighting chance. And the “+” can be simple measures such as wearing face covering (visor useless, FFP2 much better) in crowded public spaces, and giving people a bit of space. And those two things won’t interfere with your “freedom”. They won’t stop you going out to the pub or for a meal, or to a concert or show.

      • Really, its a nasty bug that fells those that would have succumbed in a bad flu season anyway and those that have underlying conditions ,many of the latter are the fat and unfit, as a nation we’re running around in circles to protect/ appease the 60 percent who are quite happy to eat themselves to poor health.
        Look after the elderly and those with serious underlying conditions ( not self induced) and get on with life. Everyone should be responsible for their own decisions.

  6. I hate wearing a face-covering (which I have always associated with crime and the most misogynistic forms of religion) but I too have not stopped wearing them on public transport and in most shops.

  7. Ive never stopped wearing a mask & avoiding crowds. Its not rocket science. Its a shame i have to be amongst those shouty people who prefer you not to vaccinate or wear masks & lie about it too.

      • People that think about the pandemic and the tools available to fight it have long said that vaccination alone won’t fix it. It’s vaccine + that will give us a fighting chance. And the “+” can be simple measures such as wearing face covering (visor useless, FFP2 much better) in crowded public spaces, and giving people a bit of space. And those two things won’t interfere with your “freedom”. They won’t stop you going out to the pub or for a meal, or to a concert or show.

        • Wasting your time there-Peter is big on the Tory line of getting jabbed over & over as the only solution-even though as you say it clearly isn’t & is quick to condemn anybody who doesn’t-despite the horrendous potential side effects we are now finding out more about, including heart inflammation-both short term & more importantly long term in the years to come-whether he or anybody else likes it these are rushed out drugs with no long term trials & the entire world is a guinea pig.

          While he tut tuts at the unjabbed he is boasting that he goes to concerts, restaurants, hotels etc & doesn’t bother wearing a mask-guess freedom of choice only works one way. Personally I would rather encounter an unvaxed person wearing a mask briefly, than stand with several hundred or thousands of vaxxed people for extended periods unmasked in confined spaces, with them spitting, sneezing, coughing etc everywhere as they sing along or gobble down their grub.

          The reality & the NHS have this data on their website is this disease is overwhelmingly still a disease of the elderly/compromised & the figures bear that out-the emotional blackmail of protecting the elderly by getting jabbed hasn’t worked as the vast majority of those in hospital with it are still pensioners & not younger people-as has been the official narrative in recent times. The average age of death is still the average or higher of natural life expectancy & the number of those dying is still negligible.

          The reality is the level of vaxxed people in the UK is very high & that was the idea-it was never supposed to be 100% & herd immunity is not a reality. The jabs have a very short protection life-meaning regular booster jabs. Every time a new strain comes along that is resistant it means another double jabbing & more boosters. While Peter may be happy to keep rolling up his sleeve it is highly understandable why many aren’t so happy & less will be happy to keep playing that game for the rest of their lives.

          • It’s about protecting the NHS so that if heaven help you, you get cancer, hit by a car, or comedown with some other illness you don’t get turned away because the wards are full of COVID cases- elderly and “unfit” as you claim- and the staff are too busy dealing with them that you don’t get created. Just look at the backlog from the first wave. And yes, it’s a vaccination same as the annual flu jabb, it’s not a cure.

          • Peter-you trust your government still even after everything they have done since coming to power? After the leader is up there at a serious CBI speech fumbling & rambling on about Peppa Pig?

            John-in case you haven’t noticed the NHS has been ignoring people with cancer & other serious conditions that need operations. People have died & live in extreme pain as a result & will continue to as everything is thrown at Covid. The GP’s who could diagnose you & at least get you on a waiting list are mostly still hiding behind Skype calls instead of seeing people physically-their only interest in seeing you in person is to stick a needle in your arm at a vaccination centre, then once you are safer they refuse to see you, even though the promise was things would go back to normal when enough people were jabbed.

            Due to their incompetence the NHS actually made the Covid cases worse by sticking people without it on Covid wards killing them/making them ill with it & spreading the disease further. They also show so little interest in people that they often don’t bother to order tests to find cancers, strokes etc & send people home.

      • How do you figure that? This one looks to be immune to the current jabs-meaning they are totally pointless & everybody would have to be jabbed twice again with the new one the greedy companies are currently licking their lips over & promising to have ready in 90 days or so, then have boosters, until the next one comes along.

        The foolish part is actually people not wearing masks-simply because the idiotic government told them they didn’t need to & gathering in confined spaces with other people again.

        The reality is most of the people in hospital with it are jabbed elderly & vulnerable as shown on the NHS website-the very people supposed to be being protected by it by everybody getting jabbed. Now we are as predicted seeing the lies & hidden data from the pharma companies over side effects-it is bizarre that anybody would be lining up begging to get injected by them & still fool for it. https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n2635

          • Problem is the scientists present their findings & then just go along with what the government decide-because keeping their high paid job is more important to them than public safety. As we have seen in the past if they go against the government they get fired & replaced with a yes man who will go along.

          • Not all of the scientists have gone along with the government because of the fear of being replaced
            You’ve only got to google Dr Chris Whitty to see the number of times that he has opposed ( Up to 8 times by summer of 2020) or not agreed with government policy and he’s still there leading our country out of this epidemic.

      • The human immune system is patently obvious in its ability to look after the vast majority of people , the elderly and those with underlying conditions need looking after. A disease that many need a test to know they have is surley one which is of little importance for wider society. The ongoing medical fallout in terms of endless waiting lists and late diagnoses are going to be of greater importance in the long term.
        Vastly different to your opinion and no doubt reality falls somewhere between the two.

        • The inability of (far too many) people to grasp the simplest concepts is one reason we are still in the middle of a pandemic.
          Flu kills people. It is highly infectious, and spreads by aerosols.
          Covid kills people. It is highly infectious, and spreads by aerosols.
          The difference between them is that as soon as someone contracts flu, they display symptoms, and so self isolate (they stay at home in bed, drinking lemsips)
          CV, on the other hand, does not display symptoms until several days after a person becomes infected; days during which they could be travelling on the train going to work, going to the pub or football match. All this time they could be unknowingly infecting other people (especially if masks aren’t being worn)
          That’s why taking lateral flow tests is so important. They will give you an indication that you’ve got CV *before* you become symptomatic.
          Wear a mask. Take regular LFTs. It does you no harm, costs nothing, and could save lives.

          • Would it not be better to tell people to lose weight get fitter and so be much better able to deal with covid when they get it.? Huge number of other benefits to both themselves , nhs and society going forward as well.
            Last i looked the average age of those that have died from covid was over 80, majority had underlying conditions, younger healthy people have little to fear from covid and the best thing they can do to avoid catching it is to stay away from the nhs, again being a sensible weight, healthy diet and a bit of exercise will do wonders in not needing the nhs. Why does 60% of the population have difficulty grasping such a simple concept?

  8. “the bought mainstream media gives no platform to tens of thousand of censored medical and scientific experts calling this all out”
    How do you know this?
    “Global protests are huge and of course get little airing in the mainstream”
    How do you know this?
    There is an overwhelming abundance of peer-reviewed journal published science to tell us where we’re at with Coronavirus and the fight against it.

    • How do you know this says Andrew? Wow you ask this after one and a half years?? I see you apparently have no ability to research and be in touch with numerous organisations and people worldwide Andrew. You must live in a very tiny little world. All the evidence is there in print and on video, in published books and reports and legal actions, with many world-wide experts in their field shouting their concerns. Get out more. The official narrative is spin and propaganda dished out to puppet bought governments in a more bizarre and irrational way by the minute. Not safe, not effective and now moronic. And also a Nuremberg Code type war crime according to the legal actions right across the world just now. How they must be laughing at the unquestioning.

      • Well, I’m going to keep on wearing a face-mask and avoiding crowds. And so are most of the people I know. I’m also going to try and avoid cliches.

      • ” How they must be laughing at the unquestioning.”
        I don’t see why anyone should be laughing at all.
        If medical science has got it right, then anti vaxxers should hang their heads in shame.
        If scientists and doctors have made a huge mistake, then big questions need to be asked of our Institutions.
        But laugh?
        I don’t think so.

          • Extensive career and experience involved in all sorts of things pertinent to what’s happening now – at so called high level. Sat in on enough meetings where the powers that think they are laugh at the little people – from all political sides.

    • You’ve only to look at the social media platforms to see how those controlling them decide what can andcannot be posted, the same occurs on this site, for example its been decided not to allow comments on the memorial for the migrants that drowned in the channel. No doubt Kathy has her reasons but this just gives a one sided presentation and stifles other opinion, which effectively forces the chosen narrative and marginalises any other position. The same happens in the comments sections in the national press.
      The hypocrisy exhibited by the national press is beyond belief, after the stabbing of Sir David Amess the BBC decided to bring Brendan Cox into the discussion on air (husband of Jo Cox who was killed by Tommy Mair (excuse spelling) during the brexit campaign ( in itself an investigation led by political expedience which used the mental fragility of the perpetrator to avoid a full disclosure of his situation)) a man that had admitted sexual indiscretions in his previous role within charitable organisations, conveniently ignored in order to pursue the chosen narrative.

      • I’m not surprised that comments aren’t being allowed on the article about the memorial gathering. There are some people posting totally inhumane things about migrants on this paper.

        • Any such comment is merely someones verbal expression of opinion, that others find the choice of language offensive is of no importance they are just words. ( stephen fry summed it up nicely) . Stifling opinion on the grounds that offence may be caused is nothing less than manipulation and social control.

          • I am sure Ms Bailes can explain exactly why she and other newspaper editors decide whether or not to allow comments. We are all aware that some people are xenophobic and show little or no sympathy for migrants, whereas others hold a very different opinion. It’s not just the former who are unable to comment on certain articles.

          • I have no sympathy for illegal migrants, it has nothing to do with xenophobia but everything to do with my dislike of criminals no matter where they come from.
            If it’s decided not to allow comments then perhaps the story should not be published at all , as otherwise it is just a one sided presentation with no balance.

      • I’m a bit confused by all the nested brackets. I can’t actually make any sense out of what you’re saying.

        • In response to the David Amess stabbing the BBC interviewed Brendan Cox for his reaction in light of the murder of his late wife Jo Cox. The same Brendan Cox who’d resigned from his post in the charity sector as a result of sexual improprieties, bringing anyone with such a history into a conversation would in normal times have been shot down in flames he’s hardly a beacon of high moral standing.
          The perpetrator of the murder Tommy Mair was portrayed as a right wing extremist and any references to his mental state were forgotten as soon as he pled guilty. It was generally accepted that he had long standing mental health issues before this, in comparison when an event takes place involving a migrant or person of colour just about every time the question of mental health is asked as if its a mitigating factor.

    • We pay for the nhs to protect us. Not the other way round. Remember in 2017 when the nhs was in tatters from the flu? Wake up

        • More or less, though it is of course possible to bias a story to the jounalist’s (or publication’s) beliefs and policies. That is why (say) The Daily Mail and The Guardian give very different reports of the same story.

  9. How hard is it to wear a mask, I wear one to try and protect others.
    Ok there are so people who for medical reasons can’t wear a mask, that’s fine by me.

  10. Democrat, you’re slinging a lot of mud, hoping some of it sticks, somewhere, sometime. I’m not going to get into whether or not the vaccines are safe but the equation of masks with ‘serfdom and servitude’ is bonkers IMO.

    Poverty and servitude were characteristics of serfdom, yet they have not gone away despite our so-called freedom. Poverty, ill-health, overcrowding, overwork … all of these characteristics of the serfdom of old are rife in this country and they make the chances of catching Covid, and dying from it, much worse. They make everything much worse. Yet you identify protective masks as an evil! Where’s the sense of proportion here?

    Masks should be free but at least they’re cheap. They have minimal impact on the wearer yet offer a high degree of protection against the virus. Yeah, it’s a little annoying wearing them for hours but that’s about it. What’s wrong with such a low-tech, readily available yet effective form of protection?

    I have never yet physically threatened, sworn at, shouted at or insulted anyone for not wearing a mask. Yet both me & my partner have experienced this kind of abuse for wearing masks. This is all so damn daft, divisive and horrible.

    • Do look at the history Clarina. It’s very plain to see on the history of mask wearing. Masks are also not safe or effective. Numerous medical reports on that one as well. And making children wear them amounts to a war crime, and will cause untold mental damage for the future. Beyond sad to endanger our children that way without examining the harms associated with this and having an informed debate. But informed debate is deliberately shut down in this world of behavioural psychology spin merchants delivering the puppet governments’ messages to the unquestioning folk. Question, research, look widely, talk to people in the medical and scientific worlds who have very different views from the ‘official’ narrative based on their own experiences, talk to people across the world on what is really happening in their areas. Observe who has been fit and healthy and enjoyed community in the last year and a half. and who has suddenly died, or had recurring health issues and an immune system which doesn’t appear to be functioning too well, or is struggling to get any form of non covid medical treatment from the NHS. It’s all in plain sight.

      • The whole point about the way that medical and scientific people come to a consensus is that the conclusions of researches is rigorously examined and tested by peer review before being published in learned journals. There’s no need for me to do any “research”: it’s already been done for me.
        What’s the source for your opinions? Not the Lancet, nor the BMJ ….

  11. Well who can have seen this coming… Boris and his cronies have thrown a dart at the map and picked a country to blame for their next round of control

  12. “A war crime”? Get a grip, Democrat. These exaggerations do not encourage people to agree with your opinions. On second thoughts, just keep writing in your usual style.

    • Scientists aren’t agreeing at the moment, but let’s hope you’re right (an easily-spread mild variant could be a way out of this nightmare!).

    • Which scientists are saying this? I would have thought that the only certainty is that it’s too early to say what the outcomes may be. There are (we’re told) lots of mutations on the viruses ‘spike’ – the bit of the virus that most vaccines latch on to – possibly making some vaccines less effective.
      What’s not know yet is how infectious it is, nor the severity of the illness caused by it.
      What’s certain is that as long as large populations are not offered vaccines, or refuse to get vaccinated, or engage with other interventions such as mask wearing and social distancing, it is inevitable that there will be more mutations, causing more challenges to the scientific community.

      • It is generally accepted within scientific circle that a successful virus is one that allows its host to live whilst developing and spreading a high viral load. As such a genetically advantageous mutation would be one where the virus is more transmissable and does not affect the host to a great degree, ideally the host will pretty much carry on as normal and so be more likely to spread the virus further faster.
        Such milder forms of a virus bestow a natural immunity on people as their immune systems deal with the virus, such immunity may well be effective against later mutations of the virus that may be more dangerous if there was no immunity. It’s just nature doing its bit, that people choose to undermine their bodies natural ability to fight infection as a result of poor life choices is just a bit of Darwinism at work, I’m all for the state protecting those that are genuinely at high risk through no fault of their own, however crashing an economy and endlessly restricting peoples lives in an attempt to protect those who realy have little regard for their own well being is to my mind just rewarding greed and laziness whilst punishing those that have been more sensible.
        That a nation has got itself into such a position is almost beyond belief and that its failing to do anything about it nigh on incredulous.

        • I agree to a large degree (it is notable that there are relatively few Covid deaths in Japan, a country that also has a very low obesity rate). Obviously though, (a) People largely can’t help it if they get frail as they get old, and (b) Not all under-lying health conditions are due to lifestyle choices: I always exercised, stayed slim, never smoke/took drugs, and ate healthily – yet I had a heart attack at 55 that required surgery (that said, I almost certainly caught Covid in early 2020, and after 4 or 5 days of sitting up all night in an arm chair and constantly having a dry cough I was back to full fitness in a fortnight… and this was 18 months AFTER my heart attack).

          • The way the elderly were treated in the first wave is beyond contempt, quite why it was beyond the powers that be to use the ( largely empty) nightingale hospitals as quarantine facilities for those who were destined for care homes, i’ve no idea.
            An elderly but slim and active neighbour had open heart surgery in 2020 complications kept them in hospital, during the stay they caught covid from the ever generous nhs, it was touch and go for a while but they pulled through and are slowly but surely getting back to normal.
            The refusal to report the truth when people pass away for fear of offending friend and families allows some basic realities to be hidden.
            Any of us could be struck down by covid but the risks for the majority is tiny, basing policy on the exceptions and irresponsible is foolhardy and means there are less resources for those truly at risk.

  13. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own
    FACTS
    Updated 29 Nov 2021
    NOT LAW – GOVERNMENT WEBSITE –
    Exemption cards Section
    You are no longer legally required to wear a face covering in any setting. Therefore you do not need to rely on an exemption if you need one.
    However, you may feel more comfortable if you can show something to reflect that you’re not able to wear a face covering. For example, in circumstances where the government recommends and expects you to continue to wear face coverings such as in crowded and enclosed spaces like public transport.
    If you have an age, health or disability reason for not wearing a face covering you do not need to show:
    any written evidence of this
    an exemption card
    This means that you do not need to seek advice or request a letter from a medical professional about your reason for not wearing a face covering.
    However, some people may feel more comfortable if they are able to show something that explains why they’re not wearing a face covering. This could be in the form of an exemption card, badge or even a home-made sign.
    Carrying an exemption card or badge is a personal choice and is not required by law.

    (the government is so helpful that it provides templates to print for the folk that want them)

    Get the mainstream media to nudge and spin, try to create more fear control, continually repeat the message for the hypnosis to continue, misrepresent the true facts and statistics, continue to censor the dissenting views of numerous medical and scientific experts (let alone funeral directors), stay quiet on the havoc from vax damage and deaths, ruin businesses with the uncertainty about future rules over xmas (confusion is a mind control tool), trash mental health and the future of our children – moronic indeed (to reference the anagram) to unquestioningly follow the official narrative from all mainstream political parties or health officials or bought media.

    Oh yes and no advice on the real ways to keep healthy. Get out in nature, laugh, breathe, hydrate, eat healthily, look at nutrition, spend time with those who resonate, create new tribes, support local businesses and food growing projects, keep informed through the many great platforms now available, switch off the mainstream TV/radio hypnosis. Be happy! Be awake.

  14. I originally kicked off this discussion about the wearing of face masks and have just seen tonight BBC south news ask Ashford M.P Damian Green .
    “ Is it fair that people have to wear face masks when they shop but not when they’re indoors at the cinema ,theatre or concert venues for an hour or two ? “.
    So….. I thought that was a good question that presenter Natalie Graham asked, so I’m interested to see what peoples general views are on that subject ?
    Btw. Damian Green said that it was fair we wear face masks in shops as it keeps shops open , but he contradicted that by saying that pubs and cinemas would close if people where forced to wear a face mask .
    Hmm . That’s a mixed message if ever there was one !

    • I suppose the big difference is that cinemas, theatres and concert venues aren’t essential, so if people feel they’re unsafe they can simply stay away. Ditto restaurants and pubs. Shops and (for some) buses are things people HAVE to use.

      I personally am perfectly happy to wear masks where required, but use my own judgement elsewhere (I also prefer restaurant waiting staff NOT to wear masks).

    • It’s a question of balance: both from a political and economic point of view. Pepper Pig has to keep his back benches (including Craig Mackinlay) in line as much as possible, so the regulations are watered down to appease them (didn’t work with Craig). And there is a desire to keep the economy going ad much as possible. So, wearing a mask on the bus or train, or in the supermarket, doesn’t stop you travelling or shopping. But you can’t tuck into your burger and chips and neck a couple of pints whilst wearing a face mask.
      It’s your choice if you wear one to a concert or cinema. I would choose to wear one; I would also choose to avoid busy public places.

    • People have more than enough information to make up their own minds in line with thecrisks as they perceive them . Many are triple jabbed and will soon be able to get a fourth, if they still choose to be cautious so be it.
      However forming policy on nigh on zero information is pointless, why jab again if its not known if the latest batwuflu will evade it and if current vaccines are effective can they really be considered fit for purpose if they only offer6 months protection? Which for a bug that will do no real harm to over 80% of those who catch it and kill less than 0.3% ( probably very much less now that societies most vulnerable have already died) seems a bit of an overreaction, surely better to target resources at those most in need and get life back on track, especially the nhs and the huge numbers that will need to be seen asap.

      • 0.3% equates to about 200,000 people.
        Do you really want to write off so many husbands, wives, parents, children, family, friends and work mates in defence of your quite appalling thesis?

  15. “Society’s most vulnerable have already died.” Well , some of them have.The ones who survived are steadily getting older…

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