Current Affairs

[Onelife]

If the protection is 75% to protect others, and only 15-20% to protect the wearer, then I imagine taking it on and off is only going to pose problems to the wearer, and even these will be fairly low.

Hi John, I don’t care much for percentages because they only reflect numbers and the number, I care about is how many are dying because of not using common sence…sod what the Government tells you to do and make your own mind up… 44,000 + dead should be enough to tell everyone they should taking every precaution possible.

Keith, I am not sure what point you are making, surely if the scientific community have differing views it is because of the uncertainty concerning that particular aspect. You believe facemasks are an important precaution others believe they don't provide much protection. Both positions could find scientific support which leads me to be sympathetic with both sides, but not critical of either.

Hi John, that is a fair response and may find some support on this forum but the Government supposedly takes its advice from the science, and as the science is constantly shifting towards the wearing of face masks then I think one has to take this onboard…I’d be wearing one even if it only protects the wearer 5%.

There is another aspect to this which is that the science says a mask protects others from infection, this being the case surly the sensible thing to do is promote it as such bringing everyone onboard. We don’t know who the carriers are so the more that wear them the safer we all should be…hopefully!

[barney]

Devon and Cornwall Police announces that this Saturday was actually busier than New Years Eve for call outs.
What the hell ?

[Manoverboard]

Meanwhile a Cornish Holiday Park is staying closed to protect their local community ... well done them

[screwy]

How nice and refreshing to see a company with morals, I am of course talking about Primark. Taking back all of their furloughed staff and Not claiming the Bonus..How many others will follow.?
I’m sure some will say ‘ what morals’.
How much do they pay their staff, producers etc. Business is business after all, at least they’re not ripping off the tax payer.

[Gill W]

I’m struggling to get my head round the ‘new’ soon to be announced face mask guidelines. Not wishing to pre-empt what will be said, but if it is announced that masks should be worn in shops/enclosed spaces it will be a little confusing not to include wearing of masks all the time when out shopping…the last thing you should be doing according to the scientific information is touching your mask when out wearing it… taking it on and off when entering such places won’t follow their own advice about wearing them…Am I missing something?

Not that I’m planning to be out in crowded places on a regular basis, but, when we go shopping I’ll be wearing the mask throughout the experience, not putting it on when I go into a shop and taking it off again as I leave.

Up to now, as we haven’t been out very much, I’ve only needed to wear a mask for very short periods. I find it quite uncomfortable, but feel I need to get used to it, as this is going to be with us for a long time.

As part of our phased return to the world, tomorrow we are going to the local shopping centre, so I’ll be wearing my mask for a longer period. We intend to have coffee, so will pull the mask down when we are at the table, and pull it up again when we leave. We have sanitising wipes, so we’ll use those when we’ve adjusted our masks.

The way to go Gill....enjoy!

A pleasant experience was had !

Lovely morning for a walk, and we arrived the shopping centre at around 9.30. We got masked up before we went in, then went to M&S for coffee. Lots of sanitizer around, perspex screens everywhere, lots of tables removed.

Between us, we had £35 from Sparks and 2 x £10 Premium Club vouchers from before lockdown, so we bought a pair of shorts each (and I got some tops, then we bought a couple of treats from the food section.

As it was quite early, it was fairly quiet, and nobody invaded our space. I'd say about a third of customers were wearing masks, but no staff, which I find odd. But the noises emanating from government seem to indicate the mask wearing will soon become compulsory, which I think is a good thing. Wearing the mask is a reminder that we are not back to the old normal, and we must still be careful.

[Manoverboard]

It would seem difficult for anybody to wear a mask for a full shift even if they replaced it from time to time ?

[Onelife]

It would seem difficult for anybody to wear a mask for a full shift even if they replaced it from time to time ?

If they were wearing them all day, I think it would be difficulty but with proper management I can’t see that this would have to be the case. Alternating from masks to face shields could be an option as could rotation behind service screens.

[Manoverboard]

It would seem difficult for anybody to wear a mask for a full shift even if they replaced it from time to time ?

If they were wearing them all day, I think it would be difficulty but with proper management I can’t see that this would have to be the case. Alternating from masks to face shields could be an option as could rotation behind service screens.

Quite possibly but I have yet to walk about in the shops, offices and hostelries so have no idea how it works in practice.

[Onelife]

It would seem difficult for anybody to wear a mask for a full shift even if they replaced it from time to time ?

If they were wearing them all day, I think it would be difficulty but with proper management I can’t see that this would have to be the case. Alternating from masks to face shields could be an option as could rotation behind service screens.

Quite possibly but I have yet to walk about in the shops, offices and hostelries so have no idea how it works in practice.

Hi Mob…not that you’ll be venturing into any bookies in the near future but if other shopping outlets are following their example as my local Betfred you should feel pretty safe. Well defined one-way system with adequate spacing, plus a screened service counter with sanitisers. I always write out my bets before entering the shop, this way I spend as little time as possible in an enclosed space.
On the point of bets, do you know of a spell I can put on Sir Merv as I’m sure he has put a curse on my betting activities…if you’ve got a spell that could turn him into a donkey then I would be most grateful ...I want to get my own back because that’s what I’ve been backing just lately

Mob…. My personal thoughts on someone in your position would be to wait and see what wishy- washy Boris has to say about the wearing of face masks before venturing out. I personally would also avoid small shops where spacing is difficult.

[barney]

On the contrary keefy.
It’s actually much easier to manage in a small shop.


Mrs B has a policy of one in or one family group in at a time.
If someone tries the door she simply goes to the front and let them know that someone is in and can they come back.
So far everyone bar one has accepted this is currently the way it is.
You always get one don’t you, but she stood her ground and undoubtedly lost a sale.
Everybody has commented what a pleasurable experience it’s been.
So far in the three weeks open, her takings have been well up on the corresponding three weeks from last year, but obviously, overall, she’s thousands down on the financial year.
That cannot be made up which ultimately means a loss to the treasury in the tax paid.

[Manoverboard]

.... do you know of a spell I can put on Sir Merv as I’m sure he has put a curse on my betting activities…if you’ve got a spell that could turn him into a donkey then I would be most grateful ....

I'm only guessing but I'm sure Sir Merv would be most grateful to be hung like turned into a donkey ... just saying

Your advice re " My personal thoughts on someone in your position would be to wait and see what wishy-washy Boris has to say about the wearing of face masks before venturing out. I personally would also avoid small shops where spacing is difficult "

Is sound indeed and I will be following it to the letter

[Onelife]

On the contrary keefy.
It’s actually much easier to manage in a small shop.


Mrs B has a policy of one in or one family group in at a time.
If someone tries the door she simply goes to the front and let them know that someone is in and can they come back.
So far everyone bar one has accepted this is currently the way it is.
You always get one don’t you, but she stood her ground and undoubtedly lost a sale.
Everybody has commented what a pleasurable experience it’s been.
So far in the three weeks open, her takings have been well up on the corresponding three weeks from last year, but obviously, overall, she’s thousands down on the financial year.
That cannot be made up which ultimately means a loss to the treasury in the tax paid.

Hi Barney…firstly let me say I am delighted to hear your good wife is back doing what she loves, and from what you say she has adopted her managerial skills to provide a safe, as it can be, shopping experience for her customers.

If it is the case that all small shop owners can provide a one to one service while following the guide lines then you are correct and I take back what I said. I do however think the one to one experience will be financially unviable for many small shop retailers. I say this based on some of the shops in Ludlow where the foot print of some of the shop is very small.

If I remember correctly your wife’s shop is a niche shopping experience, and as such the customer your wife attracts will come looking for specific/niche things to buy. This isn’t the case with many small retailers as many of their shoppers will be browse buyers and adopting a one to one policy for many of them, will I think, be undesirable and restrict potential sale revenues, and I dare say test a customer’s patience should they have to wait outside.

I think it’s a case of one hat doesn’t fit all but if it works for your good wife then fair play to her

[Onelife]

.... do you know of a spell I can put on Sir Merv as I’m sure he has put a curse on my betting activities…if you’ve got a spell that could turn him into a donkey then I would be most grateful ....

I'm only guessing but I'm sure Sir Merv would be most grateful to be [s]hung like[/s] turned into a donkey ... just saying

Your advice re " My personal thoughts on someone in your position would be to wait and see what wishy-washy Boris has to say about the wearing of face masks before venturing out. I personally would also avoid small shops where spacing is difficult "

Is sound indeed and I will be following it to the letter

Thinking about it, if you do find a spell which provides a “hung like” experience don’t bloody waste it on Sir Merv…put the spell on me…my wife will be for ever grateful to you.

[MaureenB]

A question to Gill W if I may.

Hi Gill. I read your post about the trip today to your local M & S at your shopping centre. May I ask was this shopping centre Bluewater by any chance? I see you live in Kent and wondered if this was your "local". I ask because although I live in London (East side) I have always driven over to Bluewater frequently. Of course I haven't been there since early March. Lakeside is another place I can easily get to. My question to you is......if it was Bluewater how did you find the crowds there and was there much difference in safety? I haven't done any retail shopping since the start of Covid and I am a little lacking in confidence still. Friends and relatives can't believe I haven't been there yet!! But being of a "certain" age group I feel I still need to be a bit careful. Any pointers would be gratefully received. Of course you could live somewhere else in Kent and my questions to you are pointless!

Thank you anyway.

Best wishes

Maureen

[barney]

While not trying to preempt Gills response, I’d take an educated guess and say that her local M&S is Hempstead Valley.
It’s a wonderful little shopping centre and one which Mrs B and I often frequented in preference to the soulless Bluewater.

[Clophill4]

On the facemask front, I had a visit to our local hospital today, routine outpatient, whilst there I noted that all patients were wearing facemasks of some sort. The only people not wearing masks were staff, one of distinctly managerial bearing and attire. Whilst there may be perfectly valid reasons it didn't seem to set a good example.

[Onelife]

On the facemask front, I had a visit to our local hospital today, routine outpatient, whilst there I noted that all patients were wearing facemasks of some sort. The only people not wearing masks were staff, one of distinctly managerial bearing and attire. Whilst there may be perfectly valid reasons it didn't seem to set a good example.

This does surprise me Clophill as I thought it was a requirement of all hospital staff and out patients to wear face masks?

[towny44]

All the staff were wearing face masks on our visit to outpatients last Monday.

[oldbluefox]

I was in hospital as a day patient recently and whilst the doctors and nurses did not wear face masks whilst at their station whenever they made contact with patients they did wear masks and when I went off for the various parts of my treatment I also wore a mask.

[Gill W]

A question to Gill W if I may.

Hi Gill. I read your post about the trip today to your local M & S at your shopping centre. May I ask was this shopping centre Bluewater by any chance? I see you live in Kent and wondered if this was your "local". I ask because although I live in London (East side) I have always driven over to Bluewater frequently. Of course I haven't been there since early March. Lakeside is another place I can easily get to. My question to you is......if it was Bluewater how did you find the crowds there and was there much difference in safety? I haven't done any retail shopping since the start of Covid and I am a little lacking in confidence still. Friends and relatives can't believe I haven't been there yet!! But being of a "certain" age group I feel I still need to be a bit careful. Any pointers would be gratefully received. Of course you could live somewhere else in Kent and my questions to you are pointless!

Thank you anyway.

Best wishes

Maureen

While not trying to preempt Gills response, I’d take an educated guess and say that her local M&S is Hempstead Valley.
It’s a wonderful little shopping centre and one which Mrs B and I often frequented in preference to the soulless Bluewater.

Barney is absolutely right, my ‘local’ is Hempstead Valley.

It’s about 35 minutes walk from our house, and we find it a nice way to spend a morning - a walk there and back, a coffee and a mooch round.

Hempstead is just the right size, big enough for a good variety of shops, but not so big to be overwhelming. Barney, not sure if this happened after you moved, but the food court area is now a TK Maxx, and they built a row of restaurants just over the road, so you can get a reasonable meal now. The Broadwick is nice.

In answer to Maureen, I do enjoy a trip to Bluewater, , but I’m not sure I’m ready for it just yet. If I did go, I’d make it a weekday morning and get there for opening at 10am when it’s likely to be quiet.

From our trip to our local M&S, I’ve observed that it feels different now. There’s sanitiser and Perspex screens, and one way systems. You do need to ‘stay alert’. People were being good about social distancing.

My suggestion is to start small and local to get used to the new way of doing things, and build up to the bigger places, as and when it feels comfortable.

I see that face coverings will be mandatory is shops from 24th July, announced this evening

[david63]

Are we having some more scaremongering?

There is a report out today (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53392148) about a possible winter wave of Coronavirus that could be worse that the first wave - fair enough I can go with that. But what I have a problem with is the estimates which are using r values of 1.5 and 1.7 - should there not be included in this model something more akin to what the current r value is and what it might be in the winter?

Oh silly me that would not make good news.

[barney]

A question to Gill W if I may.

Hi Gill. I read your post about the trip today to your local M & S at your shopping centre. May I ask was this shopping centre Bluewater by any chance? I see you live in Kent and wondered if this was your "local". I ask because although I live in London (East side) I have always driven over to Bluewater frequently. Of course I haven't been there since early March. Lakeside is another place I can easily get to. My question to you is......if it was Bluewater how did you find the crowds there and was there much difference in safety? I haven't done any retail shopping since the start of Covid and I am a little lacking in confidence still. Friends and relatives can't believe I haven't been there yet!! But being of a "certain" age group I feel I still need to be a bit careful. Any pointers would be gratefully received. Of course you could live somewhere else in Kent and my questions to you are pointless!

Thank you anyway.

Best wishes

Maureen

While not trying to preempt Gills response, I’d take an educated guess and say that her local M&S is Hempstead Valley.
It’s a wonderful little shopping centre and one which Mrs B and I often frequented in preference to the soulless Bluewater.

Barney is absolutely right, my ‘local’ is Hempstead Valley.

It’s about 35 minutes walk from our house, and we find it a nice way to spend a morning - a walk there and back, a coffee and a mooch round.

Hempstead is just the right size, big enough for a good variety of shops, but not so big to be overwhelming. Barney, not sure if this happened after you moved, but the food court area is now a TK Maxx, and they built a row of restaurants just over the road, so you can get a reasonable meal now. The Broadwick is nice.

In answer to Maureen, I do enjoy a trip to Bluewater, , but I’m not sure I’m ready for it just yet. If I did go, I’d make it a weekday morning and get there for opening at 10am when it’s likely to be quiet.

From our trip to our local M&S, I’ve observed that it feels different now. There’s sanitiser and Perspex screens, and one way systems. You do need to ‘stay alert’. People were being good about social distancing.

My suggestion is to start small and local to get used to the new way of doing things, and build up to the bigger places, as and when it feels comfortable.

I see that face coverings will be mandatory is shops from 24th July, announced this evening

The food outlet had opened before we left Gill.
I had my very first (and last Nandos there)

I agree that its a lovely little shopping centre.
Our guilty pleasure was a BB's muffin.
Mrs B could not leave without a good muffin and a mocha.

We have a similar down here called Affinty, but it doesn't have the same vibe as Hemstead Valley.

[CaroleF]

My first visit to M&S was last week. It's the Hedge End branch, near Southampton. I only went to their food department which is huge. It was Tuesday about 2.30 which seems a good time to go. I collected a trolley which was then sanitised for me before entering. There was no one way system in place but there was social distancing with tape on the floor. The staff did not wear masks. Very few people shopping wore masks, I think I saw about four or five in total. It was reasonably quiet in there and at no time did I feel unsafe. There's a new way to pay if you wish by showing your Sparks card and then you're given a scanner. You then pay at a special till using whichever method you wish. I paid in the normal way, the assistant was behind a perspex screen and you could pay with a contactless card if it was under £45 but mine was rather more so I used my card. When I got back to the car I used my own anti-viral foam and then once home a thorough clean with antivac soap as well. I did find it an enjoyable experience in that I was able to purchase a few different things, a few treats too. I will probably go again tomorrow. I'll have a mask with me but won't necessarily use it. I believe the mask requirement doesn't come in until a week on Friday - presumably to allow people time to provide themselves with masks. Anyway, that was my M&S experience. The rest of the store was open but I didn't venture into it, from what I could see very few people had.

Carole

[Mervyn and Trish]

Are we having some more scaremongering?

There is a report out today (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53392148) about a possible winter wave of Coronavirus that could be worse that the first wave - fair enough I can go with that. But what I have a problem with is the estimates which are using r values of 1.5 and 1.7 - should there not be included in this model something more akin to what the current r value is and what it might be in the winter?

Oh silly me that would not make good news.

It is very much a worst case scenario according to the reports I've read, though as you rightly say that's not in the headline!

Professor Azra Ghani, an infectious disease epidemiologist from Imperial College London who worked on the report, said that the findings are “not a prediction” but a “worst-case scenario”.

It also assumes no lockdown, no treatments, no vaccine and no government action. One would hope lessons have been learned in all aspects from Round One.

On the mask/face covering front I think the time is right to make them compulsory in shops. I did hear the question this morning why at the end of next week, why not immediately? I would assume because if you did it now many people would not possess a mask, so it seems reasonable to give them notice to sort something out before you start fining them.

I also saw the question why shops and not bars and restaurants? Sometimes I wonder how these people manage to put their pants on in the morning.

BTW I had an appointment last week for a blood test. The vampire was wearing a mask, as I was required to do. It's normally a walk in service but for now is by appointment with the instruction not to enter the building more than 1 minute before your time. Very much one in and one out.

[Gill W]

I also saw the question why shops and not bars and restaurants? Sometimes I wonder how these people manage to put their pants on in the morning.

I thought it was that you wore your mask until you got to your table, and put it on again if you had to leave the table for any reason, like going to the loo.

Thinking about it, it may be what they have to do in Spain, but it seems reasonable, so I'm adopting that approach.