thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--US Law Enforcement Seizes Masks Meant To Protect Anti-Racist Protesters From Covid-19

Cloth masks that read "Stop killing Black people" and were intended to protect demonstrators from Covid-19 were seized by law enforcement. themovementink / Instagram
Law enforcement agents have seized hundreds of cloth masks that read “Stop killing Black people” and “Defund police” that a Black Lives Matter-affiliated organisation sent to cities around the country to protect demonstrators against the spread of Covid-19, a disease that has had a disparate impact on Black communities.
The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) spent tens of thousands of dollars on the masks they had planned to send all over the country. The first four boxes, each containing 500 masks, were mailed from Oakland, California, and were destined for Washington, St. Louis, New York City and Minneapolis, where on May 25 a white police officer killed George Floyd, a 46-year-old handcuffed Black man, setting off a wave of protests across the country.
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But the items never left the state. The US Postal Service tracking numbers for the packages indicate they were “Seized by Law Enforcement” and urge the mailer to “contact the US Postal Inspection Service for further information.”
The US Postal Inspection Service did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
It’s not entirely clear what law enforcement entity seized the masks or why. But the Justice Department, led by Attorney General William Barr, has taken an aggressive posture against demonstrations and on Thursday expressed concern about “extremist agitators” who are “hijacking the protests to pursue their own separate and violent agenda.”
The Movement for Black Lives is a group of more than 150 leaders and organizations that are “unified in a radical vision for Black liberation and working for equity, justice and healing.” It was started in December 2014, a few months after the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, following the police killing of Michael Brown.
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“Police have rioted coast to coast, beating and gassing protesters who have called for an end to police violence, with the explicit approval of President Trump,” Chelsea Fuller, a spokesperson for the Movement for Black Lives, said in a statement to HuffPost.
“Now, it appears they want to ensure that people who protest are susceptible to the same deadly pandemic that they have failed miserably at stopping,” Fuller added. “The continued surveillance and disruption of social movements under this administration is as chilling as it is dangerous. It should be roundly condemned.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Historic Anti-Lynching Legislation Blocked In The Senate By Rand Paul

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On the day of George Floyd’s funeral, as American cities continued to fill with protesters demonstrating for Black lives, Congress sought to pass a bill that would make lynching a federal crime. But one man, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, stood in the way.
In an emotional exchange on the Senate floor Thursday, Senator Cory Booker and Kamala Harris pleaded with Paul to stand down and allow their legislation to pass. The bill, the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, named after the 14-year-old Black teenager who was brutally murdered in 1955, has broad bipartisan support.
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“I have had children break down with me this week wondering if this is a country that values their lives as much as white people’s lives,” Booker said, choking up on the Senate floor. “I have had to explain to grown men this week that there is still hope in America ... For one member to yield ... for one day and give America this win. Let us pass this legislation today of all days, let us give a headline tomorrow that will give hope to this country that we can get it right. It may not cure the ills that so many are protesting about but it could be a sign of hope.”
Congress has failed to pass similar anti-lynching legislation repeatedly over the last century. In a separate session last year, the Senate passed this bill unanimously, in a voice vote. The House passed an identical bill this February, and it has sat in the Senate until now.
But on Thursday, Paul objected to the bill, which would make lynching a federal hate crime with a heightened sentencing penalty, because he said it was too broad. It could implicate people who got into a bar fight, or had an altercation that led to “minor bruising,” Paul said, citing an incident in which a Black woman slapped three Jewish women that the senator said could be wrongly over-sentenced under the bill.
US Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, pictured on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, May 19 SAUL LOEB via Getty Images
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“You think I’m taking great joy in being here? No,” Paul said on the floor. “You think I’m getting any good publicity out of this? No. I will be excoriated by simple-minded people on the internet who think I somehow don’t like Emmett Till or appreciate the history and memory of Emmett Till. I’ll be lectured to by everybody that I have no right to have an opinion on any of these things.”
Paul said he’s been working with Booker’s office for three months to tighten the language in the bill, noting that his objections are closely tied to the debate around mandatory minimums.
Paul offered an amendment to address his concerns, which Harris and Booker called unnecessary. If the Senate were to take up Paul’s amendment, it would further delay passage of the bill by requiring the legislation to go back to the House for yet another vote.
Anti-lynching legislation has volleyed between the House and Senate for decades, making its passage a symbolic gesture in the face of continued racial injustice. Harris called Ahmaud Arbery, the Black man who was shot to death by white neighbours while on a run in Georgia, “a victim of a modern-day lynching.”
“There’s no reason for this,” Harris said of Paul’s objection, saying the amendment would put “a greater burden on victims of lynching than is currently required by federal hate crimes law.”
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“There is no reason other than cruel and deliberate obstruction on a day of mourning,” she said.
Booker, who has worked with Paul on criminal justice issues in the past, made a heartfelt plea to Paul saying he did not question the senator’s convictions. But still his frustration with the Kentucky Republican was explicit.
“I’m so raw today,” Booker said. “Of all days we are doing this. Of all days we are doing this right now — God, if this bill passed today, what that would mean for America that this body and that body have now finally agreed.”
“I do not need my colleague, the senator from Kentucky, to tell me about one more lynching in this country. I have stood in the museum in Montgomery, Alabama, and watched African American families weeping at the stories of pregnant women lynched in this country and their babies ripped out of them while this body did nothing.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Kate Garraway Reveals Husband Is Free Of Covid-19 But Disease Has ‘Wreaked Extraordinary Damage’

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Kate Garraway made an emotional return to Good Morning Britain to update viewers on her husband Derek Draper’s condition after he was hospitalised with coronavirus.
The daytime star’s husband, a former political aide to then-Labour cabinet minister Peter Mandelson, was admitted to hospital on 30 March.
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Kate Garraway and her husband Derek Draper James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock
During the two months he has been in intensive care, Kate has been updating fans on his condition on her social media accounts.
On Friday, she gave an emotional live interview from the garden of her London home with her co-host Ben Shephard, revealing that Derek was now free of Covid-19 but that the disease had “wreaked extraordinary damage on his body”.
'I'm just so grateful he is still here.'
Kate Garraway's husband Derek Draper has been fighting for his life against coronavirus for nearly 10 weeks.
She talks to Ben and Ranvir about his situation.
We're sending all of our love and support❤ pic.twitter.com/VmdrDBhRG3 — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 5, 2020
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“He’s still with us,” Kate began.
“He has fought the most extraordinary battle… I hate that idea of fighting a battle because it is a battle but… you know the fact that he’s still here and is holding on… I hate the idea that other people haven’t fought hard enough or something.
“And I’m just so grateful that he’s still here and I’ve got the option of praying and hoping when others have had that stripped away.
Kate Garraway ITV
Getting tearful, she added: “He is very, very sick. As time goes on… it’s a virus, it’s a little bit like a computer virus I think. It’s like the doctors manage one bit extraordinarily well and there seems to be a flicker of hope and then other things emerge and they’re fighting that and it’s affected him from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.
“Let’s look at some of the positives. He is now Covid-free. So he’s testing negative for the Covid virus. So the fight with the virus has been won and he’s still here. But it’s wreaked extraordinary damage on his body and we don’t know if he can recover from that, basically.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Black US Teen Shares The Rules His Mother Makes Him Follow When Leaving The House

– Don’t put your hands in your pockets.
– Don’t put your hoodie on.
– Don’t be outside without a shirt on.
– Check in with your people, even if you’re down the street.
– Don’t be out too late.
– Don’t touch anything you’re not buying.
– Never leave the store without a receipt or a bag, even if it’s just a pack of gum.
– Never make it look like there’s an altercation between you and someone else.
– Never leave the house without your ID.
– Don’t drive with a wifebeater on.
– Don’t drive with a du-rag on.
– Don’t go out in public with a wifebeater or a du-rag.
– Don’t ride with the music too loud.
– Don’t stare at a Caucasian woman.
– If a cop stops you randomly and starts questioning you, don’t talk back, just compromise.
– If you ever get pulled over, put your hands on the dashboard and ask if you can get your license and registration out.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Civil Rights Groups Sue Trump And Barr For Assault On Protesters Outside White House

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The American Civil Liberties Union and Black Lives Matter sued the Trump administration for what the groups called an “unconstitutional” and “frankly criminal attack” on protesters outside the White House earlier this week.
The federal lawsuit, filed on behalf of five demonstrators, comes after law enforcement used gas canisters and flash-bang grenades to disperse largely peaceful crowds gathered in Lafayette Square on Monday to protest the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd on May 25.
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Moments later, President Donald Trump strode to the nearby St John’s Church for a photo-op as he held up a Bible and declared America the “greatest country in the world.”
The violent tactics sparked widespread condemnation and calls from some lawmakers for a federal investigation.
“The President’s shameless, unconstitutional, unprovoked, and frankly criminal attack on protesters because he disagreed with their views shakes the foundation of our nation’s constitutional order,” Scott Michelman, legal director for the ACLU of the District of Columbia, said in a statement. “And when the nation’s top law enforcement officer becomes complicit in the tactics of an autocrat, it chills protected speech for all of us.”
BREAKING: Together with @WashLaw4CR @LawyersComm, @ACLU-DC is taking Trump to court for firing tear gas on protesters outside the @WhiteHouse. We represent @DMVBlackLives & 5 individuals. https://t.co/vnPNKGXy63 — ACLU of DC (@ACLU_DC) June 4, 2020
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Attorney General William Barr and Defense Secretary Mark Esper are also named in the suit, which was jointly filed with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Several media outlets reported this week that the violent dispersal of peaceful protesters was directly ordered by Barr.
The ACLU said the suit was the first of many it plans to file around the country in response to violent policing tactics. Thursday’s suit seeks unspecified damages.
Demonstrations over Floyd’s death as a white police officer knelt on his neck have continued for more than a week and a half around the nation. Many of those demonstrations have devolved into clashes with heavily armed officers, and more than 10,000 people have reportedly been arrested across the country.
Black Lives Matter DC, the lead plaintiff in the case, said the tactics used by federal officers in the nation’s capital this week were “an affront to all our rights.”
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“The death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers has reignited the rage, pain, and deep sadness our community has suffered for generations,” April Goggans, an organiser of BLM D.C., said in a statement. “We won’t be silenced by tear gas and rubber bullets. Now is our time to be heard.”
Breonna Taylor, a Black emergency room technician in Louisville, Kentucky, was killed in her home March 13 when police serving a “no-knock” warrant shot her as they sought to arrest a different person.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--My Pride Anthems: Craig Revel Horwood

My Pride Anthems: Craig Revel Horwood

The coronavirus pandemic has changed everything, and that includes how we’re all celebrating Pride in 2020.
With huge public gatherings out of the question, we’re asking a range of LGBTQ celebrities and allies for their personal Pride anthems, to help us all get into the Pride spirit from lockdown.
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Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood is the latest star to take us on a trip down memory lane with a handful of his Pride must-listens.
Craig admitted to us fairly early on that he’d had a hard time narrowing his songs down (“I wrote a list, and then I kept thinking of new ones,” he joked. “And I’ve ended up with about 16 or 17)”, so before we get into his choices, we have to give a special mention to the songs that didn’t quite make the cut.
Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
Among them were Holding Out For A Hero (“I can’t leave Bonnie Tyler out, darling”), The Human League’s Don’t You Want Me (“that was the first time I thought I could dance, and that I was absolutely fantastic”), No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (“Donna Summer and Babs!”) and Patti LuPone’s version of As If We Never Said Goodbye (“it’s just… gay”).
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But here are the eight songs he did choose as his Pride Anthems...
Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
“Obviously I had to have I Will Survive. It’s a song that really made me get up and want to dance, and it’s about empowerment, I suppose.
“I think the title alone [makes it a Pride classic], and it’s disco. You can dance to it, and it means something. I think it resonates in people’s hearts and in their minds… and plus, it’s a really great tune to get up and dance to.”
Gloria Gaynor – I Am What I Am
“I knew the first version of that song because in 1985, I did a show called La Cage Aux Folles, and that was the Act One finale, and I just thought it was a really poignant song, beautifully-written.
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“And then, of course, it was disco-ed up and made into a disco song, which sort of went around the world. It’s about being out and proud and saying ‘I am what I am’. The song has a great message, and it’s an emotional one for me because I was connected to the show too.
“We were playing drag queens, and all sorts of characters, and it was the first time I’d ever worked professionally in drag, and it always stands out in my mind.”
Destiny’s Child – Survivor
“I don’t know whether you were expecting me to say that, but I really love this song.
“I had quite a long relationship with an ex-partner, and when we split up after 12 years, this was the song that I was listening to on the treadmill at the gym. And it actually helped me become strong and get over myself and get over the relationship.
“It’s not a song that I would have thought [would be a Pride anthem], but it’s one that I couldn’t stop playing, I had it literally on repeat. And it’s a bit like I Will Survive – anthems, for me, should represent something emotional and something that puts you into gear, and something that can give you hope, knowing something’s happening to other people.”
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Shirley Bassey – Get This Party Started
“I love that whole album, I love the fact that she does Grace Jones on it, I could just play that album over and over and over again. Plus I always use Get This Party Started as my firework anthem at New Year at my home, and I do that every year. Same tune.
“It’s great, it’s camp, we have it blaring, and then the fireworks kick off as the music kicks off.”
Donna Summer – MacArthur Park
“The reason I think I love this song so much is because obviously I was born in 1965, and I was a teenager when it came out. And there was a girl, a 12-year-old girl, when I was living in the town of Ballarat, she was from Australia, and she sang it, and no one could believe how amazing her voice was. And that girl... is Tina Arena.
“And of course, I know Tina, or ‘Tins’, so yeah, that affected me, because I saw her sing that when I was 14 or 15, and she was 12 on a show called Young Talent Time, and everyone just went ‘oh my god, that 12-year-old girl can really sing’. I mean, she was screeching it like Donna Summer, even better. It was amazing. So that always sticks in my mind.”
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Alison Jiear – I Just Wanna Fucking Dance
“Ali Jiear sang that for me at my 50th birthday. That was the surprise, she got up on the balcony and sang it for me, and it was brilliant. It’s from Jerry Springer: The Opera, and she was the original girl in that, and then she released the song as a disco song. So that song has got to be one of my anthems.
“I know Ali really, really well, I used to give her piggy-back rides, and then she was whirling around as a pole-dancer for Jerry Springer: The Opera.
“And then having her sing it at my 50th birthday at Café De Paris, where I first went to Kinky Gerlinky, the first ever Vogue ball in London – in drag, naturally… I just absolutely loved it. Camp, it was. It’s such a great track.”
Christina Aguilera – Beautiful
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“What I love is what this song represents, that you can be beautiful no matter who you are, no matter what people say about you. And I think that sends a really fantastic message. And the music video was absolutely fantastic, and such an incredible story, something that you can get behind emotionally, which is fabulous.”
Irene Cara – Flashdance (What A Feeling!)
“I can’t escape, of course, without Irene Cara, because that is the song that made me want to be a professional dancer. Especially seeing the movie Flashdance.
“That song makes me feel like I’m 17 again, and I’m doing fouetté turns in class and I’ve got something to look forward to, I’m going to be amazing, I’m going to be a professional dancer, I love what I do.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Leigh Francis Apologises For Playing Black Celebrities On Bo’ Selecta

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Comedian Leigh Francis has issued a tearful apology for portraying Black celebrities on sketch show Bo’ Selecta.
The comic played stars including king of pop Michael Jackson, singer Craig David and talkshow host Trisha Goddard on the show, which first aired in 2002.
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Francis – who plays the Keith Lemon character on TV – used latex facemasks for his caricatures of famous faces.
Leigh Francis Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP
Amid a renewed focus on the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd, Francis said he had “done a lot of talking and learning” and decided to apologise.
In a tearful video posted to Instagram, he said: “It’s been a weird few days, I’ve sat and thought about things and what I could post to try and help things.”
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He continued: “Back in 2002 I did a show called Bo’ Selecta, I portrayed many Black people. Back then I didn’t think anything about it, people didn’t say anything, I’m not going to blame other people.
“Been talking to some people, I didn’t realise how offensive it was back then.
“I just want to apologise, I just want to say sorry for any upset I caused whether I was Michael Jackson, Craig David, Trisha Goddard, all people I’m a big fan of. I guess we’re all on a learning journey.”
In the caption, Francis, 47, apologised again and used the hashtag #blacklivesmatter.
Francis, also known for his work on ITV panel show Celebrity Juice, was one of millions of social media users to take part in Blackout Tuesday, posting a black square to highlight racial inequalties.
It follows the death last month of Mr Floyd, who died in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis, sparking protests around the world.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Here's Why You're Reminiscing More Than Usual During The Pandemic

Jutta Kuss via Getty Images
The pandemic has made life weird, and lockdowns and restrictions are just some of the recent events to have a tremendous effect on the human psyche.
A few months ago, tons of people started experiencing wild and vivid coronavirus-themed dreams. As the days passed, many lost their sense of time and stopped caring about whether it was a Sunday or Tuesday.
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Behavioural health specialists suspect this isn’t a coincidence. Here’s why so many people are revisiting their pasts in quarantine:
We’ve got more time on our hands.
The main reason people are reminiscing so much is that many of us have more time to do so.
Kathryn Crimmins, who is living through the pandemic in New York City, told HuffPost she’s been thinking about past break-ups now more than ever. She did this before the coronavirus crisis, too, but would start feeling anxious and quickly turn away from the memory. But now she is diving deep into long-ago memories, mostly because she can.
“Perhaps because a lot of the daily routine stressors and stimuli of my life are gone, the past has turned into a welcome retreat,” Crimmins said.
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Collin Reiff, a psychiatrist at NYU Langone Health, has observed this phenomenon with his patients. Generally, people have more free time right now to think back on their lives. Some have been laid off or furloughed from work, and on top of that, there’s not so much to do since most places are shut down.
“Often what happens in daily life is we take some issues that may be conflictual for us and we make a conscious awareness to suppress them, or it can be unconscious and they can be repressed. If you don’t have the distraction of daily life … it could be easy to get pulled back in [to the past],” Reiff said.
Westend61 via Getty Images Looking at the past is a way to regain some control in a situation that’s making you feel helpless.
The past can be grounding.
For some, the past can also provide a sense of calm and stability that people aren’t getting from their daily lives right now. There’s a lot of uncertainty and instability ahead, and people may resort to the past to find peace. “The past is very comforting. It’s a known,” Reiff said.
It’s human nature to make negative assumptions when we’re faced with uncertainty, according to Reiff. In this case, people may have doubts about what the future holds. Looking at the past is a way to regain some control in a situation that’s making you feel helpless.
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Mayra Mendez, a psychotherapist with Providence Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica, California, added that looking back can help people understand how they once dealt with grief and uncertainty and that they can overcome difficulties yet again. Most people will realise they have a great capacity for resilience, Mendez said.
The past can also be grounding, she added. It validates our existence and gives our life meaning, especially in a time when there’s so much instability.
“When you’re grounded in your own existence, it stabilises your thinking, your emotions, your ability to problem-solve and cognitively process information,” Mendez said.
People are grieving life as they knew it.
A lot of people are also likely experiencing loss ― their jobs, their loved ones, their milestones, their sense of normalcy ― and are struggling to adjust to the new situation. “We miss life as it was before, and we don’t know if it’s going to come back,” Reiff said.
To Reiff, it appears that many people who are swept up in reminiscing on their past may be stuck in the bargaining phase of grief, during which they explore the “what ifs” and “if onlys” of past decisions, life events and choices. They’re going back and wondering what life would look like had they done certain things differently.
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Westend61 via Getty Images
What to do if you’re stuck on or struggling with the past.
Some reflecting can be healthy, especially if it’s bringing you peace and helping you learn about yourself right now.
That said, reminiscing can turn negative if you’ve experienced trauma or are prone to rumination, depression or anxiety. If that’s the case, Mendez recommends speaking with a trained mental health professional who can help you work through some of your memories.
It can also help to talk about your past with friends, since they can provide new perspectives and help you see things in a new light, according Reiff. Doing so can also create a sense of solidarity when you realise other people are in the same boat.
“When you talk to different people, it helps you realise that you’re not alone with it,” Reiff said. People need an outlet— i.e. a phone chat, Zoom call, or email or text conversation — to open up their mind and see things from a different point of view, Mendez noted.
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A lot of people are struggling to cope and want things to go back to the way they were before the pandemic.
“I’m sure we all know people who feel really down right now and are making negative predictions about the future and really miss the past,” Reiff said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Lone Protester Left Bleeding After Buffalo Cops Push Him To The Ground

Disturbing footage taken during a Buffalo, New York, protest shows police pushing a lone 75-year-old protester to the ground, causing him to hit his head on the concrete and bleed.
Videos of the incident captured by local media organizations show a large group of officers closing in on Buffalo’s Niagara Square to enforce an 8pm curfew amid scattered anti-racism protests in the area. The graphic footage offers a close-up look at the force some officers use on protesters, even when they’re peaceful.
As seen in the clips, a single protester approached the officers and began speaking to them. Two of the cops moved toward him, and at least one shoved him with his hand. The protester, a white man, fell to the ground and audibly hit his head on the concrete, where he lay still and began to bleed from his ear. The officers stopped to look at him until another officer stepped in and directed them to keep walking.
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Warning: The videos below contain graphic content.
Just about an hour ago, police officers shove man in Niagara Square to the ground (WARNING: Graphic). Video from: @MikeDesmondWBFO pic.twitter.com/JBKQLvzfET — WBFO (@WBFO) June 5, 2020
Current situation in #Buffalo as police work to enforce the 8 p.m. curfew in Niagara Square. Caution: there is some vulgar language in the video. Tune to @SPECNewsBuffalo for the latest. Video Courtesy: Photojournalist Anthony Nelson pic.twitter.com/nP4AXgQGeR — Katie Gibas (@KatieGibasTV) June 5, 2020
Earlier Thursday, in a statement issued by the city, police said “one person was injured when he tripped & fell,” a description that doesn’t match up with the videos. Later, however, top Buffalo police officials told local news outlets that the commissioner of police had ordered an investigation into the incident and that both officers involved in the incident had been suspended.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown issued a statement late Thursday saying he was “deeply disturbed” by the incident and said the officers had been suspended without pay.
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He also said the protester, who was not identified, was in stable but serious condition at Erie County Medical Center Hospital in Buffalo.
The Buffalo Police Department did not immediately return HuffPost’s requests for comment on the incident.
Katie Gibas, a Spectrum News producer who captured some of the footage, said the injured man was taken away in an ambulance and appeared to be alert. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, whose county contains Buffalo, confirmed on Twitter that the man was in stable condition and said the footage he saw “sickens” him.
The protest in Buffalo was part of the swarm of demonstrations across the country. The demonstrations were sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month and the outrage over the racism and violence in law enforcement that disproportionately affects Black people. Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, before and after curfews went into effect.
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This is the second time this week Buffalo police have come under fire for aggressively responding to peaceful protesters. On Monday, video captured cops approaching a Black protester giving a TV interview with his hands up and tackled him to the ground.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Campaigners Demand Greater Protection For BAME Pregnant Women

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As Public Health England research confirms that Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people are being disproportionately killed by Covid-19, campaigners continue to demand greater protection for pregnant mothers from these communities.
Recent data shows that 55% of pregnant women in the UK admitted to hospital between 1 March to 14 April with coronavirus were from BAME backgrounds.
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As it stands, government guidance categorises all pregnant women as “vulnerable” to Covid-19. In light of this research, campaigners are calling for BAME expectant mothers to be classed as “clinically extremely vulnerable”, which would effectively force employers to better safeguard them.
Dr Edward Morris, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), said: “We already know women from certain ethnic groups may be more likely to have pre-existing health conditions and complications, and socioeconomic inequalities impact on the accessibility of health services, and lead to poorer outcomes.
“We need to better understand these complex factors and how to make services fully accessible and inclusive so that no woman is left behind.”
Pregnant Then Screwed, an organisation that advocates for working mothers’ rights, has launched a petition calling for BAME pregnant women to be shielded. It has so far garnered more than 3,000 signatures.
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But additional numbers paint a bleak picture: some 25% of pregnant NHS workers are risking their lives by working in direct contact with patients who could have Covid-19, while 24% of pregnant NHS workers feel “unsafe”, a survey by the organisation found.
This figure is significantly higher for BAME pregnant NHS workers, with 31% feeling unsafe.
Some 8% of pregnant women in general are working in environments they consider unsafe; that figure increased to 12% for BME pregnant workers.
A further 8% have been suspended from work on the wrong terms, a potential breach of their employment rights.
Woman to go out wearing a surgical mask during corona virus outbreak LeoPatrizi via Getty Images
One pregnant woman – who asked not to be named – echoed this while describing her own harrowing experience.
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The mother from the north of England, who is of dual ethnicity with a Black father and white mother, works in healthcare where she says non-white pregnant employees’ lives are being endangered.
For weeks, the mother was pressured by her employer to work in an unsafe environment and she was forced to repeatedly explain why she was unable to take this risk – all while managing her pregnancy, juggling home life and coping with the overall fear of manoeuvring through a global pandemic.
Under section 16 of the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1996, employers have a legal responsibility to conduct a workplace risk assessment for new or expectant mothers. This was not carried out in the first instance, she says.
This legislation also states that you must consider the impact of infectious diseases, and take steps to minimise these risks where possible, including altering working conditions and hours if necessary.
Instead of adhering to this, however, this mother’s employer advised that she take unpaid leave if she stays at home due to the heightened risk that comes with working on the frontline during the lockdown – before relenting and offering her a pay cut.
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“On one occasion, I just burst into tears,” she told HuffPost UK. “I wasn’t able to sleep as I couldn’t stop worrying and obviously felt a lot anger too. While I’ve been at work, I wondered how they could be such hypocrites as a healthcare company.”
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc via Getty Images
Workplace discrimination continues to plague society – and is placing the lives of BAME women in jeopardy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This mother describes a real fear of speaking out for fear of being sacked.
“It’s harder for Black, Asian and minority ethnic women to ask for the protection that they need from employers,” she sighed.
“When you work for these big companies, it’s quite difficult to be confident in the information that you’ve got. You worry about suffering a fall out from it.”
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She added: “Most people who work in frontline healthcare are not massively well off even though it’s a regular income. Some people don’t want to risk jeopardising that in case it goes wrong.
“I think of myself as very resilient but this has been very difficult. I’ve been gaslighted – and going back and forth over my rights has added to a lot of stress at this time.”
“Some of my colleagues, pregnant women who are from BAME communities, are working at companies who are putting them in difficult positions. I’ve written to my MP about this and didn’t receive any help,” the aforementioned pregnant woman reflected.
“I decided to speak out to raise awareness and help bring about change.”
There are five known cases of pregnant women who have died from Covid-19 in the UK. We know the identity of three of those women – Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, Fozia Hanif and Salina Shaw – all from BAME communities.
Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong Facebook
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One paramedic told Pregnant Then Screwed: “My mental health has been severely affected by the continuous arguments with management not protecting me because I am not vulnerable under 28 weeks pregnant.
“I am constantly at less than two metres from frontline colleagues, we share the same rooms, kitchen and toilet facilities. I have been threatened with forced sick pay, unpaid leave, have been refused furlough.
“I have been refused because there are no laptops left. I have also been threatened with a disciplinary. I have zero support.”
“Black, Asian and minority ethnic pregnant women get a raw deal in the workplace. It's hard for them to point out discrimination for fear of losing their jobs.”
Joeli Brearley, CEO of Pregnant Then Screwed, told HuffPost UK: “Not only are we seeing that BAME people are more likely to die and get critically ill but we are also more likely to be working in dangerous situations.
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“There’s very clearly here a link between how BAME women are being told that they must perhaps work in these situations and then we’re seeing more deaths. It’s too dangerous for this to continue without there being clear guidance from the guidance and shielding for BAME pregnant women.
“All pregnant women are classed as clinically vulnerable and, again, there is still a lack of clarity from the government about exactly what that means in terms of employment.”
Campaigners have criticised the newly published PHE review into the impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities for failing to offer solutions to this ongoing problem and only confirming what was already widely known.
On Tuesday, it also emerged that key recommendations which could ultimately save lives were removed from an earlier draft.
An initial version included responses from the 1,000-plus organisations and individuals who supplied evidence to the review and many of these suggested that discrimination and poorer life chances were playing a part in the increased risk of Covid-19 to those with BAME backgrounds, the HSJ revealed.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--I'm Black. My Mom Is White. This Is The Talk We Had To Have About George Floyd's Killing

One of the marches last week in Minneapolis protesting the death of George Floyd when one of the city's white police officers knelt on the Black man's neck for several minutes. Courtesy of Kimberly J. Miller
I have been crying on and off since May 26. Between the killing of George Floyd and Amy Cooper’s Oscar-worthy performance that could have resulted in New York City cops doing the unthinkable to another Black man, I haven’t slept much either.
I’ve talked to friends, joined one of the Minneapolis rallies protesting Floyd’s death at the hands of police in that city and fielded emails, texts and calls from folks expressing concern. But the one person I wanted to talk to most, I couldn’t. It’s ironic that when I felt my most vulnerable, my mother is the last person I could call, but I have good reason.
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My mother is white. I am mixed race. A lifetime of growing up as her Black daughter has taught me that I can’t always count on her understanding. As events unfolded in my hometown of Minneapolis, a similar theme played out in many of my conversations, and it’s made me realise that my relationship with my mother is a microcosm of the relationship that most Black Americans have with white Americans.
From the first moment I watched the video of Floyd’s killing, I felt fear, anger, outrage and terror because I saw myself under attack. My mother felt sympathy. She felt sad for “them,” ― Floyd and other Black people killed in recent years by cops ― not fear for her own safety. Even though she was married to a black man and has two mixed-race children, she has never lost her ability to distance herself.
I’m nearly 60 years old, but even today my mother has a hard time accepting for what it is the racism I experience. When I bring it up, her first reaction, like so many other white people’s, is often to question me. “Why do you say racist?” she asks. “Are you sure that’s what they meant?” It is hard work to get her to see the world through my eyes, even when the facts are staring her right in the face – or in the neighbourhood where we both lived.
I grew up just around the corner from where Floyd died. I spent much of my childhood waiting for buses with my mother at the very same intersection where millions of people have now watched videos showing the life drain right out of him as a white police officer’s knee pressed against his neck. In the six years I’ve been back in Minnesota, a similar killing has occurred almost annually. I’ve been outraged every time. But the brutality of this death terrorised me.
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The author, far left, with her family in 1968. Courtesy of Kimberly J. Miller
My skin is not as dark or my hair as kinky as Floyd’s, but I felt all the anguish and terror that any Black person feels when witnessing a lynching. This was domestic terrorism, just as Cooper’s phone call from Central Park was a direct threat of violence toward a Black man who had the audacity to ask her to follow the law. I’ve known too many women just like her.
Many people assume that because they think I don’t look “as Black” as some other people, I don’t experience racism. Wrong. That’s why I’ve awakened repeatedly, haunted by the racist acts levelled at me over my life and career. The truth is that while I’m lighter skinned than my father, there is no aspect of life that isn’t potentially dangerous for me. I’m not speaking philosophically – I mean literally.
I’ve been screamed at, called a ni**er and told to get out of my own neighbourhood more than once. I’ve been refused the right to purchase a house, denied help with financial aid at a prestigious college, harassed out of jobs, homes, bars, churches, new age spiritual groups, furniture stores, the Girl Scouts, universities and schools as a student and a teacher.
I never met my great grandparents because they disowned my mother for marrying my father and having me. They rubbed it in by sending Christmas presents to everyone in the family but us. I spent half of my childhood silently watching these relatives open those gifts while expecting us not to make them uncomfortable as they did so.
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I fought for over a year with my father’s nursing home because not one, but two of his roommates threatened his life. These white men swore at him, called him names and threatened to kill him daily. Only when I began talking legal action did the administrators finally move him to a safe room. Nothing happened to the perpetrators. During all of these incidents, only the man who called me the N-word didn’t pretend his actions weren’t racist.
Last week, once the images of rioters and buildings on fire hit the news, I heard from many friends. My mother texted me too, expressing her outrage and concern. Like many of the other white people I talked to, she seemed much more upset about watching the city burn than Mr. Floyd’s death. Others sounded the same, clearly more outraged by the threat to their neighbourhoods and property than by the killing itself. My feelings were the opposite. That’s the crux of the whole problem.
“Many people assume that because they think I don’t look “as Black” as some other people, I don’t experience racism. Wrong... The truth is that while I’m lighter skinned than my father, there is no aspect of life that isn’t potentially dangerous for me. I’m not speaking philosophically ― I mean literally.”
As long as you can distance yourself from a lynching or any kind of racist attack, you can remain unafraid.
Most white Americans, regardless of their politics, respond similarly. They feel bad for “them,” but not afraid until their own streets are burning. Then it becomes personal because they don’t feel safe. I, too, mourn the burning on our beautiful, vibrant Lake Street in Minneapolis. It took decades to build. However, as we move forward, this question of personal safety is paramount.
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If you think this question does not apply to you, try a little experiment. Think back to the beginning of last week. How did you feel when you first saw the videos of Floyd having the life drained out of him? Upset? Sad? Sick to your stomach? Think back to that night or the next day. Did you feel fear welling up in your gut or a tightness in your chest?
Now try to remember how you felt last Friday night after seeing footage and hearing reports of buildings burning and people throwing rocks or running from tear gas. Were you just upset ― or did you feel afraid? Did you start worrying about your own house or street? Did you start worrying about what could happen if the rioters came to your block? Did you have trouble sleeping? Did you get angry?
What did that feel like in your body? Be honest with yourself. No one else will know.
If you were more outraged by property being destroyed than the moment you saw or heard about the killing of Floyd, you see yourself as separate and different from Black Americans. That is the very essence of white privilege. It’s a luxury to feel safe in a city – and country – where people die regularly at the hands of those we pay to protect us. To feel sad but unafraid in your own community, even in the face of lethal violence against a fellow citizen, is only possible if you believe you are not at risk.
I have lived throughout the US in cities, suburbs, small towns and rural communities. I have never lived anywhere without some fear of my white neighbours or the police. Never.
Protesters on the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, where Floyd died. Courtesy of Kimberly J. Miller
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At this moment it may be wise for us all to remember that rioters who threw tea into a Boston harbour helped foment the revolution that founded this country. I studied US history at a Minneapolis high school, but I had to move to South Carolina to learn that 100 years ago, most riots were attacks against black people by white mobs. Conversely, the recent protests in Minneapolis and across the country have been made up of very diverse people. I believe most Americans want justice for Floyd, but even convicting all four police officers who participated in his death will not make our future safe.
There have been reports that white nationalists may have infiltrated some of the protests that have taken place over the past week, traveling to these demonstrations specifically to cause violence and destruction. Yes, there were local people of all colours participating in the violence, as well, but who really instigated much of that burning? And why? In the context of President Donald Trump’s tweets that inflame rather than calm and his threat to use the military to quell the unrest in so much of the nation, we must consider what this means for our cities and our country. And it isn’t just African Americans who are in danger.
With the coronavirus nipping at our heels and Trump pushing to re-open the country regardless of the potential death toll, our entire country is at risk. Billions of dollars that could have been used to help people find work and pay their bills have gone to corporations who are now busy playing roulette on Wall Street. What is going to happen as millions of people find themselves unemployed and unable to pay rent or mortgages for months or even years?
Our president may be crazy, but he’s no fool. When he said there were “very fine people” among the rioting white nationalists whose protest in Virginia resulted in the death of a young woman, he sent a clear message. When he tweeted “Liberate Michigan,” it was a test. Two days later his message to “Liberate Minnesota” and other battleground states helped spur his armed followers onto the streets to challenge our governor and others without any concern for spreading a killing virus.
Last Friday, Trump’s tweet, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” was strategic. He used a phrase that was infamously uttered in 1967 by a Miami police chief who went on to say, “We don’t mind being accused of police brutality... They haven’t seen anything yet.” That attitude is now evident in National Blue Lives Matter spokesperson Randy Sutton’s video on the Facebook page of BlueLivesMatter.
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Imagine life a year from now, with Trump back in office and double the number of dead from Covid-19 while half the country is unemployed and many are headed into homelessness. How does that feel? I know how it feels in my body. We are all in grave danger.
Last Sunday I talked to my mother in person. It was my birthday so we met at a local park to celebrate. With my face mask firmly in place, I opened the card she brought me and we talked about the week’s events. Even though I have been hurt and disappointed in the past, I shared my feelings honestly and she listened. I spoke my truth because she is the only mother I have. As I felt the early summer sun soak into my bones, I heard her admit that she “doesn’t get it,” but she wants to understand. For me, this is where love lives – in the never giving up.
“I spoke my truth because she is the only mother I have. As I felt the early summer sun soak into my bones, I heard her admit that she 'doesn’t get it,' but she wants to understand. For me, this is where love lives ― in the never giving up.”
Just as all of America is having similar conversations, my white mother and I, her black daughter, promised each other that we will keep showing up and keep listening to each other. We also vowed that in the months to come, we would stand together and work to ensure that every vote is cast and counted. On this, we agree: If we don’t do all that we can to turn the tide, we may both have a knee on our neck.
My mother and I made these promises knowing that we are both of an age that makes us highly vulnerable to this pandemic. Still, we are willing to do the work because that’s how she raised me. This is what she taught me democracy is all about. My mother taught me why Black lives matter: because they have to. Because a world in which a man can be killed by the police just around the corner from our home is not a world that any of us should live in. Because neither one of us can stand by and watch the rights we fought so hard for go up in smoke. Because Floyd’s life matters just as much as ours does.
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After a couple of hours, it was time to go. I helped her adjust her face mask, then she steadied herself with my elbow. As we slowly walked to the parking lot, I felt proud. I could not help but be grateful for all that she has taught me about right and wrong. She may never understand exactly what it’s like to live in my skin, but she is my mother.
She believes in freedom. And I am her legacy.
Kimberly J. Miller is a writer, performing artist, activist, businesswoman and a native of Minneapolis. This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--What Your Visit To The Hair Salon May Look Like Post-Lockdown

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Gone are the days of walking into a hair salon, care-free, for a quick chop. Your future haircut will look pretty different thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Hair salons and barbers have been given the go ahead to open from July 4, providing they are “Covid secure”. We asked salon owners to walk us through their plans to keep customers and staff safe.
Online consultations
Where once you may have had an in-person consultation followed by your haircut or colour, some salons are considering virtual consultations to limit the amount of time you spend inside. Appointments will be made online or over the phone, not in person.
Pay before you go
To reduce the number of people waiting in the salon after their cut, salons are planning to ask for payments the day before the appointment – either online, via an app or over the phone. Some may take payment on the day, but it will probably be taken at the station by your hair stylist.
Waiting outside
You might be asked to wait outside until your hairdresser is ready. Elena Lavagni, owner of Neville Hair & Beauty salon in London, says they’ll be limiting the number of people in the salon to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Customers will also be encouraged to go alone, as there will be nowhere for friends, family members or pets to sit while you have your trim.
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Some salons, like Amie Barron’s in Muswell Hill, are considering opening outdoor areas to see vulnerable clients who may be nervous sitting indoors.
stellalevi via Getty Images
Spaced apart
There will be bigger gaps between styling stations, with chairs being taken away. Some salons have also installed screens between the chairs, and others have rejigged their salon layout completely.
Masks for all
It’s likely staff will be kitted out in PPE. Myles Lewis, owner of Myles & Co salon in Essex, says all his staff will wear a face mask, visor, gloves and a boiler suit. Hand sanitiser stations will be placed at the entry and the exit points of the salon, he adds, and tools will be cleaned and sanitised in between each client.
Hair stylist and salon owner Joanne Fox has also ordered PPE for her salon although she’s conscious of trying to remain environmentally friendly too, so plans to wash some items. However, Ricky Walter, owner of SALON64, plans to make everything disposable. “We are using eco-friendly bio-degradable towels and gowns that decompose at the same speed as a banana skin.”
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You may be asked to wear PPE, too. The salon may provide it, or you could be asked to bring your own. Lesley Blair, chair of the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology, says it’s “imperative” the industry’s needs do not impact PPE supplies for frontline workers.
Wash your own hair
Some salons have opted to put screens in between sinks and styling stations, but others will require customers to wash their hair themselves before arriving.
Anil Salhan, of Blacc + Blond salon, is asking clients to arrive as close to their appointment time as possible and with freshly-washed hair. “It’s going to be weird having to be so regimental,” he says. “However, the health and safety of our staff and clients is our main priority.”
Temperature checks
You shouldn’t visit a salon if you have any symptoms such as a continuous cough, fever or loss of sense of smell. However, some salons will also be checking people’s temperature at the door.
“In order to maintain a safe environment, each client entering the salon will have their temperature taken using a thermometer,” says Lavagni. “Any client who has a temperature above 37.8°C will be sent home immediately and not allowed to return to the salon until they have no no evidence of Covid-19 symptoms.”
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Wojciech Kozielczyk via Getty Images
Delays in appointments
There will be fewer appointments each day to account for social distancing, but also break time between clients, as spaces will need to be thoroughly cleaned before the next customer arrives. This might take up to 30 minutes.
Barron says appointments will take longer, too. “We’re expecting clients will either have attempted to maintain their hair themselves which is likely to need correcting,” she says. They’re expecting a 20-30% reduction in the number of clients each stylist is able to see each day.
Deborah Johnson, co-owner of Simply Gorgeous Afro Hair Salon, which she runs with her mum, says they used to be able to see six to eight clients a day, as they offer styles such as braids and weaves which require more time. When she reopens, she’ll have to reduce appointments to allow for only two stylists and two clients to be in the salon together at any given time.
No more friendly chats
While you might’ve once enjoyed chatting to a hair stylist about your up-coming holiday or your busy day at work, the post-lockdown salon will be much quieter. The National Hair and Beauty Federation (NHBF) has asked hairdressers to keep casual conversation to a minimum.
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NHBF advice reads: “Avoid face-to-face discussions with clients. Discussions about cut, colour and treatments should be made via the mirror while standing behind the client and kept to a minimum.
“You can lower the risk of infection if you stand or sit side-to-side rather than facing people. Consider offering online consultations to reduce the appointment time.”
Longer opening hours
Because of the reduced capacity, salons are considering longer opening hours. “Only half our sections will be in use to ensure we are able to maintain the 2-metre distance between clients,” says Barron. “We have split our team into two teams who will be working alternating shifts and we’ll try and accommodate as many clients as possible by opening longer hours, Monday to Saturday.”
Similarly, salon owner Paul Edmonds says both his salons in Knightsbridge and Battersea will be open seven days a week, for longer hours.
No hairdryers
It’s likely some salons will cut down on the use of hairdryers so they don’t blow air around. Johnson says there will be limited use of them in her salon where possible, but on styles where this can’t be avoided, a screen will be put up.
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Ruffians salon Screens break up seating in Ruffians salon, Edinburgh.
No more complimentary beverages
Enjoy having a free glass of Prosecco or a cuppa while you have your hair cut? This may no longer be allowed. Some salons are prepared to allow customers to bring their own refreshments, or may offer beverages in disposable cups.
No more magazines
Salon owners plan to remove magazines and newspapers – they pose a health risk as the virus can be transferred by touching infected surfaces. Could you bring your own, perhaps? “We’re asking clients to bring as few personal items with them as possible and to keep them on their person,” says Johnson.
A different kind of colour treatment
Keith Conniford, CEO of the Hair and Barber Council suggests customers may need to switch to colour treatments that don’t need such a regular visit to the salon – such as highlight or lowlights, rather than root regrowth work. Or, moving to semi permanent colours that don’t take as long to apply.
A change in price
The jury’s out on this one but salon owners are likely to raise costs to account for having fewer customers in the salon and forking out for cleaning materials. Some have suggested that the government could help foot the bill.
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Caroline Sanderson, owner of Ego Hair Design in Inverness, points out some salons were struggling to make profits prior to Covid-19, so they “will really struggle” going forward. “Salons don’t want to charge for higher expenses like PPE but it will be necessary in most cases and we really hope local communities get behind their salons and understand it’s a necessity,” she says.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--The Joy of The Socially-Distanced Meet – Summed Up In 7 Photos

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Under the new, eased lockdown measures, it’s now possible to meet up to six people outside or in your garden – so long as you stay two metres apart.
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While there have been a multitude of ways to stay connected with video calls, writing letters and people dropping off food parcels to each other, this is the first time that people have been in each other’s company for more than a couple of minutes since the nation was placed under lockdown in March.
With the rules starting to relax, people are sharing the joy of seeing their loved ones for the first time in months – and also their socially-distanced snaps!
‘Nothing gets in the way of a mother’s love’
Jenny Lau, 35, a brand marketing and communications specialist who lives in east London had a socially-distanced family meeting outside her 74-year-old mum’s home for the first time since lockdown.
Jenny Lau Jenny Lau's socially distance family meet up
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“She lives a short train ride away in south east London, but even so my family agreed I should stay away until it felt safer,” she tells Huffpost UK.
“My older brother has been a saint, living with and looking after her. We have been extra cautious, having seen the impact of SARS in Hong Kong where we used to live. Mum is, on the contrary, much more relaxed. She protested about being put under ‘house arrest’. She’s been fussing about me all through lockdown and found ways to send me huge bags of food.
“Nothing can get in the way of a mother’s love. I was pleased that she looked healthier and upbeat. Even though I’m the one who should be looking after her.”
Oliver Stevenson Oliver Stevenson meeting his friend in the park
Oliver Stevenson, 26, who works in marketing for a graphic design college met his best friend of 13 years at his local park near his flat. “After living in Paris and Vegas for a few years, my mate now lives down the road,” he explains. “This was one of the longest times we’ve not seen each other for!”
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‘Saying hello and goodbye felt wrong without a hug’
Daisy Meager, 28, a journalist who lives in east London, met her south London-based parents in a park near her flat, who planned a drive when non-essential trips were given the green light. The picture below was taken by them – at a distance.
Daisy Meager Daisy Meager meeting her parents at a social distance in a local park
“My family are close and although we’ve been chatting, messaging and video calling, nothing is the same as a face to face conversation, uninterrupted by bad WiFi connections and distractions,” says Meagher.
“When I met them in the park, it was weirdly ordinary and extraordinary to see them. They’d brought snacks for me (as usual) but everything was wiped down with an antibacterial wipe before being chucked at me.
“Saying hello and goodbye felt wrong without a hug. But as my mum messaged me after: ‘It felt like we had a good old natter.’ Although, it was really strange talking and being happy to see them with everything going on right now.”
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‘Everyone was jubilant beyond words!’
Riyaz Ikram, 38, a business development manager for a travel technology company in Dubai tells HuffPost UK: “My childhood friend’s sons are best friends with my sons – that’s how we all know each other.”
Hasan Basri Riyaz Ikram' sons meeting friends in the park
He adds: “They were absolutely thrilled to see each other, but they couldn’t hug each other as they respected the code of social distancing. After a while, they started to play, race, and run on the grass non-stop!”
‘The proximity of friends is very soothing’
Anna Sulan Masing Anna Sulan Masing's friend celebrating Gawai Dayak with her dog Jonah
Dr Anna Sulan Masing, 38, writer, editor and academic based in east London celebrated Gawai Dayak, a harvest celebration for indigenous people of Sarawak, outside in her communal garden with her friends.
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“Every year I have a party and cook rendang for friends. We eat durian, drink tuak (rice wine) and go for dinner whenever my family is in London, but of course, that couldn’t happen,” she explains.
“My friends walked an hour each way, to get to us and I’ve known them both for over 15 years and it was the first time seeing them both since mid-March. The proximity of friends in real life is very soothing – the way you can read an expression and properly laugh.”
She adds: “On Zoom, you’re very polite, you wait for people to talk and everything needs to be super important, but it was really lovely to talk about the little things. It was quite emotional and I felt really grateful to have them in my life to be able to share an important day. It also made me super sad as I don’t know when I’ll see some of my family again.”
‘I felt like I was a teenager all over again’
James Davies James Davies (right) meeting friends on his parents’ drive
James Davies, 29, is a camera assistant who moved back to his family home in Wales at the start of lockdown.
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“It was the first time I saw more than one of my mates in 11 weeks! It felt good to see familiar faces, weirdly nostalgic” he explains.
“I’m nearly 30, yet I’m sitting outside my parents’ house trying not to make too much noise with my friends, as my dad had work the day and was aware we were getting quite loud drinking outside. I felt like I was a teenager all over again.”
‘That little bit of normal was really needed’
Ally Sinyard Ally Sinyard with her best friend eating ice cream
Content editor Ally Sinyard, 30, enjoyed a distant ice cream together with her best friend Catherine at Hampstead Heath on the hottest day of the year.
“We’ve been friends since meeting at university over 10 years ago. We’ve been having virtual coffees on video call and weekly pub quizzes with the other uni girls since lockdown started, but this is the longest we’ve ever gone without seeing each other in real life,” she explains. “Normally, we’d meet for dinner or go to the cinema or both, we’d squeeze each other into really busy schedules, but I think this is the first time we’ve just met in a park and talked and relaxed.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Is The UK Coming Out Of Lockdown A Month Too Early?

Health secretary Matt Hancock PA Video - PA Images via Getty Images
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How R you feeling?
It’s not been a great few days for Boris Johnson’s claims to be guided by the science on Covid-19, nor for his credibility in keeping his promises. The government began the week by ditching a promise to “wait” for a falling ‘Alert Level’ before easing lockdown. It has just ended it by appearing to ignore warning signs about rising infection rates.
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The two are related. It’s worth reminding everyone that the PM told the nation a few weeks ago: “If the alert level won’t allow it, we will simply wait and go on until we have got it right.” The nation’s Alert Level remains at 4, one above that required for “gradual relaxation of restrictions”, but we’ve gone ahead anyway with reopening primary schools and other changes.
As Johnson’s new mantra is ‘Stay Alert’ not ‘Stay Home’, it seemed perverse to then trash his newly crafted alert system. No.10 tried to shift attention away from this glaring failure to follow its own conditions by pointing to the fact that the separate ‘five tests’ for easing lockdown had now all been met. Yet the worrying news today is that one of those tests may not have been met.
That test is Test Number 3. It was, to quote the PM in full, a requirement “to receive reliable information, reliable data from SAGE showing that the rate of infection - the number of people catching Covid - is decreasing to manageable levels across the board”.
Today’s new modelling from Cambridge University and Public Health England (whose members have frequently stood alongside ministers in No.10 press conferences) suggested that the R number was not decreasing but increasing in the North West and South West. And remember that key element of Test Number 3 “across the board”. That surely means in every part of the UK.
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Curiously Yvonne Doyle, PHE medical director, admitted Test 3 had been broken, but waved it away as unsurprising: “Our estimates show that the regional R numbers have increased [my italics] although they remain below one for most of England - this is to be expected as we gradually move out of lockdown.”
At the evening briefing, Matt Hancock tried to shift attention away from that bit of bad news, saying people should look at reports “in the round”. He pointed to the much better news from a survey by the ONS and Oxford University suggesting the number of new coronavirus cases had halved in the UK.
But Hancock didn’t do himself any favours by ignoring what the government’s own chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance had said earlier: that in England the R number may be “between 0.7 and 1” and in “some places” very close to one. Instead of acknowledging that, Hancock talked about the UK (not England) reproduction number remaining between 0.7 and 0.9.
It was perhaps therefore no surprise that the health secretary stood alone at the No.10 podium, the first time he has appeared without a scientific or medical adviser, or NHS or Public Health England staffer, at his side. With ministers appearing to ignore advice on imposing a travel quarantine too earlier this week, plus the UK Statistics Authority attacking ‘misleading’ figures, it seems once again that the government has ‘had enough of experts’.
The most glaring omission of all came when Hancock tried to suggest that even higher R numbers in some regions need not stop the national move through its lockdown adjustments. He said that rapid interventions to stop outbreaks would be key and “the Joint Biosecurity Centre [JBC] is in fact being built to advise on that”. ‘Being built’ means it is not yet ready.
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Another key weapon against outbreaks, the local roll out of the NHS Test and Trace system, is not ready either. You can’t manage new outbreaks without the JBC and test-and-trace fully operational. Which brings us back to Test 3: infection rates have to be at ‘manageable’ levels.
There is the added complication of what a ‘local approach’ means. If the ‘north west’ stays above 1, does that mean Manchester, Liverpool and all the towns of Greater Manchester will see lockdown measures reimposed? What happens at the borders between the ‘north west’ and ‘the north east and Yorkshire’ and ‘the Midlands’? Will we see a Passport-to-Pimlico style border check?
On the day when the death toll officially passed 40,000, giving the UK the second worst mortality numbers in the world, the worrying R numbers will add to the case of those who think the UK should have waited until the end of June, not the start of June, to change its restrictions.
The PM keeps saying the lockdown easing is ‘conditional’. But how many conditions have to be breached for him to pause his timetable of a return to normality? And having raised public expectations on everything from BBQs to haircuts to pub-going, is he prepared to be unpopular by slamming on the brakes? Don’t bank on it.
Quote of the day
“Remember we only came to government in December.”
Grant Shapps, on Sky News, socially distancing himself from Tory administrations since 2010.
Friday cheat sheet
Health secretary Matt Hancock pleaded with the public to avoid anti-racism protests which break lockdown rules this weekend as “coronavirus remains a threat”.
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All hospital staff, outpatients and visitors must wear face coverings from June 15, the health secretary also announced.
The R value - the person-to-person reproduction of Covid-19 - in England has risen to between 0.7 and 1.0.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission announced it was launching an inquiry into the “long-standing structural racial inequality” exposed by the pandemic.
Britain’s welfare system needs a stronger link between “what you put in and what you get out” to tackle cynicism among working people, Labour’s new Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told The House magazine. He sparked a pretty heated internal party debate.
Brexit negotiations have again broken up without significant progress and with a frustrated EU accusing the UK of “backtracking” on previous commitments.
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What I’m reading
Is Nixon 1968 The Model For Trump 2020? - Project Syndicate
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Ban On Evictions During Coronavirus Pandemic Extended Until August

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The government’s ban on evictions during the coronavirus pandemic has been extended until the end of August.
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The block on evictions – which was first announced in March to protect those who had lost their jobs or had been furloughed because of Covid-19 – was due to end on June 29.
But on Friday, housing secretary Robert Jenrick said the ban had been extended to August 23, promising that “no-one will be evicted from their home this summer”.
It comes after charities and unions warned that tens of thousands of households could face eviction and homelessness when the rule expired in June.
Jenrick said: “We have provided an unprecedented package of support for renters during this pandemic.
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“Eviction hearings will not be heard in courts until the end of August and no-one will be evicted from their home this summer due to coronavirus.”
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick ASSOCIATED PRESS
But homelessness charity Shelter called the extension a “stop-gap”.
Chief executive Polly Neate said: “The ban hasn’t stopped people who’ve lost their jobs during this pandemic from racking up rent arrears.
“Even if they have a plan to pay them back, these debts will throw struggling renters straight back into the firing line of an automatic eviction as soon as the ban does lift.”
Judges must be given the power to stop people losing their homes because of coronavirus, she said.
“Sooner or later, the government has to stop kicking the can down the road,” Neate added.
Meanwhile, Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Gillian Guy said simply extending the pause on repossession was “a sticking plaster, not a cure”.
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“People who have fallen behind on rent arrears and those who have been furloughed or lost their jobs will need the security of proper reform to the rules governing evictions.”
The government said ministers are working with the judiciary on new rules to help courts better “address the need for appropriate protection of all parties”, such as the most vulnerable tenants.
It recommends landlords and tenants experiencing financial difficulties work together and look at flexible payment plans to ensure cases only end up in court “as an absolute last resort”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Thousands Back Open Letter Citing BAME Voters' 'Loss Of Trust' In Labour Party

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More than 2,000 Labour Party activists have signed a letter setting out demands for the independent inquiry around the leaked report into its handling of anti-Semitism.
It has been sent to chair Martin Forde QC and carries the signatures of more than 70 branch chairs and secretaries, 30 plus Labour councillors, and senior academics, among others.
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The 860-page report was drafted in March and leaked in April, while Jeremy Corbyn was leader, and was to be part of the party’s submission to an ongoing investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission into anti-Semitism.
The document, which contained private WhatsApp conversations, includes claims of a “litany of mistakes, deficiencies, and missed opportunities” to adequately address anti-Semitism within the party. It also raised grave concerns of anti-Black racism, otherwise referred to as Afriphobia, which campaigners argue have not been adequately addressed by the party’s leadership. Labour officials used a string of insults in private WhatsApp groups to describe senior Black MPs and officials including Diane Abbott, Dawn Butler and Clive Lewis, the lengthy document revealed.
Nick Fitzpatrick, co-author of the letter, has warned that the party is losing the trust of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people.
“We are seeing a loss of trust in Labour within BAME communities, appalled by the allegations of racism within the party machine,” he said.
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“Activists are stunned at how senior party members and officials allegedly subverted the party machine – damaging Labour at a critical time.
“We need to regain these communities’ trust and heal the wounds in our party. To do that, party members, and the wider public, need to have full confidence that this inquiry will deliver what was promised by Keir Starmer – a full, open independent inquiry into the whole report and the wider culture and practices it appears to have revealed.”
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The letter calls for a full investigation into all allegations around the leaked report – plus the extent of racist, sexist and other discriminatory culture within Labour.
Legal claims against the Labour Party covering the Data Protection Act, invasion of privacy, and libel are all being considered by individuals and entities named in the file.
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Following the leaked report, party leader Keir Starmer ordered the inquiry and urged readers not to draw “conclusions” before it was complete.
He then appointed Forde to head it up alongside three Labour peer panellists – Debbie Wilcox, a former leader of Newport City Council; Larry Whitty, a former Labour Party general secretary; and Ruth Lister, an emeritus professor of social policy at Loughborough University.
The terms of reference include “the extent of racist, sexist and other discriminatory culture within Labour Party workplaces, the attitudes and conduct of the senior staff of the Labour Party, and their relationships with the elected leadership of the Labour Party”.
This comes after HuffPost UK published an exclusive two-part report into allegations that Labour has been slow to deal with anti-Black racism and to support its Black members.
Labour’s perceived silence on alleged instances of anti-Black racism has cost the party the support of dozens of Black members.
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But for others, dissatisfaction has been growing over years rather than weeks, and stems from what is seen as a lack of representation at the top tables – and of solidarity with the senior Black politicians the party does have.
Open Labour, an activist group within the party, told HuffPost UK: “The leaked report highlighted multiple instances of anti-Black racism against Black MPs that has now sparked a much-needed conversation around anti-Black racism, a topic all too often ignored.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--A Minute of Kindness: Man Shelters Black Lives Matter Protesters From Police

A Minute of Kindness: Man Shelters Black Lives Matter Protesters From Police
Rahul Dubey sheltered nearly 70 anti-racism protesters in his D.C. home when police began pepper spraying the crowd which had marched from the White House in honour of George Floyd. Dubey kept the protesters in his home overnight to prevent them for being arrested for breaking the city-wide curfew. He said that bringing the group of like-minded strangers together was inspiring and rewarding.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Revealed: Government Secrecy Over Nightingale Hospital Costs And Private Firms That Built Them

They were the flagship success in the government’s coronavirus response: 12 brand new hospitals built across the UK in a matter of weeks to ensure the pandemic did not overwhelm the NHS.
But an investigation by HuffPost UK has found a veil of secrecy surrounds the costs to build these trailblazing hospitals, who built them and even who pays for them.
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The government and the NHS repeatedly failed to answer questions about which private companies worked on the Nightingales or what multi-million pound contracts were handed out.
Basic information about these contracts has also not been published on public databases where information should appear within 30 days.
When HuffPost UK first approached NHS England we were told information relating to the costs and contractors for the Nightingales would be issued.
But the organisation made an apparent U-turn, backtracking once the information had been sent to its legal team.
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Only today at the eleventh hour, faced with the threat of imminent publication of this story, did NHS England concede to release some limited, basic information confirming the list of contractors.
Procurement experts told HuffPost UK the government may still be in breach of the law if contracts are not published within the statutory timeframes.
The apparent secrecy has led to accusations of a lack of transparency over government spending on one of the most significant health infrastructure projects in a generation.
“Failing to open these details up to scrutiny – especially during times of crisis – raises the risk that public money is wasted on overpriced services or awarded to companies with political connections, rather than those best suited to the job,” said Rachel Davies Teka, head of advocacy at Transparency International UK.
Another procurement expert, Dr Mihaly Fazekas of the University of Cambridge, told HuffPost UK: “The government shouldn’t be suppressing this.”
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Staff prepare bays at the NHS Nightingale Hospital North East in Sunderland Owen Humphreys via Getty Images
Work on the Nightingale hospitals was carried out in a matter of weeks in March and April this year by companies working alongside the NHS and the military.
The hospitals were put up within existing buildings, such as the ExCeL centre in London and the Manchester Central Convention Complex, and the speed of their construction was unprecedented in the UK.
The extra capacity offered by these pop-up hospitals was also vital in ensuring the NHS did not become overwhelmed by the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
But procurement specialists told HuffPost UK that even in a pandemic the government had a duty to be open and transparent about public spending.
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Dr Fazekas, who has a PhD in public procurement and corruption risks from Cambridge, where he is a research associate, said it was “surprising” that the government had been unable or unwilling to issue the information.
“I mean, 'unable' – they’re not unable to do it, they just don’t want to, right?” he said. “Because it exists.”
He said the national emergency due to coronavirus may explain a delay in publication of contract information but not withholding it altogether.
“Of course, if you’re busy saving lives, it’s fine to achieve publication a little later, and by a little later I mean one or two weeks later,” he said. “But these hospitals are up and running for more than a month now.”
He added: “You can do things quickly but the information is public information. They’re not building nuclear submarines here.”
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HuffPost UK has checked the main databases where government contracts are expected to be published – Contracts Finder and Tenders Electronic Daily – and has found no record of the Nightingale hospital builds.
The procurement experts we spoke to also said they had seen no public information published about the Nightingales.
“If there is no proper paper trail, then no one can be held accountable. So it’s really important that external scrutiny remains” - Dr Mihaly Fazekas
Despite persistent attempts, HuffPost UK’s questions about which private firms were involved with the Nightingale builds in England were met with a wall of silence from the government and the NHS.
Not until an hour before this story was due for publication did NHS England concede to release the name of one further contractor who worked on the project.
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In stark contrast, health boards and local authorities in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland willingly issued detailed information about their temporary Covid-19 hospitals.
In one case, Neath Port Talbot Council in Wales was able to provide responses to our questions about the building works while the government and NHS England failed to do so.
Experts say without this information it is hard to gauge what the cost of the Nightingale hospitals was and, crucially, whether they offered value for money.
Public procurement expert Dr Mihaly Fazekas said it was "surprising" contract information about the Nightingale hospitals has not been published
“We have seen many cases from the US to Italy where the lack of publication of basic information enables, on the one hand, the covering up of low value for money and, on the other hand, favouritism and potential corruption,” said Dr Fazekas.
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“If there is no proper paper trail, then no one can be held accountable. So it’s really, really important that at least some external scrutiny remains.”
He said emergency procurement happening under Covid-19 is unusual in that governments globally are competing for the same very small range of resources, meaning the buying power of government in negotiating contracts is diminished.
“The main channel to check these things, and limit potential wrongdoing, is by looking at who are the names, how much money did they win, and being able to scrutinise whether they have political connections, whether they donated to party campaigns or go to the same clubs as key decision makers,” he said.
“Without knowing who the company is and how much money they have been awarded, you cannot check that.”
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The figures gathered by HuffPost UK for the five field hospitals in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland show they cost an estimated £86million to build.
There is no information in the public domain about the equivalent costs for constructing the seven Nightingale hospitals in England, although they could be substantially higher if number of beds is an indicator.
The five field hospitals in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have a maximum capacity of 4,570 beds.
The seven Nightingales in England are designed to offer up to 9,150 beds.
HuffPost UK asked NHS England and the government what procurement process was used for the Nightingales. They did not respond.
Just before publication, NHS England told HuffPost UK: “All contractors were appointed in line with the government’s COVID-19 procurement policy.”
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We also asked who will pick up the bill for building the Nightingales – the NHS or the government – but received no answer.
Procurement experts told HuffPost UK the default position on this type of large public infrastructure project is transparency and that you would expect to see basic contract details made public within 30 days.
A leading procurement lawyer told HuffPost UK the government may be in breach of the law if contract information is not published in those timescales.
“It is a statutory obligation to do so, so – yes – they would be in a breach of statutory obligation,” said the lawyer, who asked not to be named due to potential conflicts of interests in her work.
She said one explanation for why the government has not published the information may be inefficiency, describing government procurement teams as “fairly crap, to be honest”.
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“But also from a political angle they may be unwilling to do that because it may reveal the true extent of the contracts that they’ve awarded and they will be asked questions,” she said.
Military personnel, pictured at the ExCel centre in London, also worked on the Nightingale hospitals Stefan Rousseau - PA Images via Getty Images
The experts speculated on two routes the government and NHS may have used to issue contracts for the work.
They could have made use of an existing procurement framework and issued what is known as a call-off contract to suppliers already on the framework without re-tendering.
Or the government could have relied on emergency procurement powers granted to all public bodies to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
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Under either scenario, basic contract information for any spending over the value of £10,000 has to be published according to the Public Procurement Act.
“Even if it’s emergency procurement, that’s very important – the publication requirements are there,” said Dr Fazekas.
Meg Hillier MP, chair of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, which scrutinises government spending, called for greater government transparency.
“It is understandable that government has bypassed usual contracting and procurement processes in mounting an emergency response, and the incredible, rapid increase in capacity that was delivered in the Nightingale hospitals may have saved our NHS, just as we got nail-bitingly close to capacity in some places,” she said.
“But that key, welcome, success does not mean government can or will escape scrutiny for the decisions it has made.”
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Both the Public Accounts Committee and the National Audit Office are working to review government spending related to the Covid-19 pandemic, but have as yet done no specific work on the Nightingales.
The National Audit Office has published a report showing that between January 31 and May 4 the government spent £124.3bn on its response to the pandemic, including £6.6bn on health and social care measures.
Some information about the private companies involved in the Nightingales has entered the public domain via other routes, such as the firms that won contracts issuing statements themselves.
HuffPost UK compiled a list of main contractors for the Nightingales, which was confirmed by NHS England.
This showed construction firm CFES worked on the Nightingale London, Integrated Health Projects on the Nightingale North West, Interserve on the Nightingale Midlands, Kier on the Nightingale Bristol and BAM Construction on the Nightingale Harrogate.
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Earlier today, NHS England also confirmed that Tolent Construction was the main contractor for the Nightingale North East.
Hospital cubicles at the Nightingale hospital Birmingham, setup inside the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) Jacob King via Getty Images
It is thought at least some of these contracts were awarded through the government’s Procure 22 framework for England, which was extended to accommodate the creation of temporary hospitals during the outbreak.
The total value of work under Procure 22 is listed as £4bn, although this would include other projects outside of the Nightingale hospitals.
The firms listed on Procure 22 include BAM Construct UK Ltd, Integrated Health Projects, Interserve Construction Ltd and Kier Construction Ltd.
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The Financial Times has also reported that consultancy firm KPMG was drafted in as project manager, with NHS England hiring a team of about 60 consultants to build the seven Nightingale hospitals working alongside military planners.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of any of these firms.
In fact, the rapid speed with which the hospitals were constructed has been widely praised.
It is the government’s secrecy about the unknown sums paid to contractors that has led to questions about value for money in building the hospitals, the majority of which have taken only small numbers of patients.
One expert said it should not matter who is asking for information – the overriding principle is that it should be publicly available to protect the integrity of the system.
Ian Makgill, founder of procurement analytics company Spend Network, said: “It doesn’t matter who is asking. The requirement of transparency is that you or I get to know what happened and that is the commitment the government has already made and the commitment that they put into law – to publish the details of all of this.
“Now, they have a choice about whether to adhere to the law, but they don’t have a choice about whether to release the information on the basis of who’s asking.”
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HuffPost UK first put questions to NHS England and DHSC on April 21 asking for the estimated budget to build the Nightingale hospitals and the principal contractors selected for the programme.
We were told these questions had been passed to NHS England’s estates team and the press office said in an email: “We will have a line and some background over to you as soon as legal have confirmed everything is correct.”
But NHS England later said it was unable to issue the information, claiming it was already in the public domain. Shortly before publication it confirmed the names of contractors who worked on six of the seven Nightingales.
NHS England also claimed that contractual details including costs are commercial in confidence for an initial period.
We put the same questions to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and were told we should contact NHS England.
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DHSC has not provided a statement about why this information is not in the public domain.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Matt Hancock Asks Public Not To Attend Black Lives Matter Protests Amid Covid-19 Threat

Protesters gather during a demonstration in Parliament Square in London ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Health secretary Matt Hancock has pleaded with the public to avoid anti-racism protests which break lockdown rules this weekend as “coronavirus remains a threat”.
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Speaking at the Downing Street briefing on Friday, as campaigns such as Black Lives Matter were planning weekend demonstrations across the UK, the minister urged people not to gather in large groups “for the safety of your loved ones”.
It comes after the brutal killing of Black man George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a US police officer last week sparked demonstrations worldwide.
The health secretary reminded people of the rules, which say people cannot gather in groups of more than six people – maintaining a two-metre distance – in order to stem the spread of Covid-19.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock speaks during a coronavirus media briefing in Downing Street, London ASSOCIATED PRESS
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He said: “Ahead of this weekend, when I know there are plans for further protests, I want to say something to you as health secretary,” he said. “Like so many I am appalled by the death of George Floyd and I understand why people are deeply upset but we are still facing a health criss and coronavirus remains a real threat.
“And the reason that it is vital that people stick to the rules this weekend is to protect themselves and their family from this horrific disease.
“So please for the safety of your loved ones, do not attend large gatherings, including demonstrations, of more than six people.
“We all need to stay alert, control the virus and save lives.”
Asked whether police would be asked to disperse crowds, Hancock said that was “an operational matter for the police”.
Donald Trump further angered anti-racism campaigners this week with a series of inflammatory comments, culminating in him threatening to call in the military to quell protests.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Donald Trump Invokes Murdered George Floyd When Trumpeting US Jobs Figures

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Donald Trump has suggested that George Floyd, the man who died at the hands of US police last week sparking worldwide protests, will be “looking down” and having a “great day” because of a fall in the unemployment rate.
The president made the comments at the White House while trumpeting new figures showing the US economy adding 2.5m jobs last month.
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He said: “Hopefully George is looking down and seeing this is a great thing that’s happening for our country,
“It’s a great day for him, it’s a great day for everybody. This is a great day in terms of equality.”
Floyd was killed after a white officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25.
His death sparked protests in almost every major US city. Trump has described protesters as “thugs” and threatened to use the military against them.
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The president and his attorney general are being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union and Black Lives Matter for what the groups called an “unconstitutional” and “frankly criminal attack” on protesters outside the White House earlier this week.
A peaceful demonstration was violently dispersed just so Trump could pose outside a church with a bible.
Trump, who is relying on economic performance to help him win re-election in November, spent Friday highlighting the latest data which shows unemployment fell unexpectedly in May to 13.3%, from 14.7% in April.
Really Big Jobs Report. Great going President Trump (kidding but true)! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2020
The president did not mention that the current rate is still on a par with what the nation witnessed during the Great Depression and comes after record-breaking losses.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-05--Hospital Staff, Outpatients And Visitors Must Wear Face Coverings, Matt Hancock Says

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All hospital staff, outpatients and visitors must wear face coverings from June 15, Matt Hancock has announced.
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The health secretary said those who work in hospital are more likely to catch coronavirus and so all NHS England staff will need to wear type one or two surgical masks at all times.
It comes after the government made face coverings compulsory on public transport from June 15 as part of efforts to keep the epidemic at the lower levels achieved by the lockdown.
He told the daily Downing Street briefing: “As the NHS reopens right across the country it’s critically important to stop the spread between staff, patients and visitors too.
“So today we are setting out that all hospital visitors and outpatients will need to wear face coverings.
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“One of the things that we have learnt is that those in hospital, those who are working in hospital, are more likely to catch coronavirus whether they work in a clinical setting or not.
“And so to offer even greater protection we are also providing new guidance for NHS staff in England, which will come into force again on June 15, and all hospital staff will be required to wear type one or two surgical masks.”
He added: “We’re upgrading this guidance to make sure that even as the virus comes under control [...] our hospitals are a place of care and safety.”
Hancock meanwhile contradicted modelling from Public Health England and Cambridge University which suggested the infection, or R, rate of Covid-19 had climbed to one or above in the north-west (1.01) and south-west (1), meaning that the epidemic is likely to grow in those areas.
He insisted the government’s own scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) said R was below one in all regions, meaning the epidemic will shrink, and urged people to consider the infection rate “in the round”.
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Passengers wait at a bus stop with a sign advising travellers to wear a face covering whilst travelling, in London, Friday June 5 ASSOCIATED PRESS
The health secretary, who was unusually appearing without government scientists or medics, said: “You’re right that the R is closer to one in the south-west and in the north-west. The advice from Sage is that R is below one in all regions.
“However, we want to increasingly have an approach in tackling local lockdowns where we spot a flare-up.
“We’ve been doing this over the last few weeks – for instance, there was a flare-up in Weston-super-Mare which we successfully got under control.”
Hancock also said the R rate was not different in health and social care settings compared with the wider population.
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He said the introduction of face coverings was designed to “cut out” infections originating in hospitals.
“In terms of the R rate, of course there is a higher incidence of new cases among health staff and social care staff – that has shown up in all of the studies.
“But that is not rising as a proportion and that implies that there isn’t a different R, so to speak, in health and social care.