thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--UK Will Have Much Higher Rate Of 'Invisible Children' After Lockdown, Say Health Visitors

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The UK will have a much higher rate of “invisible children” when the country finally emerges from the coronavirus lockdown, health visitors have warned.
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In line with social-distancing guidelines, health visitors – who usually support families with babies and young children in their homes – have been forced to move most of their vital work online and over the phone.
As well as doing child development checks and helping new parents with things like breastfeeding, the specially-trained nurses and midwives also help to identify children and families who might need additional support because of social, health or educational vulnerabilities.
They are now only able to hold face-to-face appointments with families deemed the most at risk.
But Alison Morton – director of policy and quality at the Institute of Health Visiting – said shortcomings in the new system meant that early signs of some children’s vulnerabilities could be missed during lockdown.
“The virtual contact is the best we can offer in most cases at the moment,” Morton said.
“But they do have their limitations and we do know that there is going to be a much higher rate of what the Children’s Commissioner calls ‘invisible children’.”
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These are children who health visitors would have had a better chance of finding if they were able to go into people’s homes and “build up a relationship” with the parents, Morton said.
“If you pick up a phone, it can feel a bit like you’re going through a checklist,” she continued. “It isn’t going to work quite as well, we know that. But people are working to do that better and I’m sure it’s better than nothing.
“But we want to be monitoring the impact of using that kind of a method and how it affects outcomes and the number of children being identified.”
Among the issues Morton worries could be missed are mental health problems, childhood illnesses and domestic violence.
“Domestic violence and abuse and vulnerabilities are much easier to pick up on in person,” she said. “It’s that interpersonal relationship you build – someone starts to trust you. And over the course of a visit, people will say: ‘While you’re here, would it be okay…’ Those casual ‘testing the water’ questions.
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She added: “We know it takes many many times for parents who are experiencing domestic violence to actually ask for help – it’s quite a long journey before people feel confident or safe to talk about the things that are worrying them the most.”
In response to these issues, the Children’s Commissioner has published a series of local about child vulnerability in the local area.
The hope is that these profiles will help councils to understand which children are likely to be at risk in their area and how many.
“Local authorities should be factoring this information into their decision making when it comes to Covid-19 responses,” the Commissioner said.
“For example if 26% of the children in your area live in crowded homes – as is the case in Newham – making sure there is space for them to play outdoors, or getting them into schools, should be a priority.”
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Last Saturday, the government announced an extra £76m in emergency funding to support survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and modern slavery during the pandemic.
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How are health visitors working under lockdown?
The comments from the Institute of Health Visiting come after health visitors were forced to completely transform the services they offer to adhere to social-distancing rules.
Health visitors are now offering their sessions on Skype and over the phone, while in some areas parent groups that usually meet in person are being held virtually.
Sophie Jones, area manager for Public Health Nursing in south Somerset, said she was “really proud” about how the health visitors she manages have stepped up to the mark during lockdown.
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“They have pulled things out of the bag I didn’t even know was possible,” she said, describing how teams managed to transfer most of their services online in a matter of days.
While some appointments would have taken 45 minutes in person, they are now taking 90 minutes on the phone as health visitors try to offer extra support.
“As a professional, you always worry you have missed something,” Jones said. “That’s a normal feeling. This situation has made people more conscious to ask more questions and make sure that any families we are concerned about, we’re raising with other services.”
But she – like Morton – is worried about how the impacts of lockdown are hitting the families health visitors care for.
“We know that we’re going to have to put a big recovery plan in place,” Jones said.
“We know there’s going to be issues that arise out of this – including a decline in mental health because of isolation and this permanent high level of cortisol stress.
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“That’s within our ‘universal’ families now too – it’s within everybody.”
It’s a worry echoed by Eileen O’Sullivan, a specialist health visitor in parent and infant mental health, who works in south Warwickshire.
The impact of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown is likely to have a “far-reaching and lasting impact”, she said.
“The families we have been speaking to anecdotally are struggling with their mental health,” O’Sullivan said. “Specialists are seeing an increase in referrals. It’s just a massive impact.
“A lot of the mums that I have been speaking to are also talking about ‘lost maternity leave’ in the sense that it’s just not what they anticipated it was going to be and they’re almost mourning the loss of that,” O’Sullivan said.
“They can’t go out, they can’t meet other mums, they can’t go to baby groups. They’re possibly home-schooling other children when they thought they would have that special bonding time with their baby.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Just When We Think We're Adjusting, We're Hit By A Coronavirus Dip Day

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We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus lockdown. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
Lockdown is an emotional rollercoaster, made all the more difficult because we don’t know how long the ride will be. There are days we feel like we’re coping, or even getting used to, this new way of living. And then, out of nowhere, comes a dip.
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These days of low mood – or dip days, as we on the HuffPost UK Life team have coined them – happen when our longing for normality becomes too much. They exist on a spectrum, of course, and might spark feelings of sadness, loneliness, anger, boredom, fatigue, a lack of motivation, anxiety or depression.
Counsellor and psychotherapist Lucy Fuller says it’s totally normal to feel up and down at the moment, because seven weeks in, we’re still in unfamiliar territory.
“No one saw a worldwide pandemic resulting lockdown on the horizon,” she says, “and after the initial shock and novelty of the experience, we’re all now generally knuckling down and enduring our situation. When we reflect on it, this will inevitably have an effect on our emotional health because we’re in the midst of a strange situation that is fundamentally, very unsettling.”
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We’re likely to find different things trigger our dip days, says Fuller. For some, it might be concern for vulnerable loved ones. For others, it could be job insecurity, or working on the front line to tackle the virus. Some of us may not have an identifiable trigger, but that doesn’t make the experience any less valid.
To ride the wave of a dip day, Fuller recommends trying to maintain a routine and setting yourself some goals. These can be small, such as going for a mile-long walk, putting on the washing, or reading 20 pages of a book.
“This will keep you occupied and focus your attention on ‘doing’ rather than on thinking yourselves into a dark hole,” she says.
“If you’re working from home, tell yourself you’ll complete a number of tasks before rewarding yourself in some way – maybe a bath with a chapter from your favourite audio book or watching your favourite film. It doesn’t have to be anything too ambitious – you’re having a bad day, so be kind to yourself.”
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Tell yourself it’s “very likely tomorrow will be better”, she says. Like the virus, this too shall pass. If you’re struggling to find hope, try shifting your focus to the future beyond lockdown, by listing things you’re looking forward to when all this is over.
Professor Robert Emmons, known as the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, previously told HuffPost UK this is the best way to boost positivity right now. It’s called gratitude forecasting – “Imagine how grateful you will be when life returns to normal,” he said. “Consider simple pleasures you’re currently deprived of, and then visualise experiencing those once again.”
Fuller also recommends avoiding the news for 48 hours to recover from a low period and connecting with someone who brings you joy. “You might not feel like making the effort, but if you choose who you connect with carefully, you’re unlikely to regret having talked to them afterwards,” she says.
Remember, while we’re all likely to have low days during this pandemic, they shouldn’t take over your life. If you have several dip days in succession and feel unable to function normally, it’s time to seek mental health support.
“You need to let someone know and contact your GP who will be able to contact you remotely so you can talk about how you’re feeling,” says Fuller.
“Be aware that many therapists have switched their counselling sessions to online and are offering low cost and free consultations, so it’s worth searching for what might be available.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--I Know What It’s Like To Be Locked In With Your Abuser. I Also Know There’s A Way Out

Courtesy of the author HuffPost UK
Content warning: this article contains description of domestic abuse and sexual violence
I still remember it all so well.
Hearing the sound of his key in the door, my body would freeze. I listened to his footsteps and as he called my name, his tone of voice sent me a clear warning – if I didn’t ‘behave’ myself, he would force me to.
Living with my ex-husband was like being inside a prison, battling against a tidal wave of abuse. As people across the country are self-isolating to fight the spread of Covid-19, there are thousands of women who are walking this same path, confined with an abusive partner.
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While the lockdown isn’t a cause of domestic abuse, it can exacerbate existing abusive behaviours. Looking back, I was living a life of lockdown as part of my day-to-day living – I just didn’t realise it.
I was 17 when I met John. Fourteen years older, with a steady job and a child from a previous relationship – at the time, it seemed like he really had his life together. We exchanged numbers and he bombarded me with messages. Within three months, I’d moved into his home and we were engaged.
“He isolated me from everyone I loved and his abuse escalated.”
Confident and independent, I hadn’t planned on settling down so soon. It was overwhelming but John was so certain. When I questioned if things were moving too fast, he’d say, “but you know how much I love you.”
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As is the case with most perpetrators, John’s big gestures and loving words were just a form of manipulation to gain power and control over me. He’d say I couldn’t work because he wanted to support me, then make me feel guilty for seeing family and friends.
At the time, I didn’t read too much into it. I was young, and people would always comment on how ‘nice’ John was. But this was all a part of his plan. He isolated me from everyone I loved and his abuse escalated. I was hit, belittled, raped and starved, whilst I desperately tried to protect our two children.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the rising number of women who are reaching out for support every day has given the world a terrifying insight into the abuse women are suffering. What people don’t realise is that the conditions of lockdown are no different from being trapped day in, day out with a controlling partner. Isolation is an insidious weapon for abusers; it induces fear and can make you feel like you have no way out. John used to say that if I ever left him, he would murder our children.
Leaving an abusive partner is not always a choice – whether you’re self-isolating or not, you feel so desperately alone. I risked being hit, screamed at or sexually abused if I did anything to displease my husband. I was cut off from the world, unable to work or use my phone and social media freely. I didn’t know where to find support or how to access it.
“I hope that any woman experiencing abuse and reading these words realises that they are not alone, even during this crisis”
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I thought escaping in a body bag would be my reality, until Refuge saved my life. One day, when John was at work, I called their National Domestic Abuse Helpline. It gave me the courage to phone the police and report his physical, sexual and psychological abuse.
I went into a refuge and I was able to slowly rebuild my life. My children are safe, and I’ve married my best friend, Ben. We’ve had another child together. Two years ago, John was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
I hope that any woman experiencing abuse and reading these words realises that they are not alone, even during this crisis. If you need support, please reach out. Refuge’s Helpline is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Your call will be confidential, and the female team will not judge you. You can also fill out a form on their website and request a safe time to be contacted.
It might seem harder to escape right now but please don’t count the days by whether he’s manipulated you, hit you or raped you. It might be hard to imagine a better future but with support, it’s within your reach.
Please reach out and take that step. You are not alone.
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com
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If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are not in immediate danger, you can contact:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--'Demand Has Been So Intense': 3 People Share Their Lockdown Hustle Stories

With the UK spending months in lockdown in 2020, millions across the country have been working from home and adjusting to doing their jobs remotely.
But not everyone has had the option to do so, with many industries brought to a standstill or badly affected, unemployment rates expected to hit the two million mark and many individuals finding themselves on furlough.
As a result, some are taking matters into their own hands, dreaming up creative and innovative ways to stay afloat and pivot their businesses to meet demand.
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While coronavirus continues to spread that doesn’t mean that the world stops, here are three inspiring stories of lockdown hustle.
‘Demand has been so intense that we’ve actually run out of fabric.’
Ruedi Maguire Fashion Designer Ruedi Maguire
Belfast-based womenswear fashion designer, Ruedi Maguire, lost all his business overnight thanks to the pandemic and as people became more conscious about spending on essentials, with clothing became a luxury treat.
“Originally, I thought about creating a new collection just to be creative again,” he tells HuffPost UK. “I have a lot of fabrics and access to a studio where I can work safely in, but it came to my attention that many of my family and friends who work in the health service said there was a need for scrubs.”
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Since the lockdown, Maguire has been spending his time making scrubs for free for nearby hospitals, family practices, care homes, and anyone else in need of them. At first, he was paying for materials out of his own pocket, but has created a fund where the donations received will cover the costs of purchasing fabric to create these items.
“Obviously, PPE is very official and has to be regulated and tested, but I had some previous general knowledge that I knew scrubs were quick, easy, and cheap to make. They needed to be comfortable and made from 50% polyester and 50% cotton, so that it could be washed at 68 degrees to kill the virus,” Maguire explains. “Demand has been so intense that we’ve actually run out of fabric. Hundreds and hundreds of people from all over north and south Ireland have been in touch.”
To keep up with the demand, the fashion designer has even roped in the help of his husband and found the experience rewarding: “Going from stylish, flamboyant occasionwear to making basic and utilitarian like scrubs has never crossed my path in my career,” he says. “It’s fashion with a purpose and it’s amazing to be doing something that helps.”
‘We’re working hard trying to adapt to what’s in people’s cupboards.’
Ryan Riley Ryan Riley
Ryan Riley is founder of award-winning Life Kitchen, a non-for-profit cookery school in Sunderland, which helps people living with cancer, whose taste buds can change dramatically due to treatment – and now, those who have suffered taste loss due to Covid-19.
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“When lockdown’s over we won’t be able to continue with our in-person classes because of such close working quarters,” Riley explains. “That’s why we’ve recently launched our Pineapple Tacos campaign, which is named after our most famous dish. Hoping that we’re able to get the funding from the National Lottery, we want to create and provide specialised online classes to support people in different areas in the UK. The money from funding and bodies will be used to provide gift cards that’ll cover the cost of the ingredients, so that we can truly remain free.”
Despite the challenging times, Riley has big plans to convert the cookery school into a mini TV studio to be able to host online and continue what they’ve been doing in the kitchen digitally.
“We’re very much focused on just trying to give people a really good experience,” he says. “Our recipes and ingredients are all developed with Professor Barry Smith, from the Centre for the Study of the Senses at the University of London and Life Kitchen’s principle is to create maximum flavour using ingredients that have umami, citrus, and spice. At the moment, we’re working hard trying to translate that across and adapt to what’s in people’s cupboards.”
Even with multiple awards for his work, a bestselling cookbook and endorsement from the likes of Nigella and Jay Rayner under Riley’s belt, Life Kitchen is based on delivering in-person classes, but with face-to-face not being a viable option anymore, it’s a crucial time to fight for the cookery school’s existence.
“We’ve had lots of people come to Life Kitchen and it’s been life-changing for them, but Covid-19 has really damaged us,” Riley confesses. “This might be our future for the year and it’s the next iteration of what we have to do because it’s just so important.”
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‘Our programme is full, which is incredible after crashing out and hitting rock bottom like that.’
Vanessa Woolf Professional Storyteller Vanessa Woolf
Professional storyteller Vanessa Woolf from London who owns London Dreamtime with her husband also depended on crowds of people and face to face contact. Since the pandemic, business was starting to dry up and future events that had been booked months in advance started to cancel.
“It’s been catastrophic,” she explains. “Being a storyteller it’s important to see the audience reacting and responding in real-time. You need to sense the mood in the room and read people’s body language in order to tell stories. You can’t get that online or on a video call on zoom, unless you are in a room with somebody.”
What makes matters worse, as soon as the lockdown happened Woolf and her family had coronavirus. They spent three weeks being incredibly ill with breathing problems and high temperatures.
“We all had horrible symptoms, I couldn’t even sit up let alone do anything else,” Woolf says. “Luckily, we’re all recovering now, but we’ve only just started to get back on our feet and hosting events again.”
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Since then, they’ve moved everything online to bring people together and a story to life by video. Using projections to recreate locations, included props and costumes whilst her husband’s in charge of music, sounds, and visuals. Their next event is on Sunday 3rd May and will have another in a month’s time.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--How I Cope: Making Playlists Keeps Me Focused And Connected To People I Miss

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You’re reading How I Cope, a series sharing self-care tips as we all adjust to the coronavirus pandemic.
It started with Dua Lipa’s album release on March 27 – the Friday of our first week in lockdown. Filled with hit after quarantine hit, when Future Nostalgia (even the title seemed prescient) landed, it was like Dua just knew.
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“I should have stayed – at – home,” she sings on current single, Break My Heart. “’Cause I was doing better alone.” And of course, we are staying at home, with the Instagram stickers to prove it. But how to wile away the weeks, especially if – like me – you’re as home alone as Kevin McCallister at Christmas?
Music has been my lifeline. And not just Dua Lipa. I’m usually a talk radio obsessive, but for six weeks now I’ve been switching between BBC Radios 1 and 6 (with particular props to Phil Taggart, Mary Anne Hobbs and the Great British Singalong) and Spotify, where I’m busy making playlist after playlist.
Initially, I planned to read my way through isolation, but I’ve struggled to focus on books. No such issue with playlisting, it seems. It takes me right back to my teenage headspace of compiling C90 cassettes – only without having to wrestle the double tape deck and triple CD tray of my clunky Aiwa hifi.
Spotify makes things so much easier – and then again harder. You have access to all the music you could possibly want. Equally, you have access to more music than you could possibly need. Setting limits is essential.
Natalie_ via Getty Images
I have a theme each week – songs about light, for example, or ones that feature France or the French – and pick 12 tracks that speak to this theme in title, lyrics or essence. Like most internet wormholes, it’s a mix of search and browse, a careful balancing of the old and new and unexpected.
It’s like a bad day that never ends,
I feel the chaos around me,
A thing I don’t try to deny.
I’d better learn to accept that
There are things in my life that I can’t control.
What I can control are my playlists. My goodness, but cutting each one down to 12 tracks is a tricky and joyous process. Topping and tailing and ordering and editing. It takes time and focus, but it’s so satisfying, as is the notion that I’ll have these snapshots of quarantine long after lockdown lifts.
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And then there’s the person I’m making them for – someone I can’t be with right now, but wish I could. We’re setting each other these themes, you see. And our Saturday night listening party is the highlight of my week.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--My Beloved Dog Just Died. I Don’t Know How To Grieve Without Feeling Guilty

HuffPost UK Courtesy of the author
I don’t know how to grieve.
I live in New York City, the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic – and I just lost my dog.
The media blasts photos and news reports of devastation – refrigerated trucks for dead bodies, mass burials at Hart Island, make-shift hospitals to accommodate a continuous flow of critically ill people. Every day there’s more bad news about the pandemic ― more people sick, more people dead. But this doesn’t minimise my loss.
Reluctant to post about my dog’s death on social media, I tell only a few friends. Most are sympathetic while others are insensitive.
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“Are you getting a new one?” three friends asked.
“I’ll send you a link for adopting,” my neighbour offered.
When my parents died, I sat shiva, lit candles and said kaddish in the Jewish tradition. The mourning lasted 12 months. There’s no religious observance for a pet’s death.
We named her Cassie when we adopted her from a local rescue centre 14 years ago. Steve, my husband, fell in love with her at first sight. Frisky, confident and affectionate, she was a brown-and-white cocker spaniel with huge paws that made her perpetually look like a puppy.
Within a month, she became my dog. We had similar personalities and loved meeting new people. Maybe it was also the tricks I taught her. “Give me paw.” “Stand up and turn around.” “Lie down.” It was a sequence she performed perfectly and then received a biscuit as her reward.
Cassie was certified as a therapy dog and we visited residents at a nursing home. “Her coat’s so soft,” a woman cooed as she and others petted Cassie and shared stories of their own beloved pets.
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Five years later, both Cassie and my husband were diagnosed with cancer – Steve with stage four throat cancer and Cassie with mast cell cancer. Both were treated successfully. Nonetheless, Cassie’s vet warned me, “Be careful – her immunity is compromised.”
She could no longer act as a therapy dog but otherwise she didn’t slow down one bit. As we walked along the crowded streets of the Upper West Side, passersby often shouted, “She’s so beautiful.”
“Let me show you what Cassie can do,” I’d respond.
They would stop to watch Cassie go through her tricks.
“She’s amazing,” children often told me.
During Steve’s cancer treatment and, a few years later, surgery for an aortic valve replacement that nearly killed him, Cassie and I became even more inseparable. She was my anchor, my sanity, my heart.
Courtesy of Ann Gorewitz Cassie in 2020.
Like so many deaths right now, hers was sudden.
Two days before the shelter-at-home order went into effect in New York, Steve announced, “I’m bringing Cassie to the groomer. Who knows when we’ll get another opportunity.”
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“Wear a mask. You’re high-risk,” I said as I handed him one that I had grabbed at the emergency room months before when he was treated for pneumonia.
An hour later, the groomer called in a panic to tell us, “We rushed Cassie to the vet. She can’t breathe.”
The vet arranged a canine ambulette to take us to an animal hospital.
“Steve, go home,” I told my husband. “It’s not safe.”
In the ambulette, Cassie went into respiratory failure. The attendant rushed her into the hospital when we finally arrived. A nurse led me to a private room to maintain social distancing. After what seemed like forever, a vet told me, “Cassie’s a little better. We’re running tests. There’s no need to stay. I’ll call.”
I cleaned my hands at the Purell dispenser in the hospital and walked the three miles home because I was too scared to take public transportation.
A few hours later the vet called.
“Her larynx is semi-paralysed,” she said. “She can’t breathe on her own so we intubated her. She needs a tracheotomy. It’s very unlikely she’d survive the surgery.”
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Turning to Steve, I asked frantically, “What should we do?”
His face wet with tears, he replied, “It’s time to say goodbye.”
During our 44 years of marriage, we’ve had other pets and were always there when they died. This time was different.
“We can’t go to the hospital. It’s too risky,” I said, heartbroken.
So Cassie had to die among strangers ― an image that now keeps me up at night.
Courtesy of Ann Gorewitz Cassie and Santa in 2019.
Often I cry – huge heaving sobs I can’t control – but then I stop. I have to do my best to stay strong and healthy. At other times, I feel guilty about how passionately I am feeling this grief and tell myself, She was only a dog. There are so many people dying right now under unthinkable conditions. Don’t their deaths matter more?
People with pets cherish their existence. Even President Franklin Roosevelt sought the comfort of his small black terrier, Fala, as he led the nation through World War II. Fala slept at the foot of Roosevelt’s bed, accompanied him on trips, and was buried next to the president and his wife at their home in Hyde Park.
Our pets’ lives have value ― they matter! ― even though society often trivialises our relationships with them. And though I feel like I’m not supposed to grieve Cassie’s death as intensely or profoundly as I do ― especially during a pandemic when so many other truly awful things are happening ― her life and the loss of it is momentous to me, and maybe more so because of COVID-19.
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I miss her deeply. Snuggling against her warm body and stroking her long and silky ears consoled me in the past, and now she’s no longer here to help get me through this strange, terrifying time. I honestly don’t know what to do without her and I feel like I can’t grieve the way I need to because people think it’s foolish or silly or unworthy of this kind of emotion.
Maybe when life reaches a “new normal,” I’ll feel more comfortable sharing my loss and beginning the healing process. I’ll post my favourite photos of Cassie on social media and display them throughout my apartment. And when the flowers are in bloom in Riverside Park, I’ll sprinkle her ashes along the path we walked and cry without shame or guilt.
Ann Gorewitz works as a human resources consultant specialising in employee development and training. This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal.
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--10 Brilliant Ways Teachers Are Helping Kids Through Lockdown

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We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus lockdown. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
We’ve been (quite rightly) clapping for healthcare workers once a week, and have found a new and vital collective appreciation for those keeping us going throughout the pandemic: retail workers, supermarket shelf stackers, farmers.
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But behind the scenes, there are also scores of teachers, learning assistants and school staff who are keeping children’s spirits up – not only the kids of key workers still attending school, but those at home, too.
Here are 10 brilliant things teachers are doing to get kids through lockdown.
1. Dress-up storytime
Brian Hughes Headteacher Brian Hughes
At Aldersbrook Primary School in east London, teachers have been making videos of themselves reading their favourite children’s books from their kitchens, and sharing them on the school website. We particularly enjoyed a ‘surprise visit’ from Miss Trunchbull, a.k.a the school’s headteacher.
2. Staff singalongs
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Teachers and assistants at Barnfields Primary School in Stafford put together this hilarious, disco ball-fuelled version of ‘I’ll be there for you’ by The Rembrandts. One parent told HuffPost UK her kids absolutely loved it.
“The head teacher is the guy in a shirt, tie and cycling shorts, with the disco lights!” she told us.
3. Dancing in disguise
Llantilio Pertholey CiW Primary school Llantilio Pertholey CiW Primary school
Llantilio Pertholey CiW Primary School in Abergavenny offered up a fantastic compilation video of teachers in disguise as the children have never seen them before. “Head over to our website to see how many of our teachers you recognise,” the school teased on its Twitter account.
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4. Drive-by birthday
SHS teachers go above and beyond for their students. Happy Birthday to 3rd Grader Ivann! pic.twitter.com/Cq0seqbq7d — Sacred Heart School (@shswarriors) April 30, 2020
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Staff at Sacred Heart School in West Reading, Pennsylvania, pulled out all the stops when one of their students – Ivann, in the third grade – had a birthday. They did a ‘birthday drive-by’, holding up signs to wish him well and dressing up in costume, then posted the video to their Twitter account.
5. Messages of hope
A message to all our families pic.twitter.com/IdwUPdfhBD — Trinity St Mary's Church of England Primary School (@TrinityStMarys) April 29, 2020
Trinity St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, in Chelmsford, Essex, made an amazing collage featuring teachers holding up signs to send a message to the children. The message, posted on the school Twitter account, said: “To all our wonderful TSM families. We just wanted to say we miss you and cannot wait to see you all again soon. Keep safe and happy.”
One mum told HuffPost UK it had “really helped” her daughter feel like she was still in touch with school. “It was very cute,” she added.
6. Pyjama book party
Last night, some of your teachers (and Stanley and Bertie!) started the #Pyjamarama celebrations early by sharing what we have been reading during our weekly catch up! We hope you have your pjs on, the fun starts at 9.30am on the @Booktrust website! pic.twitter.com/XHZp3lkMEu — St Oswald's Catholic Primary School (@StOswaldsPriLiv) May 1, 2020
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Staff at St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School, in Old Swan, Liverpool, have been donning their PJs and grabbing their favourite books for a ‘virtual pyjama party’ with pupils, as part of #Pyjamarama day celebrations, an online festival on May 1 run by Booktrust. St Oswald’s teachers posted a preview picture on Twitter.
7. Piano recital
Graham Ford, headteacher at Snaresbrook Primary School in east London, showed off his piano skills with a beautiful rendition of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ for his pupils. The video included pictures of the kids and their rainbow drawings.
It was posted to the school’s Instagram page and had more than 100 views – with people commenting: “Well, I never knew you could play the piano Mr Ford!”
8. Ping-pong pancake challenge
Decided children and staff should do the 26 challenge. My challenge 1. Wasn’t too difficult. pic.twitter.com/MCxKH9spe9 — FernPrimary (@FernPrimary) April 27, 2020
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Staff at Fernwood Primary School in Nottingham have been setting themselves daily ’26 lockdown challenges’, including a tricky ping-pong pancake tennis, using a frying pan. Mrs Moss, set herself the 26 domino challenge, Mr Hartley set himself the task of a 26-shot ping pong rally and Miss Robinson did an incredible 26-shoulder press.
9. Missing you messages
HuffPost UK
Teachers at John Ray Junior School in Braintree, Essex, put together a heartwarming video set to the tune of ‘Africa’ by Toto. It features staff members making hearts with their hands and writing sweet messages on flipboards and notepads to tell their students how much they’re missing them. Aww. One mum told HuffPost UK she loved it and so did her 11-year-old daughter.
10. A song for us all
Possibly our favourite teacher video yet, featuring TikTok user Liz – a music teacher in the US, who said she’d found the perfect way to process the transition to homeschooling. A song, truly, for us all.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-03--Piers Morgan Absent From Good Morning Britain As He Awaits Coronavirus Test Result

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Piers Morgan was absent from Monday’s Good Morning Britain as he awaits the result of a coronavirus test.
The presenter said he has been showing a “mild symptom” of Covid-19 over the last 48 hours, as he shared an update on Twitter on Sunday evening.
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Piers told his followers he’d had the test “out of an abundance of caution” and expects to find out whether or not he has tested positive for the virus today.
Piers Morgan ITV/Shutterstock
He tweeted: “On medical advice, and out of an abundance of caution for a mild symptom that arose in past 48hrs, I’ve had a test for COVID-19 and so won’t be working on @GMB until I get the result back, which should be tomorrow.”
UPDATE: On medical advice, and out of an abundance of caution for a mild symptom that arose in past 48hrs, I’ve had a test for COVID-19 and so won’t be working on @GMB until I get the result back, which should be tomorrow. — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 3, 2020
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Piers has increased his workload on the ITV breakfast show during the pandemic, co-hosting four days a week instead of his usual three.
While some viewers have praised the way he has held government ministers to account during interviews, his approach hasn’t been without controversy.
More than 3,000 complaints were made to the TV watchdog Ofcom following two interviews with Care Minister Helen Whately on GMB last month.
Another 600 viewers also complained about Piers’ interview with Health Secretary Matt Hancock on 16 April.
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However, the regulator announced they would not be taking the matter any further, noting that Piers is “well-known for his combative interviewing style” and viewers would expect him to challenge senior politicians.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “In line with freedom of expression, it is clearly in the public interest that broadcasters are able to hold those making political decisions to account, particularly during a major national crisis, such as the coronavirus pandemic.”
Responding to the news on Instagram, Piers said he’d been “emphatically cleared” and thanked his supporters.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Why The Right Kind Of Herd Immunity Could Come Back Into Fashion

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Just say R
There was a moment in the No.10 press conference on Monday that underlined the power and the pitfalls of the government’s coronavirus strategy.
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Matt Hancock revealed, almost in passing, that in fact the UK’s testing capacity now stood at 108,000 a day. Yet within seconds critics were pointing out that the figure jarred with the 122,000 tests figure published last week that allowed the health secretary to surpass his totemic 100k target. Unsurprisingly, the practice of counting those swabs simply posted out (but not returned) was again questioned.
But Hancock’s target aside, it’s worth pointing out just how enormous that 108k figure is. Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van Tam added that “there is another lab opening next week”, which suggests another 20,000 a day capacity on top. That would put the UK alongside, or even ahead of, Germany, with a capacity to conduct nearly a million tests a week.
Getting that testing rate up is obviously crucial to Hancock’s ‘test, track, trace’ (known as ‘TTT’ to some insiders) policy. The other key planks of the strategy are the new NHS smartphone app, due to go live on the Isle of Wight from Tuesday, as well as the 18,000 human contact tracers needed to roll out the scheme nationwide.
But the timing of that national rollout, and the lifting of the lockdown, no longer appear directly linked. Many have assumed in recent weeks that it’s only once the number of new Covid-19 cases is very low that ministers would feel confident enough to start the tracing policy that worked so stunningly well in South Korea.
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And in perhaps the most interesting bit of the No.10 briefing, Hancock was at pains to deny any direct link between easing the lockdown and getting his TTT fully in place. “We haven’t said we can’t make changes before it is up and running. It is just that the test, track and trace system will help us get R [the reproduction number] down and the lower the number of new cases, the more effective it will be.”
Hancock, having won some crucial early battles in Cabinet for a cautious approach, sounded very much aware of the economic pressures to reopen some workplaces and relax the rules as far as the scientific advice will allow. So while the lower the new cases the better for his plan, it doesn’t sound like he’s hammering on the PM’s door to insist that figure is in the hundreds rather than thousands. In fact, the Isle of Wight pilot seems like a ‘proof of concept’ that is being relied on across government to avoid the wait for all 18.000 contract tracers to be ready in place nationwide (something that will take weeks I’m told).
Even as Hancock was speaking, another factor in the 3-D chess puzzle of the fight against Covid-19 was on display in the Commons. Tory grandees Sir Graham Brady and Steve Baker got up to warn of the draconian nature of the lockdown so far. “If anything in some instances it may be the public has been a little bit too willing to stay at home,” Brady said.
On the day the TUC warned against bosses forcing staff back to work without adequate protection, it’s worth quoting Brady in full: ”I’m sure I’m not the only member who has heard from employers struggling to fulfill orders because it’s difficult to get employees back from furlough. And I think we all know how critically important it is that they ought to be able to get their workers back so we can make sure those jobs remain when the furlough period ends.”
Just as importantly, chancellor Rishi Sunak sounded more than a little impatient in his own interview with ITV in which he set out why he would be tapering his furlough scheme. “We are potentially spending as much on the furlough scheme as we do on the NHS for example. Now clearly that is not a sustainable situation.”
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Still, Hancock has ‘caution credit’ in the bank with No.10, not least given the PM’s own experience of the disease. And one thing the cabinet is totally united on (despite some colleagues sniping at his 100k tests target) is the need to get a vaccine as the long term solution to the pandemic, globally and domestically.
With the anti-vaxxer movement growing around the world in recent years (hell even Robert de Niro was at it), it’s not enough to just find a vaccine, it’s crucial to win the comms battle to get people to get the jabs. Last year Hancock was so concerned about low uptakes of vaccines like MMR that he told me he was looking at making them compulsory in schools. On Monday, he said the public’s response to government messaging on Covid suggested no compulsion would be needed (though he added he would “rule nothing out”).
Let’s hope he’s right that there will be “enormous demand” for the new vaccine when it arrives. In the process, the government can restore the concept of ‘herd immunity’ that some had abused in the early stages of this pandemic in the UK. ‘Herd immunity’ doesn’t mean some mad plan for mass deaths. In vaccination, it means the exact opposite, a required percentage of vaccine take-up required to make the population safe. If enough people get the shots, even those with cancer and immuno-compromised conditions can be protected.
‘Get your jab, protect the NHS, save lives’ - maybe that will be the slogan a year from now. And if it helps the wider fight of scientific facts against dangerous conspiracy theories, that really will have been worth waiting for.
Quote Of The Day
“People have been accused, for example, of not sweating adequately when cycling. When doing yoga, they have been accused of not exercising.”
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Tory MP Steve Baker on overzealous police reactions to Covid-19
Monday Cheat Sheet
The idea that air pollution could make coronavirus more deadly is “entirely plausible”, the government’s deputy chief medical officer said.
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey praised the “hidden heroes” in her department after she revealed the DWP had processed 1.8m new claims for universal credit since mid-March
Rishi Sunak revealed that UK businesses have applied for 6.3 million workers to be furloughed since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
Conor Burns resigned as a trade minister after a report found he used his position as an MP to intimidate a member of the public. In an exchange of letters, the PM thanked Burns for his time as a minister and as his PPS at the Foreign Office - but offered no hint of a return to government.
Labour’s general secretary Jennie Formby resigned with immediate effect. The race to succeed her began in earnest.
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Members of the House of Lords will be able to claim a half-rate of £162 a day to take part in virtual proceedings, rather than their full allowance that assumed stays in London.
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Why I Quit As Amazon VP Over Firing Of Whistleblowers - Tim Bray
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Piers Morgan Reveals He Does Not Have Coronavirus After Undergoing Test

While some viewers have praised the way he has held government ministers to account during interviews, his approach hasn’t been without controversy.
More than 3,000 complaints were made to the TV watchdog Ofcom following two interviews with Care Minister Helen Whately on GMB last month.
Another 600 viewers also complained about Piers’ interview with Health Secretary Matt Hancock on 16 April.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Health Secretary Says 'Vaccines Save Lives' In Message To Anti-Vax Movement

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Health secretary Matt Hancock has warned the anti-vaccination movement that medical research can save lives and “get the world moving again” after the Covid-19 outbreak clears.
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Speaking at the Downing Street briefing on Monday, the minister said anti-vaxxers should see there was “no greater demonstration in modern history” that proved vaccines were needed than the deadly coronavirus.
It comes amid protests across the globe against the use of vaccines and as prime minister Boris Johnson led an international conference which raised £6.6bn for medical research into tackling Covid-19.
The global death toll from the disease is thought to stand at around 248,000, which includes 28,734 fatalities in the UK.
Hancock said: “I think there is no greater demonstration in modern history that vaccines save lives than the need for a vaccine to save lives and get the world going again following the outbreak of Covid-19.”
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He added: “If and when the independent regulators license a vaccine in this country, they will do so knowing that it is safe and everybody should follow that advice.”
The PM urged countries to “pull together” and “share expertise” in the drive to find treatments, tests and vaccines during an online conference on Monday.
The UK has pledged to give £388m in aid funding for research – part of a £744m commitment to help end the pandemic and support the global economy.
Asked by HuffPost UK about vaccines, Hancock did not rule out making them mandatory, but said people’s strict adherence to lockdown restrictions showed demand would be “enormous”.
"The race to find a vaccine is not a competition between countries, but the most urgent shared endeavour of our lifetimes. We're in this together, and together we will prevail."
– PM @BorisJohnson calls on countries to come together to defeat coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/vNJ0ctyRpz — UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) May 4, 2020
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He also stressed that watchdogs such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency would investigate whether it was safe for use in the general population.
He said: “On the question of whether make it compulsory, I think that the extent of the public’s reaction to following the lockdown shows we will be able to achieve very, very high levels of vaccination without taking that step.”
He added: “There is no coronavirus vaccine yet for any of the existing coronaviruses and this is uncertain science but whilst I don’t rule anything out, we are proceeding on the basis that just such a huge proportion of the population are going to take this up, because of the obvious benefits to individuals and their families and their communities and indeed the whole nation, that there will be an enormous demand for it as and when the science is safe to proceed.”
Deputy chief science officer Jonathan Van Tam, meanwhile said scientists “remain hopeful that there will be a breakthrough at some point in the future”.
He added it was likely the vaccine would be licensed first for adults, given the elderly were at high risk of becoming gravely ill and the low impact on children.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Killing Eve: 7 Very Important Questions Episode 4 Left Us With

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Well, if you thought Kenny’s death in Killing Eve was sudden and brutal, it had nothing on the shock demise of Eve Polastri’s husband Niko.
In jaw-dropping scenes from the third season’s fourth episode, Still Got It, Niko took a pitchfork to the throat, just as looked like there was hope for his and Eve’s marriage.
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It was the dastardly plan of Villanelle’s handler, Dasha, who sought to drive a wedge between her protégée and the former MI6 agent.
Niko was killed off in Killing Eve's latest episode Sid Gentle/BBC
Setting Villanelle up as Niko’s killer with a note carrying the message “Still got it” attached to the pitchfork, Dasha is now hoping Eve forgets about Villanelle and the assassin now focuses on her work, therefore relinquishing Dasha from The Twelve – but something tells us it’s not going to work out quite as neatly as that.
With the turn of events sure to have ramifications for the rest of the series – and beyond – these were the questions we were left asking as the credits rolled...
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First off, we’re asking again – what is Geraldine up to?
Sid Gentle/BBC
Our suspicions about Carolyn’s daughter Geraldine have been growing for weeks now, but Still Got It delivered yet more hints that she is hiding something, with some telling dialogue between mother and daughter.
“I get up to all sorts of stuff,” Geraldine purred, as Carolyn arrived home unexpectedly.
We certainly were not buying that pathetic attempt to get Carolyn’s attention, either – so when are we going to find out what her game is?
Why doesn’t Dasha want Villanelle seeing Konstantin?
Is it just a case of handler rivalry, or is it because Villanelle’s relationship with Konstantin could affect her chances of being released by The Twelve and allowed to return to Russia?
Either way, we need these two to come together for a proper face-off asap.
How has Jamie been living with that noisy cistern?
Seriously, he wants to get a plumber out asap.
Is Niko genuinely, really dead?!
Sid Gentle/BBC
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Given both Villanelle and Eve have survived seemingly deadly attacks during the first two series, you can’t blame certain fans for questioning whether Niko is really dead or not – after all, in the last shot we saw of him, his body was still twitching.
However, his fate has seemingly been sealed, with Sandra Oh – who plays Eve – telling The Hollywood Reporter of his death: “While it was very hard to do, and there are consequences after that, it really does continue pushing Eve’s character and storyline into very different places.”
Which begs the question...
What will Eve do next?
At this stage in the game, Eve now has nowhere to live, no proper job and no husband. With nothing left to lose, are we about to see an even darker side to Eve?
And what will Villanelle do when she finds out what Dasha has done?
Sid Gentle/BBC
Either she’s going to feel like Dasha has done her a favour, or more likely, she’s going to go absolutely nuclear.
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We know that things didn’t end well between them last time, and at points, we’ve questioned whether Villanelle is actually playing the long game with Dasha.
If this has been the case, discovering what she has done to Niko could certainly be the catalyst for Villanelle exacting any possible revenge plan.
Is Villanelle about to meet her family?
After enlisting Konstantin to find her family at the end of episode three, this week, her former handler revealed he’d uncovered details about them.
The cliffhanger saw Villanelle arrive “home”, so we can only assume this means she has gone in pursuit of her family – but what awaits her? And more intriguingly, what has she got planned for them?


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Here Are The Best Lockdown Live Chat Fails

Here Are The Best Lockdown Live Chat Fails
People getting caught in their underwear, dogs ruining weather forecasts, boyfriends running head first into walls and using the toilet on a conference call. The internet has been useful during lockdown, but a curse for some.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--More Than 6m UK Workers Furloughed As Job Retention Scheme Cost Hits £8bn

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UK businesses have applied for 6.3 million workers to be furloughed since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
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Government figures showed applications worth around £8 billion had been made as of May 3.
Under the scheme – due to run until the end of June – the government pays 80% of wages of workers laid off because of the current crisis, up to a maximum of £2,500 a month.
The Job Retention Scheme launched on 20 April.
By midnight 3 May a total of:
➡ 6.3m jobs furloughed *
➡ 800K employers furloughing **
➡ Total value of claims £8bn
Apply for a grant to cover the wages of your furloughed staff now: https://t.co/bx1Nszshsr pic.twitter.com/29n9h0RB2k — HM Revenue & Customs (@HMRCgovuk) May 4, 2020
The temporary scheme has not prevented redundancies entirely, however.
Separate figures released on Monday show that since the crisis began more than 1.8 million people have also claimed universal credit, the main welfare benefit for jobseekers and the low-paid.
Questions have been raised over the future of the scheme as the government plans a route to get the country back to work, with fears many firms will not have the cashflow to pay employees’ full salaries when the lockdown measures are eased and workers are able to return to work, and may instead opt for redundancy.
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On Monday, chancellor Rishi Sunak said he will taper the scheme to avoid any “cliff edge” that hurts business.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Nurseries 'On Brink Of Collapse' Due To Covid-19 Emergency Wages Cut-Off

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Nurseries are “on the brink of collapse” due to a holes in the coronavirus emergency wages scheme and mass closures loom, Labour has warned.
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Shadow education secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey accuses ministers of rowing back on promises to protect jobs normally supported by the government’s “free childcare” scheme.
Nurseries were assured when Boris Johnson announced Covid-19 restrictions in March that they would be able to keep claiming “free childcare” money in addition to cash through the coronavirus job retention scheme to cover rent, wages and bills.
But on Friday it emerged that childcare providers would only be allowed to claim furlough cash for the amount of private work they do – which may not be very much and leaves many operating at a loss.
A member of staff puts up rainbow pictures in the window of DLD College ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Free childcare sees the government foot the bill for up to 30 hours’ care for about 1.3m families. Scores of nurseries, many of which are staying open to look after key workers’ children, heavily rely on it.
It is thought the government is aiming to avoid double funding parts of the economy by limiting the amount of furlough cash available.
In a reply sent to Long-Bailey, seen by HuffPost UK, education secretary Gavin Williamson said that there was now an “expectation that employers do not receive two public funding streams”.
But fears are spreading that thousands of nurseries will hit the wall as they are left only able to claim salary costs for a small proportion of their overall workload.
Britain's Education Secretary Gavin Williamson arrives in Downing Street in London as the country remains in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, Friday, May 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Long Bailey has written to education secretary Gavin Williamson calling on him to reverse the decision.
In a reply to the Labour frontbencher, Williamson said the government was providing a “range of support” for early years settings.
He confirmed nurseries could not claim free childcare scheme costs and furlough staff as it would mean providers get double funding.
“The expectation that employers do not receive two public funding streams to pay the same staff costs applies universally,” he said.
The minister did not rule out revisit the funding model, adding: “These are rapidly developing circumstances and we continue to work closely with HM Treasury to monitor how the support packages are benefitting organisations and to consider any further action which may be required.”
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Long-Bailey urged him to act fast as, with the government estimating some 57% of nurseries closing down due to the lockdown, parents could be left with fewer childcare places available once the UK reopens for business.
“The childcare sector is on the brink of collapse, in part because of the government’s U-turn on nurseries’ ability to use the furlough scheme,” she told HuffPost UK.
“We are hearing first-hand from nurseries that they cannot survive this crisis and will have to make redundancies or close their doors.
“The government must overturn their decision and allow childcare providers to access the furlough scheme in full, otherwise there may not be many childcare places left on the other side of the crisis.”
The guidance issued April 22 says “organisations which continue to receive government funding should not furlough staff whose salaries that funding could typically be considered to fund”.
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A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “Nurseries, childminders and all other early years settings are playing a vital role in the response to coronavirus, by supporting critical workers and parents of vulnerable children with continued childcare.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--'Entirely Plausible' That Air Pollution Makes Coronavirus Worse, Government Scientist Says

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The idea that air pollution could make coronavirus more deadly is “entirely plausible”, the government’s deputy chief scientific adviser has said.
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Jonathan Van Tam said there was “very solid data” that showed poor air quality contributes to higher death rates generally, particularly from respiratory diseases like Covid-19.
Responding to a question from HuffPost UK, Van Tam told the daily Downing Street briefing: “I think we already have very solid data that air pollution contributes to a whole range of mortality, particularly from respiratory illnesses and respiratory diseases and cardiovascular disease.
“I have heard it said about air pollution and Covid-19. I have not personally studied those data and looked at that question in detail but what you say is entirely plausible in my view.”
The government’s coronavirus testing chief, John Newton, suggested that government scientists would want to analyse the link between the virus and air quality, adding: “We know that air pollution, because it’s so pervasive and affects so many people, has a huge burden.”
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One preliminary study by researchers at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston has already linked air pollution to significantly higher death rates of people with coronavirus.
It suggested that people in polluted areas were more likely to die from Covid-19 than those living in places with cleaner air.
Scientists in Italy have also highlighted the higher death rates in the north of the country, where air pollution is worse than in the south.
None of the studies so far have been endorsed by independent scientists through the peer-review process so cannot yet be relied upon as solid evidence of a link.
At the same time, lockdowns around the world have temporarily contributed to better air quality and scientists are probing whether this could help save lives.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--This Is What Some Of Europe's Biggest Cities Look Like As Lockdown Measures Start To Ease

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As the death toll across some of Europe’s worst-affected countries continues to fall, residents are carefully taking their first steps outside for more than a month.
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Italy, Spain and France have all suffered more than 20,000 fatalities each, and have been living under some of the world’s most restrictive lockdown rules since the start of the crisis.
Tens of millions of people have been forced to remain inside to help stop the spread of coronavirus, with families split up and businesses shuttered.
But even as employees tentatively return to work and shops start to open, stark warnings have been issued about what needs to be done to avoid a second wave.
A man exercises along Trocadero Square, close to the Eiffel Tower, on Saturday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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In Italy – the hardest-hit country in Europe, with almost 29,000 deaths – millions of people returned to work on Monday morning, easing some aspects of the world’s longest lockdown.
Around 4.5m people have now returned to work, construction can resume and relatives can reunite.
“I woke up at 5.30am – I was so excited,” said Maria Antonietta Galluzzo, a grandmother taking her three-year-old grandson for a walk in Rome’s Villa Borghese park, the first time they had seen each other in eight weeks.
“He has grown by this much,” she said, holding up three horizontal fingers.
The easing comes as the daily rate of new Covid-19 cases worldwide has been sitting in a 2% to 3% range over the past week, down from a peak of around 13% in mid-March.
Commuters wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus stand on the platform at Atocha train station in Madrid. ASSOCIATED PRESS
But Italian PM Giuseppe Conte said his country, where the coronavirus has killed almost 29,000 people and more than 1,000 new cases are reported daily, was still in the “full throes of the pandemic”.
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Friends in the country are still barred from meeting up, most shops must stay shut until May 18, and schools, and cinemas and theatres remain closed indefinitely.
A woman waves the Italian flag in Milan on Monday as Italy starts to ease lockdown measures. MIGUEL MEDINA via Getty Images
“It is good to be back, but the world has totally changed,” said Gianluca Martucci, pulling up the shutters on the small warehouse of a catering business in the backstreets of Rome.
“The government has been very wise so far, but I worry that we might be starting up a little too soon – I don’t know if the country could survive a second wave.”
Men line up at a barber's in Barcelona. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Hairdressers, ironmongers and other shops tentatively opened for business on Monday as Spain began a four-phase plan to reopen the country by the end of June, while the 24-hour death toll from coronavirus stayed under 200 for the second day in a row.
Red Cross workers handed out masks at Madrid’s metro stations as wearing such protection on pubic transport became mandatory. Passengers crossing from the holiday islands of Ibiza to Formentera were tested for the virus before boarding.
PM Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday that six million masks were due to be distributed in Spain, one of the nations worst hit by the global pandemic.
Workers measure the distance between circles to help passengers at Paris' Gare du Nord train station maintain social distancing. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The death toll climbed by 164 in the previous 24 hours to 25,428 and cases reached 218,011, according to health ministry data on Monday. However, in a sign of how the rate of infection is abating, several regions registered no new cases.
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Although the figures were positive, the long May holiday weekend may have led to delays in data notification, chief health emergency officer Fernando Simon said, warning against complacency.
In central Madrid, hardware store owner Jorge Garcia stuck posters explaining the new regulations to his windows before reopening for the first time in 50 days.
“We are starting to get going little by little,” he said as he fixed black-and-yellow caution tape across his doorway and set out bottles of hand sanitiser for his customers.
Other businesses such as beauty parlours and bookstores, and restaurants for takeaway orders only, were allowed to reopen on Monday.
In the next stage, outdoor areas of bars and restaurants can open at half occupancy, while groups of up to 10 people will be allowed in public places and homes.
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People sit on a seafront promenade during a sunset in Barcelona. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Over the weekend, people across Spain were allowed out of their homes for the first time in seven weeks as the government began easing tough restrictions. Joggers, cyclists and walkers took to the streets in droves and some beaches were packed.
Spain imposed a strict lockdown in mid-March, confining most of the population to their homes for all but essential trips.
Meanwhile France, which has seen almost 25,000 deaths, is preparing for some restrictions to lift from May 11 – when pre-school and primary-age children could return to the classroom and most shops could reopen their doors.
Up to 70% of the Paris Metro system is expected to start moving once again, but bars and restaurants will remain closed.
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Cyclists park their bikes near the Arch of Constantine monument in central Rome. VINCENZO PINTO via Getty Images
Despite the movement, president Emmanuel Macron warned on Friday that easing the national lockdown would be only a first step towards fully exiting restrictions.
“May 11 will not be the passage to normal life. There will be a recovery that will need to be organised,” Macron said in a speech at the presidential palace.
“There will be several phases and May 11 will be one of them.”
Pedestrians crossing the Toledo bridge in Madrid on Sunday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The government has said it is prepared to slow or delay the unwinding of the lockdown if the virus infection rate spikes markedly higher, with administrative departments divided into “red” and “green” zones.
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North-eastern France, including the Paris region, has been especially hard hit, while swathes of the west and south of the country have barely been impacted, raising a dilemma for the government over how to ease the lockdown ahead of the busy summer tourism season.
Here in the UK Boris Johnson is expected to reveal a road map on Sunday, detailing exactly how restrictions will be eased in order for Britons to safely return to work.
But the government has also stressed that the nation’s battle with coronavirus will continue after lockdown measures are eased.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove has said Britons will need to live with “some degree of constraint” until a vaccination becomes available.
“Ultimately, unless and until we have a vaccine then I suspect that we are going to have to live with some degree of constraint because of the nature of the virus,” he said.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Book 'Finding Freedom' Coming Out This Summer

Royal fans, get ready to add another book to your reading list.
Omid Scobie, royal editor at large of Harper’s Bazaar and Carolyn Durand, an Emmy-award winning producer contributor to Elle and OprahMag.com, are publishing a book about about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. After reports of tell-all interviews first surfaced in April and the book’s cover leaked over the weekend, the two finally confirmed the book in an announcement on Monday.
The book is titled “Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan, and the Making of a Modern Royal Family” and is set to come out on August 11.
“For the very first time, ‘Finding Freedom’ goes beyond the headlines to reveal unknown details of Harry and Meghan’s life together, dispelling the many rumours and misconceptions that plague the couple on both sides of the pond,” the book’s description reads.
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It goes on: “With unique access and written with the participation of those closest to the couple, ‘Finding Freedom’ is an honest, up-close, and disarming portrait of a confident, influential, and forward-thinking couple who are unafraid to break with tradition, determined to create a new path away from the spotlight, and dedicated to building a humanitarian legacy that will make a profound difference in the world.”
HarperCollins
“The aim of this book is to portray the real Harry and Meghan, a couple who continue to inspire many around the world through their humanitarian and charitable work but are often inaccurately portrayed,” the authors said in a joint statement.
The two added that their “mission has been motivated by a desire to tell an accurate version of their journey and finally present the truth of misreported stories that have become gospel simply because of the amount of times they have been repeated,” and signed off by thanking their sources.
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The book is not an official or endorsed biography from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It also doesn’t claim to feature interviews with Meghan and Harry, though the two authors, particularly Scobie, are said to be extremely close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Scobie has covered the Sussexes extensively and was one of just three journalists invited to Meghan’s last engagement as a royal, prior to the the couple’s official step back on March 31. He wrote an emotional ― and surprisingly candid ― look at the duchess’s final, tearful engagement and goodbye to some Buckingham Palace staff.
The book will be published by Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, which recently published Jessica Simpson’s bombshell memoir, “Open Book,” and Carrie Underwood’s book “Find Your Path.”
And just because there isn’t an official sign off from Harry and Meghan now doesn’t mean there might not be in the future. After many years of speculation, Andrew Morton revealed in 1997 that the main source for his 1992 biography of Princess Diana, called “Diana, Her True Story,” was the late royal herself. He admitted Diana’s involvement one month after she died in a 1997 car crash in Paris.
In one of Meghan’s first projects as a royal, the duchess collaborated on and wrote the forward for a cookbook, put together by the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen. All proceeds from the book, called “Together: Our Community Kitchen,” went to ensuring that the kitchen could stay open seven days a week.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Watch Live: Matt Hancock Delivers Government’s Coronavirus Update

Watch Live: Matt Hancock Delivers Government’s Coronavirus Update
Health secretary Matt Hancock leads the daily press conference on the coronavirus outbreak. The trial of an HNS track and trace app is expected to be discussed. It comes as the UK is entering its seventh week of lockdown with 186,599 confirmed Covid-19 cases.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Disney World Finds Someone Camping In its Abandoned Discovery Island Attraction

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An Alabama man was arrested and banned from Walt Disney World in Florida after he was found camped out at its abandoned Discovery Island attraction.
Richard McGuire, 42, was arrested on Thursday and charged with trespassing after he was discovered living on the island, which he described as a “tropical paradise.”
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He was released on a $500 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned June 3.
Richard McGuire has been arrested and banned from Walt Disney World in Florida. Orange Country Sheriff's Office
McGuire used a Disney boat to reach the island, which has closed gates and “no trespassing” signs, The Associated Press reported.
Although Disney parks have been closed since mid-March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, McGuire told police he didn’t realize the area was restricted. He said he arrived on the island ― in Bay Lake near the Magic Kingdom and not far from Disney’s Contemporary and Wilderness Lodge resorts ― on Monday or Tuesday and had planned to stay there about a week.
A police report obtained by Variety said officers used helicopters and the Disney PA system to try to reach McGuire, but “he did not see or hear them due to being asleep in one of the buildings on the island.”
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Discovery Island was once a wildlife park with birds, monkeys and alligators. It closed in 1999, less than a year after Disney opened its much larger Animal Kingdom theme park. Several people have braved alligators and other risks to reach the island in the years since, often to post videos and photos online. Some have been caught and banned from Disney.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Craig Revel Horwood Reveals How Strictly Come Dancing Could Be 'More Spectacular' Without An Audienc

Craig Revel Horwood Reveals How Strictly Come Dancing Could Be 'More Spectacular' Without An Audience

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Craig Revel Horwood has shared his thoughts on how the BBC could get around this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing, should social distancing restrictions still be in effect when it airs.
While multiple TV shows have suspended production as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the BBC has insisted it is still exploring options regarding how Strictly could still go ahead in 2020.
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In a new interview on The Steph Show, long-serving judge Craig said: ”I’ve spoken to the producers and they’re working through absolutely everything to make it happen. I know, fingers crossed, it will.
“There is some way around it, there has to be. People love the show, it’s great entertainment… We really want it back and I know BBC One are working extremely hard to make that happen for the audience.”
Craig Revel Horwood Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
In fact, Craig went on to say that thinking outside the box to meet guidelines might actually improve the show, referring to his recent judging stint on the Australian version of the show.
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“When I did it in Australia, we managed to do it without a studio audience,” he explained. “And when people needed to be isolated, one couple, for instance, stayed in a hotel for two weeks and they performed live from the hotel rooftop.
“They set remote cameras up and it was absolutely amazing. There was a summer breeze wafting through their costumes and it was amazing. So there is a way around it, and it could be even more spectacular.”
Craig Revel Horwood's house looks EXACTLY how we'd all expect Craig Revel Horwood's house to look ✨ 😅 @CraigRevHorwood #TheStephShow #StayAtHome pic.twitter.com/ePRT7ljAdf — The Steph Show (@TheStephShowC4) May 4, 2020
Craig’s fellow judge Shirley Ballas assured fans last month that lots was being done behind the scenes to make sure Strictly went ahead as planned, saying: “Of course you definitely don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but I know they will definitely do everything in their power, if it’s conceivably possible, they will get that show on the air by September.
“So, it’s fingers crossed, let’s see how we go day to day. But I know they understand it’s an important show for the nation, and I think people will be ready for that come the winter months.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--California Shopper In Ku Klux Klan Hood Alarms Customers

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Customers and local officials blasted a grocery shopper in a San Diego suburb who was photographed wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood — apparently to provocatively conform to the county’s coronavirus face mask requirements.
Several workers at the store in Santee confronted the supremacist shopper, who refused to remove the hood until shortly before he purchased his groceries and left, according to a spokesperson for the Vons supermarket company.
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“Unfortunately, an alarming and isolated incident occurred at our Vons store in Santee, where a customer chose an inflammatory method of wearing a face covering,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Needless to say, it was shocking. This was a disturbing incident for our associates and customers, and we are reviewing with our team how to best handle such inappropriate situations in the future.”
A man wearing a makeshift Ku Klux Klan hood was photographed shopping at a store in Santee, Calif. https://t.co/MrHX4lXUtK pic.twitter.com/6SvOsgDp0M — philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 4, 2020
The shopper — who appeared to be a long-haired, middle-aged white man in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt — was not identified. Several people on social media called on others to name the customer if they recognised him.
Santee Mayor John Minto condemned the “symbol of hatred” worn by the man — and thanked those who confronted the customer.
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“Many thanks to all who stepped forward to curtail this sad reminder of intolerance,” the mayor said in a joint statement with the city council. “Santee, its leaders and I will not tolerate such behaviour.”
A man grocery shopping with a KKK hood in Santee, California. The city of Santee has a history of racism & people in southern California call it 'Klantee'. This is Trump's America. pic.twitter.com/AYRdnMVnXK — Stone (@stonecold2050) May 3, 2020
A woman who posted one of several photos of the shopper on social media told the Times of San Diego: “I was in disbelief. He was behind me in line. A man in a wheelchair [went] past and saluted him and he laughed. I took the photo because I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. I’ve grown up in Santee and have never seen such racism right before my eyes.”
Santee has a dark history of racist attacks and skinhead activity that earned the city of some 55,000 people the nicknames “Klantee” and “Santucky,” noted The San Diego Union Tribune.
A KKK hood worn openly at a Vons in Santee, CA, near San Diego.
The area’s been a hub of white supremacist and skinhead activity for many years, earning the nickname Klantee. pic.twitter.com/uB5ai0wETB — Nico Pitney (@nicopitney) May 3, 2020
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White supremacy and anti-Semitism have become intertwined with protests against COVID-19 safety measures.
The Auschwitz Museum deplored the use of a Nazi slogan by a protester in Chicago on Friday. She held aloft a sign reading: “Arbeit Macht Frei J.B.” The phrase means “work sets you free,” and was posted at some Nazi death camps where Jews and others were worked to death or killed during World War II. “J.B.” Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, is Jewish.
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in an interview Sunday condemned racist symbols, including Confederate flags and swastikas, displayed by some in a protest against stay-at-home COVID-19 safety measures at the state’s Capitol building last week.
“The Confederate flags and nooses, the swastikas, the behavior that you’ve seen in all of the clips is not representative of who we are in Michigan,” Whitmer said.
CNN's Jake Tapper asks if the Stay at Home protesters at the Capitol are in the same "vein" as the Charlottesville Neo-Nazis.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer says the protesters "depicted some of the worst racism and awful parts of our history in this country." pic.twitter.com/gImo4ebIIk — Benny (@bennyjohnson) May 3, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Scientists Warn Selective Lockdown Lifting Could 'Alienate' People

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Lifting the coronavirus lockdown selectively could undermine collective solidarity, lead to anger and resentment, and may be difficult to enforce, scientists have warned
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The cabinet is understood to be considering whether to retain the right to impose local or regional restrictions if the virus surges in a certain area after the current nationwide restrictions are lifted.
NHS England’s medical director Stephen Powis also said on Friday that officials will be studying whether stricter measures may have to continue to apply to the elderly, who are more vulnerable, when restrictions are relaxed.
Boris Johnson is this week expected to set out a roadmap out of the current lockdown, with an address to the nation expected on Sunday.
But scientists who have joined the so-called “independent Sage” committee raised concerns about how selective restrictions might work.
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The committee was set up by Sir David King, the former chief scientific adviser, as a counterpoint to the government’s own scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage).
At the first video meeting on Monday, Susan Michie, a behavioural scientist who heads up UCL’s centre for behaviour change, said ministers must be careful not to cause division when lifting the current restrictions.
She said “people were very surprised at how adherent” the public have been so far.
“A lot of that has been down to the collective solidarity that has been built up as people have been rising to the challenges, which for some people in some living conditions have been extremely challenging indeed,” she said.
Michie went on: “Going forward in terms of lifting the lockdown it’s going to be a very different situation because in the lockdown similar measures were being carried out across the whole population by and large.
“But what we’re going to be seeing is different measures for different sections of the population and so this has the potential for undermining the collective solidarity that has been so important for trust, for adherence, for helping each other.
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“And if it’s not handled well (it) risks potential division between groups, risks perceived inequality and injustice and unfairness which can lead to resentment and anger and people getting alienated from the collective and what’s being asked of them.
“Really a lot of thought needs to be given to how this is going to be managed and managed in such a way that all sections of the population are being looked after and their needs are being met.”
With the government expected to introduce a testing, tracking and tracing programme designed to keep a lid on small outbreaks, Michie said ministers must ensure the financial security of those who are asked to self isolate because they have been in contact with someone infected.
She also called for “much more nuanced messaging” if certain groups, such as the over-70s or people in a certain area, are asked to stay in lockdown while others leave it.
And she called for local infrastructure to be rebuilt in communities to help them cope with any measures.
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Christina Pagel, director of UCL’s clinical operational research unit, meanwhile questioned whether local lockdowns could work.
She said: “People are now pressing for: can we do local experiments almost for people, having them coming out of lockdown in areas where Covid hasn’t been as prevalent?
“My only question there is how do you keep people local?
“How do you say a certain part of England comes out of lockdown earlier? How do you stop people coming out of certain areas?”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--UK Records Lowest Increase In Coronavirus Deaths Total Since March 30

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The number of people who have died across the UK after contracting coronavirus has risen by 288 in 24 hours – the lowest daily reported increase since March 30.
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It brings the total to 28,734 as of 5pm on Sunday, and includes deaths in care homes and the community as well as in hospitals.
But health secretary Matt Hancock cautioned against over-optimism at the daily coronavirus press briefing, telling reporters a delay in reporting deaths over a weekend was standard.
On March 30, 180 deaths were reported by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), rising to a peak of 980 on April 10.
As of 9am 10 April, 316,836 tests have concluded, with 19,116 tests on 9 April.
256,605 people have been tested of which 73,758 tested positive.
As of 5pm on 9 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 8,958 have sadly died. pic.twitter.com/m6gDZBMUWb — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) April 10, 2020
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Meanwhile, 85,186 tests were carried out on Sunday – a second day below the government’s 100,000 daily target, which was hit on Friday to some fanfare despite the revelation it included postal tests that had simply been sent out rather than necessarily received, used or returned.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--Is Not Wearing A Bra During Self-Isolation A Bad Idea?

Along with handshakes and pants, bras have begun to seem like quaint relics of a pre-coronavirus world. Even before we began sheltering in place, some women were leading a charge to stop wearing bras in the workplace. These days, the joy of going braless is one of the few pleasures possible in a workday that, for many people, is conducted exclusively on above-the-clavicle Zoom calls.
But now that the girls have been on the loose for a few weeks, some of us are wondering if the braless life is for the best.
The biomechanics of wearing a bra
We start our “Braless in Quarantine” tour with Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, a professor of biomechanics in the Department of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth. As the head of a group dedicated to breast health and bra science, she offered background on breast biomechanics, bra research studies and suggestions for when you really do need to wear one.
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Isa Özdere / EyeEm via Getty Images “We use bras for different things, from keeping our breasts off our chests when we’re lounging around to protecting us while we’re running marathons, but the function of a bra is not conclusive," said Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, a professor of biomechanics.
“A lot of people don’t realise that the breast doesn’t have any muscles in it,” she told HuffPost. “It’s a lump of glandular tissue and fat, but that proportion varies wildly from woman to woman.”
One person could have 80% tissue and 20% fat, and someone else could have the reverse ― and the more glandular tissue in a breast, the denser and heavier it will be, Wakefield-Scurr said. When you consider that this tissue and fat have no supporting muscle, you can understand why bras were invented in the first place.
Heavy breasts tend to move more and can put more strain on the parts of the body that support them, such as the chest, back, neck and shoulder muscles, she added.
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Breasts are supported by the skin, but they also may or may not – and here’s where things can get contentious – be supported by something called Cooper’s ligaments, which were first described by surgeon and anatomist Sir Astley Paston Cooper in 1840. Their value and purpose has been marked by skepticism over the years ― some arguments claim that Cooper’s ligaments play a valuable role in keeping breasts aloft, as they require support at all times, while others believe the ligaments don’t exist at all. Still, Cooper’s name lives on, and sagging breasts are sometimes referred to as “Cooper’s Droopers.”
“Depending on the woman and the size of her breasts, even movement as low-key as walking around a living space or going up and down stairs can increase the risk of straining the skin beyond its natural limit.” - Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, professor of biomechanics at the University of Portsmouth
In actuality, Cooper’s “ligaments” aren’t really ligaments at all, Wakefield-Scurr said, since those are defined as fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones.
“In every breast, there’s an envelope of fascia, which is a connective tissue surrounding the breast tissue,” she said. “Then, there are these bits that dangle off the fascia and infiltrate the breast tissue. Those dangly bits are Cooper’s ligaments.”
What role do these not-really-ligaments play, if any, in supporting the breasts?
“They may provide support, but that’s not their primary function,” Wakefield-Scurr said. “Because they’re a tough tissue, they go from deep to superficial within the breast. It seems that their primary purpose is to surround the milk ducts and protect them. I think their level of support, if any, varies hugely from woman to woman. We will probably never know, since they are part of deep tissue structure that’s hard to measure on a live person.”
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The purpose of a bra is different for every person
So what’s the purpose of a bra, anyway?
“There isn’t a straight answer to that question, which is in itself quite surprising,” Wakefield-Scurr said. “We use bras for different things, from keeping our breasts off our chests when we’re lounging around to protecting us while we’re running marathons, but the function of a bra is not conclusive.”
The one time you must wear a bra is during exercise, said Wakefield-Scurr, whose lab has been researching the strain that exercise places on breasts. She offered this caution: “Exercising without appropriate breast support can cause microdamage and microtraumas to breast tissue and skin and, on the extreme end of the scale, could cause stretch marks, which are scar tissue created by excessive strain.”
“Depending on the woman and the size of her breasts, even movement as low-key as walking around a living space or going up and down stairs can increase the risk of straining the skin beyond its natural limit,” she added.
Even for those who don’t exercise, there’s an issue of comfort. For some people, shedding a bra is the ultimate freedom. But for others, including those who have breast pain, as Wakefield-Scurr herself does, a bra is not an option, but a necessity.
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“A bra can have many benefits, including providing support and perhaps reducing the risk of strain,” she said. “I wear a bra all day, every day at home, so at least for myself, I’m convinced there’s a lot of benefit to be had from bra use.”
Non-bra-related factors that actually do contribute to sagging
In addition to scoffing at the supportive role of Cooper’s ligaments (“There’s no definitive science on this. Let’s just say I think Dr. Cooper thought very highly of himself”), Dale said that those who worry that bralessness causes sagging should consider other factors, including weight gain or loss, multiple pregnancies, genetics and age. She also pointed to smoking as a major culprit in the development of Cooper’s Droopers.
“Smoking breaks down skin tissue, and that contributes to sagging,” she told HuffPost, adding, “You aren’t going to harm yourself going braless, unless you’re exercising and they’re swinging around and getting in the way.”
Still, she understands that for people with large breasts, walking around the house without a bra may not feel comfortable.
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“Maybe a bralette that keeps the breasts off the chest is what someone needs,” Dale said. “But women really do need to focus on fit in the first place, because a bad bra can make your shoulders hurt and cause pain.”
The study that can never be done
Lisa Sowder is a Seattle-based plastic surgeon who has been practicing since 1991. Her practice is primarily devoted to breast implant removal, breast reduction, fat grafts to the breast, and breast lifts.
“If you haven’t been wearing a bra while you’ve been sitting and working on the computer, it won’t cause lasting damage,” she told HuffPost.
George Mdivanian / EyeEm via Getty Images “Exercising without appropriate breast support can cause microdamage and microtraumas to breast tissue and skin and, on the extreme end of the scale, could cause stretch marks, which are scar tissue created by excessive strain," Wakefield-Scurr said.
Some sagging is going to be inevitable no matter what you wear, Sowder said, because of science.
“Gravitational force is the physical law where two bodies of masses attract each other,” she said. “The earth is attracting your breast and the breast is attracting the earth. The gravitational force is correlated to the mass. There’s more gravity on a 10-pound sack of flour than a five-pound one, which is why larger breasts will tend to sag more than smaller breasts. Gravity is naturally going to be pulling at the breast.”
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Here, she revealed her secret scientific desire: “I’d love to see a picture of a female astronaut’s breasts on the International Space Station, without gravity. I’ll bet they would look perfect.”
As to whether or not bras have any value in preventing breast sagging, she said that an accurate study can never be done.
“You’d need to develop a one-sided bra, which would be difficult to make and horrible to wear. Then good luck convincing 10,000 women to wear it for 10 years so you can measure which breast sagged more — the one in the bra or the braless one.”
She urged people to buy the kind of bras their breasts need, and to wear bras when it suits them.
“Most bras are purely decorative, and if you’re an A or B cup, that’s fine, go for it,” Sowder said. “But if you have to have more support, you need to get something that’s well-made. And if you’re big, saggy and uncomfortable, you really should consider a breast lift or reduction.”
Even a bra designer said wearing bras is a personal choice
Ra’el Cohen is chief creative officer at bra manufacturer ThirdLove. A lingerie industry expert, Cohen has done thousands of fittings on women over the course of two decades. Is a bra necessary? It depends, she said.
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“If you’re skipping bra-wearing for a month, especially if you have a larger chest, you could be hunching over more, and that poor posture could lead to some back pain,” she told HuffPost. “And then there are issues like sweating, chafing and irritation that can happen when your breasts are right on your chest. But it’s really all about personal choice.”
Cohen’s company has been acknowledging the no-bra freedom some have been enjoying on its Instagram page.
On Instagram, Third Love has made a point to acknowledge the bra-free freedom many women are enjoying these days. Like other experts, Cohen urged people not to settle for a bra that’s uncomfortable.
“We’re doing our job if you aren’t thinking about your bra at all,” she said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-04--London's Nightingale Hospital To Be Mothballed As Demand For Beds Falls In Capital

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The temporary London Nightingale hospital in east London is to be mothballed as demand for intensive care beds in London falls.
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But it will remain on “standby” in case of a second coronavirus peak.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson confirmed the news this afternoon.
“It is not likely that, in the coming days, we will need to be admitting patients to NHS Nightingale London while coronavirus in the capital remains under control,” the spokesperson said.
“That is obviously a very positive thing. We are grateful to everyone in London for following the government’s advice.
“What the Nightingale will be is effectively placed on standby so it is ready to receive patients if it is required, but we are not expecting that will be the case.”
In a leaked internal message from Nightingale London CEO Charles Knight, seen by HuffPost UK, staff were told the hospital will stand ready should it again be needed.
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“It is likely that in the coming days we will not need to be admitting patients to the London Nightingale, while coronavirus in the capital remains under control,” it read.
“As a result, after the last of this our first group of patients leaves, the hospital will be placed on standby, ready to resume operations as and when needed in the weeks and potentially months to come.
“So this does not mean our role in London’s response to the virus is over. We must be ready for the possibility that the number of Covid-19 cases rise again if and when the government eases social distancing rules.”
The Nightingale hospital in Manchester hospital is receiving patients, the spokesperson confirmed, while Harrogate and Bristol are ready to take them.
Sunderland and Exeter are due to open shortly.
A signpost directs ambulances to the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London, Friday April 3, 2020. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Meanwhile, GPs have been told that emergency cover across some parts of the UK is being stood down over the bank holiday in a further tentative sign that the worst of the crisis may be over.
While changes were made to GP contracts over the Easter weekend to ensure the Friday and Monday could run as normal days, HuffPost UK has been told that GPs in south Essex were planning to return to a typical bank holiday out-of-hours service on May 8.
Meanwhile, a GP working in the north east of England told HuffPost UK that red hubs – modified units for all patients in a particular area needing to be seen by a health care professional throughout the crisis – were to be stood down locally.