thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-22--What To Say To People Who Say You're Being 'Too Safe' Amid Covid-19

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This article was first published on HuffPost US.
It’s no secret people have different approaches to health and safety as we live through the coronavirus pandemic – and, in the UK, a variety of lockdowns.
While many are heeding public health experts’ advice to stay home and avoid gathering with anyone outside their households, others are throwing dinner parties that violate pandemic safety guidelines. Some couples in the US are still throwing indoor weddings with hundreds of guests at the same time that others are making difficult decisions to postpone or tie the knot via Zoom.
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With these divisions, disagreements have inevitably arisen between friends and relatives who don’t share the same pandemic safety philosophy. The situation is particularly frustrating for those who face criticism for taking extra precautions to avoid contracting and spreading the coronavirus.
Westend61 via Getty Images Not everyone is on the same page when it comes to pandemic precautions.
Resist the urge to get defensive.
“My advice to anyone being accused of being ‘too cautious’ is to resist the impulse to go on the defensive,” said Meg Gitlin, a psychotherapist and the voice behind City Therapist, a therapy insight Instagram account. “Don’t push back when you get questioned, instead go with it.”
She advised pausing, and then saying something like, “You’re right, we are being extra cautious.” You can acknowledge that we’re all in uncharted territory.
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“You may say that everyone is just doing the best they can to make decisions that make them feel safe and comfortable,” Gitlin said.
Don’t get into a debate.
“It’s not necessary to get into a debate,” said Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert, author of Modern Etiquette for a Better Life, and founder of The Protocol School of Texas. “Your views will be different from someone else’s, and you can say something like, ‘I would appreciate it if you would respect my position. I’m being very careful, and that’s how my family is navigating the situation.’”
If you’re uncomfortable with the way another person is handling pandemic safety, it’s OK to take a relationship “pause” for a while, she added.
Also, debating the merits of your positions won’t necessarily change anyone’s mind, so brevity is key.
“There is power in silence,” said licensed marriage and family therapist Saniyyah Mayo. “Sometimes trying to explain leaves you frustrated and defeated when a person only wants to prove you wrong or have a rebuttal. This can have a negative impact on your mental health. So in this case it’s better to not say anything at all.”
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Understand it’s probably not personal.
“When having these conversations, try to keep in mind that everyone is struggling to define what they feel comfortable with and sometimes aren’t able to express it properly,” Gitlin said.
“One defence mechanism people use when faced with uncertainty is to judge others or put them down,” she added. “If they come at you in a way that’s judgemental or unsupportive, it’s much more likely a projection of their own frustration with the situation than how they actually feel about your decision.”
If your gut reaction is to take someone’s judgement about your cautiousness personally, pause for a minute and try to depersonalise the sentiment in your mind. Remind yourself that you’re likely not the only one on the receiving end of this kind of criticism from them.
Validate the emotions behind their statement.
You don’t have to condone their resistance to Covid-19 safety measures, but you can empathise with the emotions behind such atttiudes.
Craig A. Knippenberg, a therapist and author of Wired and Connected: Brain-Based Solutions To Ensure Your Child’s Social and Emotional Success, recommended saying something like: “I so much appreciate your wanting to be together, we feel the exact same way.”
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“You can then validate how this is yet another loss we are suffering due to the virus,” he said. “Talking about your mutual grief can be very helpful. If need be, offer some logic to your decision-making: We have a high-risk family member; we are on the front lines and don’t want to risk spreading it; or, the vaccine is on its way, and we don’t want to blow out now.”
Remember you’re in charge of your choices.
It’s important to remember that you have every right and reason to take precautions to protect your health and safety amid the pandemic. Don’t let someone else’s criticism or judgement deter you from behaving prudently.
Knippenberg advised saying something along the lines of: “I know we all have different views on how to respond to the pandemic but it’s my job to determine what health standards are best for my family, given our particular circumstances.”
Have a healthy conversation if the audience is right.
If you feel inclined to launch into the specific reasons for your caution, determine if this is a useful discussion to have with that person.
“You have to ask yourself why you feel the need to explain [your decisions] in the first place,” Mayo said. “If it is to educate someone then consider your audience. If a person genuinely wants to know your reasoning, this may lead to a healthy conversation. In this case, just tell them your personal reasons for wanting to stay safe.”
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“You could also mention how you are following the latest transmission data and the advice of health and government officials,” Knippenberg noted. “You can always end with: ‘Well, I’m just sort of a better-safe-than-sorry kind of person.’”
Offer alternatives for socialising.
If you want to maintain your relationship with this person and continue socialising in a safe way, try to find a solution that works for you.
“Offer some creative alternatives,” Knippenberg suggested. “There will be lots of family Zoom gatherings this year or families who are self-isolating for 10 days prior to getting together. Remember, don’t politicise getting together. It’s just health care.”
Embrace the fact that judgement is inevitable.
“People say, ‘I make my decision, and you can’t judge me for it.’ But the truth is you make your decision, and I can judge you for your decision,” said Jodi R.R. Smith, president of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting.
“I expect people are going to judge me for my public behaviors,” she added. “That’s OK. That’s who we are as humans. Our behaviors have consequences as adults. We can ask, ‘Is this someone I want in my social circle?’”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Call For Law On Street Harassment As Teenage Girls Say 'No More'

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Most of us are still children when we first experience sexual harassment. It’s a shocking sentence, when you read it. But in day-to-day life, harassment in the form of catcalling is something many women and girls have come to expect.
That doesn’t mean we have to accept it.
Campaigners are calling for a clear law that makes public sexual harassment illegal, after teenagers have shared experiences of being catcalled while wearing school uniform.
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The #CrimeNotCompliment campaign is calling for the UK to follow in the footsteps of other countries who have successfully implemented legislation to tackle the issue.
The initiative has been co-founded by the charity Plan International UK and the grassroots campaign Our Streets Now, who surveyed girls aged 14-21 and their parents about street harassment.
Shockingly, half (51%) of the 1,000 girls surveyed experienced public sexual harassment over this summer alone, with worries over harassment adding to the multitude of concerns they’re already facing due to the pandemic.
An overwhelming 94% of girls said they think street harassment should be illegal, and 72% said knowing it was a criminal offence would make them more likely to report it to the police.
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The majority of parents agreed with the calls for new legislation, with 80% saying they worry their daughter will experience public sexual harassment. Concerns most commonly begin when their daughters are just 11 years old.
Teän, 14, from Cornwall, experienced street harassment while on her way to school, and is among those backing the calls for a new law.
“I was walking by a road and a group of men shouted and made inappropriate sexual gestures to me out of the back of a bus. I was wearing my school uniform and was visibly underage,” she says.
“A few minutes later another man drove past and shouted something out of the window. I didn’t report the incident to the police because I don’t really know how to, and even if I did, I wasn’t confident that they would take me seriously, or be able to do anything about it.”
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Teän’s mum, El, says hearing about her daughter’s experience has made her feel “really angry”.
“I remember getting harassed when I was younger, to the point where I didn’t walk down alleyways, I changed my clothes to feel safe in certain situations, and I wouldn’t walk on my own after dark,” she says.
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“To know that thirty years later my daughter is facing the same issues is awful. People think catcalling is not going to cause any harm, but it is incessant, and the build-up of that can cause long-term harm.”
Our Streets Now was founded by two sisters – 15-year-old Gemma Tutton and her 21-year-old sister, Maya – after they spoke to each other about their experiences of street harassment. The pair launched a change.org petition, calling for public sexual harassment to be made a criminal offence, which has already gained more than 210,000 signatures.
Now, with the backing of a big charity behind them, the sisters are hoping their calls will be taken seriously. Along with Plan International UK, they’re asking members of the public to join the campaign and show MPs that it’s time to make public sexual harassment a crime.
“We started this campaign because we want to create a society in which harassment is no longer a ‘normal’ part of being a girl. Public sexual harassment is a blight on the lives of women and girls in the UK and our research shows the urgency with which this problem must be tackled. The glaring holes in UK legislation are the best place to start,” Gemma and Maya said in a joint statement.
“Today, we launch our solution to the problem: a specific, stand-alone criminal offence which would finally give women and girls proper, effective legal protection from sexual harassment in public. ”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-22--I’m A GP. I'm Worried We're About To See A Medical Mental Health Crisis

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Many impacts of the coronavirus pandemic are easy to see, from facemasks and visors to closed restaurants and shops to deserted high streets. But there’s one consequence of this wretched virus, the one I fear most, that cannot be seen – its devastating impact on our mental health.
It’s become increasingly clear that lockdown is the perfect storm for our mental health. Is it any wonder, when we’ve faced nearly a year of living a dramatically different lifestyle, with no foresight as to when it will all end?
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People from all walks of life have relayed their mental health struggles throughout the pandemic, so on behalf of the medical community, I feel inclined to speak out. As a doctor, I am acutely aware of benefits this can bring – but I won’t pretend my struggles are easy to admit.
When training as a doctor, I knew my job would be hard – long hours, difficult decisions, breaking bad news – but I never imagined it would affect my mental health as it did. I took my first period of sick leave during my Foundation Year 1, and my problems followed on from there. I kept thinking that once qualified, I would finally be able to work on my mental health, by following a routine and ensuring I took time to switch off.
“Mental health struggles are not uncommon amongst the medical community, with one survey found 85% of doctors have experienced issues with their mental health.”
But being a GP presented itself with new mental challenges. Often, patients offload their anxieties onto their GP, so you sometimes feel as though you’re doing the job of therapist as well as doctor. This a natural part of the role and one which I graciously accept, but sometimes, it’s an emotionally taxing demand. It’s hard to keep filling up everyone else’s cup, whilst yours is completely empty.
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Mental health struggles are not uncommon amongst the medical community, with one survey found 85% of doctors have experienced issues with their mental health. As we near the end of the most exhausting year the NHS has seen, I would anticipate this figure to now be even higher.
You might not expect the pressures to filter down to primary care. You will have seen in the media how, when the first wave came, those infected with Covid-19 needed hospital admissions and ventilators, which was a true and saddening reality. Yet those cases were not in the majority – many thousands of people infected with the virus were well enough to stay at home and be managed by their GP. How long will it last? How do I self-isolate? When can I see my loved ones again? For many weeks, we in the healthcare community spent our time attempting to ease these concerns, while knowing next to nothing ourselves.
It was incredibly hard, especially for anyone already struggling with their mental health. Having lived with depression for so long, I know when I’m headed towards a low and have learned exactly how to manage it – I spend time with my friends, I go to a café to read, or go see a film. But in lockdown, I couldn’t do any of these things. I feared I would become so sick that I would have to stay home, unable to treat my patients – and unable to treat myself.
“For the sake of the 1.4million NHS workers, our industry needs to change.”
Thankfully, I work at a surgery where I’ve been able to be honest about my struggles from the offset. Our practice is technically advanced, with a superb digital triage system, Doctorlink, that helps us prioritise the patients in most need of care and so reduce administrative burden.
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But this isn’t common amongst my peers. For many, the sudden shift to technology at the outbreak of the pandemic was wholly new and an additional struggle, but the response from senior management at some surgeries was simply to ‘be more resilient’. I was lucky to be supported, but I still struggled – I can only imagine how my colleagues in less prepared environments have coped.
I know I am good at my job and I love nothing more than helping my patients, but for the sake of the 1.4million NHS workers, our industry needs to change. Firstly, there needs to be a systemic implementation of the digital support systems I have seen first-hand alleviate the burden not just on the system, but on the doctors who provide crucial care. Secondly, there needs to be an attitudinal shift. I have always been able to open up to my managers about my problems, but not everyone is so lucky – stigmas still remain.
To get through this crisis, and those which will surely come, GPs must feel more comfortable to be honest about their mental health struggles. We must not be overlooked in the mental health epidemic. If we are, the very system responsible for getting the nation through this crisis will be at risk of its own collapse.
Dr Steph Colbourn is a GP at Portland Medical in Croydon, London


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-22--Boris Johnson To Announce 'Major' Covid-19 Community Testing Programme

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The prime minister is expected to set out ‘major’ testing plans which will form part of stronger tiered local restrictions to replace England’s lockdown which ends on December 2.
Boris Johnson is also expected to confirm that families will be able to form Christmas “bubbles” to allow visits across the four nations of the UK for a limited number of days over the festive period, but the exact details will not be revealed until later in the week.
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Leaders in local authorities that fall into the ‘very high’ alert category will be able to draw on the support of NHS Test and Trace and the Armed Forces to help the delivery of extensive community testing, including targeting highest risk areas under the government’s new Covid Winter Plan.
Johnson is expected to say: “The selflessness of people in following the rules is making a difference. The virus is not spreading nearly as quickly as it would if we were not washing our hands, maintaining social distance, wearing masks and so on. And in England, where nationwide measures came into effect at the start of this month, the increase in new cases is flattening off.
“But we are not out of the woods yet. The virus is still present in communities across the country, and remains both far more infectious and far more deadly than seasonal flu.
“But with expansion in testing and vaccines edging closer to deployment, the regional tiered system will help get the virus back under control and keep it there.”
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This follows the success of whole community testing in Liverpool using rapid lateral flow tests, which produce test results within 30 minutes.
The Liverpool programme has seen over 200,000 people being tested and, alongside economic and social restrictions, has contributed to a substantial fall in Covid cases in that area.
SIPA USA/PA Images
Meanwhile, repeat testing will also be rapidly extended to prevent close contacts of those testing positive from having to isolate. Contacts of those who test positive will be offered the opportunity to be tested every day for a week and they will not need to isolate unless they test positive.
This repeated testing of contacts instead of isolation will be trialled in Liverpool from next week, if the results are promising then it will be extended across the NHS and care homes in December, before being rolled out to everyone from January.
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The measures in the Covid Winter Plan - which are backed by an additional £7bn, taking the overall funding provided for test and trace this year to £22bn - will also mean every care home resident will be able to see two visitors twice a week by the end of this year.
Testing to enable indoor visits to care home residents is being piloted in 20 care homes ahead a national rollout next month. This will enable each care home resident in the country to have up to two visitors who can be tested twice a week. Visitors will be able to have physical contact, such as a hug or holding hands, with their loved ones.
Care workers looking after people in their own homes will also start to be offered weekly tests from Monday.
The major testing programme will draw on the use of tens of millions of tests in the coming weeks and months and form part of a package of measures that confirm the end of national restrictions and a return to regional tiers.
gemphotography via Getty Images
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Workers in food manufacturing, staff in prisons, and those delivering and administering Covid vaccines are also set to be offered weekly testing from December.
Testing capacity has already increased from 100,000 a day at the end of April to 500,000 by the end of October, with plans to go even further by the end of the year.
This capacity is available across the UK, and over 37 million tests have been conducted - more per head than any other comparable European country.
In parallel, the government has opened over 680 test sites, reducing the average distance travelled for a test to just 2.6 miles.
So far, testing has focused on those with symptoms and protecting those most at risk. In addition to this, the use of testing will be widened to identify those without symptoms who can infect people unknowingly.
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Twice-weekly asymptomatic testing has already begun for NHS staff, and ministers have committed to increasing the frequency of testing for all care workers and residents from December. This will see staff tested twice-weekly rather than weekly, and residents weekly rather than monthly.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-22--Murder Investigation Launched Following Stabbing At Kensal Green Cemetery

A murder investigation has been launched after a man was knifed to death in north-west London on Sunday.
Emergency services were called to Harrow Road in Kensal Green to reports of a stabbing at around 2pm, the Metropolitan Police said.
The victim was found fatally injured and was later pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation has been launched following a fatal stabbing in Kensal Green. https://t.co/0SAQ4N6E2r — Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 22, 2020
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A 50-year-old man has been arrested and is currently in custody.
No further details about the victim have been given and enquiries are on going to trace his next of kin, the force said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-22--Strictly Come Dancing Result Sees Caroline Quentin Lose Out In Dance-Off

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Caroline Quentin has become the fourth celeb to be voted off this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The Men Behaving Badly star faced Maisie Smith in Sunday night’s dreaded dance-off.
Both couples performed their routines again with Caroline and her partner Johannes Radebe performing their rather divisive Cha Cha, and Maisie Smith and her partner Gorka Márquez performing their Salsa in a bid to impress the judges and remain in the competition.
(L-R) Maisie Smith, Gorka Márquez, Caroline Quentin, Johannes Radebe. BBC
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All three judges decided to save EastEnders star Maisie and sent Caroline home.
When asked by host Tess Daly if she had fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a dancer on the show Caroline said, “Yeah in a way slightly more than that because I have had the honour and privilege of working with some of the greatest dancers this country has ever known.
“I mean I really believe it, I think they are absolutely fantastic. But of course my greatest gift coming on this show is this man [Johanes].”
Strictly Come Dancing BBC
When asked if he had any words for Caroline, Johannes said “Oh my gosh, what a woman, thank you, thank you again, thank you, thank you, thank you. I don’t know what to say, because it was a beautiful one, I had a beautiful journey with you, thank you my darling, thank you.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-22--'It Gave Us A Sense of Identity': Lovers Rock Stars On The Soft Reggae Soundtrack Of Small Axe

Lovers Rock, a part of the Small Axe anthology, which comprises of five original films by Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen, aired via BBC One on Sunday.
An ode to the romantic reggae genre Lovers Rock and to the youth who found freedom and love in its sound, it tells a fictional story of young love and music at a house party in 1980.
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The episode was co-written by novelist and playwright, Courttia Newland (The Gospel According to Cane, Family Room) alongside McQueen.
Amarah-Jae St Aubyn makes her screen debut opposite the BAFTA 2020 Rising Star award recipient Micheal Ward.
Lovers Rock emerged in the mid-1970s, when the producers and owners of London’s sound systems began recording romantic ballads with teenagers warbling away renditions of soulful hits – in a soft, reggae style.
These anthems and many more provided a soundtrack for the house parties or “blues dances”.
Singer Paul Robinson, who goes by the stage name of Barry Boom, performed as part of a group called One Blood with his four older brothers. Like many of the vocalists of that time – he started out as a teenager, first appearing on record aged 13.
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Born to Jamaican parents in Peckham, Boom explains that racist white UK nightclub venues did not welcome Black migrants at the time – so that generation would have parties at each other’s houses and it soon became a tradition that Boom’s generation would maintain for years after.
Barry Boom Supplied
Indeed, as the McQueen production captures, the ritual of young love unfolded many a time at these events.
Young Black people would adorn their best clothes, pay a small admission fee, dance to romantic reggae songs, buy drinks, eat goat curry and rice and enjoy the sweet liberation of celebrating life and each other.
Against a backdrop of a hostile wider society and brewing political tensions, these parties were a cocoon of serenity, a melodic act of resistance which would go on to define British history.
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Boom remembers the parties well.
“When you’d go to the house parties, the rooms were dark, the music is very sensual and very loving, romantic, it had mostly everybody in that zone. The energy was all about love – it was an amazing feeling,” he tells HuffPost UK.
“The music would embrace you, hug you like a person; you could be by yourself and have a wonderful time in the dance. We need more of that nowadays.”
“This created memories so when you go forward in time and you look back at that time with fond memories. The warmth, closeness of the room, the drinks and food: Special Brew, Thunder Bird, Baby Cham, curry goat with rice. The music playing, bass, those kind of things.
“The music would embrace you, hug you like a person; you could be by yourself and have a wonderful time in the dance. We need more of that nowadays, some of that old school essence in the music. Yes, we’re in a modern time but we need some of that realism.”
After Caught You in a Lie (1975) by Louisa Mark was widely hailed as the first lovers rock single, Janet Kay made history by becoming the first British born Black female reggae artist to have a number one song in the British pop charts with Silly Games (1979). The track, written and produced by Dennis Bovell, scored big in Europe too.
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Quickly after, Kay became widely known as the Queen of Lovers Rock recording more hits, winning awards and landing a record deal.
“The music was made at a time when we were all teenagers, mid to late 1970s, and we sang about falling in love for the first time because that’s what was happening, meeting our partners, working,” Kay says.
Janet Kay Supplied
“For us, it was an expression of how we were feeling at that time. That’s a part of our DNA as second generation Black people (born to Windrush migrants); when we go out and still perform those songs, it’s still in our DNA. The music is our creative expression.
“We didn’t have any Black radio shows to talk of back then. They weren’t playing any reggae music other than a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon or Saturday night when Steve Bernard and Tony Williams presented shows. We listened to the regular stuff on radio that they played like pop, Motown, American R&B and soul. All of that mixed together made lovers rock.”
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Over the years, a handful of independent films have explored, at least in part, lovers rock music and culture such as Burning an Illusion (1981) and The Story of Lovers Rock (2011) both by Menelik Shabbaz.
The 1980 cult classic Babylon, starring Aswad front-man Brinsley Forde, is a tale about young Black Londoners exploring the roots reggae scene and navigating systemic racism. There’s an iconic scene featuring of a party where lovers rock is playing and lovers are enwrapped in one another’s arms.
Kay points out while lovers rock is not new – it’s positive that more people are talking about it in the lead up to the Small Axe series.
“It’s as though, for some people, this is like a new phenomenon where it isn’t. But it’s good because the musical library is there for people to go and look up. This didn’t just start today – it’s been going on for donkey’s years,” she says.
“UK lovers rock holds a place in a lot of people’s hearts, it takes them somewhere. They relive times of their lives – happy and sad.”
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The cast of Small Axe. BBC
Over the years, a star-studded roster of artists recorded popular cover versions of US soul ballads and some original standards too such as TT Ross, Cassandra and trio 15, 16, 17.
In a sense, the genre encompassed a womanist ethos: most of the singers were women who delivered powerful anthems about their personal experiences from within a male dominated industry.
Carroll Thompson first found fame with smash hit I’m So Sorry (1981) and a slew of hits followed including Simply In Love and Hopelessly in Love. The latter single was the title track of an album which sold over one million the same year – a unprecedented feat.
Carroll Thompson Supplied
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When asked whether she realised she’d go on to be a part of the history which is immortalised through music and TV portrayals of life at that time, Thompson laughs.
“No, no! That came much later,” she recalls. “All I knew was that I was a part of something that everybody was embracing. It was all very natural and authentic. I didn’t even believe that the album would still be relevant all these years later.
“At the time we were just young people making music that made us feel good. We were representing ourselves.”
Moving into the 1980s, artists like Peter Hunnigale, Sandra Cross, Lorna G, Kofi and John McLean recorded hits before the scene began to fizzle out in the early 1990s.
Digital, more hardcore styles of reggae music by Jamaican artists eclipsed the more mellow appeal of UK lovers rock across Black radio and in venues – while Britain’s mainstream music industry never quite accepted it to begin with.
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“A lot of the DJs stopped playing it,” Carroll Thompson says. “They said it was too soft; the onslaught of fantastic music coming from Jamaica, dancehall and everything else, rendered the softness and soulfulness of UK lovers rock as kind of redundant. What were they meant to do? The blues is the blues,”
Carroll Thompson Juliet Roberts And Jane Eugene David Corio via Getty Images
She adds that the mainstream industry didn’t embrace lovers rock because they never controlled it.
“It was controlled by independent Black record labels and the one or two songs that they put their might behind say Trevor Walters, Janet Kay, maybe Aswad later on and a few in between, were just one-off singles,” she says.
“Back in the day independent record labels didn’t get chart positions – you had to be a major company or a very big independent. That is why we were working in parallel to the mainstream music industry and that’s why we have never been recognised along soul, jazz, funk. We were not signed en masse.”
Carroll continues: “There’s a lineage, a trajectory, in terms of UK sound and the mother of that is lovers rock. It goes right through to Estelle and Corinne Bailey Rae, you can hear the influences in their sound. Sade called her album Lovers Rock; without lovers rock you wouldn’t have Soul II soul – the lead vocalist was a member of Brown Sugar: Carol Wheeler.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-22--Covid: Families Will Be Allowed To Get Together In Christmas 'Bubbles'

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The UK’s four nations have agreed to allow “limited additional household bubbling” so families can get together for Christmas, the UK government has announced
But any loosening of coronavirus restrictions will only be in place for “a small number of days”.
Boris Johnson was on Sunday afternoon holding a meeting of the UK cabinet to sign off on the plans, and on a new strengthened system of tiered local restrictions to replace England’s lockdown on December 2.
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The Sun reported that festive bubbles could allow up to four households to mix for five days.
But HuffPost UK understands that the prime minister will be unable to say precisely how many days the Christmas release of restrictions will last, or how many different families will be able to mix, when he sets out his Covid winter plan on Monday.
That is because the first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland need their own cabinets to sign off on the details, which the UK government expects to happen this week.
But Downing Street is pleased that it has been able to agree a four nations approach to allow families to visit each other in the different parts of the UK.
Christmas lights in central London, as England continues a four week national lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. PA
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It marks a rare show of unity across the nations, which have followed different paths on coronavirus restrictions in recent months.
The breakthrough comes after Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove met with the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Saturday.
In a statement on Sunday following the meeting, the government said: “Welcoming the good progress made by all administrations over the past few days to design a single set of arrangements that can apply across the UK, ministers reiterated the importance of allowing families and friends to meet in a careful and limited way, while recognising that this will not be a normal festive period and the risks of transmission remain very real.
“As such, ministers endorsed a shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days, but also emphasised that the public will be advised to remain cautious, and that wherever possible people should avoid travelling and minimise social contact.
“In respect of Northern Ireland, ministers also recognised that people will want to see family and friends across the island of Ireland, and this is the subject of discussions with the Irish government.
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“Work is continuing to finalise the arrangements, including relating to travel. The UK government, Scottish government, Welsh government and Northern Ireland Executive hope to conclude this work this week, subject to agreement by each administration.”
Earlier, chancellor Rishi Sunak warned that Christmas will not be normal this year.
He told Sky’s Ridge on Sunday: “I think the good news is we’re going to be exiting national restrictions, which is something that I think people at the beginning of this were doubtful of and we said that was very much what we wanted to deliver, and we are going to deliver that.
“The prime minister will be setting out more details tomorrow about going back to a more localised approach, seeing what we can do to allow families to see each other at Christmas time.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-22--Tory MPs ‘Ignore’ PM's Advice To ‘Form A Square’ Around Priti Patel

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Less than a quarter of Tory MPs defended Priti Patel with supportive tweets after she was found guilty of bullying officials, despite Boris Johnson urging them to “form a square” around her.
The prime minister texted Tories last week telling them to “form a square around the prittster”, with No.10 press secretary Allegra Stratton confirming that Johnson wanted MPs to support the home secretary on what was “a testing day for her” on Friday.
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Stratton briefed reporters after Johnson overruled independent advice that Patel had breached the ministerial code by “shouting and swearing” at Home Office staff, sparking the resignation of the PM’s adviser on ministerial interests Sir Alex Allan.
Senior Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith and Patel’s parliamentary aides at the Home Office were also reportedly attempting to coordinate “supportive tweets” for Patel on Friday.
But by Friday evening, fewer than 25% of Tory MPs on Twitter posted in support of Patel, Liberal Democrat analysis suggests.
By Sunday lunchtime, just five of the 21 other cabinet ministers with Twitter accounts had posted in support of Patel.
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EXC: PM whatsapp order to Tory MPs: “Time to form a square around the prittster”https://t.co/u3GKiggVyC pic.twitter.com/irEVhuPX6V — Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) November 20, 2020
They were Liz Truss, Therese Coffey, Amanda Milling, Ben Wallace.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who attends cabinet as Commons leader, managed to tweet in support of Patel as well as anti-bullying week.
Other ministers, including Johnson and Rishi Sunak did defend Patel in broadcast interviews.
But Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said the “dire” lack of backing for Patel online showed Johnson has “lost the trust of his backbenchers”.
It came as the Sunday Times reported that Johnson had held discussions about replacing Patel as home secretary in a new year cabinet reshuffle.
Carmichael told HuffPost UK: “This is bad for the prime minister - not only has he lost an adviser and seemingly subverted the ministerial code, when he called on colleagues to support Patel the vast majority of colleagues ignored him.
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“Johnson has lost the trust of his backbenchers who are fed up being sent over the top by a general who sounds a retreat when they are out in no man’s land.
“The prime minister allegedly loathes bullying - well this week we’ve seen the anti-bullying version of Barnard Castle from No.10.
“The support for Patel in her party is dire - our research show the number of MPs supporting her is tiny.
“Many MPs from all parties spend a lot of time going round schools on anti-bullying campaigns, how can they do that with a straight face if they throw their support behind the home secretary?”
Hitting back, one Tory source said: “It was a lot more MPs than those who backed Ed Davey’s leadership bid.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-22--Strictly Come Dancing’s Caroline Quentin Licked Partner Johannes During Cha Cha Routine And Viewers

Strictly Come Dancing’s Caroline Quentin Licked Partner Johannes During Cha Cha Routine And Viewers Have Thoughts

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We’re used to seeing plenty of armography on Strictly Come Dancing, but on Saturday’s show, Caroline Quentin treated us all to some erm, tongue-ography.
It all got a little Woman Behaving Badly during the actor’s Cha Cha, with Caroline playing the role of a naughty housewife whose cat gets stuck up a tree and calls on a fireman - her professional dance partner Johannes Radebe - to come to the rescue.
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There was a lot of comedic face-pulling throughout, and then this happened...
#Strictly pic.twitter.com/RU3FNNU1Am
Caroline Quintin 100% inappropriate. Vile. Rest of show fantastic 👍👍👍 — Darran Bilton (@dalbydasher) November 21, 2020
Strictly viewers had never seen the likes of it before (and some never wanted to again)…
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Caroline and Johannes have big “the mother of the bride on a hen do meets twink in a gay bar” energy #Strictly — Tony (@AntMelia94) November 21, 2020
Put your tongue away Caroline 😂🤦🏼♀ #Strictly — Clare (@fiestyclare) November 21, 2020
But plenty of viewers were here for the comedy element of the routine...
Can’t remember the last time I LAUGHED with a dance. The joy that is Caroline Quentin 👏🏼 #Strictly — Alex (@AMG_Review) November 21, 2020
Caroline licking Johannes' bicep is absolutely a mood #Strictly — Davina Kesby (@Kesby_) November 21, 2020
Rarely strictly gets me crying with laughter but Caroline and Johannes managed it. Brilliant and such good fun. #Strictly — Tracy Ferris (@RootooTracy) November 21, 2020
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Caroline and Johannes can do no wrong I love everything they do she just never fails to make me smile another amazing performance #Strictly https://t.co/AfargN5Hx3 — Courtney 🎄🎅 (@Ben4eva) November 21, 2020
The Men Behaving Badly star ended up second from bottom on the scoreboard after bagging eight points from the three judges, including Craig Revel-Horwood who remarked: “I think Johannes is the only one that needs rescuing!”
He added: “We really could have done without your tongue. I felt like I was watching an episode of Are You Being Served?
“I’m sure you based your character on that... but I loved it, I absolutely loved it.”
Speaking about the dance afterwards, Caroline said: “I think we have enjoyed ourselves a bit too much probably.
“It’s been ludicrous the amount of fun we have had.”
Elsewhere on this week’s show, Jamie Laing wowed the Strictly judges – hitting the top of the leaderboard.
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The Made In Chelsea star and his partner Karen Hauer notched up 29 points for their street dance.
After topping the leaderboard last week, Radio 1 presenter Clara Amfo ended up at the bottom of it this week, receiving just 18 points from the judges for her samba with Aljaz Skorjanec.
Shirley Ballas told Amfo that her feet “missed the mark” and it was her “weakest performance so far”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--The Chase's New Chaser Darragh Ennis Explains Why He Rejected His Original Nickname

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The Chase newcomer Darragh Ennis has revealed he turned down the original nickname suggested by producers when it was first announced that he was joining the show.
Darragh – who previously competed on the ITV quiz show in 2017 – made his debut as a Chaser during Thursday night’s show.
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Following in the footsteps of The Governess, The Beast and The Vixen, Darragh’s nickname within the show was revealed to be The Menace (a pun on his initials, D. Ennis).
However, during Monday’s instalment of This Morning, it was revealed this had to be changed from The Professor, after he took issue with the proposed nickname.
Darragh Ennis is now a part of The Chase team ITV
Explaining his decision to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, Darragh said: “They did say that to me, but I work in the university here in Oxford and professor is a title that you really have to earn. I think people would be very annoyed if I started calling myself the Professor.
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“So I said I didn’t want that, but they didn’t tell me what my name would be until I was on set. I was on stage, waiting to go on when I first heard.”
Darragh on This Morning ITV/Shutterstock
Last week, Darragh said of his “Menace” moniker: “I like it, it’s good. I can’t wait for the merchandise. My friend has already said he wants me in Toby Jug form.”
Darragh is the first Chaser to be welcomed to the show since 2015, and the sixth overall.
The line-up of The Chase before Darragh joined the show ITV/Shutterstock
The Chase launched in 2009 with just Mark Labbett and Shaun Wallace before Anne Hegerty joined the group a year later, with Paul Sinha added in 2011.
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Jenny Ryan then became the show’s fifth resident Chaser in 2015.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Covid Rules: What Will And Won’t Be Reopening After December 2

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As England prepares for the end of its second national lockdown on December 2, we’re faced with another new set of rules to learn.
Boris Johnson made a statement unveiling the “Covid winter plan” in the House of Commons on Monday, confirming: “The national restrictions will end on the 2nd December and they will not be renewed.”
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The three-tier system – which divided the country into three ‘risk levels’ before the lockdown – will return from next Wednesday 2 December, with some slight adjustments and additions in detail. You can find out which tier you are in here.
Some businesses will reopen “regardless of tier”.
Venues reopening across the country include:
Gyms
Non-essential shops
Places of worship (subject to social distancing)
Wedding venues (up to 15 guests permitted nationwide, but receptions not permitted in Tier 3).
Venues for outdoor sport (e.g golf curses and tennis courts)
‘Personal care’ settings (e.g. hairdressers and nail salons)
Prostock-Studio via Getty Images
What’s happening to pubs and restaurants?
The hospitality sector will be subject to the tier system.
Tier 1: Restaurants and pubs can reopen. The 10pm closure rule – referred to previously as the curfew – has been scrapped. Instead, last orders will be at 10 and venues will need to close by 11pm.
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Tier 2: Pubs and bars must close unless they are “serving substantial meals (like a full breakfast, main lunchtime or evening meal), along with accompanying drinks”.
Tier 3: All hospitality must close except for delivery, takeaway and drive-through.
What’s the deal with entertainment venues?
Entertainment venues such as cinemas, theatres, casinos and bowling alleys, can reopen in tiers 1 and 2. However, in tier 3 these businesses can not reopen.
Hotels and other accommodation providers must close in tier 3, except for specific exemptions, “including people staying for work purposes or where they cannot return home”.
Will some things stay the same?


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Strictly Brings The Best Of Blackpool To The Ballroom | Jive Talking

Strictly Brings The Best Of Blackpool To The Ballroom | Jive Talking
They couldn’t go to Blackpool for obvious reasons, but the couples still brought the heat to Borehamwood. It was an all-shimmying, all-swooning and indeed…. all-licking spectacular from Caroline and Johannes, but it wasn’t enough to save them.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--How Daily Testing Could End Misery Of Self-Isolation For Covid Contacts

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The message has been simple since the rollout of Test and Trace: if you come into “close contact” with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, you need to self-isolate for 14 days.
Now all that looks likely to change. Starting in a pilot area, close contacts of people who have tested positive for coronavirus will be offered daily testing for a week. They won’t have to self-isolate at all unless they also come up positive.
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Currently, a negative test isn’t deemed sufficient evidence that a person really is safe to be out and about. That’s why Boris Johnson, who tested negative last week, is still self-isolating after coming into contact with a sick MP.
So what’s changed?
Members of the public complete a test swab during a lateral flow Covid test at Rhydycar leisure centre in Merthyr Tydfil PA
The aviation industry has repeatedly called for quarantine requirements to be eased for people who test negative for Covid-19.
Research published this month from consultants Oxera and health analytics firm Edge Health suggested that up to 90% of infected passengers could be detected following just five days of quarantine.
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The analysis pointed to international examples, including in Iceland where 69% of infected travellers were identified upon arrival with a further 21% identified five days later.
It came too late for EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan, who resigned in August after breaching a 14-day quarantine he should have completed upon returning from Belgium.
He had excused it by saying he received a negative Covid-19 test. But according to enquiries made by the Irish Times to the HSE Live Coronavirus information line at the time, incoming passengers should still have quarantined for 14 days regardless of any negative test result as the disease can incubate for days, delivering a negative result even for a person who later becomes positive.
“A test is only a point in time,” the adviser explained to the newspaper. “So I’m afraid the 14-day [quarantine period] still stands regardless of testing negative or not.”
Will daily testing work?
Professor David Alexander works in emergency planning and management and says he’s sceptical about the government’s ability to manage an increased testing regime.
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“The more testing there is, the better off we are,” he told HuffPost UK. “With testing we get a bigger, better picture of what’s going on with this wretched disease.
″[But] a lot of this depends on how they can muster their forces and do this, and so far their record has been abysmal at doing things properly.”
Was self-isolation working anyway?
The government has already been criticised for its relative lack of support for those left stuck at home and unable to work. Eventually it bowed to pressure and offered a one-off payment of £500 to people on low incomes who were told to self-isolate.
Professor Alexander, from the UCL Institute of Risk and Disaster Reduction, contrasts the UK with South Korea, which has carefully managed and monitored its quarantining population, supplying meals and resources to ensure it is adhered to.
He added: “I’m not at all sure that quarantine works if you just let people get on with it.”
Accepting that two weeks’ self-isolation was an unacceptable burden for some, last month transport secretary Grant Shapps launched a taskforce to find ways of reducing the period with a “test and release regime”. Even that, though, would still have involved a self-isolation period of at least a week.
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Has more testing been shown to reduce infections?
Yes. Downing Street said there would be an expansion of the mass testing already trialled in Liverpool to help areas deemed to have “very high” Covid levels, offering them a direct route out of the harshest restrictions.
More than 200,000 people in the city underwent rapid lateral flow tests which produce results within 30 minutes.
The pilot of mass coronavirus testing in Liverpool found 700 positive cases that would have not been detected otherwise, Public Health England director Dr Susan Hopkins said last week.
Downing Street said the testing, along with restrictions on movement, had led to a drop in Covid cases in the area.
Liverpool, which was placed in Tier 3, will now also trial the repeated testing scheme as a replacement for quarantine, starting on Monday, with the government looking to roll it out across the NHS and care homes in December, and the rest of the UK by January.
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Who else will it help?
The government is also looking to roll out testing in care homes next month – which, it says, will allow each care home resident in the country to have up to two visitors who can be tested twice a week with physical contact permitted.
It is not yet known what areas are destined for Tier 3 once national lockdown lifts, with ministers preparing to outline the details on Thursday.
But Downing Street has said a greater number of areas are expected to enter the higher tiers than before, to preserve the gains made against Covid-19 during the full lockdown.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Exclusive: Electoral Commission Urged To Investigate Facebook Ads For Towns Fund

Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks away after driving a Union flag-themed JCB, with the words "Get Brexit Done" inside the digger bucket, through a fake wall emblazoned with the word "Gridlock" Stefan Rousseau - PA Images via Getty Images
The election watchdog faces calls to investigate Facebook ads about the government’s controversial Towns Fund targeted at key marginal seats in 2019.
HuffPost UK revealed last year that the government paid for more than 20 ads in swing seats trumpeting £25m investment in “your town”.
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The messages, which could still be found on the site when MPs backed an early general election in October, all appeared to be specifically targeted at areas where the sitting MP had a majority below 5,000, such as Milton Keynes, Morley and Workington.
Facebook pulled the ads after they were highlighted, saying they were not correctly labelled.
“Ads about social issues, elections or politics that appear on our platforms should include a disclaimer provided by advertisers,” a spokesman for the site said.
Now, Labour has written to the Electoral Commission asking the body to “investigate the circumstances of this alleged misuse of public funds”.
It follows fresh questions for communities secretary Robert Jenrick, whose Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government runs the scheme, who has repeatedly been called to parliament to answer questions about whether the fund was used to “funnel” cash to target seats.
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The government has insisted the process “comprehensive, robust and fair” but a highly critical report by the Public Accounts Committee said the fund was “not impartial” and ministers ignored officials’ advice.
Meg Hillier, chair of the committee, said the system gave “every appearance of having been politically motivated”.
MPs also said some towns were picked by ministers, including Jenrick’s own Newark constituency, “despite being identified by officials as the very lowest priority”.
Cat Smith, shadow minister, has written to Bob Posner, chief executive of the Electoral Commission.
Facebook ads which were targeted at election battlegrounds in 2019 Facebook ads which were targeted at election battlegrounds in 2019
In the letter, seen by HuffPost UK, she says: “On the cusp of a general election, this sort of targeted advertising is clearly inappropriate when paid for out of the public purse.
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“This is a clear case of public money being used to advance the political interest of the Conservative Party.
“In light of the recent Towns Fund scandal, we know that taxpayers’ money has been used to benefit the Conservative Party.”
She adds: “In a time of increasing disregard for democratic processes and norms worldwide, it is vital that the UK government is held to the highest democratic standards and acts both legally and transparently.
“I would urge the Electoral Commission to investigate the circumstances of this alleged misuse of public funds, and to report on its findings publicly as soon as possible.
“Ministers must answer these questions and reassure the public that taxpayers’ cash is not being spent by the Conservatives for their own gain.”
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When approached the government about the Facebook ads last year, a spokesman said “all towns selected were chosen according to the same selection methodology, including analysis of deprivation, productivity, economy resilience and investment opportunities”.
It said that the ad campaign ended before the official election campaign started, even though posts could still be found.
They said: “The My Town campaign began on 25 October and has now ended in the run up to the pre-election period. While the posts are still be present on Facebook, they are no longer being promoted as the paid-for campaign has ended.”
They added that “the ‘My Town’ campaign was designed and launched before the general election was called”.
“The campaign was targeted at all the places selected to bid for the Towns Fund - not at a limited number or to specific areas as suggested,” the spokesman said, adding that the posts were no longer promoted but could be found online.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--How Vegans Can Boost Their Bone Health

How Vegans Can Boost Their Bone Health

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Switching to a vegan diet has been named one of the biggest ways we can help to tackle climate change. But having a plant-based diet may not be the best of our bone health.
Vegans are more likely to suffer a fracture than those who include meat and fish in their diet, according to new research.
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The study, based on data from nearly 55,000 people – of which nearly 2,000 were vegans – found those not eating meat or fish were 43% more likely to suffer any type of broken bone.
Data from the participants in the EPIC-Oxford study – who were followed for 18 years on average – showed 3,941 fractures occurred in total, and the biggest difference was found in hip fractures, where the risk in vegans was 2.3 times higher than in people who ate meat.
But don’t panic, the research doesn’t mean you necessarily need to ditch your vegan lifestyle if you’re a proud eco-warrior or animal rights advocate.
Alexander Spatari via Getty Images
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You do need to make a conscious effort to protect your bones though, says dietician Bahee Van de Bor. Ensuring you get enough calcium (which helps maintain healthy bones and teeth), is vital.
“When planning a vegan diet it’s important to know exactly how much calcium your body needs,” she tells HuffPost UK. “Both adult men and women need 700mg calcium per day with increased requirements during breastfeeding (1250mg/day).”
We tend to associate calcium with dairy, but there are plenty of vegan-friendly sources. Van de Bor recommends the following plant-based options:
Calcium, iodine and vitamin D fortified plant-drinks (for this reason avoid organic varieties which are not fortified with calcium); 200ml provides 240mg
Calcium-fortified soy, oat and coconut yoghurts, 125g provides 150mg
Calcium-enriched orange juice, 150 ml provides 180mg
Calcium-fortified cereals and instant hot oat cereal, 130-200mg per serving
Vegetables such as broccoli provide calcium (two spears, 34mg)
Calcium-fortified bread; variable with type providing 50-100mg per two slices
One orange, 75mg
In the latest study, lower BMI was also associated with greater risk of fractures, therefore it’s essential to make sure that you are also getting enough protein and calories, adds Van de Bor.
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Vitamin D will also boost bone health and you should be aiming of 10mcg vitamin D daily, which you may want to consider a supplement for.
“A vegan-friendly type of vitamin D can be purchased for a plant-based diet,” she says. “It’s generally referred to as vitamin D2 but some brands source D3 derived from algae.”
If you’re unsure if your health if suffering as a result of a vegan diet, Van de Bor recommends working with a registered dietician for advice.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Star Wars Fans Spot A Huge Goof In Latest Mandalorian Episode

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The collapse of the Empire seems to have been especially hard on dress codes as eagle-eyed fans of The Mandalorian spotted someone definitely out of uniform in the latest episode.
As Mando and crew invade an old Imperial base in Chapter 12: The Siege, someone can be seen pressed up against a wall decked out in jeans, a T-shirt and a wristwatch.
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Not exactly common attire a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
It was likely a crew member doing a poor job of keeping out of the shot, and it happens at about 18:54 in the episode, which debuted on Disney+ last week.
The Mandalorian Disney
Still can’t spot him?
How about now?
The Mandalorian Twitter
It’s up there with the infamous Game of Thrones scene in which someone left a coffee cup out in full view.
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The filming faux pas didn’t escape fans of the series...
Love the unintended Crew member in Yesterday’s #Mandalorian . Got to get that action figure on my Christmas list pic.twitter.com/4mtlSPM4bs — Owen Staton (@OwenSGriffiths) November 21, 2020
Got a screen shot of the extra crew member in this week's The #Mandalorian. Didn't realize they wore blue jeans in a galaxy far, far away.
Found at 18:54.https://t.co/yxjNfsxnsb pic.twitter.com/jv1Olgyv0p — ʎpooɯ sıɹɔ (@crismoody) November 21, 2020
Shout out to the crew member in the background of the latest episode of The Mandalorian. I look forward to reading your extensive in-universe backstory on Wookipedia. pic.twitter.com/2vqIsXxJ2b — 𝔎𝔯𝔶𝔭𝔱𝔦𝔡 🎃 (@thecinemapunk) November 20, 2020
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@themandalorian
Guy in jeans and gray T-shirt wearing a watch. A Storm Trooper just getting off his shift tries to avoid shoot out ?
It happens. pic.twitter.com/42V6iHbNye — Anthony Romero (@Anthony51RomerO) November 20, 2020
SPOILERS: Apparently #Mandalorian has a Jeans & TShirt day. Tell me when you see it! 😂 pic.twitter.com/HrZ1jpMnIA — SwittCraft! ❤⚒🤖 (@SwittCraft) November 22, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Former Strictly Pro Kevin Clifton Weighs In On Judges’ ‘Harsh’ Scoring Of Clara Amfo: ‘They Slaughte

Former Strictly Pro Kevin Clifton Weighs In On Judges’ ‘Harsh’ Scoring Of Clara Amfo: ‘They Slaughtered Her’

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Former Strictly Come Dancing pro Kevin Clifton has weighed in on the judges’ low scoring of Clara Amfo on this weekend’s show.
The Radio 1 presenter, who was top of the leaderboard last week, dropped down to last place after her samba with partner Aljaž Skorjanec failed to impress judges Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Anton du Beke, who scored the routine just 18 points.
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Kevin, who won Strictly with girlfriend Stacey Dooley in 2018 but has since left the show, said the judges were “harsh” on Clara and questioned their scoring of her fellow contestants.
Kevin Clifton SIPA USA/PA Images
In an Instagram Live broadcast Kevin said: “I thought the judges were so, so harsh on Clara and Aljaž. I really enjoyed their samba.”
He hailed Clara and Aljaž’s “timing, bounce [and] technique”, saying he was “really impressed” by the routine.
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“Alright, there was a couple of mistakes that she made, but some of the other couples made mistakes as well,” he continued.
“My thoughts on it... you know when the judges go to some people, ‘Oh, there’s a couple of little bits that went wrong, but I loved it’, or, ‘Something went wrong there, but well done you for carrying on’.
“Yet with Clara, it was like, ‘You made a couple of mistakes’, and it was, ‘Nah, you made some mistakes’, and they slaughtered her.”
Kevin also questioned the number of nines being dished out, saying: “if Clara’s getting, like, a five and a six and a seven for hers – it wasn’t that far behind everyone to me.
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“I thought the judges were really harsh on Clara and Aljaž, and I just love watching them.”
“I can’t understand why they were so harsh on Clara this week, I really can’t,” he later added.
“And people are gonna point to, ‘oh, she just went wrong on this bit’ or whatever, but I can point to things wrong with all the dances, y’know? Nothing’s ever going to be technically perfect, because they’re not professional dancers.”
Kevin also shared who he thought would be lifting the glitterball trophy this year.
“I still think Bill’s [Bailey] gonna win,” he added, “it’s gonna take a lot to stop Bill.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Legacy Remembered In Huge Street Art Mural

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The legacy of liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being remembered with a gigantic new street art mural in New York City.
Street artist Elle painted the three-story depiction of the late Supreme Court associate justice ― who died in September at the age of 87 ― on the corner of 11th Street and 1st Avenue in the East Village.
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The piece also features Lady Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.
“I’m super honoured to be able to paint her portrait in New York,” Elle told HuffPost, hailing Ginsburg as “quite the force to be reckoned with working behind the scenes to push equal rights in America.”
California-born Elle “fell in love” with street art after dropping out of art school and moving to New York at age 21.
She wheat-pasted pieces around Brooklyn before becoming “super obsessed” with graffiti and getting sponsored by a spray paint company.
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Elle then “took all of my free spray paint and started asking people if I could paint their walls for free.
Elle spent the rest of her 20s honing her craft in New York, later a year in France, and is now mostly on the road worldwide painting her collages of “the all-powerful female — but no one in particular” for clients and at festivals, to the extent the coronavirus pandemic allows.
“I chose the name Elle because it means ‘she’ in French,” the artist explained. “I realised there were very few women graffiti artists, so I wanted to get up for the ladies.”
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TaskForce, an agency working with arts, culture and social change, commissioned Elle to paint the portrait of Ginsburg.
When she couldn’t find a suitable wall in the Midwood or Flatbush neighborhoods of Brooklyn, from where Ginsburg hailed, the nonprofit LISA Project NYC found her space in the East Village in Manhattan.
“I don’t typically paint portraits,” said Elle, who spent two weeks on the mural. “But when I was invited to create the piece for RBG there was nothing more that I wanted to do than to paint a memorial piece for her.”
The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being honored with a three-story street art mural in Manhattan. Lindsay DeDario/Reuters
The piece took on a special significance, Elle said, following President Donald Trump’s election defeat by President-elect Joe Biden.
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“I love New York, New York loves RBG, and I think it’s fair to say that nearly the entire city was elated about the election results,” she said. “RBG is a hometown native of this city ― and she will forever be loved and an icon here.”
“We are beyond thrilled to see Trump ousted,” the artist added. “And I think this portrait of RBG represents that continuation of hope and joy that this city badly needed after such a hard year with Covid-19.”
Check out more of Elle’s work on Instagram, her website and below:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Paul Mescal Reveals He And Daisy Edgar-Jones Have Their Own Hangover-Inducing Normal People Drinking

Paul Mescal Reveals He And Daisy Edgar-Jones Have Their Own Hangover-Inducing Normal People Drinking Game

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Paul Mescal has revealed he and Daisy Edgar-Jones have finally been able to watch Normal People together – and even came up with their own drinking game to mark the occasion.
The pair played Connell and Marianne in the hit BBC Three show, which debuted earlier this year.
However, because of lockdown and their own busy schedules, the two actors have not had the chance to sit down and watch the show together yet, but finally found the opportunity recently.
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And let’s just say, they made up for lost time.
Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones keep their distance on the red carpet at the TV Baftas David M. Benett via Getty Images
“We actually ended up playing a little drinking game: every time Connell wouldn’t complete a sentence or any time Marianne would make an emphatic statement that made Connell uncomfortable we did a shot,” Paul told GQ.
We just want to clarify that this is not a drinking game that HuffPost UK endorses, particularly to anyone who wants to still be conscious by episode three of Normal People.
Paul – who has been named Breakthrough Actor Of The Year at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards – added: “We ended up talking over most of it, just reflecting on particular days, costume changes, memories.
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“It was very special to get to do that with her. The thing we shared – will always share – is so unique.”
Paul and Daisy in character as Connell and Marianne BBC/Element Pictures/Hulu
The success of Normal People – based on Sally Rooney’s hit novel – led to the show being nominated for four Emmys, including a Best Actor nod for Paul.
Daisy Edgar-Jones’ absence from the list of nominees did lead to some controversy, though, with the woman herself admitting the “snub” initially came as something of a disappointment.
Read Paul Mescal’s interview in full in the new issue of GQ magazine. The GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2020 will be available to view via British GQ’s YouTube channel on Thursday 26 November 2020 at 8pm.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Revealed: The Cheapest Real Christmas Trees On The High Street

Thomas Barwick via Getty Images
If you’re looking to brighten up your home with a real Christmas tree this year, but don’t want to fork out all your savings, it might be worth a trip to Aldi.
The retailer came up trumps in consumer champion Which’s analysis of the cheapest real Christmas trees on the high street, with prices starting at £14.99 for a 1.5-1.75m cut Nordmann tree.
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Nordmann’s are considered the most popular tree in the UK as they last longer before shedding their needles, which also means less cleaning up throughout the festive period.
They are unscented; have thick, soft glossy needles that are dark green on the top and blue-green on the underside; and are child and pet friendly, according to Jacksons Nurseries.
Coming in second place for its bargain Nordmann is Morrisons, with a 1.5-1.75m tree costing £18.
Ikea also has a pretty exciting deal on, where you buy a cut Nordmann (1.7m) for £29 and it comes with a £20 voucher to spend in store.
Tesco is selling cut Nordmann’s (1.6-1.9m) for £20, while Asda is selling one (1.5-1.8m) for £25 and B&Q’s (1.5-1.75m) is £29, Which? found.
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If Nordmann’s aren’t your thing, you can get cut Norway spruce trees for cheaper still.
Asda is selling a small pot-grown Norway spruce (0.8-1m) for £10, while Homebase is selling a cut Norway spruce (1.5-1.8m) for £19.
Once you’ve got your tree home, there are a few important things to remember. Christmas trees do not like heat, so keep away from fireplaces and radiators, if possible. You’ll need to situate it near to a plug socket if you want to have fairy lights.
Cut trees also need to be kept in water – and regularly topped up too, as being all festive and sparkly can be thirsty business.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Lorraine Kelly Says What We’re All Thinking On Piers Morgan And Susanna Reid’s Five Year Good Mornin

Lorraine Kelly Says What We’re All Thinking On Piers Morgan And Susanna Reid’s Five Year Good Morning Britain Anniversary

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A whole host of famous names have congratulated the pair on their half decade, but it was fellow ITV star Lorraine Kelly who really nailed what we were all thinking.
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“Happy Anniversary!” Lorraine tweeted on Monday. “Surely there must be some sort of medal that can be awarded to @susannareid100 for her patience, endurance and awe inspiring restraint in not pressing the button on the ejector seat I secretly had fitted.”
Oh if only, Lorraine.
Happy Anniversary! Surely there must be some sort of medal that can be awarded to @susannareid100 for her patience, endurance and awe inspiring restraint in not pressing the button on ejector seat I secretly had fitted xxx https://t.co/RZBhRl9r8x — Lorraine (@reallorraine) November 23, 2020
Former This Morning hosts Richard and Judy also joined in the celebrations in a live link up with Piers and Susanna during Monday’s show, with Judy echoing Lorraine’s sentiment.
“You are a fantastic pair on television. You are both immensely watchable,” Judy said.
Addressing Susanna, Judy added: “But I do agree with everybody who is saying, ‘I don’t know how you get a word in edgeways.’
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“You do get words in edgeways otherwise we wouldn’t even know you were there.
“Actually Richard and I, we love watching you and we love watching you Piers, but I couldn’t possibly have (coped with) working with you all those years.”
Daytime royalty @richardm56 and Judy give their advice to @Piersmorgan and @susannareid100 for a long and fruitful TV marriage.
1. Start a TV family.
2. Develop a version of the ‘Judy jab’.
And Judy admits she could never have worked with Piers👀 pic.twitter.com/yTDHr5R0g1 — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) November 23, 2020
Piers joined Susanna on the ITV programme when he stepped into the shoes of Ben Shephard in November 2015.
“Who would have thought it? It’s been a rocky road, to put it lightly, but we’re still here,” he said.
Addressing the pitfalls of early morning television, Piers added: “It basically kills you. It destroys you, inch by inch.”
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Looking back at a clip of Piers’ GMB debut five years ago, Susanna said: “There’s at least a stone of difference for both of us.”
Today marks 5 years since @piersmorgan and @susannareid100 started presenting GMB together.
Take a look at their first show back in 2015 where Piers promised to be a nightmare and Susanna thought he was only there for a few days….#5yearsofPiersandSusanna pic.twitter.com/jic44wNDBi — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) November 23, 2020
EastEnders’ Danny Dyer and Jake Wood also congratulated the pair in a video message recorded outside the BBC One show’s Queen Vic pub.
There were also messages from Dame Joan Collins and Bond girl Britt Ekland among others, with Ulrika Jonsson raising a glass of early morning rum to them.
Throughout the years the pair have become embroiled in a number of notable controversies including Piers’ spat with Greggs over the bakery’s launch of a vegan sausage roll in 2019.
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He said on Twitter: “Nobody was waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns.”
Today is five years to the day since @Piersmorgan and @susannareid100 first presented @GMB together.
Here’s our highlights of half a decade - let us know your favourite Piers and Susanna moments down the years👇#5yearsofPiersandSusanna pic.twitter.com/nyo3HSU3Yx — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) November 23, 2020
Piers also sparked criticism when he appeared to mock climate change activist Greta Thunberg following her speech at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019.
Impersonating the 17-year-old, who has Aspergers, he said: “How dare you, how dare you?
“You have stolen my morning, you have stolen my airtime. I have no life. How dare you.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Boris Johnson Tells Officials 'There Is No Place For Bullying' Despite Backing Priti Patel

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Boris Johnson has told ministers and senior civil servants that “there is no place for bullying” in government despite keeping Priti Patel in a job after she was found guilty of bullying staff.
In a letter, the prime minister and cabinet secretary Simon Case also warned ministers and permanent secretaries not to leak private conversations.
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It comes after Johnson overruled independent advice that Patel had breached the ministerial code by “shouting and swearing” at Home Office staff, sparking the resignation of the PM’s adviser on ministerial interests Sir Alex Allan.
In a letter to all ministers and permanent secretaries, Johnson and Case insisted “never has it been more important that we work as one team”.
The PM's letter to ministers and officials 10 Downing Street
They wrote: “Given the unprecedented challenges we currently face as a nation, relationships of mutual trust and respect between politicians and their officials are paramount.
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“This includes keeping internal conversations private.
“We should all be able to speak freely and honestly about matters of state.
“We should also feel able to speak constructively about things that are not working, so that we can fix them together promptly.
“There is a particular duty on ministers and permanent secretaries to create jointly across government a culture which is professional, respectful, focused and ambitious for change and in which there is no place for bullying.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Claudia Winkleman Will Replace Graham Norton When He Quits Radio 2 Show

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The BBC has announced that Claudia Winkleman is to replace Graham Norton when he steps down from his Radio 2 show.
Claudia – who currently presents a show on the station on Sunday nights – will take over from Graham on Saturday mornings when he steps down at the end of this year.
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In a statement, the Strictly Come Dancing host said: “It’s not often I’m speechless but the chance to be with the wonderful Radio 2 listeners every Saturday has left me, quite frankly, gobsmacked.
“I hope my voice comes back in time for the first show as I can no longer simply rely on a fake tan and a fringe. There’s nobody I’d rather be with at the weekend, it’s a privilege and an honour.”
Claudia Winkleman will be the new host of Radio 2's Saturday morning show (10am-1pm) from February 2021 💫 pic.twitter.com/6Y393zhVMk — BBC Radio 2 (@BBCRadio2) November 23, 2020
Commenting on the news, Graham tweeted: ”Congratulations @ClaudiaWinkle You’ll love it!! Welcome to @BBCRadio2 Saturday mornings!!"
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After 10 years with Radio 2, Graham recently announced he would be hosting his final show with the broadcaster next month.
It was later confirmed that he’d signed a new deal with Virgin Radio UK, where he will be presenting a new show on Saturdays and Sundays in 2021.
He said: “I am excited and a little surprised to be joining Virgin Radio UK in 2021.
“I was very content where I was but the opportunity to host shows across the weekend seemed too good to miss out on. Plus the energy and enthusiasm at Virgin Radio are infectious and I can’t wait to get started!”
He then joked: “Did I mention the studios are very close to my house?”
Ten years after presenting his first Saturday morning show on Radio 2, @grahnort has decided to leave the network later this year.
We wish him the best of luck for the future ❤
Graham will present his last programme on Saturday 19th December. pic.twitter.com/U8hzYggebl — BBC Radio 2 (@BBCRadio2) November 11, 2020
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After announcing he was leaving Radio 2, Graham insisted that he would continue working with the BBC on his usual talk show and the UK’s Eurovision coverage, as well as judging the new series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Widow ‘Horrified’ At The Crown's Dramatisation Of Ski Disaster That Killed Her Husband After Asking

Widow ‘Horrified’ At The Crown's Dramatisation Of Ski Disaster That Killed Her Husband After Asking Producers Not To

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The widow of a major killed in an avalanche whilst skiing with Prince Charles has slammed producers of The Crown for including the tragedy in the latest series.
Major Hugh Lindsay, a friend of the Prince of Wales and a former Queen’s equerry, lost his life at the Swiss resort of Klosters in 1988.
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The ninth episode of series 4 of The Crown, titled Avalanche, dramatises events when members of the annual royal ski party became caught up in a deadly avalanche.
Charles later wrote that he found it “hard to understand why I survived and he didn’t”.
Major Lindsay’s widow Sarah Horsley told The Telegraph she was upset and “very concerned” that the disaster had been dramatised even though she’d asked Netflix producers not to include it in the popular series.
(L-R) John O'Connor as Prince Charles, Emma Corrin as Princess Diana and Alana Ramsey as Sarah Lindsay, now Horsley, in The Crown. Netflix
“I was horrified when I was told it (the episode) was happening and was very concerned about the impact on my daughter,” she told the newspaper.
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“I’m very upset by it and I’m dreading people seeing it.
“I wrote to them asking them not to do it, not to use the accident.
“I suppose members of the Royal family have to grin and bear it, but for me it’s a very private tragedy.”
She said that the producers replied with “a very kind letter”, saying “that they understood my concerns but they hope I will feel that they deal with difficult subject matters with integrity and great sensitivity”.
But she told the newspaper: “I think it’s very unkind to many members of the family [to dramatise the accident].”
HuffPost UK has contacted Netflix for comment.
The Queen during an official tour of Portugal, pictured with Major Hugh Lindsay, The Queen's Equerry. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images) Tim Graham via Getty Images
Series 4 of The Crown, starring Olivia Colman as the monarch, is currently streaming on Netflix.
Last week, The Crown newcomer Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana, spoke out amid claims that the royal family are unimpressed with the events depicted in the new series of the hit drama.
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Emma Corrin as Diana Princess of Wales. Des Willie/Netflix
“It’s a difficult one,” she said. “I think for everyone in the The Crown, we always try and remind everyone that the series we are in is fictionalised, to a great extent.
“Obviously it has its roots in reality and in some fact, but Peter Morgan’s scripts are works of fiction.”
Emma continued: “At the same time, I understand why people would be upset, because this is history… and even with Diana, you know, it’s still very much fresh, I suppose, everything that happened. So I do really understand if people would be upset.
“But obviously, for all of the cast, we just want to constantly remind people that we approach these people that we play as characters, which is why it’s such a joyous job, because Peter writes such rich and complex characters, and as an actor it’s such a joy to be able to really bring a lot to them.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--Oxford Covid Vaccine Shows 70% Protection. Here's What We Know So Far

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A coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University, in collaboration with the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, can stop 70% of people from getting Covid-19, latest data shows.
The UK government has already ordered 100m doses of the vaccine – called AZD1222 or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.
Key findings include:
One dosing regimen was shown to be 90% effective, the other 62%
It was shown to work in different age groups, including the elderly
The vaccine can be stored, transported and handled at 2-8 degrees Celsius for at least eight months
Manufacturing of the vaccine has already begun in anticipation of positive results, said health secretary Matt Hancock
It is hoped 3bn doses of the vaccine could be supplied around the world by the end of 2021
Here is how the vaccine works
Interim analysis from the latest phase three trial shows an average efficacy of 70.4% from combining two doses.
When one full dose was followed by another full dose, it gave 62% efficacy.
But when only half a dose was given followed by a full dose, a much higher 90% effectiveness was achieved.
Professor Andrew Pollard, who is leading the vaccine trial, said the results would “save many lives”.
In a statement, he said: “Excitingly, we’ve found that one of our dosing regimens may be around 90% effective and if this dosing regime is used, more people could be vaccinated with planned vaccine supply.
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“Today’s announcement is only possible thanks to the many volunteers in our trial, and the hard working and talented team of researchers based around the world.”
Today marks an important milestone in the fight against #COVID19. Interim data show the #OxfordVaccine is 70.4% effective, & tests on two dose regimens show that it could be 90%, moving us one step closer to supplying it at low cost around the world>> https://t.co/fnHnKSqftT pic.twitter.com/2KYXPxFNz1 — University of Oxford (@UniofOxford) November 23, 2020
The vaccine is made from a genetically engineered virus and resumed its combined phase 2/3 trial in the UK after a brief pause in September.
Findings from the first phases of the study earlier this year showed “promising” results which suggested the vaccine is “safe and causes few side effects” for healthy adults aged 18-55.
The phase two research demonstrated a strong immune response in older adults – suggesting one of the groups most vulnerable to serious illness and death from Covid-19 could build immunity.
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The vaccine is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The vaccine was developed at the University of Oxford’s Oxford Jenner Institute and is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. It is based on earlier work to produce a treatment for MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus).
The chimpanzee virus is modified and engineered to express the coronavirus spike protein so it “looks” more like coronavirus to trigger a strong immune response in the human body.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said manufacturing has already started, with the NHS on stand-by to start delivering the vaccine from December.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said: “That’s right, the NHS is on stand-by to be ready as soon as this can be manufactured.
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“The manufacturing process for vaccines is also hard, this isn’t a chemical that you make, this is a biological compound, a biological product, so it has to be manufactured of course.
“That manufacturing has already started in anticipation of these results coming through positively.
“The NHS is on stand-by to start delivering the vaccine from next month. It’s going to be a huge effort, I think everybody knows, but the NHS will be ready.”
Prime minister Boris Johnson said the latest news on the Oxford vaccine was “incredibly exciting”.
Incredibly exciting news the Oxford vaccine has proved so effective in trials. There are still further safety checks ahead, but these are fantastic results.
Well done to our brilliant scientists at @UniofOxford & @AstraZeneca, and all who volunteered in the trials. https://t.co/84o8TKhQga — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 23, 2020
Business secretary Alok Sharma also tweeted: “Very promising data from the Oxford/AstraZeneca Phase III clinical trials.
“We are on the cusp of a huge scientific breakthrough that could protect millions of lives.
“The UK has secured early access to 100m doses of their vaccine – on top of 255m doses from other developers.”
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Professor Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford, said: “The announcement today takes us another step closer to the time when we can use vaccines to bring an end to the devastation caused by SARS-CoV-2.
“We will continue to work to provide the detailed information to regulators.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--This Leek And Cheese Frittata Is A Weeknight Dinner Saviour

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Cooking With Kids is a weekly recipe series on getting creative in the kitchen with the family.
When there’s nothing else in the fridge, you can always count on a carton of eggs. Here’s a tasty oven-baked frittata loaded with cheese and leeks that’s ideal for a light lunch or weeknight dinner. Bonus points: you can serve it cold too and pop it in your kids’ lunch box – or your own – for the next day, too.
Chef and founder Marie Mitchell, who runs Caribbean restaurant, Island Social Club in East London is here to save the day and show us how it’s done.
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“This is a recipe that’s relatively quick and easy – a must for when you’ve got hungry mouths to feed,” she explains. “Often, getting children involved with the cooking allows them to be more adventurous with their eating and it can distract them from the things they don’t like.”
Prior to cheffing, Mitchell was a nanny and understands that feeding wee ones is no small feat. “As I prepare myself for my own journey into motherhood, I find myself hopeful (despite being a horrendously fussy eater myself) and excited about feeding my child,” Mitchells says.
“Eggs are a great form of protein and a bit of an understated superfood. This is one of many ways you can demonstrate their uses.”
Leek and Cheese Fritatta
Serves: 2 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 30 mins
Marie Mitchell Leek and Cheese Frittata
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Ingredients
1 large leek, halved, rinsed, and chopped into crescents
6 medium/large eggs
30g cheddar cheese
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of salt
Method
1. Wash, dry and chop the leeks.
2. Warm an oven-safe frying pan over a medium heat, add the butter.
3. Once the butter is melted, add the leeks and sweat for around 15-20 minutes, you want them to brown and lightly caramelise, though be careful not to burn
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/190°C fan/gas mark 6.
4. While the leeks are cooking, crack the eggs in a medium mixing bowl (you’ll want a bigger bowl so there’s lots of room to avoid spillages with your little helpers)
5. Salt the eggs and leave for 15 minutes – this helps to bring out their flavour but can be skipped if you don’t wish to add any salt to the dish.
6. Whisk the eggs and grate the cheese.
7. Once the leeks are ready, take them off the heat.
8. Add the leeks to the eggs once whisked and most of the cheese, reserve a little for sprinkling on the top.
9. Grease the frying pan – be careful in case it’s still warm.
10. Add your frittata mix, making sure it’s evenly spread.
11. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and then pop in the oven for around 10-15 minutes or until cooked.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-23--How Wearing A Face Mask Can Affect Your Health

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Every Monday, we’ll answer your questions on Covid-19 and health in a feature published online. You can submit a question here.
This week, HuffPost UK reader Helen asked: “What is the damage to your health by wearing masks?
There’s very little evidence that wearing face masks – we’re talking the blue surgical ones and cloth coverings that most of the public are wearing – is harmful to your health.
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“This is one of those areas where conspiracy theories and science conflict,” Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, tells HuffPost UK.
Povozniuk via Getty Images
Some social media posts suggest mask-wearing could lead to hypoxia, a dangerous condition when your body doesn’t get enough oxygen. There are even extreme claims floating about that mask-wearing could lead to death.
One cause for confusion is the difference between surgical masks and cloth coverings, and the N95 respirators that are designed for use in healthcare settings – we need to differentiate between them as their health impacts vary.
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With ordinary face coverings and surgical masks, there is very little to worry about in terms of risk to health.
“Probably the most common issue is irritation and occasionally dermatitis,” says Prof Hunter. “I do not think there is any real evidence for these face coverings and masks interfering with adequate breathing.”
How to use face masks safely
Prof Hunter stresses that ordinary face masks do need to be changed regularly (every five hours, he suggests) especially if wet or dirty – and they need to be disposed of safely, or washed each day in the case of coverings, after use.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) advice is to “make wearing a mask a normal part of being around other people”, as part of a comprehensive strategy to “suppress transmission and save lives”.
However, it does recognise that wearing any types of face mask can lull people into a false sense of security and make us less likely to social distance or practice other safety measures, such as washing hands, that are just as critical to curbing the spread of Covid-19.
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We must also be aware of the risks of self-contamination, for example if you keep touching your face to pull your mask down, and inadvertently transfer virus to the inside of your mask. Try not to keep touching your mask, and if you do, take hand sanitiser with you so you’re keeping your hands clean.
What’s the deal with N95 masks?
The evidence of risk with N95 masks is “stronger”, Prof Hunter explains.
Studies have demonstrated certain side effects associated with the use of these respirators. We do know, for example, that wearing these fitted masks for long periods without a break could potentially affect your oxygen levels – but probably not to a harmful extent.
Some of the side effects linked to wearing N95 masks include: facial dermatitis, increased work of breathing, respiratory fatigue, impaired work capacity, increased oxygen debt, early exhaustion at lighter workloads, elevated levels of CO2, increased nasal resistance, and increased noncompliance events leading to self-contamination (for example, by touching your face), says Prof Hunter.
“I personally would not encourage the general public to wear N95 respirators as a protection against Covid,” he adds. That said, many healthcare professionals show no side effects, despite wearing these N95 masks day in day out.
One study even found exercising with N95 masks to be safe. Researchers concluded that in healthy subjects, short-term moderate-strenuous aerobic physical activity with a mask is “feasible, safe, and associated with only minor changes in physiological parameters, particularly a mild increase in EtCO2”.
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However, they did caution that subjects suffering from lung diseases should be wary before attempting physical activity with any mask. And this is reaffirmed by another study, which showed people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) struggled with breathlessness after wearing N95 masks.
Who is exempt from wearing a mask?
Children under the age of 11 (or under the age of five in Scotland)
People who have a physical or mental illness or impairment, or a disability that means they cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering.
People for whom putting on, wearing or removing a face covering would cause severe distress.
People travelling with, or providing assistance to, someone who relies on lip reading to communicate.
People travelling to avoid injury or escape the risk of harm.