thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-23--White Lines Cast: Where You’ve Seen The Stars Of The Netflix Drama Before

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White Lines has become one of the most talked-about Netflix dramas of the year since it was released earlier this month, thanks in part to its eclectic cast.
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The Ibiza-based murder-mystery boasts some great acting talent, well-known faces and even some international names, and if you’ve been left wondering where you’ve seen all of them before, we can help with that...
Laura Haddock plays Zoe Walker
Netflix
Laura first came to prominence playing Alison, the love interest of Will McKenzie, in the first Inbetweeners film in 2011.
Since then, she’s had a number of other high-profile film roles, appearing as Meredith Quill in two Guardians Of The Galaxy films and Viviane Wembly in 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight.
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On TV, Laura has starred in a number of BBC dramas, including Upstairs, Downstairs in 2012, Luther in 2015, and The Musketeers in 2016.
More recently, she had a leading role in the 2019 hit The Capture, in which she played the defence lawyer of soldier Shaun Emery.
Laura was also married to fellow actor Sam Claflin, with whom she shares two daughters, but they split in 2019 after six years of marriage.
Tom Rhys Harries plays Axel Collins
Netflix
While Tom is a relative newcomer to TV, he is an established theatre star, starring in The History Boys, Torch Song Trilogy and The Seagull, alongside Game Of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke. In 2014, he made his West End debut in MOJO alongside White Lines co-star Daniel Mays.
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TV-wise, Tom appeared in the second series of Michaela Coel’s E4 sitcom Chewing Gum and HBO/Sky Atlantic series Britannia.
He has also appeared in the film Hunky Dory opposite Minnie Driver and had a minor role in the Inbetweeners Movie sequel in 2014.
Daniel Mays plays Marcus Ward
Netflix
After making a number of appearances in various TV dramas including Tipping The Velvet and Funland, Daniel’s real breakthrough came in 2010, playing Jim Keats in the third and final series of Ashes To Ashes.
From there, he took the lead alongside Anna Friel in 2012’s Public Enemies and played the Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs in ITV’s real-life drama Mrs Biggs, opposite Sheridan Smith.
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In 2016, Daniel had a much-discussed role in the third series of Line Of Duty, where his character Danny Waldron was killed off in the first episode, much to the shock of viewers.
Since then, he’s starred in Channel 4’s Born To Kill and Sky Atlantic’s Guerilla, while last year he appeared in the Amazon Prime adaptation of the Terry Pratchett novel Good Omens as Arthur Young, and had the lead role in Sky One’s medical drama Temple.
2019 also saw Daniel play Sergeant Saunders in the Oscar-winning film 1917, while his other big-screen roles include Private Walker in Dad’s Army and Tommy Nettle in Atonement.
Cel Spellman plays a young Marcus
Netflix
Cel has been a regular on kids TV since 2011, hosting various CBBC shows and serving as a continuity presenter. He joined the station after playing Harry Fisher in the high school drama Waterloo Road from 2010 to 2011.
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In 2015, he had a recurring role in Russell T. Davies’ Channel 4 drama Cucumber, playing Adam Whittaker.
But Cel is best known for playing Adam Williams’ (James Nesbitt) son Matt in Cold Feet from 2016 to 2020.
Cel’s presenting has also seen him fronting online content for The Voice in 2017, while he currently co-hosts Radio 1’s Life Hacks show and the station’s Official Chart Update alongside Katie Thistleton every Sunday.
Angela Griffin plays Anna Ward
Netflix
Angela is a well-established face on British TV, having risen to fame in Coronation Street as hairdresser Fiona Middleton in 1992 – a role she reprised briefly for a cameo in 2019.
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From the cobbles, Angela went on to help launch Holby City in 1999, playing nurse Jasmine Hopkins.
In the early to mid 2000s, she starred in the BBC’s drama about rival hair salons Cutting It and rural drama Down To Earth. She was then an original cast member of school-based serial Waterloo Road, playing Kim Campbell from 2006 to 2010.
Angela has starred in countless other shows, including Sky One comedy Mount Pleasant, the BBC’s Ordinary Lies and ITV’s Brief Encounters and Boy Meets Girl.
From 2014 to 2015, she also appeared alongside White Lines co-star Laurence Fox in ITV’s Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis.
Angela’s other TV credits include voicing Amy Wrigglesworth and Lizzie Taylor in Postman Pat, presenting her own Sky chat show Angela and Friends and Sky documentary series Emergency With Angela Griffin. She also voices the Co-Op’s TV adverts.
Kassius Nelson as young Anna
Netflix
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Hollyoaks fans will recognise Kassius from her role as Jade Albright in the Channel 4 soap, which she held from 2015 to 2017.
Last year, she popped up in the third series of Netflix’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events as Fiona.
Laurence Fox plays David
Netflix
Laurence is familiar to many for being part of the Fox family acting dynasty, with his most famous role as DS James Hathaway in Lewis, from 2006 to 2015.
He’s also appeared in a number of other TV dramas, including Victoria as Lord Palmerston, ITV’s Wired and Fast Freddie, The Widow And Me and Channel 4’s Colditdz, as well as roles in films including 2001’s Gosford Park and 2007’s Elizabeth: The Golden Age, alongside Cate Blanchett.
As well as acting, Laurence is a musician, and has released two albums in the last four years, as well as participating in Bear Grylls’ Mission Survive in 2015 and Celebrity Gogglebox with cousin Emilia Fox in 2019.
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He became a divisive figure in British media in recent months, after making a much-criticised appearance on BBC One’s Question Time, in which he made a number of controversial comments about racism and diversity.
Laurence was previously married to actor and former pop star Billie Piper, with whom he has two children.
Jonny Green as young David
Netflix
White Lines is Jonny’s biggest TV role to date, having previously made a guest appearance in Doctors in 2018.
Francis Magee plays Clint Collins
Netflix
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Francis rose to fame portraying Liam Tyler in EastEnders from 1993 to 1995, before going on to land guest roles in Cold Feet, Footballers’ Wives and Bad Girls.
In 2004, he played Paul in the film Layer Cake, and also began appearing as Leslie McManus in Channel 4’s No Angels.
But Francis is probably best known to many Game Of Thrones fans for playing Yoren, a member of the Night’s Watch, in the first and second seasons.
In 2016, Francis appeared in the Black Mirror episode Men Against Fire, while the following year he began appearing in Kerry Howard’s BBC Three series Witless and Rosin Conaty’s E4 sitcom GameFace.
Last year, he also popped up in an episode of Netflix’s The Witcher.
Barry Ward plays Mike Walker
Netflix
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Barry has appeared in a number of dramas and films in his native Ireland, but to UK viewers he’s probably best known for playing Leslie in the first series of The End Of The F**king World and as Barry in Sky Atlantic drama Save Me.
He also appeared opposite White Lines co-star Laura Haddock in The Capture last year, where his character was also part of Shaun Emery’s legal team.
As well as small roles in The Bill and Silent Witness, he played Slick Rick in the final series of Channel 4’s Coming Up in 2013.
Marta Milans plays Kika Calafat
Netflix
Spanish actor Marta has starred in The CW’s No Tomorrow and ABC’s Killer Women since making her US TV debut in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2011.
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She’s also had film roles in 2018’s Hitman: Redemption and 2019 DC Comics superhero film Shazam!, playing Rosa Vasquez.
Juan Diego Botto plays Oriol Calafat
Netflix
The Argentine-Spanish actor has starred in a plethora of Spanish-speaking films, but will be best known to English speakers for his role as hitman Javier in US series Good Behavior from 2015 to 2016.
He’s also set to have a role in the Suicide Squad sequel, due for release next year.
Nuno Lopes plays Duarte “Boxer” Silva
Netflix
Nuno is known internationally for his role in Saint George, which was the Portuguese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2018 Oscars, although the film did not end up on the shortlist.
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The Portuguese native has also won local Golden Globes for his work in various Portuguese films, and works as a DJ.
Jade Alleyne plays Tanit Ward
Netflix
Jade is more likely known to younger members of your household, having appeared in CBBC sitcom 4 O’Clock Club, and the Disney Channel musical drama The Lodge.
Last year, she also played a member of the Lyons family on Russell T. Davies’ dystopian drama Years And Years.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-23--Anxious About Leaving Your Home? Here's How To Push Past Those Fears

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We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus lockdown. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
It’s understandable you might feel anxious and even fearful of leaving the house as lockdown restrictions begin to lift – particularly as the message “stay home, stay safe” has been drummed into us for weeks on end.
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As part of HuffPost UK’s coronavirus coverage, we asked readers: How are you feeling? One common theme among the hundreds of responses we’ve received so far was people’s very real fears as things slowly return to normal – particularly when others aren’t following the guidelines.
“If I ever do leave the house, I feel so anxious,” said one reader, “especially as some people seem to think it’s back to normal life and not adhering to the 2 metres away rule, which makes me angry.”
Another said: “Having to go outside and be around others when they’re not social distancing gives me levels of anxiety I have never experienced. It sucks.”
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Psychotherapist Mike Ward, who runs the London and Hampshire Anxiety Clinic, estimates that 25 to 30% of his clients are expressing concerns about leaving their homes to go back to work or outside to the shops, after becoming used to the level of social distancing we’ve been following since Boris Johnson introduced the national lockdown two months ago.
“Some feel very much safe living with the changes rather than going back out to uncertainty again,” says Ward, who is not surprised that people feel this way.
In fact, it’s a very rational worry. “The threat [of the virus] is real, it’s also an unknown,” he says. “The thoughts that people are having are very realistic and rational. They are concerned for themselves and others.”The government’s ‘stay at home’ and ‘stay alert’ messages from the government can feed into this.
“People were first influenced by the fear of this ‘don’t go out and stay home’ message,” says Ward. “Now the message has changed [to] ‘you can go out a bit more’. There are quite a few people who have become attached to that reality of staying in.” Ward says the feeling even bears some similarities to Stockholm syndrome, the psychological response when hostages or abuse victims bond with their captors or abusers.
People feel they have achieved so much so far by staying in, he adds. There’s a huge sense of comfort from knowing we’re safe in our homes, so the thought of leaving them might not sit well at all – particularly for those who worry about bringing the virus back home to their households or families.
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What can you do if you feel anxious?
Be kind to yourself
Psychotherapist Rahki Chand urges people not to judge themselves if they do feel anxious to leave the house and get back to normal things like meeting or going on a socially-distanced walk with a friend, going to work or visiting the shops. “It’s ok to feel scared,” she says. Don’t beat yourself up about it.
Get back outdoors in small steps
A good way to get back out there is to take baby steps. “It’s almost like phobia therapy, you need to do a little bit at a time,” says Lucy Fuller, a UKCP-accredited psychotherapist. “Think about when is the best time to go out, how long for (just go for a short period), and go somewhere you think won’t be busy.”
Think about how to make the environment you’re heading to feel as safe as possible and then make yourself go on that first trip.
“Maybe go for a walk around the block at 6.30pm when it’s not busy,” suggests Fuller. “Then keep at it. Try to go again the next day – you might not feel like it, but keep doing it. Then make it a little bit more, so walk past the supermarket. Then next time, go and stand in the queue or go inside.”
Planning what those steps are, with a timescale, and having somebody around to support you and encourage you, can be helpful.
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J_art via Getty Images
Think about what you can control
The key when getting out and about is to look at what you can control, rather than focusing on what you can’t. That might be your positioning on the pavement as you walk past other people – you can choose to cross the road so you don’t pass near to each other, and that’s your choice. You can also control your own hygiene – so continuing to wash your hands regularly, avoiding touching your face, and opting to wear a mask.
If you do feel ok going to the supermarket but you become fearful when other shoppers come too close, that’s perfectly normal. There are two options, says Ward – the first is to be assertive and tell the person to stay 2m away. The other is to choose a time when it’s quieter. These are both within your control.
Speaking to your employer about how you can return to work safely is a good way to take back some control if you’re anxious about that, he adds. Employers have a duty to help employees feel safe and supported during this time.
Try to focus on other things when outside
Grounding techniques can also be helpful for those who continue to find themselves feeling anxious when out and about. Chand recommends listing in your head five things you can see and five things you can hear, or picking a colour and looking out for things in that colour while you’re outside. Some people might like to listen to music or a podcast instead, she adds.
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Look after yourself
Chand recommends some general self care for mental resilience if you’re generally feeling quite anxious at the moment – so eating well, sleeping well, making time to do things you enjoy, exercising, and staying connected to others (even if it’s just a chat with your neighbour over the fence, 2m apart of course).
Panic attacks
Experiencing a panic attack when leaving the house can be terrifying. Treat yourself kindly – know that this is your mind and body’s response to a scary situation.
If you do feel an attack coming on, try to really hone in on your breathing. Keep still and try to slow down your heart rate by breathing slowly and deeply, in and out. It might also help to try a grounding technique. When your breathing has calmed a little, is there someone from your household you can call to come and meet you and walk home with you?
Don’t ignore it
When anxiety over leaving the house is not addressed, there’s a risk it can lead to further mental health issues down the line or stop you from living the life you want. “We’ve been programmed to think the world is a terrible place out there, so I think it is hard to start going out,” says Fuller. “The extreme of that is, I think there will be some agoraphobia afterwards.”
If you feel that your fears or anxieties are beginning to impact your ability to get on with life, don’t be afraid to seek help. You could start by talking to a friend or family member about it, or find a therapist through the NHS or privately.
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And if you do manage to start getting back out of the house and into ‘normal’ life, no matter how small those steps are, reward yourself for doing so.
You’ve built up courage – and it is courage, says Ward – to face your fears, so you should reward yourself whether with a treat (what that treat is is totally up to you!) or affirmations. This builds a motivation and reward circuit, he adds.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-23--Why You're Much Less Likely To Catch Coronavirus Outdoors

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We’ve been told we can sunbathe in parks, visit garden centres and travel to open spaces to exercise (within England) – all of which will be mighty tempting over the bank holiday weekend. But is it safe to do so?
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Turns out there’s a reason they call it the great outdoors. Exposure to sunshine has been identified as one way of killing off the virus quickly. A study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases found that 90% of coronavirus particles deactivated within 10 minutes when exposed to ultraviolet light from the midday sun.
Researchers simulated the intensity of the sun at 40 degrees latitude – roughly equivalent to Spain – and then examined viral particles in saliva left on surfaces.
In conditions mimicking the winter sun in Spain, 90% of particles were destroyed in less than 15 minutes, while in conditions simulating summer sun, the virus lasted 6.8 minutes, the Times reported. It had previously been suggested that the virus could last on surfaces for up to 72 hours, so this is quite the reduction.
It’s not the temperature that kills the virus (the World Health Organisation says the virus spreads in both hot and cold climates), rather the ultraviolet light. UV light is even being used in New York City to disinfect the subway and buses.
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So, while we should continue to practice social distancing of 2m whenever we leave our homes to avoid coming into contact with an infected person or spreading the virus ourselves, experts agree that the chances of picking it up outdoors are far lower than catching it in enclosed spaces.
Alexander Sommerfeld / EyeEm via Getty Images
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, also confirmed in one of the prime minister’s daily press briefings that outdoor environments are far less risky than indoor environments due to their being more space and a natural breeze to disperse any germs.
Back in April, he said: “If you think about being outdoors, first of all, by and large, distancing between human beings is greater anyway, but if you just stand still for a moment and just experience normal breezes and air currents around you, you absolutely get a sense that any kind of plumes of anything are going to be very rapidly dispersed. “It is absolutely a biological truism that outdoor environments are much less [of a] risk than indoor environments,” he said.
Radoslav Zilinsky via Getty Images
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He’s not alone in his thinking. Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health from the University of Southampton, tells HuffPost UK there is already “good evidence” to show risks of respiratory infectious disease transmission are lower outdoors.
“We also know that an indoor well-ventilated environment also lowers these risks,” he says, as it can result in “wider dispersal” of the virus from any infected person and therefore anyone nearby is exposed to a lower viral load.
When you’re outside, there are also fewer surfaces for the virus to land on that can be touched by another person. “Being outdoors of course does not prevent transmission altogether, but it does greatly reduce the risk of new infections,” says Dr Head.
It’s still important to practice social distancing and wash your hands regularly (or carry hand sanitiser), but at least you can feel a little less worried next time you head to the park.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-23--The Psychological Benefits Of Having Things To Look Forward To

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At the beginning of March, many of us had weddings, family visits, concerts, sporting events, graduations, birthday parties, baby showers and other celebrations glimmering on the horizon. Just a couple of weeks later, all of those big plans — and even the smaller ones dotting our calendars, like dinners with friends, workout classes or haircuts — were shelved indefinitely.
If you’ve been experiencing disappointment or a sense of grief around the loss of future plans, know that it’s a totally normal reaction to the present circumstances. You may feel silly being sad about your graduation getting cancelled or your wedding being postponed when others are dealing with unemployment, severe health issues or the death of a loved one — but you shouldn’t.
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“Given the truly devastating situations so many people are finding themselves in, we can feel guilty for mourning these smaller losses, which just piles on even more negative feelings,” Jaime Kurtz — associate professor of psychology at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia — told HuffPost.
Those more extreme hardships don’t make what you’re feeling any less valid. Anticipation of positive future events acts as a powerful force in our lives. Think, for example, of how you felt as a kid the night before your birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah or other holiday.
“You were excited, anxious and filled with all the positive feelings of anticipation,” said Ryan Howes, a clinical psychologist in Pasadena, California. “Your anticipation was exciting and gave your life an exciting lift that was even more exciting than the presents themselves.”
Anticipation isn’t always positive, though. It can be unnerving, too, when the possibilities looming on the horizon seem daunting, as is the case now in the middle of the pandemic.
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“When it comes to potentially negative futures — which many of us can’t stop envisioning — that uncertainty isn’t exciting,” Kurtz said. “All those what-ifs can be extremely scary and stressful.”
“You’re imagining a new potential future — one with good times and challenges overcome instead of a bleak, powerless tomorrow.” - Ryan Howes, psychologist
Research suggests that living in the present moment and practicing mindfulness can increase happiness. “However, during particularly stressful moments in time, like our current pandemic, it can be more beneficial to have something to look forward to,” said Atlanta therapist LeNaya Smith Crawford.
As psychotherapist Lucy Beresford told HuffPost UK recently: “Staying in ‘the now’ is a really good tool, just not all the time. Otherwise you miss out on the joys of reflection and anticipation.”
The experts we spoke to said there are many benefits of having things to look forward to — even if we have to work a little harder to create those experiences for ourselves right now.
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It makes you feel optimistic about the future.
“Anxiety is typically how our bodies respond to horrible things that may happen in the future. Maybe I’ll get fired! Maybe I’ll go bankrupt! Maybe I’ll be humiliated!” Howes said. “Humans are uniquely wired to imagine all types of potential scenarios for the future, and those who are more prone to anxiety tend to focus on the potential negative outcomes.”
By having something fun coming down the pipeline, you’re effectively challenging those pessimistic beliefs about what lies ahead.
“You’re imagining a new potential future — one with good times and challenges overcome instead of a bleak, powerless tomorrow,” Howes said.
jayk7 via Getty Images Your summer vacation plans may have been scrapped, but there are still ways to build some excitement and anticipation into quarantine life.
These days, you may have to come up with smaller treats to look forward to in the immediate future. Instead of the concert you were hoping to attend later this summer, think about the tie-dye kit that’s getting delivered tomorrow.
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“It may not be as exciting as a wedding or an international vacation,” Kurtz said. “But plan a weekly hike, bike ride, picnic, or get take-out from a favourite local restaurant. Try to enjoy it for what is rather than comparing it to what you’re missing.”
And instead of focusing on everything you’re unable to do for the time being, “practice gratitude to shift your focus to what you do have,“ Kurtz said.
It’s a pleasant distraction.
Daydreaming about all the potential of these happy future experiences can fill you with excitement.
“It’s fun to have all of those possible futures we spin in our minds,” Kurtz said.
Start envisioning what you want to do once the restrictions are lifted — perhaps a year or two from now. Once the pandemic ends (and it will end, even if it doesn’t feel like it will sometimes), think about how you want your life to look.
“Creating a vision board for the things you would like to do when this is over is a powerful motivator,” Smith Crawford said. “What vacation do you want to take, what family gathering do you want to throw, how do you want to celebrate your birthday?”
Let yourself fantasise about the positive experiences that await you, Howes said.
“Use that energy to endure the slog of everyday life in the present,” he added.
It motivates you to keep going when you want to give up.
“Anticipation implies a future reward, and rewards are powerful motivators,” Smith Crawford said.
Knowing that something good is coming your way pushes you to accomplish those tasks you may not necessarily want to do. Maybe you’re a high school student who’s tired of distance learning, but you keep working hard to get good grades so you can attend the college of your dreams one day.
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“Anticipation also creates discipline,” Smith Crawford said. “It helps with delayed gratification. This teaches us that if we can be patient, a greater experience — or reward — is upon us.”
Imagining a brighter future also adds us meaning to our lives, Howes said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-23--I Should Be Getting Married Today. But I’m Glad It’s Been Postponed

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I thought blood running cold was just a turn of phrase – until I read that email on 23 March: “Unfortunately, we are forced to cancel all wedding and civil partnerships, effective immediately”. With just eight weeks to go before our Big Day, coronavirus had well and truly pulled the rug out from underneath us.
I met William on Bumble in 2016. Not expecting much, especially having endured the ‘delights’ of Tinder, I was pleasantly surprised to end up speaking to somebody who didn’t send me a disturbing amount of winky faces and unsolicited phallus shots. One date led to many and before we knew it, we were irreparably enmeshed with each other. A best friend and lover, borne out of a clever marketing campaign.
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Come midnight on New Year’s Eve 2018, I’m looking down at William on one knee, an insanely beautiful ring held out in front of him. I will remember the moment as long as I live. The past year and a half have been a flurry of celebration, excitement, stress and anticipation and we were well on our way to the final countdown to the biggest day of our lives.
Following lockdown, I fell into an odd sense of despair. I was being told on repeat by well-meaning invitees that postponed doesn’t mean cancelled – but to me, it did. The dates of our stag and hen parties, lovingly and meticulously planned by our friends, passed by as we busily negotiated with suppliers, while trying to come to terms with the knowledge that the spring wedding day we’d had planned was suddenly gone – and along with it, the fact that I would not be a Mrs, married to my soulmate, for the foreseeable future.
“I was also conflicted with overwhelming guilt that I was feeling down about something that, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t the end of the world”
HuffPost UK Courtesy of the author
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To me, our cancelled wedding was an awful situation to be in and I believed that I had every right to be sad. But I was also conflicted with overwhelming guilt that I was feeling down about something that, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t the end of the world. People are dying, losing loved ones, businesses and livelihoods are crumbling. So, in quiet privacy, I drank a lot of wine and I cried a lot of tears.
Surprisingly, over time, the squeeze in my gut began to ease. Rather than waking up in the morning wondering if there was any way possible to go ahead with our plans, I began to meet the situation with gratitude and pragmatism. With the postponement, our family member who is suffering from an illness that requires shielding will now be able to attend. Close friends who couldn’t make the original date are freed up for our new one – what joy, because it wouldn’t have been the same without them anyway.
I’m also realising we’ve been given the gift of time: longer to save, to plan for our futures and for our Best Men to really nail those speeches. Importantly, we know we will get married eventually, and the fact that we haven’t been able to yet bears no impact on our relationship, or on my feelings towards the man I live with and love.
“We may be sans photographer, friends and family but we are so lucky to be able to look to the future. A lot of people will not get this chance.”
The pandemic and subsequent lockdown has changed my outlook on life. I can feel a shift in my psyche, which has stemmed from the incredible way we have all pulled together during these unprecedented times. The sacrifices and life adaptations everyone has made are incredible – and to that end, I am glad our wedding has been postponed. There are much bigger things in our world that need our focus.
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Today, we’ll be dressing up anyway and will wear our shiny wedding bands, before putting them away again in anticipation for the real thing. The champagne is chilled and we’re going to have a celebration for us, of us and just us. We may be sans photographer, friends and family but we are so lucky to be able to look to the future. A lot of people will not get this chance.
Whether we’ll be able to go ahead with our new date is still unclear, with guidelines unconfirmed and the worry that social distancing measures will still be in place.
We may not be getting married today, but we’re here, together – and that’s enough for right now.
Ella Delancey is a freelance writer from London. You can follow her on Twitter at @ellaluciewrites


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-23--New Dominic Cummings Revelations Prompt Further Calls For Sacking And 'Urgent Investigation'

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Labour has reiterated its call for an “urgent investigation” into Dominic Cummings’ coronavirus lockdown trip to see his parents 260 miles away in Durham, after it was reported he made a second trip to the city.
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According to a joint investigation by The Mirror and The Observer, Boris Johnson’s top aide was seen in woodland near the Durham property he stayed at with his family on April 19, days after he was spotted back in Downing Street on April 14.
Cummings was also spotted visiting a town 30 miles from where he was staying on April 12. A witness told The Observer: “I was a bit gobsmacked to see him, because I know what he looks like.
“And the rest of the family seemed to match - a wife and child. I was pretty convinced it was him and it didn’t seem right because I assumed he would be in London.”
In response to the latest claims, a No 10 spokesperson said: “Yesterday the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings.
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“Today they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April.
“We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers.”
A number of Cabinet ministers had spent much of Saturday defending Cummings before reports of the second trip and visit were published.
Caring for your wife and child is not a crime https://t.co/YCXWhKTq28 — Michael Gove (@michaelgove) May 23, 2020
A Labour source said: “If these latest revelations are true, why on earth were Cabinet ministers sent out this afternoon to defend Dominic Cummings?
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“We need an urgent investigation by the Cabinet Secretary to get to the bottom of this matter.
“It cannot be right that there is one rule for the Prime Minister’s adviser and another for the British people.”
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the adviser “must” be sacked.
It is clear that @BorisJohnson must sack Dominic Cummings. When the PMs top advisor ignores the Governments instruction to the public not to engage in non essential travel he has to leave office. Immediately. https://t.co/4u5ptD7S9c — Ian Blackford (@Ianblackford_MP) May 23, 2020
If Cummings hasn’t gone by the morning, it will be @BorisJohnson in the firing line 👇 https://t.co/Sy47ikaMIL — Ed Davey MP 🔶🇪🇺 #StayHomeSaveLives #ProtectNHS (@EdwardJDavey) May 23, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-23--Grant Shapps Tries To Defend Dominic Cummings During Extraordinary Press Briefing

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Grant Shapps has defended Dominic Cummings’ coronavirus lockdown trip to see his parents 260 miles away in Durham, by saying he went there because “that’s where the family was”.
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The transport secretary also said restrictions put in place by the government on March 23 should only be followed “to the best of your ability” and that it was “up to the individual” to make decisions on how best to follow them.
From March 23 until the slight easing of the lockdown earlier this month, the government’s instructions to the British public have been to stay at home for all but essential journeys such as food shopping or to buy medicines.
Opposition MPs have accused Number 10 of a “cover-up” and called for Cummings, Boris Johnson’s top aide, to resign after it emerged that he had driven 250 miles despite the guidelines on travelling.
They’re lying to us.
Again.
Ministers & experts.
Literally rewriting the lockdown rules before our eyes just to save the Prime Minister’s chief adviser.
How can anyone defend this Govt any more? — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 23, 2020
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At Saturday’s press briefing, Shapps said: “The guidance says if you’re living with children keep following this advice to the best of your ability.
“However, we are aware that not all these measures will be possible depending therefore on circumstances.”
He continued: “It’s for an individual to make the decision ‘how do I make sure I’ve got enough support around the family’, particularly in the case you are referring to with a potential of both parents ending up being ill and having a young child to look after.”
Shapps said he did not know why this support could not have been provided by friends or family in London.
His comments drew widespread criticism on social media with accusations that they effectively amounted to a rewriting of lockdown rules.
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The new message seems to be (from ministers) it’s ok to interpret the rules as you see fit (how might this affect behaviour)
From Harries it’s rather different, stay at home & isolate if you have the virus. Exception is when “there is extreme risk to life” — Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) May 23, 2020
Grant Shapps rewriting the rules in front of our eyes. https://t.co/iTHloRz3S8 — Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) May 23, 2020
Yes, we would. But we were told we couldn’t. That’s why we’re angry https://t.co/IsqDmIl1vp — Claire Phipps (@Claire_Phipps) May 23, 2020
Earlier on Saturday, Cummings defended his actions, saying he “behaved reasonably and legally”.
His comments follow a statement from Downing Street which said the actions of Boris Johnson’s chief adviser were in line with guidelines, and reports that his family were spoken to by police were incorrect.
Dom Cummings followed the guidelines and looked after his family. End of story. — Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) May 23, 2020
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Elsewhere, Labour has written to the head of the civil service to call for an “urgent inquiry” into Cummings’ actions.
In a letter to Sir Mark Sedwill, shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said: “The British people have made important and painful sacrifices to support the national effort, including being away from family in times of need.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-23--Everyone Travelling To France From The UK Will Now Have To Self Isolate For Two Weeks

Visitors from the UK to France will now have to self-isolate for 14 days. IAN LANGSDON via Getty Images
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Visitors travelling from the UK to France will have to self-isolate for 14 days to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the French government has announced.
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The decision comes after home secretary Priti Patel announced on Friday that people travelling from France to the UK would have to quarantine for a fortnight if they arrived on or after June 8.
State broadcaster France 24 reported on Saturday morning that France “regrets” the decision made by Patel, adding that the nation “stands ready to impose reciprocal measures.”
When the new quarantine measures were first announced it was stated that France would be made exempt from the restrictions – a decision which has now been overturned.
According to the BBC, French leaders said it would impose reciprocal measures for any European country enforcing a quarantine.
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France said it would impose reciprocal measures for any European country enforcing a quarantine.
Speaking at the Downing Street briefing, Patel said travellers to the UK will need to tell the government where they will quarantine, and could face fines of up to £1,000 in England if they do not comply.
She added that the measure would “reduce the risk of cases crossing our border”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-23--UK Records 180 More Coronavirus Deaths In 24 Hours, Bringing Total To 36,573

The latest figures were published on Saturday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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The number of people who have died across the UK after contracting coronavirus has risen by 180 in 24 hours.
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The increase consists of 157 hospital patients in England, 16 people in Scotland, 1 person in Northern Ireland and 6 hospital patients and care home residents in Wales.
So far, no UK-wide figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have been released, so the total is taken from each nation’s individual reporting.
It brings the working total to 36,573.
But the government tally, when it is released later today, will be significantly higher as it includes deaths in care homes (missing from the individual figures in at least England) and the community (missing from at least England and Wales). Here’s a quick primer on what all the different numbers mean and how to understand them.
Patients in England who died were aged between 12 and 100 years old, NHS England said. Seven of the 157 patients, aged between 57 and 88, had no known underlying health condition.
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Of the 25,545 confirmed reported deaths so far in hospitals in England of people who tested positive for Covid-19, 13,507 (53%) have been people aged 80 and over while 9,814 (38%) were aged 60-79.
A further 2,026 (8%) were aged 40-59, with 182 (1%) aged 20-39 and 16 (0.06%) aged 0-19, according to NHS England.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-23--Normal People's Paul Mescal Is Here To Break Your Heart With Series 2 News

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This article contains major spoilers for the second series of Normal People.
Paul Mescal has been setting hearts racing as Connell in Normal People, but he’s about to break them all with some news about a second series.
The Irish actor has admitted that there’s currently no plans for him and Daisy Edgar-Jones to reprise their roles in the hit BBC Three series.
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Paul Mescal plays Connell in Normal People BBC/Element Pictures/Hulu
Normal People – adapted from Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name – debuted on iPlayer last month, with the final episode serving up a somewhat sad ending for its lead characters Connell and Marianne.
Connell was seen deciding to study in New York with Marianne choosing not to go with him, leaving the future of their long-term romance with a big question mark over it.
However, it looks unlikely we’ll find out what happened to the couple next, with Paul telling Wonderland magazine a second series is “not on the cards”.
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He said: “I do feel like the series that has finished is its own thing, and I’m totally comfortable with that. It’s not on the cards at the moment, but if I got the opportunity to play him again, amazing.”
Normal People has been a huge hit for BBC Three BBC/Element Pictures/Hulu
Of where he thinks the characters are, Paul added: “Oh, there’s no question that character to me is still alive and breathing and very much has a lot of life left to live, and has a relationship with Marianne that is maybe unfinished.”
While fans of Normal People will no doubt be left feeling emotional about the news, Paul was recently given something to smile about.
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The actor was left shocked and delighted last week after Sia shared a video of his hidden talents.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--Tory MPs Demand Dominic Cummings Resign Over Lockdown Row

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Tory MPs have begun to round on Downing Street aide Dominic Cummings amid accusations he twice broke the coronavirus lockdown rules.
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A string of Conservatives called for Boris Johnson to sack the senior adviser on Sunday after reports Cummings travelled to Durham a second time, while the public were still being told to “stay at home”.
It comes after the Mirror and Guardian reported on Friday that Cummings drove from London to a family property in the city, after he had contracted coronavirus in March.
Number 10 said the first trip was to guarantee childcare for Cummings’ four-year-old son but Cummings flatly denies he went to Durham a second time, despite witnesses saying they saw him in the town of Barnard Castle on April 19.
Asked by journalists about the issue as he left his north London home on Sunday whether he went to the north twice, Cummings said: “No, I did not.”
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Later on Sunday two police officers were seen knocking on the door at Cummings’ London address, but walked away moments later after there was no answer.
Police have just turned up at Dominic Cummings’ house and knocked on the door. No one in. pic.twitter.com/s3jAq4IOWy — Tony Diver (@Tony_Diver) May 24, 2020
Number 10 appears has called the reports “completely untrue” - but Tory MPs have begun to break ranks and publicly call for Cummings’ resignation.
Craig Whittaker, Conservative MP for Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, said Cummings’ position is “untenable”.
I totally agree that Dominic Cummings position is untenable. I'm sure he took the decision in the best interests of his family but like every decision we take we also have to take responsibility for those decisions. You cannot advise the nation one thing then do the opposite. — Craig Whittaker MP (@CWhittaker_MP) May 24, 2020
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Speaking on Nigel Farage’s show on LBC, Peter Bone, MP for Wellingborough and Rushden, said Cummings “has to go” because he broke the rules and has not apologised.
“When an adviser becomes the story, the adviser has to go,” he said. “Boris Johnson can carry on without Dominic Cummings if he goes but it will be hard if he stays.”
Former minister Caroline Nokes, chairwoman of the Commons women and equalities committee, said her inbox was “rammed with very angry constituents” and she had contact Tory whips to express her view.
I made my views clear to my whip yesterday. There cannot be one rule for most of us and wriggle room for others. My inbox is rammed with very angry constituents and I do not blame them. They have made difficult sacrifices over the course of the last 9 weeks. — Caroline Nokes MP (@carolinenokes) May 24, 2020
Tory MP Steve Baker, speaking on the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, said, it was time for Dominic Cummings to go.
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“If he doesn’t resign, we’ll just keep burning through Boris’s political capital at a rate we can ill afford in the midst of this crisis,” he said.
“It is very clear that Dominic travelled when everybody else understood Dominic’s slogans to mean ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’.
“And I think mums and dads who very much care about their children and who have been forgoing the childcare of their extended family will wonder why he has been allowed to do this.
“I really just don’t see, as we approach the Prime Minister (appearing) at the liaison committee on Wednesday, how this is going to go away unless Dominic goes.”
Roger Gale, the MP for North Thanet, said Cummings had “sent out completely the wrong message” and should go.
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While as a father and as a grandfather I fully appreciate Mr Cummings’ desire to protect his child. There cannot be one law for the Prime Minister’s staff and another for everyone else. He has sent out completely the wrong message and his position is no longer tenable. — Sir Roger Gale MP (@SirRogerGale) May 24, 2020
Damian Collins, the Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe, said in a tweet said Cummings had “a track record of believing that the rules don’t apply to him” and that “the government would be better without him”.
Dominic Cummings has a track record of believing that the rules don’t apply to him and treating the scrutiny that should come to anyone in a position of authority with contempt. The government would be better without him. — Damian Collins (@DamianCollins) May 24, 2020
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, whose chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood stepped down after being caught breaking lockdown, said Johnson faced a choice between losing Cummings and maintaining the “integrity of vital public health advice”.
I know it is tough to lose a trusted adviser at the height of crisis, but when it’s a choice of that or integrity of vital public health advice, the latter must come first. That’s the judgment I and, to her credit, Catherine Calderwood reached. PM and Cummings should do likewise. — Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 24, 2020
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The Labour Party, meanwhile, has said that Boris Johnson should lead Sunday’s coronavirus press conference.
Shadow policing minister Sarah Jones told Sky News the public deserve an explanation.
She said: “People are feeling, rightly, angry. People have put their lives on hold, have made huge sacrifices to obey the rules during this period and we have seen the heartbreak of people not being able to attend funerals of loved ones, not being able to see their family members as they go out and I think people are rightly feeling: is it one rule for us and one rule for the people at the top?


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--Heather Chasen, Former EastEnders And Crossroads Star, Dies Aged 92

Former soap star Heather Chasen has died at the age of 92.
The actor was best known for playing Janine Butcher’s grandmother Lydia Simmonds in EastEnders, and Valerie Pollard in defunct soap Crossroads.
Heather Chasen played Lydia Simmonds in EastEnders BBC
News of Heather’s death was confirmed by her close friend, former Coronation Street star Amanda Barrie.
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She tweeted on Saturday: “Remembering the fabulous Heather Chasen who sadly left us yesterday.
“She was wonderfully eccentric, gloriously funny, and a very special actress. There’ll never be another like her. Will always miss her.”
Remembering the fabulous Heather Chasen who sadly left us yesterday. She was wonderfully eccentric, gloriously funny, and a very special actress. There’ll never be another like her. Will always miss her. @Hilary_Bonner @TheStage https://t.co/ABGeqo5kJ3: — Amanda Barrie (@amandabarrie11) May 23, 2020
Heather made a name for herself on ITV’s Crossroads, initially appearing in a minor role as a journalist in 1982.
She was invited back later that year, playing barmaid Valerie until her departure from the Midlands motel in 1986.
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Heather Chasen (seen here with Claire Faulconbridge) played Valerie Pollard in Crossroads ITV/Shutterstock
In 2011, Heather was cast as the grandmother of long-standing character Janine Butcher, and played Lydia for two months until her on-screen death.
Heather was also known for appearing in daytime TV drama Marked Personal between 1973 and 1974, playing Isabel Neal opposite Stephanie Beacham.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--J.K. Rowling Perfectly Shuts Down Tory MP's Defence Of Dominic Cummings In Just One Tweet

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The Harry Potter author replied with an absolute zinger after culture secretary Oliver Dowden got sassy in his support of his fellow minister.
J.K. Rowling Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment
Dowden tweeted: “Dom Cummings followed the guidelines and looked after his family. End of story.”
After picking up on the tweet, best-selling, award-winning writer J.K. simply replied: “I know ending stories and this ain’t it, chief.”
Flawless.
I know ending stories and this ain't it, chief. pic.twitter.com/sziyjnTj2b — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 23, 2020
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Like countless others, J.K. was left furious after reports emerged claiming Boris Johnson’s senior aide had broken the government’s lockdown rules.
Cummings is said to have fled his London home to seek help from his family looking after his four-year-old child, after his wife became ill with Covid-19 symptoms.
Various cabinet ministers – including the prime minister – have publicly backed Cummings, claiming he acted within the guidelines as his journey was classed as essential.
After foreign secretary Dominic Raab claimed that an explanation had “been provided” on Cummings’ journey adding that “those now seeking to politicise it should take a long hard look in the mirror”, J.K. called him out on Twitter.
She tweeted: “So those who make the rules get to break the rules? Your government explicitly told us not to visit elderly relatives. Look in your own bloody mirror.”
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So those who make the rules get to break the rules? Your government explicitly told us not to visit elderly relatives. Look in your own bloody mirror. https://t.co/dATHbJPEoO — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 23, 2020
The author also mocked the way lockdown rules appeared to have been rewritten by various ministers in their defence of Cummings, tweeting: “Update to lockdown rules: parents who think they might have coronavirus should drive straight to relatives’ houses halfway across the UK or risk their children being taken into care. #StayAlert.”
Update to lockdown rules: parents who think they might have coronavirus should drive straight to relatives’ houses halfway across the UK or risk their children being taken into care. #StayAlert pic.twitter.com/EJhu3k8sbl — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 23, 2020
J.K. is not the only high-profile name who has been enraged by the scandal – Piers Morgan also has waged war on the government and their “accountability-avoiding cowardice”.
The Good Morning Britain presenter claimed ministers and experts were “rewriting the lockdown rules before our eyes”.
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Reports have since emerged that Cummings made a second trip to Durham, days after he was spotted back in Downing Street.
In response to the latest claims, a No. 10 spokesperson said last night: “Yesterday the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings.
“Today they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April.
“We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--Coronavirus: Tory MP Says Dominic Cummings 'Must Go', And Four Other Stories You Need To Know

The government’s hesitance to implement lockdown restrictions saw the number of those infected with coronavirus rise by 1.3 million in nine days, it has been reported.
According to an investigation by the Sunday Times’s Insight team, Boris Johnson’s delay in imposing measures saw cases rise from 200,000 on March 14 to 1.5m on March 23 as the government deliberated on the timing and scale of the lockdown.
The increase in cases during this time is shown in a study by Imperial College London’s pandemic modellers and Oxford University’s department of statistics.
The study used backward modelling to calculate that the rate of infection was doubling every three days on March 14 – the date it is believed the government first agreed that lockdown measures would be necessary to curb the virus’s spread.
Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the Government’s Nervtag (new and emerging respiratory virus threats advisory group), told the paper: “I think that critical period of delay made the big difference to the peak numbers, both of hospitalisations and of deaths.
“I think everyone would accept now in retrospect that if we’d gone for lockdown a couple of weeks earlier that would have greatly reduced the numbers of hospitalisations and deaths.”
In a statement to the paper, a spokesman said the government’s strategy throughout the pandemic has been to protect the NHS and “save lives”.
“It has been vital through this global pandemic to make interventions which the public can feasibly adopt in sufficient numbers over long periods.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--'Completely Untrue' Dominic Cummings Made Second Trip To Durham, Says Grant Shapps

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior aid Dominic Cummings ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Reports that Dominic Cummings made a second trip to Durham during the coronavirus lockdown are “completely untrue”, transport secretary Grant Shapps has said.
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Defending Boris Johnson’s top aide following a second day of allegations he broke the rules, the cabinet minister claimed reports in the Mirror claiming Cummings returned to the north east were inaccurate.
His interview comes amid intensifying pressure for the prime minister to sack Cummings, and after Durham Police issued a fresh statement last night contradicting Number 10 claims officers did not contact Cummings’ household.
Cummings was diagnosed with Covid-19, but travelled 260 miles to stay with family.
Downing Street claimed this was so the adviser could get help with childcare.
But new claims emerged on Saturday that Cummings returned to the region and visited the small town of Barnard Castle.
Pressed on the string of allegations piling up about Cummings’ flouting of lockdown rules while millions of families were told to stay at home, Shapps told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge: “I think there are more stories today that I’m seeing that he travelled backwards and forwards, accusations he then went back up to Durham again further times – I understand it is completely untrue.
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“When he came back to London, which was on April 14 I see, he has remained in London since and hasn’t been back to Durham.
“There are all kinds of things that are being said here that are completely untrue.”
"I don't have the details of that journey" says @grantshapps @SophyRidgeSky "We put the questions out there on social media in the hope that you might be able to find out the answers to them and you're coming on the programme and saying you don't know them. Why not?"#Ridge pic.twitter.com/uyUm2bY7Bq — Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) May 24, 2020
Shapps admitted he did not know if Cummings visited Barnard Castle on April 12, as reported, but added that would have been after his 14-day isolation period.
“I certainly know that the first one you mention, of travelling back up (to Durham), I know that is not true.
“I’m afraid I don’t know (about Barnard Castle) but if that date was true that would have been outside the 14-day period. But I’m afraid I don’t have the information on that.
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“But I do know it is not the case that he has travelled backwards and forwards, which seemed to be a major part of the stories I saw in the paper today.”
It came as Tory MPs began to turn on Cummings and called for his resignation.
Former minister Steve Baker was the first to break ranks.
“If he doesn’t resign, we’ll just keep burning through Boris’s political capital at a rate we can ill afford in the midst of this crisis,” he said.
“It is very clear that Dominic travelled when everybody else understood Dominic’s slogans to mean ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’.”
Baker said the issue was not “going to go away” and that Downing Street had to act.
"I objected to Dominic going into Number 10."
Conservative @SteveBakerHW accuses the PM's top aide Dominic Cummings of not abiding by the "spirit" of the lockdown slogans "which he has enforced on the rest of the country."#Ridge https://t.co/JwYiKcNiml pic.twitter.com/Dyw98ix8gL — Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) May 24, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--Piers Morgan Slams Ministers Defending Dominic Cummings: 'Accountability-Avoiding Cowardice'

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Boris Johnson’s senior aide is under increasing pressure to resign after reports emerged claiming he broken the government’s lockdown rules.
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Cummings is said to have fled his London home to seek help from his family looking after his four-year-old child, after his wife became ill with Covid-19 symptoms.
Piers Morgan and Dominic Cummings ITV/Shutterstock
After the prime minister and other cabinet ministers – including health secretary Matt Hancock, foreign secretary Dominic Raab and chancellor Rishi Sunak – publicly defended Cummings by claiming his journey was essential, Piers claimed it “summed up” the government’s “collective moral bankruptcy”.
He tweeted: “Cabinet ministers rushing to publicly support Cummings breaking the Govt’s own lockdown rules just about sums up their collective moral bankruptcy & fridge-hiding, accountability-avoiding cowardice.
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“The public won’t stand for this shameful hypocrisy, whoever they vote for.”
Cabinet ministers rushing to publicly support Cummings breaking the Govt’s own lockdown rules just about sums up their collective moral bankruptcy & fridge-hiding, accountability-avoiding cowardice. The public won’t stand for this shameful hypocrisy, whoever they vote for. — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 23, 2020
The Good Morning Britain presenter noted how the chancellor’s defence of Cummings was particularly disappointing, saying he had “blown his growing reputation”.
We surely conclude what I’ve been saying for weeks.. they’re not fit for purpose. The really disappointing one is @RishiSunak - he just blew his growing reputation. https://t.co/41Ccu9benf — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 23, 2020
During No. 10′s coronavirus briefing on Saturday, Piers claimed ministers and experts were “rewriting the lockdown rules before our eyes” after transport secretary Grant Shapps reiterated a statement from Downing Street, which said the actions of the PM’s chief adviser were in line with guidelines.
Shapps also said restrictions put in place by the government on 23 March should only be followed “to the best of your ability” and that it was “up to the individual” to make decisions on how best to follow them.
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Piers tweeted: “They’re lying to us. Again. Ministers & experts. Literally rewriting the lockdown rules before our eyes just to save the Prime Minister’s chief adviser. How can anyone defend this Govt any more?”
They’re lying to us.
Again.
Ministers & experts.
Literally rewriting the lockdown rules before our eyes just to save the Prime Minister’s chief adviser.
How can anyone defend this Govt any more? — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 23, 2020
He also called for the government to “apologise to the British for backing a lying hypocrite”, telling the foreign secretary: “Once you’ve looked in the mirror & seen a gullible fool looking back.”
It’s now equally reasonable & fair to ask you to apologise to the British people for backing a lying hypocrite. Once you’ve looked in the mirror & seen a gullible fool looking back. 👇 https://t.co/S8OTJfjiuD — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 23, 2020
Following reports on Saturday night that Cummings made a second trip to Durham, days after he was spotted back in Downing Street, Piers vowed not to allow any ministers who have publicly defended him to appear on Good Morning Britain.
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This was jokingly in reference to an alleged ban the government has placed on cabinet ministers appearing on the ITV breakfast shows in recent weeks, after Piers had tense interviews with health secretary Matt Hancock and care minister Helen Whately.
“In light of today’s developments, I am regretfully forced to ban all cabinet ministers from appearing on @GMB until further notice,” he tweeted. “Only exceptions will be those who didn’t publicly support Cummings breaching a lockdown that the Govt forced on the rest of us ‘to save lives’.”
In light of today’s developments, I am regretfully forced to ban all cabinet ministers from appearing on @GMB until further notice. Only exceptions will be those who didn’t publicly support Cummings breaching a lockdown that the Govt forced on the rest of us ‘to save lives’. pic.twitter.com/42NK5cGRiM — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 23, 2020
In response to the latest claims, a No. 10 spokesperson said: “Yesterday the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings.
“Today they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--Here Are A Few Things To Feel Optimistic About Right Now

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It’s easy to get sucked into a vortex of bad news right now, since the vast majority of headlines are calling attention to all that’s going wrong in the world.
There’s no denying the pandemic is tough on our physical and mental health, that people are dealing with all types of loss, and the overall situation is pretty dire and bleak. But we can recognise and respect that while also noting that not everything is completely miserable and awful. Amid the chaos, there are a number of silver linings worth acknowledging.
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Our air is getting cleaner. Scientists are innovating at lightning speed and creating new types of tests, drugs and technologies. People around the world are uniting and so much more.
There are quite a few things that can bring some (measured) optimism into our lives right now — you just might have to go digging around for it. Here are just a few of those positives:
Smog is clearing up.
Around the world, major cities that are usually dampened by chalky clouds of dust and pollution are now getting some major relief. A new report found there’s been nearly a 17% decline in global carbon dioxide emissions since last year, potentially the largest drop in pollution ever recorded.
The biggest winner here is India, where air quality is notoriously terrible — during the lockdowns, pollution in the region has dropped to a 20-year low.
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In the US, they’re seeing cleaner air, too. Los Angeles, a city that’s been battling a smog crisis for years, is consistently seeing crispy, clear blue skies. The Twin Cities have seen a drop in pollution amid the stay-at-home orders — pollution in Minneapolis is down by 15%, and nearby areas are seeing up to 35% less pollution typically caused by car traffic and industrial activity. Detroit has seen a 30% drop in smog, Ohio residents are breathing fresher air, and same goes with the string of cities in the Southwest.
Linda Raymond via Getty Images
Crisis is breeding innovation — and lots of it.
There’s also a stunning amount of innovation going on right now. There’s a big problem that needs to be solved — the coronavirus — and the great thinkers of the world are hard at work coming up with solutions to treat, contain and prevent Covid-19.
Onyema Ogbuagu, a Yale Medicine infectious disease doctor, said there are over 250 trials currently looking at various drugs and treatments for Covid-19. There are new technologies that can sanitise personal protective equipment and medical equipment for reuse. Old drugs are being repurposed; new drugs are being developed.
“I think it’s amazing to see how much innovation is going on,” Ogbuagu said.
And it’s all happening at a record speed; crisis prompts ingenuity. These new discoveries won’t just help us recover in the short-term, but they’ll transform our lives for years to come.
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The world is united in a big way.
All that innovation wouldn’t be possible without the massive amount of collaboration and info-sharing between countries and regions right now.
Science has historically been an extremely competitive sport, and researchers typically like to hoard info and take all the credit for their work. But during this time, scientists around the world are sharing their findings so, together, the world can take out Covid-19.
“[The pandemic] has ushered in an unprecedented era of cooperation and innovation from the private and public sector and medical community towards achieving common goals,” Ogbuagu said.
This level of collaboration has transcended country borders and regions and galvanised the research community, he added. The world is united in a way we’ve never really seen before.
Live entertainment is, in a way, more accessible.
Concerts, comedy shows, orchestras — attending such events are usually super pricey and involve a whole lot of planning and coordination. Lately, creators and artists are performing live online for free.
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You can pretty much tune in to a performance every night of the week if you plan it right. You can start the week with Grace Potter or Metallica, wind down each night with a live stream from the Metropolitan Opera, spend Thursdays with Radiohead, and end the week with Ben Folds and Major Lazer. Here’s to hoping couch concerts are still a thing every so often on the other side of the pandemic.
Westend61 via Getty Images
You have a chance to reconnect with friends and family from afar.
Since we’re prohibited from doing many of the activities we love with the people we live close to, people are Zooming, FaceTiming, chatting and even letter-writing with friends and family from afar.
Though social distancing and stay-at-home orders are by no means easy, they’ve given us the opportunity to reach out and connect with people we might not have the opportunity to see regularly.
“Crisis has an interesting way of giving us permission to reach out to those closest to us for support reinforcing positive relationships,” said Collin Reiff, a psychiatrist with NYU Langone Health.
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You can pick up new and old hobbies
Mental health experts say hobbies do wonders for our mental health and well-being, but it can be tough to find the time to take on new hobbies in the normal hustle bustle of life.
Reiff said he’s noticed many people are using their new free time to practice self-care — they’re going on walks, crafting, cooking, reading, writing and gardening. People are also revisiting activities they loved as a kid — whether it be playing soccer or making friendship bracelets — as a way to relax and revisit old memories (and, of course, stop thinking about the coronavirus).
Thomas Barwick via Getty Images
We are being forced to recalibrate.
Finally, the pandemic has given us time to check in with ourselves and really prioritise our own well-being. This time is urging us to take care of ourselves. Not only is it important to keep yourself healthy, but other people depend on it now, too.
That goes for slowing down, as well. Our society has been so obsessed with being busy and outdoing one another. But in a global health crisis, that’s not totally possible. It’s OK if you’re not productive right now. Life is on pause. Acknowledge that, and let yourself rest.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--White Lines: 11 Questions The Final Episode On Netflix Left Unanswered

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Warning: This article (obviously) contains major spoilers for Netflix’s White Lines.
After 10 hedonistic episodes, we finally know the identity of Axel Collins’ killer in Netflix’s sun-soaked murder mystery White Lines.
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The final instalment of the series from Spanish writer Alex Pina revealed that it was Anna Ward (Angela Griffin) who had killed the Ibiza DJ and club owner.
Anna confessed her crime to Axel’s sister Zoe (Laura Haddock), revealing she’d murdered him after discovering he’d burned all their money at his birthday party.
Anna was revealed as Axel's killer Netflix
However, Anna also claimed it was crime of passion, not being able to cope with the idea of Marcus leaving her if he was to discover she’d cheated on him with Axel (Tom Rhys Harries).
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While the finale wrapped up that aspect of the story, there were plenty of other loose ends left unaddressed, which could easily pave the way for a second series.
Anna stabbed Axel in the throat after previously failing to drown him Netflix
Daniel Mays, who plays Marcus, recently said as much, telling Metro: “None of it’s been properly resolved. I don’t wanna give away too much but, yeah I’m just pitching for a second series.”
Angela Griffin also hinted that writer Alex has “got a series two in mind”, after previously creating popular Spanish drama Money Heist.
With that in mind, here are the questions we’d want answered...
Did Anna face any sort of justice?
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Or is her loveless marriage to George meant to be her punishment for killing Axel?
How did Axel’s body turn up on the mainland?
The flashbacks revealed how Anna and Marcus made two unsuccessful attempts to kill Axel before Anna finished him off with a screwdriver to the throat. But quite how his body then got from the road to the Calafat’s land in Almeria desert remained largely unexplained. Did they have help?
Did Zoe tell anyone else who killed Axel?
Netflix
For someone who’d spent so long seeking answers about her brother’s death, she did very little with the information when she finally learned the truth.
Her monologue suggested it hadn’t brought her the closure she’d hoped, but did she tell any of the others that it was Anna (with a little help from Marcus) who was responsible?
Did Zoe go back to her husband?
While her last video call to Jenny and Mike was certainly ill-advised to say the least, there still appeared to be hope for their marriage when Mike told Zoe he still loved her.
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So did she return home to her suburban life? Or did she make a go of it with Boxer?
What happened to Boxer?
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He’s finally free from the Calafat family after tendering his resignation and was last seen driving off into the sunset. But where is he starting his new life? And is it with Zoe?
Has Oriol worked out Boxer killed the Romanians – and will he do anything about it?
Netflix
When he escaped Clint’s van and Boxer gave him a life jacket to wear, he found a glass eye belonging to one of the Romanians that Boxer killed earlier in the series.
We saw Oriol examining it curiously, but was he able to put the pieces of the jigsaw together? And if he did, does he intend to use it to any kind of advantage that could disrupt Boxer’s fresh start?
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Did the Calafats seek revenge on the Martinezs?
The long-running feud between the two families calmed down when Andreu admitted to Marcus he was too tired to seek revenge on them for the truck crash, which left him paralysed.
However, Oriol told his family that he’d been kidnapped by the Martinezs rather than Clint – surely they didn’t take that lying down too?
Is Oriol still under the impression he killed Axel?
During his family group therapy, Oriol confessed he believed he’d killed Axel and we later found out his memory lapse was due to the fact he’d enjoyed a heroin-fuelled romp with David on the night of the party. But did the series end with him still believing he was responsible?
Are Marcus and Kika still together?
Netflix
They are the show’s most unlikely couple, but we have no choice but to stan.
How did Marcus see off the Romanians?
Just when everything was starting to look up for Marcus, up turned the Romanians’ cronies, demanding to know if he’d killed them.
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While they spared his life, Marcus still owed them €276k for the missing cocaine – but how will manage to pay them off? Is that what his pitch to Andreu a job was about? Speaking of which...
Did Andreu take Marcus up on his offer?
Netflix
When Marcus put himself up for a job working for the Calafats, Andreu laughed at the suggestion, but it wasn’t clear whether this was because he thought the idea was ridiculous or great.Would he really employ Marcus? And would Marcus be trustworthy enough not to take a cut of the profit to pay off his debts?


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--Are Staycations The Way Forward For Your Holiday This Year?

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You’re reading our series Summer’s Not Cancelled, where we celebrate summer in this new normal. From rediscovering nature and cherishing time with friends and family, to virtual festivals and unforgettable staycations – summer’s still here, it’s just different.
With countries around the world in varying degrees of lockdown, our future travel plans look increasingly focused on destinations closer to home.
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After missing out on Easter and May bank holidays, some good news that might come as a relief to families everywhere, especially with the summer holidays around the corner. In the latest lockdown easing announcement holiday accommodation such as hotels, hostels, B&Bs, campsites, and caravan parks in England are open for business again from July 4. Remember, reservations are advised due to new formats accommodating social distancing most places will be running with slightly reduced capacities and facilities.
Even when we begin transitioning back into a wider, socially-distanced world, many of us may choose to avoid foreign travel altogether – to minimise the amount of time we spend in crowded airports and cramped planes, and to avoid the 14-day coronavirus quarantine for most arrivals to the UK.
Since the changes to lockdown rules in England, many popular UK tourist destinations such as the Lake District have urged Brits not to visit just yet. And with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland sticking with a ‘stay at home’ strategy for now, even movement around the UK is necessarily limited.
But with foreign holidays looking less likely for the foreseeable, are staycations the way forward? Here’s what to bear in mind if planning one of your own.
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Keeping it safe
Sometimes it’s easy to forget the incredible variety of things to do on our doorstep. Britain is blessed with miles of beautiful coastline, acres of rural landscape and countless areas of outstanding natural beauty. Especially, when the weather’s right, a UK holiday can be just as good as taking off abroad.
For those who’ve been quarantining in busy, densely populated cities, the lure of the countryside calls. And now that we’ve been forced to stop and look around a bit more, we can all appreciate the natural beauty in front of us.
However, those working in UK-based tourism are urging a little more patience – to avoid an influx of visitors that could putting locals at risk and potentially spread the virus further, and when many services and facilities are still closed.
“The outdoors is there to be enjoyed and all the wonderful experiences such as biking, swimming and walking in the Lake District will be here, but they’re here all the time,” Dan Visser, director sales and marketing at Langdale Estate and vice-chair of Cumbria Tourism Board explains. “Hopefully, a staycation will be just around the corner, but it’s not quite with us just yet.”
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Footage of heavy footfall and traffic in Margate, Kent, and at various coastal spots in the west country had locals calling for visitors to stay away for now.
“It’s important to keep in mind that there are limited facilities running with pubs, restaurants, attractions, hotels and bars still closed,” says Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall
“If you are travelling, think twice, plan well and stay safe. Practising social distancing is a priority and obviously avoiding too many touchpoints when you’re down here.”
Matt Jessop West Cornwall - Gwithian
Keeping it simple
While the anticipation of jetting off on a plane is all part of that feeling of holiday excitement, staying closer to home can still feel like a proper break. And with less travel time and expense, you can make your money and holiday days go further. A trip without any waiting around in airports? Much less stressful.
This could be a chance to explore places in the UK you’ve never been before and support the local economy. Or if you’re missing a favourite foreign holiday spot, why not find its equivalent at home – Norfolk or Surrey’s lavender fields, say, instead of those in Provence.
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“People are enjoying the little, simple things in life. From sitting on the cliffs to bird watching and looking at rock pools, there’s definitely been a mood shift,” says Malcolm Bell. “What was taken for granted is now at the forefront because we’re observing things that we may not have noticed in the past. Plus, absence makes the heart grow fonder. We’re more connected and people want to spend more precious time together. It’s not so much about the destination anymore.”
In the longer term and suggesting some possible light at the end of lockdown, opting for local travel over long-haul flights could lead the travel industry to reassess its future and prioritise an eco-conscious outlook that sustains local communities. New figures suggest that the UK’s CO2 emissions have already dropped to a hundred-year low during lockdown.
“Perhaps the slow tourism idea isn’t such a daft idea after all,” says Bell. “We’re reflecting that being busy all the time wasn’t necessarily the best way of living.”
Visit Cumbria Anne Tyson’s Cottage in the Lake District
Avoid staycation stampede
Travelling abroad is likely to be severely affected by restrictions and delays for some time as the airline sector struggles to survive during the pandemic and holidaymakers remain wary of another wave of infection across Europe and beyond.
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So, will we see a domestic tourism boom – and if so, when? “Losing a summer season could be good and bad news for seasonal destinations like the Lake District, Cotswolds, Hebrides, and many others,” suggests Dan Visser.
“Summer season is the most profitable for businesses and if we reopen in some meaningful format it’s going to be fairly close to autumn and winter. A bounce back and across the colder months would be great for those businesses because we do have the capacity. The landscape is still just as beautiful, only potentially a little bit more rain.”
Whatever the demand, it’s important that the local infrastructure in hotspots be suitable to deal with staycation holidaymakers.
“Keeping communities, staff, and visitors safe is vital because the last thing we want is to have a second spike,” says Visser. “The industry as a whole must be responsible and adhere to the distancing regulations whatever the detail of that is. Only then will we see a staged recovery.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--How To Ditch The Diet Mentality And Still Feel Good In Your Body

Tim Robberts via Getty Images “Diets have morphed and shape-shifted into this wellness thing that’s now so much harder to detect,” says registered dietitian Christy Harrison.
In February, when I spoke with registered dietitian Christy Harrison about her recently released “Anti-Diet” book, I didn’t realise that the world was about to change so drastically.
We talked about the pervasiveness of diet culture ― the belief system that champions the thin (usually white, cisgender) ideal, that says certain ways of eating are good and others are bad, and that encourages weight loss at all costs. It’s in marketing, health care, our own views of ourselves. Although things look very different these days, all of that is still true.
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Diet culture is even more prevalent in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Wellness brands are preying on our fears and uncertainty by offering supplements. More time to scroll through social media and all of the perfectly chosen images leaves us feeling more insecure about our own bodies.
Most glaringly, there’s so, so much fear-mongering about quarantine weight gain that even someone who typically has a good relationship with food might feel pressure to start a diet. Those who struggle with an eating disorder or disordered eating might feel these pressures even more acutely.
In “Anti-Diet,” Harrison chronicles the history of diet culture, uses evidence to point out the flaws in our strongly held beliefs about weight, and gives some insight into how to finally stop judging ourselves and others for the shape of our bodies and the food we eat.
And there’s no better time to heed those lessons than right now, when the pressure to “watch what we eat” is through the roof (despite the fact that we’re battling a global health crisis totally unrelated to food).
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Below, Harrison breaks down some ugly truths about dieting and advice on how you can ditch the horrible cycle for good. Because, yes, it’s possible to ditch diet culture and feel good in your own body.
If you couldn’t lose weight on a diet, it isn’t your fault ― there’s tons of evidence that long-term weight loss just doesn’t happen for most people.
The idea that diets don’t work is nothing new. In “Anti-Diet,” Harrison traces the belief that 95% of diets fail back to a 1959 literature review that looked at past weight loss studies. The review found that, basically, no diet or intervention proved consistently effective for weight loss.
And this still holds true: A 2013 review of several weight-loss studies found that diets do typically lead to short-term weight loss, but that most people regain the weight within five years. A similar 2011 review found that many dieters actually regain more weight than they initially lost.
“In any other case, we would be so quick to say, ‘This thing didn’t work for me, this product is the problem.’ But with diets, we think, ‘I’m the problem.'” - Christy Harrison, author of “Anti-Diet”
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Harrison described this initial weight loss that diets bring as the honeymoon phase.
“I think often when it’s a person’s first diet ever, there’s a honeymoon phase of dieting where you do see weight loss ― although not everyone does ― and you feel like you’ll be able to stick to it because there are no complications,” she told HuffPost. “There’s the feeling of, ‘It’s working! It’s happening!’”
But none of that lasts. “The body gets wise and starts to feel the effects of starvation,” Harrison said. “On average, people will lose weight for about six months to a year, and then at the year mark they start regaining the weight, and the rate of weight regain speeds up over time.”
A lot of people aren’t even able to make it to this six-month mark, she said, “because the starvation response really kicks in and pushes people to start eating more than they were before the diet, which oftentimes leads to binging.”
In other words: The obsession and out-of-control feeling around food that often happens several months into a diet isn’t a personal failing, it’s a biological response.
Because we live in diet culture, people think the solution to one failed diet is to find another, “better” diet.
Habitually jumping from one restrictive eating plan to another is so commonplace that we have a name for it: yo-yo dieting.
But, as any past or current yo-yo dieters know, even very different diets tend to lead to the same result: initial weight loss, eventual weight regain.
“It’s ridiculous,” Harrison said. “In any other case, we would be so quick to say, ‘This thing didn’t work for me, this product is the problem.’ But with diets, we think, ‘I’m the problem. Maybe this one isn’t for me, maybe I’m not meant to be an intermittent faster, maybe I’ll be a keto or Whole30 person instead.’ So we see people jumping from diet to diet to diet.”
AndreyPopov via Getty Images “Oftentimes people who have lived in diet culture their whole lives have this accumulation of rules,” said Christy Harrison. Question why you still hold up these rules from diets that didn’t serve you, then work on ignoring them.
Weight cycling and weight stigma are bad for our physical and mental health.
Although plenty of people diet for aesthetic reasons, health is also a motivator. Those who live in larger bodies are often told by their doctors (and, sometimes, their friends and family) to diet and lose weight to improve their health outcomes. But that advice often leads to more harm than good.
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“No matter what weight a person is at, even controlling for BMI, weight cycling is an independent risk factor for all these things that get blamed on weight itself: heart disease, diabetes, some forms of cancer, and mortality,” Harrison said. “When we diet, we’re almost inevitably going to end up weight cycling. That’s going to put our bodies at greater risk than just saying the same weight, even if that’s a higher weight.”
The anti-diet movement isn’t just about not dieting, it’s about understanding that bodies can be healthy at any size.
The idea that more weight is an inherently bad thing is flawed. Many people at higher weights are metabolically healthy, Harrison said. (And, of course, it’s possible to be metabolically unhealthy at a lower weight.) A 2015 study of over 100,000 people in Denmark found that those in the “overweight” category lived the longest, on average ― a conclusion that’s consistent with past findings.
In response to this evidence, the Health at Every Size movement encourages people to “accept and respect the inherent diversity of body shapes and sizes and reject the idealising or pathologising of specific weights.” It also aims to end weight stigma and discrimination and to make the world more accessible to all people, no matter their weight.
It’s important to understand all of this if you want to truly reject diet culture, give up dieting and become a more intuitive eater, Harrison said. Intuitive or mindful eating encourages you to focus on your hunger and fullness cues, pushes you to slow down and enjoy meals, and doesn’t vilify any foods. It’s not a diet program; it’s a lifestyle habit.
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It can be much harder for someone in a larger body to reject diets and diet culture because of the discrimination they face.
Throughout the book, Harrison acknowledges her privilege as a thin, white, cisgender woman. When you live in a body that society deems “acceptable,” quitting dieting is easier than it might be for someone who lives in a more marginalised body.
“People in much larger bodies do face discrimination every single day, and it’s natural to want to lose weight as a way to escape that,” said Kimmie Singh, an anti-diet dietitian and fat body liberation activist.
“If you’re someone in a smaller body who’s working toward body acceptance and becoming a more intuitive eater, make sure you also work on accepting all bodies and body sizes to help all people feel safe stepping away from dieting.”
Singh gives her clients background and evidence about why diets don’t work and encourages them not to pursue weight loss, but ultimately leaves the choice up to them. If you’re someone in a smaller body who’s working toward body acceptance and becoming a more intuitive eater, make sure you also work on accepting all bodies and body sizes to help all people feel safe stepping away from dieting.
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A life without dieting might be hard to imagine, but it’s possible. Here’s how to do it.
The first obstacle in quitting diets for good is that these days, so many of them claim not to be diets at all.
“Diets have morphed and shape-shifted into this wellness thing that’s now so much harder to detect,” Harrison said. “The ‘wellness diet’ is about demonising some foods while elevating others; eating the supposedly ‘right’ things and removing the supposedly ‘wrong’ things. It promises health and moral superiority, but it almost always promises thinness, as well.”
Harrison recommends rejecting any diet or “wellness” lifestyle that comes with rules ― eat this not that, eat X amount, only eat between the hours of Y and Z. Even once you do this, you might find that you have a lot of old food rules swimming around in your head.
As an early step in the journey to rejecting diet culture and becoming a more intuitive eater, Harrison encourages clients to write down any food rules or thoughts that pop into their heads during the day.
“It’s fascinating to see. Usually there are dozens of these thoughts throughout the day,” she said. “You realise, ‘Anytime I start to think about food, these rules or these judgments pop up.’ Just becoming aware is the first step.”
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Then, you can start to question any rules you might have.
“Oftentimes people who have lived in diet culture their whole lives have this accumulation of rules,” Harrison said. “They can even be from completely contradictory diets ― like demonising fat and demonising carbs.”
Question why you still hold up these rules from diets that didn’t serve you, then work on ignoring them.
Don’t be surprised if eating without food rules or judgment feels a little out of control at first.
“Your brain and body have been so deprived that there’s going to be this pendulum swing back from the side of restriction to the side of eating all the food,” Harrison said. “I call it the restriction pendulum.”
But this doesn’t last forever. “Eventually you really will be able to settle in the middle, and get to a place of peace and balance with food,” she said.
The reward goes far beyond just a better relationship with food and body. “It’s amazing to see what happens for people when they’re eating intuitively,” Harrison added.
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At first, learning to be an intuitive eater takes some effort. But once you click into it and aren’t constantly obsessing about what you can and can’t eat, you get so much brain space back.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-24--I'm An AIDS Survivor And Covid-19 Is Giving Me Flashbacks

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I’m living proof that there can be life after a deadly virus. My personal panic about the current coronavirus crisis is interwoven with my memories of facing another virus, HIV.
There are similarities between corona and HIV, such as living with uncertainty and fears for both ourselves and loved ones. Some AIDS survivors I’ve spoken to report having a PTSD experience now. They are reliving the days before the mid-1990s, when there was no effective virus management. But all of us who have chronic or underlying health conditions have a treasure trove of skills, including bravery, courage and resiliency, in facing the current pandemic.
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Yes, I’m high risk and taking it seriously, but for the last three decades, mortality has never been far from my mind. When my husband was diagnosed with AIDS in 1992, we faced a deadly virus that at the time had no drugs, vaccine or cure. He refused to discuss how he contracted HIV. My theory is that he was bisexual and had trouble dealing with it. He became so sick that I stopped asking him. The priority was to stay alive and help him recover.
When the doctors delivered his diagnosis, the scenario was beyond bleak. They said my husband would die first, then me, and then our two-year-old son. I felt like I was falling backward into a deep black hole. After much misery, my 41-year old husband did die of AIDS a year later. Tragically and surreally, my 40-year-old uncle also contracted the disease, through circumstances completely unrelated to our family, and died.
But as it turned out, I didn’t die and neither did my son, who is now 29. We are currently together as we “shelter in place.”
The current reports of ventilators, intubation and lung tubes for coronavirus patients are like a blast from my past. Unfortunately, I know all three very well. I tested negative in 1994 for active HIV with a PCR test. Later, my doctor indicated it was probably a faulty test. But HIV didn’t enter my mind when I developed a serious cough 12 years later. It also didn’t occur to the doctors that it could be HIV-related.
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I collapsed and was rushed to the emergency room and then directly to isolation. Since I had traveled to Asia recently, they thought I had SARS, but it turned out I was in respiratory failure due to pneumocystis pneumonia, or PCP ― an AIDS-related illness.
They inserted a breathing tube and attached me to a ventilator. At some point, my lungs collapsed and I needed intubation. Then they inserted four lung tubes. A fifth one went in the middle of the night by an eager doc, unbeknownst to my chief doctor, who was annoyed. Later, I found out that I had a 50-50 chance of survival.
25th Annual Gay Pride Parade in NYC: Act Up Demo protesting AIDS epidemic, New York, New York, June 26, 1994. (Photo by Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images) Allan Tannenbaum via Getty Images
After a month, they removed the breathing tube. When I was taken off ventilation and synthetic morphine, I developed ICU psychosis. My waking and sleeping images blended. I was convinced there were llamas at the foot of my bed, a nurse was dressed like a Renaissance queen and dead relatives were camped out in the hospital hallway drinking champagne.
I was lucky that by then an effective and lifesaving cocktail to control HIV had by then been developed. However, it took over a decade of testing to develop the antiviral cocktail now in wide use. In my case, the maintenance cocktail started out as a complex regimen and now is down to one daily little pill. I have been fortunate to have little or no side effects and to have remained healthy for the past 16 years. But I am not without survivor’s guilt, which plagues me to this day.
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There are differences between that crisis and this one. The stigma attached to HIV caused me and many others to hide in the closet for fear of being denied insurance, jobs and mortgages. Even when it was no longer considered a death sentence, I continued to be wary of revealing my status. And the government and society’s treatment of people with HIV and AIDS was a low point during the last century.
Hopefully, the incredible passionate activism during the AIDS epidemic serves as a model. In the 1980s the number of deaths and HIV infections, and the lack of government response, led the LBGTQ community to organise protests. Their mobilisation to develop testing, and eventually effective maintenance meds, saved my life and many others.
Health care workers also had issues treating AIDS patients, especially before it was known the virus was only transmittable through bodily fluids. I remember our dentist and his hygienist treating my husband while wearing hazmat suits. Those health care workers and doctors are our heroes. My own Seattle doctor, an infectious disease specialist, is back on the front lines, caring for coronavirus patients, saving lives, as he did mine and others.
Another lesson from the fight against HIV and AIDS is that you can’t count on a vaccine. Hopefully, advances in the medical field will lead to fast-tracked medications and protocols to deal with Covid-19 and its trajectory. The stories of solitary deaths in hospitals are reminiscent of the AIDS era. I watched several die in my husband’s hospital ward, with no loved ones around. All I could do is try to give them courage to fight.
I begged both my husband and my uncle to try to hang on, as I felt there would be breakthrough medications soon. But we lost both within the space of 15 months.
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I’m at high risk for complications if I contract the coronavirus and I am taking all precautions, but I’m also keeping in mind the words of a female artist, in the hospital bed next to me years ago, who said, “You survived! Now go out and find the reason why.”
I had been a creative person on and off while working at a demanding corporate job. My previous lives, as a journalist, playwright and jazz vocalist, were dormant. As soon as I got home from the hospital, I began writing and singing again. I stayed with my corporate job for a while, but my centre of gravity had shifted and I left it a few years later.
Because of my experience of facing my own mortality and watching loved ones die from a deadly virus, I view the coronavirus as yet another very large hurdle. Those of us who were affected by HIV have been through the trenches and are truly battle-tested for this one.
During the AIDS crisis, the world didn’t face financial collapse, massive unemployment, and daily White House briefings. It took brave and relentless activists, many deaths and a lot of fear before there were lifesaving drugs. The global energy to solve or ease the Covid-19 crisis is palpable.
And while the coronavirus has placed the world on pause, in the post-pandemic universe there will be possibilities to be explored. I’m living proof that dealing with and surviving a deadly virus can give a powerful reboot to our future lives.
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This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal