thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--What People With Long Covid Want To Happen In 2021

Supplied Lere Fisher (left) and Nicola Mitchell (right) have been struggling with long-term symptoms of coronavirus for months now.
2020 has been tough for many of us, but it’s been especially hard for those who’ve had to navigate the debilitating long-term effects of Covid-19.
Dubbed long Covid, it’s thought one in five people in the UK who catch coronavirus develop longer-term symptoms, some of which include breathlessness, heart palpitations, fatigue, brain fog and skin rashes.
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People with long Covid have faced challenge after challenge as their plight went largely unrecognised for the first half of the year – with some doctors dismissing their symptoms as being psychological. Unable to get the help needed, many flocked to social media sites to join long Covid support groups and share their symptoms, as well as makeshift treatments they’d found helpful: complete rest and relaxation, as well as vitamins (specifically vitamin C) and supplements.
But, as more people – including doctors and scientists – spoke out about the very real symptoms they were experiencing months after coming down with the virus, there was a growing recognition that this was an issue impacting tens of thousands of people in the UK alone.
While more research is needed – and there is some underway globally – more is now being done on UK soil to support those in recovery.
In December, new medical guidelines were issued to shape the management and treatment of long Covid in the UK. NHS England also revealed that people with long Covid can access specialist help at more than 60 sites up and down the country.
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For those suffering, it’s been a long time coming. We caught up with three people we spoke to earlier this year about long Covid to see how they’re doing and what they hope to see change in 2021.
Supplied Deborah Foley
In August, Deborah Foley, 50, from London, told HuffPost UK she was more than five months into her struggle with the illness. She came down with Covid symptoms in mid-March when she developed an itchy throat. For a month, she had a mild cough and pains in her chest. Six weeks in, she felt burning sensations in her lungs. An ultrasound confirmed she had inflammation.
She called NHS 111 numerous times and was told to stay at home. Her GP gave her antibiotics for her chest and a urinary tract infection (UTI) – and during this time she lost two stone. She went to A&E, but blood tests, x-rays and electrocardiograms (ECGs) came back fine.
From week 10, her symptoms worsened. She experienced shaking, shortness of breath, night sweats and feeling like electricity was pulsing though her body. Her partner also had symptoms of the virus – loss of smell and fatigue – as did her nine-year-old daughter, who was in recovery from leukaemia and shielding.
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“This is the strangest disease I have ever encountered.” - Deborah Foley, 50, from London
More than nine months after first experiencing symptoms, Foley is still struggling. “The light cough I had for the first six weeks could never have indicated how bad things would become with my health over 2020,” she tells HuffPost UK. “When anyone says they have ‘weird’ symptoms and aren’t sure if they have Covid, I say ‘anything weird, presume it’s Covid’. This is the strangest disease I have ever encountered.”
Like many others, Foley was initially told by medics she didn’t have Covid and she was experiencing anxiety, instead. Thankfully, as the year has progressed, she’s been able to get more support. “I managed to persuade a post-Covid clinic to see me and a neurologist diagnosed me with autoimmune disfunction,” she says. “I hope all us long haulers can get the treatment and support we need in 2021.”
One of her greatest wishes for the New Year is to be able to hug her friends again – and, of course, for Covid to disappear. She hopes to fully recover and take the Covid vaccine.
Supplied Lere Fisher
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In October, Lere Fisher, 46, from London, spoke to HuffPost UK about how the virus had stopped him from working, meaning he’d had to sign on for benefits.
The freelance learning and development consultant moved back in with his parents in south London at the start of the year following a divorce. He intended to stay for two months, but is still there now after becoming ill with Covid-19.
Fisher woke up on March 20 feeling like he’d been “run over by a steam train”, experiencing extreme fatigue, headaches, chest pains, and a sore throat.
He self-isolated for two weeks but – like many at the time – was unable to get a test. After two weeks he started to feel better and decided to go out for a walk. But by the time he got home, he was struggling to breathe. “It felt like my lungs were on fire,” he says. He called NHS111 and paramedics came to his home where they confirmed he had symptoms of Covid.
Fisher tells HuffPost UK that March 20 began a new chapter in his life. “There was no way possible to be able to continue working whilst battling the infection. December 20 marks nine months of living with the disease. Finally I’m getting back to a standard of health where I can consider returning to work in 2021.”
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He hopes to be able to work “better and smarter” when he does return, having been out of it for nine months. “My appreciation for health and the value of employment has definitely increased, meaning I never want to take either for granted ever again,” he says. “2021, I welcome you.”
Supplied Nicola Mitchell
In 2021, Nicola Mitchell, 52, from the Cotswolds would like to see a nationwide, government-backed educational campaign to ensure the public have a greater awareness of the seriousness of long Covid.
Mitchell spoke to HuffPost UK in October about how the virus had left her in financial ruin. She came down with symptoms of the virus on Christmas Day 2019 while on holiday in the Caribbean. She lost her sense of taste and smell, and a few days later, the fever hit. At the time, she’d never heard of Covid-19.
She experienced other symptoms, such as headaches, eye pain, nausea, a sore throat and swollen glands – and spent her holiday in bed in a dark room. Several weeks later – on January 20 – the first official cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the UK. However, it’s now believed coronavirus was circulating before then.
“I’ve been wiped out financially and obviously medically, emotionally, everywhere.” - Nicola Mitchell, 52, from the Cotswolds
Since then, she’s faced an uphill battle getting health professionals and family members to take her illness seriously. It got so bad that in February, Mitchell called the Samaritans as she was at wits’ end. “That’s how far you are pushed when you have a medical fraternity that gives up on you,” she says.
Long Covid impacted her income to the point where she estimates she’s lost north of £12,500 this year. She had to sell her car, most of her jewellery and put her house up for sale – “I’ve been wiped out financially and obviously medically, emotionally, everywhere,” she told us in October.
Getting awareness of long Covid and the toll it takes is hugely important to the 52-year-old. “It’s only going to be through greater recognition that the growing numbers of sufferers will be protected from having to endure the horrific neglect and ridicule that took me far too close to taking my own life this year,” she says.
“This mustn’t happen again. The government has to recognise the human and economic losses long Covid causes and move quickly to prevent unnecessary loss and suffering.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--You Weren't Exercising In 2020 If You Didn't Do These 10 Things

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HuffPost
So, you think you’re a fan of fitness? But did you become dangerously close to splashing your savings on a Peloton?
The pandemic has changed the fitness industry beyond recognition, yet there are some things we’ve been doing en masse in 2020.
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Below, we round up 10 of the biggest exercise trends – a fitness bingo, if you will. How many can you tick off?
1. You were obsessed with Yoga With Adriene
Oh, you know my close personal friend Adriene too? What a coincidence.
The words “hop into something comfy and let’s get started” became the catch-phrase of the first national lockdown for those doing Adriene Mishler’s 30-day ‘Home’ challenge.
the whole world is falling apart and we've rightly chosen this woman as our saviour pic.twitter.com/rgo2q2G1kq — Alexander Hick (@alexander_hick) April 19, 2020
Her YouTube channel boomed in popularity during the first three months of the pandemic, says the New York Times, going from an average of 500,000 to 1.5 million views a day.
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2. You walked... like, a lot
We see you, government-mandated hour of exercise per day. And we raise you nine months of looking at the same four walls.
We have walked a lot of miles since.
My Daily Quarantine Walks, in no particular order:
1. Fitness walk
2. Dog walk
3. Clear my head walk
4. THAT'S RIGHT I'M LEAVING AGAIN BECAUSE I NEED A DAMN MINUTE TO MYSELF IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK AFTER CLEANING THE KITCHEN 1000 TIMES walk
5. Mailbox walk — Wendi Aarons (@WendiAarons) April 6, 2020
When interviewed for a government report between May and July 2020, 39% of Brits reported walking more than before the outbreak of coronavirus. We can sense a re-release from The Proclaimers coming on.
3. Joe Wicks became your PE instructor
If you’ve not pretended to be Spiderman, performed ‘bouncing bunnies’ or shuffled like a crab at some point this year, you’ve clearly missed out.
I may not have children to deal with while wfh, but I am spending lockdown with my parents and have a mum who does a Joe Wicks @thebodycoach workout outside the kitchen window every morning 🦀 pic.twitter.com/8HKeD8XSR2 — Rebecca Burgess (@reboika) June 16, 2020
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The Body Coach became the nation’s PE teacher when schools closed early in the pandemic, but his YouTube workouts have been enjoyed by us big kids, too.
No, your thighs are burning.
4. You downloaded Couch to 5K
More than 858,000 people downloaded the Couch to 5K app during the first three months of the first UK national lockdown – a 92% increase from the same period in 2019.
“Downloaded” is the key word...
Anyways, I started my first day of couch to 5k, so at least I’ve got that going for me today. pic.twitter.com/NifaTN6kU5 — Monnie (@squeemonster) November 16, 2020
5. You quit Couch to 5K
Sure, there are some people who downloaded the app and discovered a love of running that’ll stay with them for life.
Then there’s everyone else.
Couch to 5k trending and reminding me I downloaded the app, opened it once and haven’t touched it in over a month ffs — Jamie (@Jay_Evans1997) July 1, 2020
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6. You did Instagram workouts
Remember when you couldn’t log onto Instagram without getting a notification that someone, somewhere, was doing a live workout?
We’ll be forever thankful for those free pick-me-ups when we needed them most – but the home and interiors envy also lives on.
me: i don’t want to workout today.
me: opens instagram
🤠🏃🏼♀ pic.twitter.com/K2O5JTVeaU — mils ♡ vale and fran. (@kiwisugahigh) December 19, 2020
7. And experienced Zoom fitness classes, too
“Join our zoom class”, they said, “It’ll be fun”.
And before you know it, you and 10 strangers are staring at each other’s faces, trying to make small talk before your live workout begins.
At least there’s always an easy out...
I signed up for a zoom workout class that was too advanced so when the instructor said “do a plank and bring your knee to the opposite elbow,” I did a modified version where I turned off my computer and made pancakes — Morgan Murphy (@morgan_murphy) April 20, 2020
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8. You went to an empty gym and posted the evidence
Went to the gym at some point this year? Great. But it doesn’t count if you didn’t post a photo of empty treadmills. If your caption included a phrase such as “I like this more” or “why can’t it always be like this?”, you get an extra point.
What I like about my gym most is that it's almost always empty 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/lxqNWouyVh — 𝗠ᴀ𝗛🪅🎄☃ (@Moehafza) December 17, 2020
9. Maddie Lymburner (aka MadFit) blew your mind
So, you got bored of PE with Joe, huh? Thought you could handle a HIIT workout that’s designed for actual adults? Maddie Lymburner (probably) proved you wrong.
What @maddielymburner thinks I can do with my almost 30 yr old knees in her newest full body workout 💀
I do love that every workout she makes kicks my 🍑 though so it's worth it 🥰💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/yZ9VfevLLB — ✨Meagan✨ (@_omeggaa) December 8, 2020
The YouTuber – famed for the account MadFit – gained more than 30,000 new subscribers a day as gyms closed during the first wave of the pandemic.
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We love her dance-inspired workouts and HIIT sessions, but five minutes in, we we’re usually taking a breather, sitting on the floor and watching in awe.
Maddie, we salute you.
10. You (almost) bought a Peloton
Peloton’s branding u-turn has been so extreme, even those reluctant to exercise are tempted to splash out on one of the expensive home bikes. If you haven’t got one, you want one.
I was 🤏this close to buying a peloton last night. I don’t even bother walking around the block. Wtf would I do with a peloton??? Impulse buy averted. Tonight? Who knows. — RandomRN (@ReneeMarAnd) July 12, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--15 Brunch Recipes You Can Make In An Instant Pot After Christmas

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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--The Vaccine Doesn't Necessarily Stop You Spreading Covid-19

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Every Monday, we’ll answer your questions on Covid-19 and health in a feature published online. You can submit a question here.
This week, HuffPost UK reader Lyn asked: “If I get the vaccine can I still transmit the virus to others?”
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There are many unknowns when it comes to the various vaccines that have been created to fight Covid-19 – and one of those is whether such vaccines can reduce transmission or not. The short answer is: we don’t know for sure yet.
Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, told a press conference in December 2020 that true herd immunity will only occur if we have vaccines that can reduce transmission between people.
At the moment, we know the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines can reduce severe illness from the virus, but less is known about their ability to stop people spreading the virus to others.
There are murmurings, however, that such vaccines should have *some* effect on transmission.
kovop58 via Getty Images
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Both the Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines reduce the incidence of symptomatic infection and so are “likely” to reduce the R value and contribute to an overall reduction in transmission, Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in medicine at University of East Anglia, previously told HuffPost UK. But we don’t know this for certain and further data is needed.
A 2020 press release from Oxford/AstraZeneca states there was an early indication that its vaccine – when given as a half dose, then a full dose – could reduce virus transmission.
This was evidenced by lower rates of asymptomatic infection in those who were vaccinated. It’s generally agreed that the risk of spreading Covid-19 is lower in asymptomatic people than those with symptoms.
A more recent preprint study (meaning it hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet) published in February suggests again that the vaccine could alter transmission. The paper on the vaccine’s efficacy reported a reduction in viral expression after the first dose in vaccine recipients, compared to unvaccinated participants.
Oxford University said the findings of the pre-print paper show the jab has a “substantial effect” on reducing transmission of the disease.
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Dr Gillies O’Bryan-Tear, former chair of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, says if vaccines reduce transmission to the extent reported, it will mean that the easing of social restrictions could be enabled sooner. “That would be the holy grail of the global vaccine rollout,” he says.
A Pfizer spokesperson told HuffPost UK in December that the matter of immunity after vaccination is a question the company continues to explore in its research – and this will ultimately help them better understand transmission.
“The duration of immunity after Covid-19 requires observing a large number of people who have had the disease once until some get it a second time,” they explained. “Because the first known cases of Covid-19 only occurred in December 2019, there hasn’t been enough time to observe a significant number of second illnesses to know the duration of natural protection.”
Similarly, determining the duration of immunity after vaccination will require observing a large number of people who have been immunised with an effective vaccine to see if or when their rates of Covid-19 will start to increase, relative to the time they were vaccinated.
“We will better understand transmission when we have data on protection for those who were previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or infected with Covid-19, asymptomatic disease and severity of the disease,” says the spokesperson.
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“Our trial will continue to determine those areas to determine the full protection and potential of the vaccine.”
“The duration of immunity after Covid-19 requires observing a large number of people who have had the disease once until some get it a second time.” - A Pfizer spokesperson
Kirsten Hokeness, director of Bryant University’s Centre for Health and Behavioural Sciences, in Rhode Island, told Men’s Health there is a “theoretical risk” that you could pass the virus on to others despite being vaccinated. But it’s not a foregone conclusion.
The whole point of the vaccine is to create “immunological memory in the body”, she explained, so that when a person encounters the virus, their immune system quickly works to attack it before it has a chance to make a person sick.
“Therefore, as long as the vaccine boasts a strong immunological response, it is likely that the virus will be stopped from replicating in your system pretty quickly,” she said – and that would hopefully limit your ability to spread it to others. More so than if you weren’t vaccinated, anyway.
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For now, the message is: it’s better to be safe than sorry – we don’t know for sure that having the vaccine stops you from spreading it to other people, only that it should prevent you from getting severely ill.
The best thing to do – until enough people are vaccinated, and we have more robust data on how the vaccines impact transmission – is to wear a mask, wash your hands and social distance.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--I Was Raised To Believe The Apocalypse Was Upon Us. 2020 Is The Year I Stopped Believing

pamela_d_mcadams via Getty Images
When I was a child I was taught that I would never die. In April of this year, testing my sense of smell with a bottle of bleach to my nose while alone in my Brooklyn apartment, the constant peal of ambulances echoing in the streets below, I wished I still believed.
I was raised as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses to think Armageddon was something to look forward to. God would destroy the wicked world as we know it, to be replaced with a theocracy in which people like my family could live in eternal peace. We didn’t believe in heaven, but that the dead would be resurrected on a perfected Earth free of sickness and death. If I was very good, and went door to door warning neighbours of their impending doom, I would survive even when the world I knew was wiped away.
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Most of my peers avoided college because a degree would be useless in paradise. Some even put off marriage or children, waiting for a perfect world to make a perfect family.
This was a difficult year to stop believing in Armageddon. But in truth, I’d gradually outgrown a faith built on the same sort of blind adherence that helped the outgoing president build a devoted and dogmatic base. I had admitted it to myself, but not my family. And so while many New Yorkers were fleeing the city to shelter with their families out of state, I was dodging my parents’ phone calls.
To cheerfully anticipate the end of the world might have sounded ridiculous a year ago, but now every other tweet that populates my feed is a link to another preposterous news story accompanied by an only half-sarcastic wish for the end of days. And the headlines themselves are full of apocalyptic fervour: how to grocery shop for the apocalypse, what to wear for the apocalypse, how to job-search during the apocalypse.
I fell back on an old reflex to comfort myself — remembering a scripture about the Day of the Lord coming as a thief in the night, surprising us when we least expect it. Surely the end couldn’t arrive while Twitter was calling for it.
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“I couldn’t die now, with nothing to look forward to.”
My neighbour got sick first. Ambulances were coming by daily, either to see one of the three men who lived in the garden apartment of my building, or to the nonprofit next-door, which provided the social workers who checked in on them regularly. Sometimes the ambulance arrived at night, the flashing lights bursting through my bedroom windows and waking me up. I never saw anyone leave on a stretcher, but I had only seen two of my neighbours for weeks.
One day a cleaning crew in full hazmat gear arrived to disinfect the building. I watched them through my peephole while one of my neighbours loudly explained to the other from the front stoop: “The coronavirus is everywhere in there!”
When I started to cough, I called a doctor who told me to stay home but not seek out testing, since I was so mildly ill and tests were hard to come by. Staying home was exactly what had gotten me sick in this case, but of course I complied. When I lost my sense of taste and smell, I started to panic and soothed myself by making dinners out of anything with a fun shape or texture to keep things interesting.
Cacio e pepe with a hard-boiled egg? Sure, why not. One hundred saltines and some canned fish? Fine. My boyfriend left bags of cough syrup and Gatorade on my doorstep and waved to me from the sidewalk when I came downstairs to retrieve them.
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By the end of my 14-day confinement, during which my worst symptoms were a persistent cough and a raging case of health anxiety, I was frantically scanning articles about “Covid toes” and mild cases that took a sudden turn toward death.
A particularly vivid piece about sudden cardiac arrest in patients set my own heart aflutter. It wasn’t hard to convince me I was on the verge of a heart attack. But who would find me and call 911 when I was locked up alone in my apartment on a Thursday afternoon? I threw on a trenchcoat over my T-shirt and sweatpants and started circling the block so at least someone would find me when my heart gave out.
Death is nothing when you anticipate a resurrection — just blink your eyes and awake in perfection. But when you stop believing, the prospect is enough to have you pacing the sidewalk hoping someone will rescue you. I couldn’t die now, with nothing to look forward to.
When I did speak to my parents, I tried to distract them with small talk about my probable Covid case, and my mom sympathised by telling me her dinner the previous night had tasted bland. When they invited me to come stay with them, where a free room is always tied to mandatory service attendance, I demurred, blaming it on the virus. When they invited me to attend online services with them and I couldn’t claim to be busy every weekend of the summer, I responded with a noncommittal thumbs-up emoji.
“Believing the world can survive means accepting that I will die, which isn’t what you want to dwell on when there’s a deadly virus on your doorstep.”
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I’d like to say I decided to be honest with them because my deep conviction and righteous indignation moved me, but actually my aunt forced my hand when she found a picture of me and my non-believing boyfriend on Instagram — his beard was a dead giveaway that he’s not a member of Jehovah’s clean-shaven fold — and demanded I tell my dad. So I chose the coward’s medium: I sent them an email.
Of course they were heartbroken, they said, and my father tried to convince me that an imperfect religion can still be the right one in the end. After all, when everlasting life is at stake, to not believe is death. And how would any parent react when a child’s life is in peril? It’s the reason most witnesses shun anyone who no longer believes, or believes but doesn’t follow the rules. They say it is done out of love, that they would do anything to encourage a loved one to save themselves.
I’m lucky we trade sparse emails now, and I try to keep the topics light and secular, which in my family means complaining about your health.
In November I got sick again — the flu this time. The symptoms were familiar and I didn’t feel compelled to wander the streets looking for help, though I did need to call my boyfriend to carry my Blue Apron box up three flights of stairs while I was laid out on the couch. I may have outwardly looked like death, but I knew the flu wouldn’t kill me. While people were cheering in the streets when the election results were announced, I could only clap out my bedroom window, but things were looking ever so slightly up.
This year we’ve had more reason than ever to believe the world will unravel, and yet I’m only more convinced that any undoing will be the natural result of our own actions. Maybe Armageddon will come. If nothing else, a climate catastrophe is likely to destroy us. Not divine retribution perhaps, but certainly the wages of our sins. Or maybe we will just escape disaster again and the Earth will live on for millennia, even forever. But I will not.
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Believing the world can survive means accepting that I will die, which isn’t what you want to dwell on when there’s a deadly virus on your doorstep. Life matters more when it’s not just an obstacle course between me and paradise — when I can do what makes me happy, not what I’m told will earn me a place in the next, better world. I am living an imperfect life in an imperfect world, and for the first time, I don’t want it to end.
This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--12 Times Social Distancing Inspired Stars To Think Outside The Box In 2020

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Just 12 months ago, the vast majority of us had never heard of the concept of social distancing. Now, it pervades almost every aspect of our daily lives.
As painful as it has been, and as fed up with it as we all are, there’s no denying the challenges it has presented – particularly in the entertainment industry – have led to some real moments of creativity that we probably couldn’t have imagined in a pre-Covid world.
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Here’s a celebration of just 12 moments that were truly dreamt up outside the box...
1. Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield install a cuddle curtain on This Morning
After months of sitting apart on the This Morning sofa, Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield came up with an ingenious way of being able to share a hug over the summer.
The pair installed a plastic cuddle curtain in the ITV daytime show’s studio, and while the whole thing might have looked rather ridiculous, it ended up being strangely emotional to watch.
2. The Backstreet Boys reunite for a socially-distanced performance
Still not over @backstreetboys performing "I Want It That Way” from their homes last night. ✨✨ #iHeartConcertOnFOX pic.twitter.com/7UHVOxqJvj — Sony (@Sony) March 30, 2020
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Speaking of things that were strangely emotional, the Backstreet Boys had us in tears back in the early days of the pandemic when they reunited for a special performance over Zoom.
The boys recorded a surreal coronavirus-era rendition version of their hit I Want It That Way for Elton John’s Living Room Concert, which was televised in the US in March.
The five lads – AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell – were all social distancing in their respective homes in America but, through the magic of technology, filmed a unique version of their most famous song.
It certainly put our HouseParty quiz sessions to shame, that’s for sure.
3. Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse reunited on Strictly Come Dancing for a performance like no other
Getting Strictly Come Dancing on air this year proved to be a massive feat, with the pro dancers forming a bubble to record the group routines, before then quarantining in order to bubble up with their celebrity partners.
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Many had assumed that this would have meant Oti Mabuse would have not been able to reunite with last year’s champ Kelvin Fletcher for the traditional winner’s performance during the launch show, having already formed a bubble with new partner Bill Bailey.
However, the pair managed to navigate the rules by creating a distanced version of one of their most famous routines, which saw them remain two metres apart throughout.
4. The Drag Race finale takes creativity to the next level
With the final of RuPaul’s Drag Race usually filmed in an auditorium full of people, producers had to go back to the drawing board when the season 12 finale rolled around.
Instead of waiting until TV production was up and running again, producers thought outside of the box and produced a remote finale, with the final three queens performing from home.
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And rather than being another one of those Zoom-produced shows we all got bored of watching in lockdown, the Drag Race finale ended up bringing a whole new element of creativity to the show, with some of the most memorable finale lip syncs ever.
5. Reece Witherspoon and Kerry Washington pretended it was New Year’s Eve (in September) at the Emmys
“We’re having a New Year’s Eve party” declared Kerry Washington from the Emmys this September, before a socially-distanced Reece Witherspoon revealed: “Because we’re ready for this year to be over.”
If only 2020 really had ended three months ago...
6. And while we’re on the subject of The Emmys, what about those hazmat suits?
Invision/AP
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The only sign that this robotic-looking black suit has anything to do with the glamorous world of awards season in Hollywood is the Emmys logo on it in block white capitals.
This hazmat suit was designed to allow people to get within close proximity of others while remaining safe from the virus.
Trophy presenters wore these to present winners with their awards trophies at this year’s Emmys – although to be honest we’re not sure we’d have stuck around to be greeted by anyone wearing this if they approached us, no matter the giant trophy in their hand...
“Not only is this a fun and irreverent visual, but it also ensures the health and safety of all of our winners and the presenter by following all of the health and safety protocols — with a twist,” press material said.
7. Jennifer Aniston’s way of eliminating the virus certainly was unexpected
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In our final nostalgic moment from this year’s Emmys, here’s Jennifer Aniston using a fire extinguisher to remove any potential virus from an envelope containing nominees for an award she presented.
Hilariously – or perhaps terrifyingly for those in the room – the fire kept on relighting itself, and the joke quickly became old news as Jennifer transferred all her energy from the award handout to literally putting out a fire.
8. Lady Gaga sports the ultimate facemask at the VMAs
Sticking with the awards show theme though, Lady Gaga put on quite the show at this year’s MTV VMAs.
While you might have expected a pared-down performance given the circumstances, she through all her usual levels of production as she took to the stage at the virtual ceremony.
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In fact, you would probably only have noticed it took place during the pandemic due to Gaga’s face mask that actually doubled up as a soundwave machine, and probably wouldn’t have actually looked out of place in any other of her performances.
9. Kylie’s Infinite Disco live stream was a masterclass in how to put on a remote concert
There’ve been various live streams during the pandemic, and while they’ve all been worthy of praise for helping to keep the music industry alive during this strange time, Kylie Minogue stepped things up a gear when she put on a remote concert to promote her latest album DISCO.
Rather than dance about her living room singing her famous hits, the pop queen put on a full-scale, socially-distant production that would not have looked out of place on an actual tour.
The Infinite Disco show proved to be a huge moment for many pop fans, and just weeks later, Dua Lipa put on her impressive Studio 2054 live stream, which also featured Kylie as a guest. performer
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10. Musician Sam Fender hosts one of the first socially distant concerts
Ian Forsyth via Getty Images
Newcastle Upon Tyne, and singer Sam Fender was one of the first artists to get back on a main stage, IRL, in a pandemic. The only difference was the audience were distanced, with each group confined to small metal pens with grassy walkways in-between.
Truly an image we wouldn’t have believed if you’d shown it to us 12 months ago.
Fans wait in socially distanced enclosures to see Sam Fender Ian Forsyth via Getty Images
Waiters delivered drinks to the seating pods though so there wasn’t any need to stand in bustling queues at bars – something we definitely do not miss.
A waitress walks between socially distanced enclosures selling drinks to fans Ian Forsyth via Getty Images
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11. In fact, entire festivals even happened – and we were at one of the first socially distanced ones
Dancing within a hexagonal pod and being thrown out for leaving it is hardly the script most of us are used to when we attend free-loving, free-thinking music festivals, but at Gisburne Park Pop Up in summer 2020 it was the only way to proceed safely.
Founder Robyn Isherwood is seen as industry-leading for how she got the festival going, against hurdles from the council. “I’ve never had such a large health and safety document, we worked together with the council to get it right,” Robyn told HuffPost UK. “They came down on the opening night!”
Read our report to find out more about what it was like watch the video from the festival above.
12. And finally, Greg James noticed a hilarious new trend among celebrities
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Greg James’ trademark brand of silliness has been one of the constants that have kept millions of Radio 1 listeners going over the last nine months, as he’s found ridiculous ways of keeping them all entertained.
And just earlier this month, he served up another viral piece of content after he spotted a trend that has emerged as social distancing has continued – celebrities using the phrase “socially distanced, of course”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--29 Times This Morning Gave Us A Laugh In The Year We Needed It Most

If there’s one thing you can always rely on This Morning for, it’s laughs, and we’ve needed those more than ever this year.
Thankfully, Holly Willoughby, Phillip Schofield and the gang have been more than happy to oblige and have brought even more smiles to our faces in 2020.
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As we see out the year, we’re reliving some of the most hilarious moments from ITV’s most madcap daytime show – giggles guaranteed.
1. When Holly and Phil absolutely lost it at viewers’ rude vegetables
2. Likewise, at these viewers’ kids’ drawings
3. The segment was so funny, they brought it back again
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4. When guest Iris got extremely candid about her first night with her much-younger lover
5. When caller Rita was responsible for the most chaotic game of Spin To Win ever
6. When Alison Hammond did Kylie and it was frame-for-frame perfect
7. When Phillip pranked Holly for the second year in a row and properly got her (with a little help from Bradley Walsh)
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8. When Josie Gibson came a cropper while paddleboarding
9. When Vanessa Feltz told everyone to stockpile sex toys instead of loo roll and pasta
10. When everyone’s favourite viral star of 2020, Chanel the parrot, made an appearance on the show
11. When Alison took over the kitchen and it was a truly wild ride
12. And then they gave Alison her own mini-series on the app, and it was even more calamitous
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13. When Josie’s attempts at glassblowing got a little bit X-rated
We sent @Josiestweet glassblowing, and what she created was quite impressive to say the least! 😳😂
You can see more of Josie's Wee Boating Adventure over on our YouTube channel 👉 https://t.co/mO55CIztu6 pic.twitter.com/2X0BDnadQq — This Morning (@thismorning) September 21, 2020
14. When Phillip made an inadvertent sex toy gaffe
15. When Alison did a guest edit of the show and obviously included an item on Love Islanders modelling pants
16. When Holly and Phil discussed an unfortunately named gynaecologist
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17. When John Torode accidentally set fire to his kitchen
18. And when James Martin had a blender blunder during another cookery segment
19. When Alison told Holly and Phil she wanted a man “with a strong back”
She may be on the hunt for love in Celebs Go Dating, but @AlisonHammond's already found it with all of your comments... and one particular message did catch her eye! 😂
To find out who described Alison as their 'perfect' girlfriend, head to the app! 👉https://t.co/H7BmcfSZvR pic.twitter.com/xTuHaXpHCm — This Morning (@thismorning) March 3, 2020
20. When Josie had a Ghostbusters-related wardrobe malfunction
Josie was doing a spot of ghost busting today when she suffered a wardrobe malfunction 🙈 Today's show was full of slip ups and giggles, all of which you can watch here 👉 https://t.co/ZFml8koLhI #ThisMorning pic.twitter.com/UL7qOIUsqP — This Morning (@thismorning) July 2, 2020
21. When Holly cracked up for no reason during a debate about the Easter bunny
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22. When Miriam Margolyes told this story of meeting the Queen that couldn’t have been more Miriam Margolyes
this miriam margolyes story is incredible pic.twitter.com/xbTfglj6dH — the bird of britain (@seagulinengland) January 9, 2020
23. When Phil Vickery got a bit too familiar with a focaccia
24. When Holly and Phil couldn’t keep a straight face as Josie met a group of nudists
25. When Josie’s face covering went rogue on a rollercoaster
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26. When Alison interviewed a tree. Yes, a tree
27. When an alpaca spat in Phillip’s face
28. When Paddy McGuinness made a very hungover appearance on the show


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Kevin Clifton: 'I Left Strictly For A Life In The Theatre... Then There Was No Theatre'

After seven years as a professional on Strictly Come Dancing, Kevin Clifton decided that 2020 would be the year he said goodbye to the hit series to focus more on performing in musical theatre.
He reasoned that he’d probably had the full Strictly experience during his time with the show – he’d danced with celebrities of varying dance abilities, and finally won in 2018, confirming months afterwards that he and his celebrity partner Stacey Dooley were in a relationship – and already had a few musical roles lined up for the year ahead.
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Kevin officially announced his departure from Strictly in March, after landing his dream role in a touring production of Strictly Ballroom. However, it wasn’t long until things hit a bump in the road, and just two weeks after Kevin’s news, Boris Johnson announced that the UK would be going into lockdown.
Kevin Clifton pictured earlier this year, after landing a part in Strictly ballroom Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
As part of HuffPost UK’s new interview series 2020: The Year That Wasn’t, we spoke to Kevin about how he and Stacey passed the time in lockdown, the future of the theatre industry and his true feelings about the decision to quit Strictly when he did…
Thinking back to January, how did you feel looking ahead to 2020?
It’s mental because in January I was looking ahead to 2020 with loads of excitement. Everything looked brilliant, to be honest. I’d just started in the musical The Wedding Singer, and I was doing that for just over a month, which I was really excited about. I loved the role, loved that musical.
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Then I had a short break before I was heading into a short tour of Burn The Floor, the dance company that I’ve been involved with for years.
How did lockdown affect what you already had planned for the year?
After Burn The Floor, I was all set to move onto Strictly Ballroom, which was supposed to open in September. To be honest, that was the main reason I took the decision to leave Strictly Come Dancing. It was always a bit of a dream of mine to play that role in Strictly Ballroom.
I’d been in touch with Strictly Come Dancing and said, ‘if I get offered this, I’m not going to be able to say no to it’. So I got offered the part, said I was leaving Strictly for a life in the theatre… and then there was no more theatre. So everything sort of disappeared, or moved over to 2021.
I still feel like it was the right time [to leave Strictly Come Dancing]. Strictly Ballroom was sort of the catalyst, but to be honest, I’d been talking to [Strictly Come Dancing] about leaving for about a year. On my last year of the show, I said to them, ‘I am thinking about when’s the right time to leave’, because I’d done seven years on the show, and I sort of felt like I’d done everything that I wanted to do on the show.
Kevin with the rest of the male Strictly professionals at last year's red carpet launch Mike Marsland via Getty Images
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In terms of different kinds of celebrity partners and different kinds of journeys you can have on there – there was the year that I won, with Stace, I had a year where I went out early, I had a year where it was a real journey from someone who wasn’t very good at the beginning who then got better and better, a year where I was dancing with a comedian, and everyone thought she’d be the sort of ‘comedy act’ but she did well, had another year where I danced with someone who everybody said was ‘too good’ from week one. All the different scenarios and different kinds of celebrities that you can get.
I said to them, ‘if I carry on for an eighth year, unless you go down the route of partnering me with a man, it’s sort of going to be a repeat of something I’ve already done’. I’ve just turned 38, I didn’t want to do it just for the sake of being on TV… and I wanted to try and chase some other things that I really wanted to do, like theatre, which I really love doing. So I thought, if I don’t make that step and go for it now, I’m just going to sit in my comfort zone, getting older and older!
Obviously it was difficult when all the theatre went away this year and I’m sat at home watching [Strictly Come Dancing] – but I still feel it was the right time. But fingers crossed that 2021 is going to be a version of what 2020 was supposed to be – for everyone in the world!
How did you make it work in 2020, and what are you most proud of?
When we first went into lockdown and it first became clear that we weren’t going to be coming out any time soon – and I wasn’t going to be performing any time soon – I sort of thought, ‘I’ve been working nonstop for quite a few years, and I haven’t had a break’.
I’d been saying for a while that I needed to take some time off, otherwise I was going to burn out. Obviously, you wish it was under different circumstances, but when it happened, I thought, ‘OK, well this is a bit of an enforced break’. So at first I took that decision to have a proper break, and not worry too much about anything, and do nothing.
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Kevin Clifton says it was the "right time" to leave Strictly in 2020 Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
I suppose, the problem is, it’s that guilt that kicks in with everything. It’s like, as much as it’s nice to have a bit of a break, you then start thinking, ‘right, I’ve got all this time, I should be doing something’. You feel this need to be productive in some way.
So it’s like, ‘right, I’m going to write a book or learn Chinese or something’, and on some days it’s like ‘I’m going to try and actually do this’, and on other days, you say you’re going to do it, but you sit and play PlayStation and at the end of the day, feel all guilty about it.
In terms of what I’m most proud of, we got to the point once it was apparent that Burn The Floor couldn’t happen as its full production, me and my sister [fellow Strictly Come Dancing champion Joanne Clifton] decided to form a show that we could do, with socially-distant audiences.
So, we did An Evening With Kevin and Joanne that we did in collaboration with Burn The Floor, singing songs, dancing, telling stories about our career and all that sort of stuff, and we were really proud that we pulled all that together. And we went on tour! We were actually on tour for a week, until we then got locked down again. But I was proud that we got it up and running and got a tour in place.
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What’s one thing that got you through lockdown?
Me and my girlfriend decided we were going to watch all the episodes of The Royle Family right from the beginning. And we just laughed so much at it. It’s things like that that kept me going, to be honest.
And you turn towards the arts in those moments, don’t you? In any form. You turn to TV or movies or those online streams of plays and musicals, you listen to music or you read books. Which is why the arts are so important, and I suppose that keeps you sane, just seeing the outpouring of love for the arts from everyone – when you’re not feeling it from the government, necessarily.
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton pictured in 2018 Gareth Fuller - PA Images via Getty Images
What did you find to be the biggest challenge or the lowest point of the year?
I suppose there were a couple of things here and there where you drag yourself away from the PlayStation for a minute, fight to get a project going and it gets to the point where you feel really awesome, and it gets cancelled. That’s what gets you down, and there’ve been a few things here and there where you start to feel really good about doing something and then there’s just another knockback.
We did a night on tour of An Evening With Kevin And Joanne, and just before one of the shows, we were watching TV, when Boris Johnson announced we were going back into lockdown. And I’m literally getting my mic on, getting my outfit on, standing in the wings, and there’s a producer there, and I’m going ‘what does this mean, what does this mean for us, what does it mean for the show?’. And they say ‘we’re going to have to stop for a month tomorrow night’ – and then, right, on stage, ‘good evening everybody!’. It’s those moments that are the most difficult.
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What’s the biggest lesson you’re taking away from 2020?
I suppose when you’re in any situation where you find yourself with excess time on your hands, you reveal your true self to yourself. We all say things like, ‘I’m going to do this, if I only I had time’, and then when faced with time, the thing you actually want to do, is what you do.
You prove to yourself, ‘actually I didn’t want to learn Chinese at all, I just wanted to listen to this album’... so I think, if anything, if you look at it in the right way, it’s an opportunity to go, ‘it’s interesting that I spent my year focussing on that’.
And for me personally, it proves that if even if I were a billionaire, I wouldn’t want to stop performing. I just felt this need to do something, to get up and dance or sing or act or whatever. It just proved to me how much I do love it.
Kevin backstage at Strictly Come Dancing Live! in 2018 Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
How do you feel now looking ahead to 2021?
I’m starting to get hopeful, obviously with this news of the vaccine makes things feel a bit more do-able, I suppose.
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I’m looking at 2021 thinking I can do all the things that I was supposed to do this year. Strictly Ballroom’s been rescheduled to open in September 2021, we’ve got Burn The Floor scheduled for the spring, the delayed dates of mine and Joanne’s tour are for January and February… so fingers crossed I’m looking forward to 2021, thinking it’s going to be a great year.
But I’m also learning not to get my hopes up too much, because things get cancelled left, right and centre, and the world’s just surprising us at every turn at the moment.
Kevin Clifton is touring the UK in 2021 in Strictly Ballroom. For more information visit the production’s website.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-29--Snow Set To Fall Across Much Of UK As Cold Snap To Continue Into New Year

Snowfall at Tatton Park in Knutsford, Cheshire. PA
Snow is set to fall across much of UK as a cold snap is expected to continue on Tuesday and temperatures could plunge as low as -10C.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of snow and ice for much of England and Wales and parts of Scotland after a day of heavy snowfall in some regions, with more wintry weather expected on Wednesday and Thursday.
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It said that overnight temperatures into Tuesday “will tumble towards freezing, perhaps getting as low as -10°C in western Scotland where there is a covering of snow”.
Drivers were urged to stay off the roads with treacherous conditions predicted by the AA if thawing snow turns to ice overnight.
Britons could also wake up to freezing fog patches, which will be slow to clear.
Wintry showers could see up to 10cm of snow could fall over the Pennines and North York Moors, according to the weather warning which runs until 10am on Tuesday.
The Met Office said that most places will see little or no snow, but “a slight covering of a centimetre or so is possible in a few places”.
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The cold weather is here to stay as we head into the New Year ❄
Cold northerly winds will bring frost and ice through the week, with a covering of snow in some places too ☃ pic.twitter.com/vacZFRZtPY — Met Office (@metoffice) December 28, 2020
Ben Sheridan, of the AA, said: “Thawing snow, rainfalls and freezing temperatures overnight lead to challenging driving conditions, with roads likely to be icy in the morning.”
But the AA added regional restrictions, which have been imposed due to Covid-19, mean that roads are quieter than normal.
Large swathes of London, the Midlands, the South, South West plus the east of England and Wales have also been warned that snow and ice could hit on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Met Office yellow warning suggests that up to 5cm of snow could fall across parts of southern Wales, central and southern England, and there is a small chance of 10cm-15cm settling in a few places, most likely on high ground above 200 metres.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Plumstead Murder Inquiry: Woman Charged Over Death Of Four-Year-Old Boy

A woman in her 30s has been charged with murder after a four-year-old boy was found dead at a flat in Plumstead, south-east London, the Metropolitan Police said.
Officers were called to a property in Invermore Place shortly before 8am on Sunday and found the child “lifeless”.
The woman and child are related and next of kin have been informed but police are not naming them at this time.
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She was arrested at the scene and taken into custody before being charged later on Sunday.
The woman subsequently appeared at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Monday and was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--More Covid-19 Patients In NHS Hospitals In England Than During April Peak

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There are now more Covid-19 patients in NHS hospitals in England than during the peak of the first wave in April, new figures have revealed.
The NHS England data shows there were 20,426 patients in NHS hospitals in England as of 8am on Monday, compared to the 18,974 patients recorded on April 12.
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It followed the number of coronavirus cases recording in a single day in the UK rising above 40,000 for the first time.
The government said that, as of 9am on Monday, there had been a further 41,385 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, while a further 357 people have died within 28 days of testing positive. The UK death toll now stands at 71,109.
Paramedics in London received almost 8,000 callouts on Boxing Day, which was described as one of London Ambulance Service’s “busiest ever days” – up more than 2,500 on the 5,217 received on the same day last year.
The skyrocketing numbers prompted Public Health England to warn “hospitals are at their most vulnerable”.
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Covid-19 patients in hospital in England. Press Association Images
Prime minister Boris Johnson and his scientific advisers have said a variant of the coronavirus, which could be up to 70% more transmissible, was spreading rapidly in Britain, although it is not thought to be more deadly or to cause more serious illness.
That prompted tight social mixing restrictions measures for London and southeast England, while plans to ease curbs over Christmas across the nation were dramatically scaled back or scrapped altogether.
Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: “This very high level of infection is of growing concern at a time when our hospitals are at their most vulnerable, with new admissions rising in many regions.”
It comes as hospitals in the South face a rise in pressure as the number of coronavirus patients receiving treatment heads towards the April peak.
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Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “We know that the rate of Covid-19 admissions is rising and some trusts are reporting up to three times the number of Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave.
“This means hospitals and also ambulance services in Tier 4 areas and beyond are incredibly busy, compounded by increasing staff absences due to illness and the need to self-isolate.”
Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, called the trend “extremely worrying” and said “systems will again be stretched to the limit”.
“It is not ‘just the case’ of using the Nightingale hospital as there are simply no staff for them to run as they were originally intended (mini intensive care units),” he said.
“They could play a role perhaps if used as rehabilitation units for those recovering but, again, where do we find the specialist staff – the NHS simply does not have the capacity to spare anyone.”
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Medics are receiving support from other ambulance services in the South but remain very busy, with London Ambulance Service tweeting on Monday: “Yesterday (December 27) we received more than 7,000 calls. We’ll take 5,500 calls on a typical ‘busy’ day.”
Dr Katherine Henderson, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, described her experience of working in a hospital on Christmas Day as one of “wall-to-wall Covid”.
She told BBC Breakfast: “The chances are that we will cope but we cope at a cost – the cost is not doing what we had hoped, which is being able to keep non-Covid activities going.
“So we will stretch staff, the problem is at the moment we have a lot of staff sickness.”
Professor Jackie Taylor, president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, told the programme London and the South East are now experiencing what Scotland went through in the autumn.
Meanwhile, an outbreak of further positive Covid-19 cases at Manchester City led to their Premier League trip to Everton being postponed just four hours before kick-off.
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More than six million people in east and south-east England went into the highest level of restrictions on Saturday, which now affects 24 million people representing 43% of the population.
Lockdown measures are also in place across the other three home nations, after mainland Scotland entered Level 4 restrictions from Saturday for three weeks, and a similar stay-at-home order is also in place in Wales.
Northern Ireland has also entered a new six-week lockdown, and the first week measures are the toughest yet, with a form of curfew in operation from 8pm, shops closed from that time and all indoor and outdoor gatherings prohibited until 6am.
Calum Semple, professor of outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), described the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine as a “game changer” if it is approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the coming days but warned “herd immunity” through vaccination would not be likely until the summer.
Meanwhile, Downing Street and Department for Education (DfE) officials were due to meet on Monday to discuss whether schools should be kept open if tougher measures are needed, although the DfE declined to comment on the outcome.
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But Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said the Government hopes the staggered reopening of schools in England will go ahead in January as planned.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--200 British Tourists Flee Quarantine In Swiss Ski Resort

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Some 200 British tourists have fled quarantine in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier after authorities moved at short-notice to contain a new variant of the coronavirus.
On December 21, the Swiss government ordered people who had arrived from the United Kingdom and South Africa since December 14 to undergo a 10-day quarantine to prevent the spread of more contagious mutation of Covid-19. It also halted flights before allowing them to resume a few days later so stranded visitors could return home.
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Swiss media reported on Sunday that about 200 British citizens left Verbier before the end of their quarantine.
The reports suggested some Swiss hoteliers only discovered the guests had vanished when room service trays were left untouched outside doors.
Many of them stayed in quarantine for a day before they set off unnoticed under the cover of darkness.
The Daily Telegraph claimed that of the 420 Britons identified by authorities as being in the luxury resort when the quarantine was hastily enforced, fewer than a dozen remained by Sunday.
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Asked about the run-away tourists, health minister Alain Berset told reporters in Basel: “We are aware of that. It is obviously a problem, there was an order to quarantine that has not been respected.”
A ski instructor walks past a giant screen reading in French: "Mask mandatory in the queues, and the ski lifts, distance of at least 1.5m in queues" at the start of a ski lift in the Alpine resort of Verbier. FABRICE COFFRINI via Getty Images
A skier walks past signs reading in French: "Keep your distance, here mask mandatory". FABRICE COFFRINI via Getty Images
He said he didn’t know the current whereabouts of the tourists, but suspected that they had gone home.
“One shouldn’t underestimate what an impossible situation it was,” he said. “We had to decide within hours what to do ... That things don’t work perfectly in such a situation, that problems surface is a reality we have to live with.”
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Simon Wiget, director of Verbier tourism, told Reuters that the sudden quarantine order had placed local authorities in a difficult situation.
“It’s our role to pass on information, we’re not the police,” he said.
Britain's reputation hasn't been trashed enough this week, so let's add the story of 200 British tourists who had been quarantining in Verbier doing a runner in the middle of the night. Charming. https://t.co/YlPoClcZ4a — Mary Novakovich (@mary_novakovich) December 27, 2020
Switzerland joined several countries in suspending travel for Brits after prime minister Boris Johnson warned the mutated variant was up to 70% more transmissible.
Verbier is especially popular to British tourists, they make up 20 per cent of all its visitor in a typical winter season.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Everton Vs Manchester City Called Off After Covid Outbreak

Goodison Park stadium from the edge of Stanley Park. wellsie82 via Getty Images
English football has been left reeling by three further coronavirus outbreaks, including one at Manchester City which forced their Premier League game at Everton to be postponed just four hours before kick-off.
Three days after Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus were among four individuals to return positive tests, the club announced on Monday that another round of testing had “returned a number of positive cases”.
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The bleak news came as Rochdale and Morecambe announced that their next two games were postponed due to Covid-19, while five games were unable to take place in the fifth-tier National League on Monday.
“With the security of the bubble compromised, there posed a risk that the virus could spread further amongst the squad, the staff and potentially beyond,” a Manchester City statement read.
“Based on strong medical advice the Premier League, in consultation with both clubs, has decided to postpone the fixture.”
The Premier League, in agreeing to the postponement, insisted the health of players and staff was paramount.
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“The board agreed to rearrange the game as a precaution, and further testing will now take place (on Tuesday),” said a statement.
“The decision has been taken with the health of players and staff the priority.”
The fixture is the second Premier League game to be called off this season due to positive tests for coronavirus.
The match between Aston Villa and Newcastle, due to be played on December 4, was postponed due to cases within the Magpies’ camp.
A day after Walker and Jesus’ positive tests were announced, City beat Newcastle 2-0 at home on Boxing Day.
The Premier League statement added: “The Premier League continues to have full confidence in its protocols and rules, and the way in which all clubs are implementing them.
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“The League wishes those with Covid-19 a safe and speedy recovery and will rearrange the postponed fixture against Everton in due course.”
City’s training ground has been closed for the foreseeable future with the rest of the squad having to undergo extensive further testing before any potential return can be considered.
The club’s next match is due to be at Chelsea on Sunday, which is then followed by their Carabao Cup semi-final against derby rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 6.
Competition rules allow for the semi-final to be rearranged and, as the final has been pushed back to April, there is more room for manoeuvre if the last-four clash has to be rescheduled.
Rochdale’s next two League One games, at home to Crewe on Tuesday and Saturday’s visit of MK Dons, are now off with players and staff from the hosts forced to self-isolate.
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“We can confirm that Rochdale’s next two Sky Bet League One fixtures have been suspended,” a club statement read.
“The club has advised the EFL it is unable to fulfil the fixtures due to Covid-19, with players and first-team staff required to self-isolate in line with EFL and Government guidance.”
League Two Morecambe were due to play at Bolton on December 29 and away to Bradford on January 2.
But a Morecambe statement read: “The club has (on Monday) informed the EFL and their opponents that it will not be able to play its next two games following an outbreak of Covid-19.
“The decision follows detailed conversations today with both club and EFL medical staff.”
Morecambe football secretary and director Mick Horton said: “It is very disappointing that we have had to make this decision but the welfare of our players, staff and opponents remains the number one priority and, following detailed conversations with the relevant authorities, we have also decided to close our training ground for 10 days as well.”
National League games at Barnet, Boreham Wood, Chesterfield, Dagenham & Redbridge and Sutton were postponed on Monday after positive tests were returned at various clubs.
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Rotherham’s Championship game with Barnsley on Tuesday will go ahead, but boss Paul Warne said the coronavirus-hit Millers are only fulfilling the fixture to avoid receiving a possible points deduction.
The Millers’ last two games have been called off after an outbreak of the virus in the camp before Christmas and they were keen for the south Yorkshire derby to go the same way, but EFL doctors have ruled it can be played.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-29--Latest Covid Tier Changes To Be Revealed On Wednesday

A 'Stay Home' sign seen in London as many parts of the UK are now in Tier 4 Covid-19 restrictions. SIPA USA/PA Images
Matt Hancock is set to reveal any changes to the Covid-19 tiers on Wednesday, Downing Street has confirmed.
The health secretary is due to set out plans, making clear what restrictions will be in place and where for the following two weeks, in a Commons statement.
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It comes as ministers who sit on the Cabinet Office’s Covid Operations committee (“Covid O”) prepare to meet on Tuesday evening to examine the latest data on the pandemic in England.
Hancock signalled before Christmas, after two new and more infectious strains of the virus were found to be present in the UK, it was more likely that restrictions would be tightened than loosened.
On Tuesday, Downing Street would not be drawn on whether the committee would discuss school closures, amid reports a new “tier 5” lockdown was an option.
Ministers moved to place London and huge swathes of the south-east under the toughest local lockdown, tier 4, earlier this month, after cases in the capital almost doubled in the space of seven days.
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There are also growing fears over NHS capacity, as rises in hospital admissions begin to follow the spike in cases. England’s hospitals now have more Covid-19 patients than during April’s first-wave peak.
NHS England figures show there were 20,426 patients in NHS hospitals in England as of 8am on Monday, compared to the 18,974 patients recorded on April 12.
Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, raised the alarm over the service, saying “again” the NHS was “back in the eye of the storm with a second wave of coronavirus sweeping Europe and, indeed, this country”.
The health secretary is due to make a statement to MPs at around 3pm.
The government is also “still planning for a staggered opening of schools” after Christmas but is keeping the plan under constant review, a No.10 spokesperson said.
They told a Westminster briefing: “We’re still planning for a staggered opening of schools and we are working to ensure testing is in place.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-29--John Barrowman Celebrates Anniversary With A Very Cheeky Message For His Husband That Left Us Blushi

John Barrowman Celebrates Anniversary With A Very Cheeky Message For His Husband That Left Us Blushing

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John Barrowman celebrated his anniversary with husband Scott Gill yesterday and shared a video of the pair from their marital bed in their home in Palm Springs.
After waking Scott up, accompanied by the couple’s (seriously cute) pet pooches, the Torchwood star asks his husband, “How many years is it, Scott?”
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A sleepy Scott replies: “Too many.”
But it was when John offered his beloved some cinnamon buns in the Instagram clips, that things took a decidedly cheeky turn…
😳😳😳
John and Scott, who have been dating since the early 90s, became civil partners in 2006, before marrying in 2013.
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Last month, the actor left some TV viewers confused when he reverted to his native Scottish accent during an appearance on Lorraine
Such was the confusion that the actor’s name began trending on Twitter following his interview on the ITV morning show.
'Happy Birthday to you... you gorgeous piece of woman!' 🎂
Who better to serenade @reallorraine on her birthday than the simply fabulous, @JohnBarrowman. 🎉
Watch ➡ https://t.co/vn8NeFi106 pic.twitter.com/wU1MnkYek3 — Lorraine (@lorraine) November 30, 2020
John is better known for having an American accent, after he moved to the US as a child.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-29--Not-For-Profit Fertility Clinic Set To Launch For Those Denied NHS IVF

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A not-for-profit fertility clinic is set to launch in England, in a bid to address the inequalities in access to IVF caused by the NHS postcode lottery.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) will launch the clinic in London in autumn 2021, primarily for those who’ve struggled to access NHS treatment.
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The clinic will “only charge what it costs to provide a safe, high-quality and accessible service”, BPAS says.
One cycle of private IVF in the UK can cost up to £5,000 and HuffPost UK has previously interviewed couples who’ve got into debt trying to meet the costs, plus those who’ve had to give up on their dream of having a child.
kate_sept2004 via Getty Images
A HuffPost UK investigation into the NHS IVF postcode lottery conducted earlier this year found women as young as 35 are being denied IVF in some parts of the country, while several areas have cut IVF services altogether.
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Just 15.2% of clinical commissioning groups – the local bodies that delegate IVF funding – were following guidelines set out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) when we conducted the research in February.
NICE guidance states that women under 40 should be offered three cycles of IVF on the NHS, while women over 40 should receive one. But the guidance is just that, and has no legal weight.
The pandemic has further impacted IVF services, with women experiencing delays in treatment, particularly during the first national lockdown in spring.
BPAS is known for providing abortion services and its CEO Ann Furedi compared the lack of IVF provision in 2020 to limited abortion services in the 1970s.
“If you are seeking IVF in the UK, you face a landscape of provision that mirrors that faced by women seeking abortion in the 1970s. Then abortion was legal, available and free on the NHS in theory, but only a few were able to access NHS hospitals able and willing to provide it, while the rest paid for private care,” she said.
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“Some of the private care was excellent and reasonably priced; some was high-cost, low quality and exploited women’s desperation.”
BPAS’s core value is to give women choice about “when and with whom to have a child”, she added.
“Biology plays a cruel game with us – we are at our most fertile when we are least inclined to start a family and our fertility drops when we are still more than able to raise children,” she said. “We have helped women to exercise that choice to end pregnancy, now we will help women to achieve pregnancy.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-29--Covid Cases And Hospital Admissions Have Surged Over Christmas – Here's Where We're At

There are 151 areas listed on the NHS dashboard 48 have seen a decrease in cases but only two of these – north-east Lincolnshire and Torbay – have case rates below 100 per 100,000 people.
Not a single area of the UK is below the threshold of 20. The lowest is Torbay at 71.2.
Deaths
The government said a further 357 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday, bringing the UK total to 71,109.
Vaccinations
Sir Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said: ”... again we are back in the eye of the storm with a second wave of coronavirus sweeping Europe and, indeed, this country.”
He said a “chink of hope” lay in the various Covid-19 vaccines, with the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab expected to be approved imminently by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, according to reports.
Sir Simon said: “We think that by late spring with vaccine supplies continuing to come on stream we will have been able to offer all vulnerable people across this country Covid vaccination.
“That perhaps provides the biggest chink of hope for the year ahead.”
But the current vaccination target will have to be doubled to two million jabs a week to avoid a third wave of the virus, according to a projection from a London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine paper reported by the Telegraph.
Herd immunity in the UK is unlikely to be achieved until summer despite the possibility of another Covid-19 vaccine being approved, a scientist advising the government said on Monday.
Calum Semple, professor of outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is a “game changer” if it is approved in the coming days as expected.
But he told BBC Breakfast: “To get the wider community herd immunity from vaccination rather than through natural infection will take probably 70% to 80% of the population to be vaccinated, and that, I’m afraid, is going to take us right into the summer I expect.”
Lockdowns
More than six million people in east and south-east England went into the highest level of restrictions on Saturday, meaning there are now 24 million people and 43% of the population in tier 4.
Lockdown measures are also in place across the other three home nations. Mainland Scotland entered level 4 restrictions from Saturday for three weeks, and a similar stay-at-home order is also in place in Wales.
Northern Ireland has also entered a new six-week lockdown, and the first week measures are the toughest yet, with a form of curfew in operation from 8pm, shops closed from that time and all indoor and outdoor gatherings prohibited until 6am.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-29--Stars And Fans In Tears As They Pay Tribute To Billy Connolly Following Emotional ITV Farewell Docum

Stars And Fans In Tears As They Pay Tribute To Billy Connolly Following Emotional ITV Farewell Documentary

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Sir Elton John and Sheridan Smith are among the stars who have paid an emotional tribute to Sir Billy Connolly as he marked the end of his stand-up career with a TV special.
The 78-year-old comedian, known affectionately as The Big Yin, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013 and announced his decision to retire from live performance five years later.
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Following the airing of ITV’s doc It’s Been A Pleasure on Monday, many of the Scottish star’s close friends – including Sir Paul McCartney and Whoopi Goldberg – paid tribute to his five decades on stage.
A tearful Sheridan Smith, who welcomed her first son Billy in May, revealed she had named him after the comic.
She said: “I named my son after Billy. Did you know that? I’m going to cry.”
Billy Connolly EMPICS Entertainment
Hollywood star Dustin Hoffman, who directed Sir Billy in the 2012 film Quartet, held back tears as he said: “I want him to be around for a long, long time.”
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And Sir Elton described him as “the first rock star of comedy”.
The programme also prompted many fans to wish Sir Billy a “happy retirement” on Twitter.
@Billy_Connolly in tears!! You are amazing xxxx — Sophie birchall (@sophiejobirch82) December 28, 2020
You will never get another comedian like Billy Connolly, one of a kind. Sad hes had to call it a day because of Parkinsons, but what a life #billyconnolly — CG (@CMG3432) December 28, 2020
Watching Billy Connolly with tears of laughter and sadness. My absolute hero, such an amazing man. — LisaLou (@dirtydancer72) December 28, 2020
One of what I’m sure will be many regrets throughout life will be to never see #BillyConnolly perform live.
The man is a genius and makes it look so simple! — Jordan Weir (@jordan_weir14) December 28, 2020
I know it’s bitter sweet, but there’s no comedian who can reduce me to tears quite like Billy Connolly, the finest stand up comedian this country has ever produced — dean Wallman (@dwallm) December 28, 2020
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#billyconnolly I'm excited but sad in equal measures. Absolutely love him, side splitting and one hell of a story teller. ❤🤣 — Nicola Davis (@nikkidavis1981) December 28, 2020
It is to my endless disappointment that I never saw #billyconnolly live on stage. One thing I’ll never get to tick off my bucket list. But thank you @Billy_Connolly for making me cry laughing every time I watch you. 👏👏👏👏 — JohnGP (@johngpuk) December 28, 2020
Glaswegian Sir Billy is famous for his energetic presence on stage, and the programme featured footage from across his career.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include decreased mobility and difficulty speaking, leaving him unable to perform as he had in his heyday.
Speaking from his home in Florida, Sir Billy explained his decision to give up performing.
He said: “I have done my stand-up, I did it for 50 years, I did it quite well and it is time to stop.
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“My illness, my Parkinson’s disease, has rendered me different. It would either mean renewing what I do and doing something else, or give up what I did and that’s what I’ve done.
“Why do I like to make people laugh? Because it is a jolly thing, it is good for you and it is good for them.
“It is a dynamite thing to be able to do, to get a laugh out of someone.”
He added: “Since the Parkinson’s I’m still the same in many ways, but I don’t think as sharply as I need to to be a stand-up.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-29--Frankie Boyle Calls Out Ricky Gervais For ‘Lazy’ Jokes About Trans People: ‘He’s Not A Stand-Up Come

Frankie Boyle Calls Out Ricky Gervais For ‘Lazy’ Jokes About Trans People: ‘He’s Not A Stand-Up Comedian’

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Frankie Boyle has called out Ricky Gervais over comments he has made about trans people in his stand-up comedy routine.
The Scottish comic labelled the After Life star “lazy” after he targeted the trans community in his 2018 Netflix special, Humanity. In the show Ricky repeatedly uses Caitlyn Jenner’s dead name and likens trans people to himself “self-identifying as a chimpanzee”.
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(L-R) Frankie Boyle and Ricky Gervais Getty
In an interview with Louis Theroux on his Grounded podcast, Frankie is asked about his TV comedy special Excited For You to See and Hate This, in which he takes a swipe at The Office star over his trans jokes.
“If you’re a stand-up watching him, you feel like, ‘oh, that’s someone doing a version of what we do’,” Frankie said
“But really, it’s that I saw him doing his routine about trans people and I thought it was very lazy.
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“I would like him to have the same respect for trans people as he seems to have for animals.
“I don’t think that’s a lot to ask.”
He added: “I mean, look, we know Ricky Gervais, he’s a brilliant actor, he’s a brilliant writer, he’s not a fucking stand-up comedian.
“Just ’cos Ricky Gervais self-identifies as a stand-up comedian, am I supposed to say that he is one? It’s fucking political correctness gone mad.”
Frankie is no stranger to courting controversy in his own brand of near-the-knuckle comedy.
He came under fire in 2010 for making a joke about Katie Price’s disabled son, Harvey.
And in April this year, he hit back following reports he caused upset with a string of jokes on Twitter about the coronavirus pandemic.
Among the tweets in question was one joking about a “campaign to get Big Ben to bong when we reach a million dead”, and another in which he wrote about Boris Johnson’s hospitalisation with the Covid-19.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-29--Tuned In: How Radio Became Our Friend In A Coronavirus World

It’s impossible to find an area of life that hasn’t been affected by coronavirus and it’s even more difficult to find something that’s changed for the better. But while the entertainment world has struggled, with sets shut down and release schedules ripped up, one corner of the industry is having a boom (no pun-intended) worth celebrating.
With commutes and days in the office a distant memory for most, thousands of us have sought laughter, companionship and explanations of WTF is going on by turning on the radio. Our favourite hosts feel like colleagues and they’ve delivered uplifting moments when we’ve needed them most.
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When Greg James took over the Radio 1 Breakfast Show in 2018, he vowed to place listeners and their stories at the centre of the programme. Gauging the mood of the nation and balancing the usual silliness with the seriousness required has been the biggest challenge.
Greg James BBC
“We have to get it right by our listeners and not be too jokey,” he says. “It’s Radio 1 and it’s supposed to be funny, and the only way I know how to deal with stuff is to laugh at it so there’s a real tricky balance there.”
The R1 Breakfast Show team have created some of the most wonderful, ridiculous moments of the year; from getting people in 193 countries to say ‘Up yours Corona’ to the joyous vaccine song, set to the tune of Alphabeat’s Fascination. “If you’re honest and you can laugh at stuff, I think you can get through anything,” Greg says.
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David Lloyd, an international radio consultant, thinks Greg has got it spot on. “It’s actually quite difficult to do that transition from, ‘I’m going to be very serious’ to ‘I’m going to be less serious’,” he says. “We do it all the time in real life, but doing that shift on the radio… It’s something the greats can do effortlessly.”
Listening figures began rising as the pandemic took hold in March and our habits shifted too, with more people tuning in at home instead of in the car. This December, Global’s channels – which include Capital and its sister Dance station, Classic FM, LBC and Smooth –reported a 50% increase in listening hours, year-on-year. A recent survey by industry bods RAJAR also confirmed what hosts knew already – a third of people told them they’re listening to more radio than ever, while the question of whether radio has risen to the challenge of informing and entertaining resulted in an “overwhelming” wave of positive responses.
It shouldn’t be surprising that we’ve confided in these voices on the radio too.
““It's just such an honour to be able to be on air and delivering what people really want at this moment in time.”
Since launching Capital Dance in October, MistaJam has become an unlikely confidant, receiving countless messages which have often left him in tears. “A woman messaged me saying that she just got out of a really abusive relationship,” he explains. “She was living with her mum and her children. They were in the kitchen and a certain song came on, and she just got up and started to dance.
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“It’s just such an honour to be able to be on air and delivering what people really want at this moment in time.”
It’s not just music-based shows that have seen a rise in figures either and LBC, Global’s London-based national phone-in station, has reported a 40% increase in listening hours. Tom Swarbrick’s show starts at 10pm, just as the following day’s newspaper front pages are revealed. Being on-air through the pandemic, he says, has felt like “managed chaos.”
“If there’s a big story on the front pages of one of the papers, we’ll just rip up the running order,” he says. “We’ll just throw it out the window and start again and make the point of saying it on air.”
Caller Audrey is 93 years old, and was given her first dose of the Covid vaccine today. She called Tom Swarbrick to explain how being part of such a significant moment felt.@TomSwarbrick1 pic.twitter.com/8XqaJxbRA2 — LBC (@LBC) December 8, 2020
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Tom is one of the many hosts who have presented from home and for eight weeks, his living room became a makeshift studio. “[I had] a laptop on a small table at the end of the living room just by the TV so I could get to the ethernet cable, then there’s the dog sleeping on the sofa and occasionally falling off it or making a noise,” he says.
The set-up meant he no longer had nearby producers giving feedback on how things were going. “When that’s gone, it starts to feel very, very confessional,” he admits. “Because it’s just you on your own talking.”
“I don’t think that there’s any other format that is as intimate as radio,” says MistaJam. “It’s one voice, one set of ears, whether you’re broadcasting on a massive national station or a small community one. It’s a human connection that you don’t get with any other medium.”
“Radio performs a pivotal role – and it’s a friend.”
David agrees. “Radio at the moment, is probably more authentic than it’s ever been. We’ve got lots of different radio stations with much more honest and open relationships with their audience. Radio performs a pivotal role – and it’s a friend.”
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Like any good friendship, the relationship between hosts and listeners is a two-way street. “My takeaway from this year will be that we really got to become proper friends with our listeners,” says Greg. “And that does sound corny but we’ve had to rely on each other.
“There have been so many days where I’ve woken up and just stared at the ceiling and just gone, ‘I don’t wanna fucking do this today’,” he admits. “It’s been quite liberating to say that on the radio, not quite in those words.
“When you are really honest, the listeners will go, ‘I get it’. They know it’s not because I hate my job… It’s because the world is just sad. The listeners get that. It’s saved me and got me through this terrible year.”
As the New Year beckons, Covid-19 remains part of our lives but with the vaccine being distributed, the end feels finally in sight. This trio of hosts can’t wait to celebrate life feeling normal again.
MistaJam wants to meet the listeners he’s bonded with while Greg is encouraging a “year of irresponsibility” and having fun (when it’s safe, of course) to make up for the months spent indoors. And while the words ‘LBC’ and ‘party’ may not be the most obvious match, Tom has a plan to join the two together.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-29--Children Are Being Accused Of Causing Coronavirus Using Witchcraft

Vulnerable children may be suffering horrific abuse behind closed doors after being blamed for coronavirus by believers in witchcraft and demonic possession.
Youngsters who stand out as being “different” are accused of being malevolent forces responsible for the health and economic adversities caused by the pandemic, experts have revealed to HuffPost UK.
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This is almost 7% higher than the previous year when there were 1,950 cases where it was identified as a factor – and hundreds more than the 1,460 cases reported in 2016.
However, specialists working in this area believe these figures are only the tip of the iceberg and the true number will be much higher as the issue is so under-reported.
And they told HuffPost UK they fear the real repercussions of the abuse suffered by children accused of coronavirus witchcraft will only come to light after the pandemic is over, as many will be trapped in their homes with their abusers, unable to seek help.
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“It is difficult for everyone to comprehend how vast the impact of coronavirus has had on some people’s lives,” Gary Foxcroft, executive director of the Witchcraft and Human Rights Network, told HuffPost UK.
Children in Nigeria pose with signs opposing the labelling of them as "witches and wizards". There has been a disturbing rise in abuse of children associated with witchcraft and experts fear coronavirus will make things much worse for the vulnerable Gary Foxcroft
“As well as deaths and fear of the virus, there has been mass unemployment and an immense social and economic impact.
“When you have this huge amount of uncertainty in people’s lives, people with these beliefs look for someone to blame – a scapegoat.
“Children, women, the elderly and disabled people are the most vulnerable to these kinds of accusations and subsequent abuse.
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“There has been a rise in witchcraft accusations and violence against children. It is difficult to monitor and recognise these cases, but based on our years of experience, the consensus is that we are going to now witness a huge rise in these cases at a level never seen before.
“We expect the figure for child abuse linked to faith and belief to have increased exponentially for next year.”
Over the years, there have been high profile cases of children who have been killed by adults who believed in witchcraft and spirit possession. These include the heartbreaking death of Victoria Climbie in 2000. The eight-year-old was murdered by her aunt and her aunt’s boyfriend, who believed she was possessed by an evil spirit.
Gary Foxcroft, executive director of the Witchcraft and Human Rights Network
Foxcroft, who became involved in the issue of abuse linked to witchcraft after going to Nigeria with his wife to build a school for disadvantaged children, told HuffPost UK that the coronavirus lockdown will have heightened pressures, putting vulnerable children at greater risk and cutting them off from support services.
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“Children will be at home more with potentially abusive family and extended family members and there will be more risk factors,” he said.
“The potential abuser might be out of work due to coronavirus and struggling for sources of income or turning to drink or drugs or not having the skills to home school children. Coronavirus has created a lot of stress and tension in people’s lives.
“Some people seek a spiritual explanation for all these misfortunes and look towards their leader in their place of worship as to why these things are happening. Some people in that position of power use the theology of Christianity or Islam or other religions to try to explain it by blaming it on the strange behaviour of victims.
“Children who were vulnerable before coronavirus will have become even more vulnerable and they might not have access to services that could help them, such as health workers, social workers and the police.”
Victoria Climbie who died at the age of eight in 2000 after being murdered by her aunt and her aunt’s boyfriend who believed she was possessed by an evil spirit. PA
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Foxcroft explained that belief in witchcraft and spirit possession stems from a conviction that nothing that happens is down to coincidence. “It is a belief that there is a spiritual explanation for all the misfortunes that befall you in life,” he said.
“This can lead to vulnerable children being accused of being the malevolent forces who are creating all sorts of misfortunes and tragedy in people’s lives.”
An information campaign in Nigeria photographed by Witchcraft and Human Rights Network executive director Gary Foxcroft while he worked there Gary Foxcroft
Mardoche Yembi, now 29, was eight when he was sent to the UK from the Congo for a new life with his aunt and uncle. His mother had died a year earlier.
His family thought he would benefit from a better life in the UK – but instead he was accused by his relatives in Britain of having caused his mother’s death through witchcraft, and they intended to send him back to the Congo for exorcism.
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Yembi, one of seven children, explained to HuffPost UK that the accusations began after his aunt became unwell and began having disturbing dreams.
She sought the advice of her pastor in church and was told someone in her home was to blame.
Yembi says being told he was responsible for his mother’s death at such a young age affected him deeply.
Mardoche Yembi was just eight when he was accused by his aunt and uncle of having caused his mother's death through witchcraft
“I was blamed by my aunt and uncle for anything bad that happened.” he recalled. “If their baby cried, they said it was my fault and they accused me of flying during the night.”
Yembi was terrified when his aunt and uncle said they wanted to send him back to the Congo for exorcism as he had witnessed first-hand what happened to children accused of witchcraft.
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“I was only young when I lived in the Congo but I had seen kids accused of witchcraft beaten up badly, put in a car tyre, had petrol poured on them and burned alive.
“I feared I would suffer the same fate if I was sent back there.”
Luckily for Yembi, his aunt and uncle told his school why they planned to send him back to the Congo. Social services were alerted and he was plucked to safety.
Now living in north London where he works as a painter and decorator, Yembi admitted the experience had made it difficult for him to trust people.
He says he cannot imagine how awful life must be for children trapped in abusive households and blamed for causing coronavirus-related problems through spiritual forces.
“Life will be so tough for these children,” he told HuffPost UK. “They will be almost locked up in their homes, and it will be very difficult for them to leave the house.
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“In countries such as where I come from, people don’t believe things like coronavirus and all the financial problems it has caused just happen. They have to find someone to blame and link it to witchcraft.
“I can’t imagine how terrible it must be for children living in this situation now. The times we are going through with coronavirus restrictions, it will be a lot worse for them.
“Everyone is really busy so their plight will be even more hidden.”
Mardoche Yembi, now 29, fears for children trapped in homes and being blamed for causing coronavirus through witchcraft
Yembi, who does voluntary work to raise awareness about child abuse linked to witchcraft, said there is a mistaken belief in the UK that the problem is confined to other countries.
“People are afraid to talk about it,” he said.
“What worries me is that these children suffering the abuse won’t be able to leave the house and, with the virus, they will be even more scared.
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“I fear there will be a lot of young people suffering abuse linked to witchcraft right now and I think we will only find out about the harrowing stories once we come out of this pandemic.”
Globally, there have already been cases of people being violently blamed for causing the virus. In India, a priest beheaded a man as a human sacrifice to end the pandemic.
Inspector Allen Davis, who leads the “honour, belief and sex (crime and vulnerability)” team at London’s Metropolitan Police, told HuffPost UK: “What happens in countries of origin will have an impact internationally as well as nationally.
“People are connected through social media and might emigrate and bring their beliefs with them. In many ways, these beliefs become stronger over time.”
But Davis says it is important to underline that there is nothing wrong with people having beliefs in witchcraft and spirit possession in themselves.
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“Belief in the spiritual realm and good and evil forces are very common globally,” he said.
“There is a fundamental right to hold these beliefs. But it is unacceptable for abuse to take place and for people to be branded or labelled as witches or having been possessed.
“Those who share these beliefs will see that person as evil.”
Children who are perceived to be different are most vulnerable to accusations of being a witch or possessed, added Davis.
These “differences” can be anything from physical marks to behaviour and disabilities. They can include youngsters with epilepsy, autism, a learning disability or a stammer, as well as children who are exceptionally clever or hyperactive.
Even things like bedwetting or a child talking to themselves or sleepwalking can lead to them being singled out. Anything that sets them apart from what is considered to be the norm can be seen as a sign of them being possessed or a witch.
Inspector Allen Davis, who leads the honour, belief and sex crime and vulnerability team at London’s Metropolitan Police Metropolitan Police
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Davis added: “Seen through the lens of a spiritual problem, Covid-19 can be seen as a curse, a plague, the anger of god as a punishment.”
Increasing understanding of child abuse linked to faith and belief is paramount when it comes to tackling it, he argues. He said people shouldn’t underestimate any warning signs, particularly those that can be spotted in the school environment.
“We want to support professionals and schools to identify children at risk. They need to look out for trigger words such as a child saying: ‘Mum says I am evil,’ or talking about magic.”
He added that he recognised schools are facing an unprecedented challenge as it is. “There is a myriad of safeguarding concerns such as child neglect, child abuse and the emotional and psychological toll lockdown has had on all children,” he said.
″[But] this is another issue that needs to be identified and addressed.”
He added that it was important encourage people to have open discussions about child abuse linked to witchcraft. “These issues have always been hidden and the data related to prevalence has never reflected the true levels of concerns we face,” he admitted.
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“Professionals don’t necessarily feel comfortable talking about these issues with affected communities and people don’t want to talk about them because of honour and shame.”