Time For Boris And Hancock To Go?

[youngmafbog]

This is getting ridiculous now. Chopping changing rules here rules there but never anything done when left wing protests happen. Who won the election, was it Jezza after all?

The other day Rishi hands out cash to try to get people to go out. Compulsory face-masks (far too late now so clearly just a Government control thing) will put many off going out - it could well be the end of the high street.

So for me Boris needs to go along with Hancock. Let Rishi step up to the plate.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8519177/Police-hand-spot-fines-not-wearing-face-covering-shops-July-24.html#

[vulcan42]

If the majority of face masks in the public domain are useless what is the point of wearing a scarf or any other face covering, they will not stop the virus. I've also noticed a few people who when they started to sneeze or cough, the first thing they did was to remove the mask. We are becoming less stringent in other areas, for example my local Tesco's has removed all arrows and floor markings, so why insist we wear something that's not fit for the purpose?

[ichkeria]

"for example my local Tesco's has removed all arrows and floor markings"

(Slight diversion, but); hurrah for that! Hopefully they've done it in all their stores, It was ridiculous.

[drmorgans]

Because the government is desperate to get people back to work and into the shops, and public opinion is that face-masks are effective at stopping the spread of the virus, despite what the scientists and medics say.

[Mozz71]

The face masks was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, it was the right thing to do three months ago.

[iluvmargie]

I go shopping in supermarkets twice a week and the majority do NOT wear masks, in fact I still do a double take when I see one! I feel a lot of people will be angry about this. Four months in and we are still no nearer to an end in sight ..

[Gromit]

Boris is there to get Brexit done, he can’t leave yet.
Hancocks only crime is doing what he is told.

The Government have handle the corona crisis very badly. UK has five times more deaths than Germany (and they are not an island). Most of the Cabinet seem unsuited to their posts, Patel is a particularly useless Home Secretary.

[New Judge]

//It has to go the Queen..//

It doesn’t have to go to the Queen or the Lords, DTC. It will be made by “Statutory Instrument”, signed by a Minister, and issued as an adjunct to primary legislation. The various Coronavirus legislation has been issued in this way with the primary legislation being the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.

//…but when faced with people dying from something you can't control there is a degree of lets see what works.//

Then why didn’t they see whether this fairly simple measure worked a little earlier? Many shops have been open throughout the pandemic and almost all shops were allowed to open from June 15th. In that time new infections rose considerably up to about the middle to the end of April and since then they have been steadily falling. Why is this measure needed now when it wasn’t needed then? And if it’s to do with the relaxation of “social distancing” why wasn’t this measure brought in with that relaxation?

//…this is unchartered territory,//

No it’s not. In 1957 there was an outbreak of what was termed “Asian ‘flu”. In 1968 there was “Hong Kong ‘flu”. Both were similar to Covid 19 in that they produced severe respiratory problems in some people. The 1968 pandemic killed around 4 million people worldwide (the Covid toll so far is 576,000). It claimed around the same number of lives in the UK (which then had a much smaller population) as Covid has so far and it was more damaging in that it had a more serious affect on younger people than does Covid. But nothing was forcibly closed (although some factories and businesses closed for a short time when the level of sickness meant they could not operate); schools continued normally; nobody swerved around others on the pavement and nobody were masks or face coverings. And I don’t think it got more than a passing mention in Parliament.

What is unprecedented is the way this and other governments have tried to deal with what is essentially an infectious disease with a fairly low death rate. Many of the people enjoying their summer furlough will wonder why on Earth their business was closed down when their furlough runs out as large numbers of them will have no job to return to. The shops that have recently reopened will now struggle to rebuild their businesses as discretionary shopping will be badly hit by this ill-thought-out nonsense.

[teacake44]

11.51, Why didn't they try this very simple measure? Because they've been telling us for the last 6 months that masks have no effect, even though the rest of the world has been wearing them, government don't want to be seen to climb down, regardless of whatever.

[dannyk13]

The government have followed the advice of the scientists so if you want to blame somebody blame the scientists who couldn't make up their minds about face-covering.

[brainiac]

"this is unchartered territory"

No it's not - it's uncharted territory, ie unmapped.

[teacake44]

12.06 You don't need a scientist to tell you if you sneeze behind a mask, it will help stop large droplets escaping, people have been putting hankies to their mouths for years, have you not??

[ichkeria]

It isn't the sneezing that is the point here really though is it.

Mind you I was amused to read that scientists had concluded after research that a virus is expelled further by a sneeze or a cough than by breathing. Astonishing.

[dannyk13]

TC, some scientists said that face covering was of no use, others said it was.

[teacake44]

I said it was, and I'm not a scientist, and I was right. Sometimes, many times you only need common sense, and that's what's lacking in this government, plus they tell lie after lie, and the more lies they continue to tell the more the public will ignore them. The real problem has yet to start with this virus, and I predicted this also 6 months ago, you will in time see a massive break down in law and order, simply because this government have no idea how to handle the situation, hence the lies.

[Cryptical]

The alternative would be frightening.

[dannyk13]

TC //plus they tell lie after lie,//
And you don't?

[gulliver1]

Spain. face masks compulsory from 10 o clock tomorrow morning.
UK, Face masks compulsory from 24th july, Boris is dithering about again , or is on the advice of Cummings to get rid of a few more pensioners, between now and the 24th.

[Cloverjo]

OP// This is getting ridiculous now. //

The left and right are beginning to meet.
Shows how useless this government is.

[jim360]

As a matter of pedantry, there is still no definitive evidence that mask-wearing is effective in its own, so it's not a matter of being "right" or not; nor is it fair to "blame" the scientists for dithering, since, after all, it isn't their job to make decisions but to gather and interpret evidence. Evidence on the effectiveness of masks is always likely to be subject to various caveats, eg you need to take into account other measures or people not wearing them correctly, etc.

Likewise, I doubt that the Scientists on SAGE have made up their minds suddenly since Sunday morning, when Government advice was still to wear masks (or equivalent face-covering) but not to make it mandatory. This is a political decision, not a scientific one.

I have to say I am surprised that ymb is calling for Johnson to go over this, or viewing it as the last straw perhaps. Surely, it's worth enduring for a while longer considering his role in Brexit and "the Swamp"?

[dannyk13]

Jim. I f you listened to Boris on Sunday he said " now that the scientists have decided" prior to announcing that he would make a decision on face-covering.