In England Covid-19 restrictions are easing, but cautiously so

The Prime Minister has said it – people in England are “very likely” to return to life as it was before Covid on July 19, when the last of the current restrictions are due to be lifted. And the new Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, has said it – there is “no reason for England’s Covid restrictions to last beyond July 19. 

These statements are significantly more positive than the caution government ministers expressed about previous dates when restrictions were to be eased. The main reason for the optimism is the success of a nationwide vaccination programme, whereby two jabs of a preventative vaccine confer a high degree of immunity. It does not mean fully vaccinated people will never be infected, but that the infection will generally be of lesser strength and will not require hospitalisation. 

What we are accepting, in effect, is that the virus will still be with us after July 19 and we will just have to learn to live with it, as we do with such ills as influenza. 

Back in January, Nature magazine asked more than 100 immunologists, virologists and researchers whether they believed Colvid-19 could be eradicated. Almost 90 per cent of respondents expressed the belief that the coronavirus would become endemic, meaning that it would continue to circulate in pockets of the global population for years to come. That is exactly what we are seeing, with cities and regions all over the world falling to new waves of viral variants. 

The remaining restrictions due for removal in England – Scotland and Wales are likely to follow later – include capacity limits on theatres and cinemas, table service in pubs and restaurants and the rule of six, whereby no more than half a dozen people are allowed to gather socially. 

There is also the everyday practice of social distancing, whereby individuals must remain two metres apart. This is the rule which Matt Hancock broke when he was photographed kissing a member of his staff. After hanging on for 24 hours, Hancock accepted he had broken his own rule and resigned as Health Secretary.  Javid took his place. 

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There has been much talk of football hooligans over the years, but if you are thinking of noisy, drunken teenagers, think again. Just as often, the violence and filthy language come from mums and dads supporting their children’s teams. After a recent game between Gateshead and Hebburn under-16s in the northeast of England, Gateshead’s assistant manager, Peter Thompson, told a group of parents he thought their behaviour had been “vile.” 

One of the parents said, “I will show you how vile I am,” and headbutted Thompson, splitting his lip. Police later confirmed they were investigating the incident. Thompson, who is a referee and a coach, said, “There are lots of games now that I referee and the parents are the problem. Just being a referee, it is getting worse.” 

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Four women who stayed in quarantine hotels in the UK told the BBC they were sexually harassed by security guards. Travellers arriving in Britain from countries with a high Covid-19 rating are obliged to stay in the bedroom of a hotel for 10 nights.  

One woman says a guard mimed having sex when they were alone in a lift when she arrived, and another said a guard asked for a hug and hung around outside her door; a third woman said a guard asked her for a date and a fourth was asked if she liked black men.

The guards were employed by the security company G4S. A statement from the company said any employee alleged to have misbehaved would be removed and investigated. 

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Another Covid negative: Short-sightedness will affect half of all British adults by 2050 because of the amount of time they have spent indoors and in front of screens, according to the optics company Vision Express. A poll found that four in five children use screens for more than five hours a day. 

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A little girl asks her mother, “Why are some of your hairs white, mum?” Her mother replies, teasingly, “Well, darling, every time you do something naughty and make me unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.”  The little girl ponders this for a while, then asks, “Is that why Grandma’s hairs are all white?” 

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Little Bobby had the reputation of being the dumbest kid in school. His classmates would offer him the choice of a ten-pence piece or a twenty-pence piece and he always took the ten pence – the kids said because it was bigger Bobby thought it was worth more. One day after Bobby had grabbed another ten-pence piece, a kindly teacher said, “Bobby, those kids are making a fool of you.” “Not really,” said Bobby, “if I took the twenty-pence they would stop doing it and I’ve saved five pounds so far.” 

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