Funny you should say that, mnay dicussions here tonight, most have said they will go back to online shopping, there is nothing in the High Street that 'we can't get online....and send it back if we don't like it' it will, I forsee, see the end of more stores on the high street. However if it means, .... ending the stupidity of SD and lining up outside Tesco's like school children, then that maybe a v. small plus point !
I find his attitude throughout this to be appalling. Just need to watch an exchange at PMQs to see he's not on top of things in the way a Prime Minster should be.Sadly that seems to hit the nail well and truly on the head. His communications through this have been utterly dire, from start to finish. Indeed so has his visibility - even allowing for the time in intensive care (how many other national leaders managed to contract Covid themselves?) it has felt like he’s leading the nation from a bunker.
Just in the last week BJ seemed more interested in trying to blame care home owners and stirring up a row over driverless trains than meaningfully leading a nation through a crisis.
Don't laugh. There was a report the other week recommending mandatory masks in the home.So after killing off public transport, using face coverings to make sure it's used for "essential travel only" for the indefinite future, they've now confirmed they want to kill off the high street for all except "essential shopping" for the indefinite future as well. Next they'll be required outdoors too of course (the BBC report I just heard was already making preparations to angle us in that direction). Then, in cars, once they discover the only way to get people back onto public transport is to make private transport equally unpleasant to use, and finally in people's homes too because, well, if you've to wear them everywhere else, why not?
I think there's a bit of a clear reason why they can't be compulsory in pubs don't you think...?Has the government lost its mind? Face masks are compulsory in shops and trains/buses but not on planes or in pubs or at events? Why is this introduced when cases are lower than March? WHY???
Maybe this is what's needed to push some sense into some people. Even the biggest mask fanatic wouldn't be able to justify that.Don't laugh. There was a report the other week recommending mandatory masks in the home.
I find his attitude throughout this to be appalling. Just need to watch an exchange at PMQs to see he's not on top of things in the way a Prime Minster should be.
But I digress. I can't understand how the government has such a confused message that Johnson said the day before yesterday that we "might" make them mandatory, Gove said "not mandatory, no" and then Buckland jumped back to "may need to be mandatory". And suddenly "Gove may have misspoken" and agrees in private.
I have to say I'm disappointed but not really surprised. I will continue essential shopping as usual but transfer my non-essential activities to online, or complete as much as possible in the next week.
If the risk of contracting the disease is so high, why are pubs open? If there's a low enough risk to open pubs, why are face masks compulsory?I think there's a bit of a clear reason why they can't be compulsory in pubs don't you think...?
Yeah, that's about as sensible as the "you can have people round, but stay 2m apart".Don't laugh. There was a report the other week recommending mandatory masks in the home.
Not saying that they have. I'm saying that there's an obvious reason why people can't wear masks in pubs. Should they be open? Depends on:If the risk of contracting the disease is so high, why are pubs open? If there's a low enough risk to open pubs, why are face masks compulsory?
I'm a conservative but I really can't say this government has handled the last few months very well at all.
I still maintain that this is the case for essential shopping, but does anyone really want to spend hours in a shopping centre with a mask on? I can't see that being a "choice" that a lot of people want to take, especially those that are incredibly concerned about the virus anyway - they'll already be at home.I don't know, despite a lot of the comments on here (you lot make a very interesting contrast to my Facebook feed, you're the mirror very vocal minority ) If the railways are anything to go by even if people aren't necessarily thrilled by mandated face coverings, they'll wear one regardless and deal with it, at least from looking at the upward trend in passenger numbers. I don't see why it would be any different for shops, if people want to shop then they're going to do it, masks or no masks.
No.10 said something about needing the time to change legislation. Bit peculiar to be honest, I'm sure they could change it much faster if they wanted to.Also note that the new rules only come into play from the 24th. If it was so necessary to save lives, why isn't it implemented now?
Saving Lives and Staying Alert or political point scoring to put England on the same plane as Scotland and Wales?
I don't know, despite a lot of the comments on here (you lot make a very interesting contrast to my Facebook feed, you're the mirror very vocal minority ) If the railways are anything to go by even if people aren't necessarily thrilled by mandated face coverings, they'll wear one regardless and deal with it, at least from looking at the upward trend in passenger numbers. I don't see why it would be any different for shops, if people want to shop then they're going to do it, masks or no masks.
It's not just dangerous for the high street. It's over. The government have decided it's time for high street shops to close down and go away.I’m not sure the comparison holds. Most people are travelling by train because they need to get somewhere, there’s still very little leisure use going on, although the boundaries have pushed out a bit. A lot of people are still presumably either not travelling at all or choosing to go by car. Likewise it’s not difficult to simply not bother with a mask on a train - enforcement is virtually zero, all the more so on DOO trains where there’s no staff presence at all.
Shops are a different matter. They’re already playing second fiddle to online, with the latter already having benefits like avoiding the risk of driving all the way to the shop to find what you’re after is out of stock. This process has already been accelerated by lockdown changing habits. I think this is a very dangerous moment for the high street.
I agree with this completely. I don't see how the high street will be able to survive in the same way, I really do think people are going to be put off by this. I suspect it may end up more down the "entertainment" route (i.e. things that can't be done online, coffee shops, barbers, games stores, restaurants etc) and that other shops may be concentrated in shopping centres. Cut costs back as far as possible and get people to spend money all in the same place when they can.I’m not sure the comparison holds. Most people are travelling by train because they need to get somewhere, there’s still very little leisure use going on, although the boundaries have pushed out a bit. A lot of people are still presumably either not travelling at all or choosing to go by car. Likewise it’s not difficult to simply not bother with a mask on a train - enforcement is virtually zero, all the more so on DOO trains where there’s no staff presence at all.
Shops are a different matter. They’re already playing second fiddle to online, with the latter already having benefits like avoiding the risk of driving all the way to the shop to find what you’re after is out of stock. This process has already been accelerated by lockdown changing habits. I think this is a very dangerous moment for the high street.
I’m not sure it will mark the end of the queuing - the scientist seem to have hinted that anything involving masks is not a substitute for social distancing, and the last couple of weeks have seen a conspicuous improvement in the queue situation at many places. Both my local Tesco and B&Q don’t seem to be bothering at all with that now - B&Q having been one of the worst.
I didn't find B&Q too bad to be honest. The one way systems were largely ignored in mine which suited me perfectly. And I very much hope the queues don't get worse, they seem to have rectified themselves over the last few weeks.I'm reluctant to see if B&Q has become a less unpleasant place to shop after an awful visit shortly after our local one reopened. Half an hour to get around a one way system which forced you to traverse the whole store, with forced trolleys, to buy a hinge and a drill bit. Or rather not buy, when I was told I couldn't pay cash I walked out.
I wonder if enforced masks will actually make queuing worse. Once officially sanctioned, the current mask wearers will feel empowered and may act with ever increasing bonkersness, defending their patch of floor.
Also note that the new rules only come into play from the 24th. If it was so necessary to save lives, why isn't it implemented now?
I must say there's probably a greater percentage of people on here saying they won't comply than I've heard in other circles, but others are deciding they just won't go to non-essential shops if this was implemented. I suspect that will be the case quite widely.
Yep, exactly. All these measures need to have a defined end point referenced to the number of cases, infections, R value etc. Simply saying "until further notice" belies the fact that if we were able to overcome the pandemic despite masks being a rarity at the height of 'lockdown', we certainly don't need them now.What worries me most is the fact there isn't a clear end date. How many months or years will they drag this on for? It seems like with this government, the media say jump and the government just say how high.
Last year, if anyone had told me Sturgeon was making the PM look bad I wouldn't have believed it!It's almost as though Johnson is a lame duck PM who's terrified of Sturgeon making him look bad.
It's not just dangerous for the high street. It's over. The government have decided it's time for high street shops to close down and go away.