closer to what happening?

Restrictions being lifted, businesses being opened, schools going back.

They announced the new plan for shielders like, the day before shielding was paused for this very reason

are school not back next week?

anyhoo the Who changed its guidance on 21st August and as far as I can see the government are allowing head teachers in England to make decisions on masks which is fair enough, and the devolved nations can make their own decisions, so everyone is happy :laugh:

Ive actually put some thought into this and if we had another election tomorrow im certain i would vote labour for the first time

It is embarrassing.
However it's also right to have done the u turn..despite days of Ministers saying they wouldn't be changing the original policy.

The problem with this arrogant lot,is the absolute fact, that they are so arrogant, they don't think things through properly or plan properly in the First place.
Hence so many u turns even just on this pandemic.

It would help IF they actually consulted properly in the first place and instead of just hearing opinions, they actually used their ears to actually LISTEN properly and fully.

Then these long run of embarrassing u turns could be avoided.

Any government making a u turn on their instructions or policies, is admitting by that u turn,they were wrong in the first place.

So all these u turns from this lot while they are right but also embarrassing there's so many.
Only really highlights what it really is, and that's sheer incompetence.

...it isn’t a U Turn, so much as bad leadership...’no masks are required’ and then ‘okay then, some masks are required’....etc and within hours of saying one thing, he says the opposite and before the first registration bell has happened...its just all thrown out there with very little thought and very little little listening, which is very much Boris...it’s the right decision, obviously...to introduce a safety measure like that...but the people who elected him, shouldn’t be the ones telling him that...he’s an awful leader in a time when we so desperately don’t need an awful leader...

Your blind faith shows political immaturity for me, we have been living with coronavirus for a long time now. Are you seriously suggesting that the weight of evidence for masks has shifted that dramatically in a day to cause the govt to flip their recommendations?

Absolutely right.
Spot on.

It's incompetence, however, dangerous incompetence when dealing with lives.

It might not have been looked at from a covid perspective but surgical masks have always been worn in surgery to prevent risk to the patient not the surgeon as part of their PPE.

I don't agree the science is flimsy, it's perfectly robust and obvious to me that if you limit the concentration and or reach of air molecules you slow the spread and reduce the risk.

We now have lots of evidence as to how effective they are, it would be pure ignorance to leave it up to individuals to decide as the effectiveness is based on significantly reducing airbourne particles. In the petri dish that is your average high school that would require the involvement of all.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...-guidance.html

The prime minister has suggested the decision to make face coverings mandatory for secondary pupils in school corridors in local lockdown areas of England was influenced by the experience of pupils in Scotland, who have already started returning to lessons.

"What they found [in Scotland] was that it was raining outside, people were coming in and they were congregating in the corridors and the move to face coverings they thought was sensible," he said.

"What we are doing, following what the WHO (World Health Organization) have said, is we are saying, if you are in a hot spot area where there is a higher risk of transmission then face coverings in those types of areas outside the classroom."

He said wearing them in classrooms would be "nonsensical" because "you can't teach" or "expect people to learn with face coverings".

During a visit to Castle Rock school in Coalville, Leicestershire, he said: "We're being very clear - if you're in a hotspot area, which this place is not, then you should use face coverings in places outside the classrooms where it's a confined space.

"But those are few and far between. Here in Leicestershire, after all, you've seen the people of Leicester come together, make a huge effort in the whole area, to bear down on the virus because there was an outbreak in Leicester and they've done a fantastic job."

He added: "The numbers are down and the incidence in this area is well, well down so that's the way to do it - local measures to tackle the outbreaks, wash your hands and let's get all pupils back into school next week."

We still fell far behind other countries who made masks mandatory as soon as the information changed or shortly after. We've been slow on the uptake for most of this pandemic really.

I've heard rumblings that Boris plans to step down in the first half of 2021, that he despises being PM, and that it was always the plan that he would secure the majority at the 2019 election and then step aside for someone else to be PM (who wouldn't have gotten as many votes). 'tis just rumblings but will be interesting to see if it develops into a real story.

But the problem is who takes over? The only one the public would get behind would be Rishi but he is probably to inexperienced to be considered

The fact that he isn't white and isn't an arsehole would probably go against him as well. I can't see it being anyone who isn't abhorrent.

Apparently this has come from Dominic Cummings father in law, it would be an odd thing to do, not to see a term out, I could see surviving Covid having a profound affect on his life outlook though

I heard that this story started from Dominic Cummings father in law who also mentioned Boris is still having Covid related health issues too

oi Mrs, thats my goss

didn't hear the thing about Covid health issues, but is is fairly well documented that some suffer after affects for sometime

i think Boris is putting an optimistic face on everything because that's what he has to do as PM. Who would want to run a country during a pandemic, and pile on top of that a new baby and a near death escape from covid. You don't have to like the guy (which i don't) to understand the effect all that could have on someone. I can see him waiting until Brexit deal negotiations are complete and then disappearing into the sunset, and i wouldn't blame him