Masks

[Richard]

Don't buy a 'Nutmeg' mask from Morrisons, at the pharmacy, it says on the pack:
'This is a not a medical device therefore a non-certified mask'.
They only have one layer.
So, the question must be - why are they selling them?

Home made ones with just one layer are probably just as ineffective, three layers are suggested to be adequate.

[seahermit]

I have seen masks on sale which have Christmas decoration all over them - unbelievable! Everything has to be commercialised these days, if a few bucks can possibly be made out of it. Then there are the more expensive "designer" masks of course - for those humans who cannot focus on what is really important but only on what is trivial, fashionable, "fun"!

And Morrisons are selling loo paper with Christmas decoration - even when you sit on the loo, you now have to do it in a seasonal way .. and make extra money for some manufacturer. Not quite in tune with the message of a spiritual/Christian event ...

[seahermit]

Not at all surprising that virus infections are increasing steadily in Hastings. Many people walking about not wearing masks and not making any attempt to distance themselves when passing you on the pavement. Very irresponsible. I know several people who have never worn a mask, even in Morrisons - nobody seems to challenge them.

Whilst the idea of relaxing the socialising rules over Christmas is an attractive one, it is highly risky. Of course we are all fed up with the restrictions but is that worse than going into hospital (or sending others there)? We need to grit our teeth and do what is right, it's hard but it's the same for everyone. We need to accept that this Christmas must be different and we can't have everything just the way we want.

I for one won't be hugging anyone over Christmas and, if they turn up not wearing a mask, they won't be allowed in! Bah humbug, that's me. I will still be offering them drinks etc. but it has to be at a distance.

[Richard]

Masks that are effective or not, or enforced or not is one matter.
The 2M distancing markers leading up to the check-out seem to have been removed at Morrisons.
At least they had disappeared the last time I looked.
The whole atmosphere is now somewhat 'laissez faire'.
I am not sure that the staff are happy about this relaxation, but the management do not seem to care.
Certainly people shopping in M&S and Morrisons can intermingle along the aisles, without warning markers or safety announcements.
Perhaps this will all change again when we resume official 'Lock-down'?
Plus kids can still go to school, catch and spread the virus, and bring contagion back home.

[seahermit]

I am surprised at Boris's U-turn - I didn't think it would actually happen, but I am relieved. Common sense and the scientific advice have won, after all the last few months it isn't going to make much difference if people isolate for just a while longer. We must just accept that this Christmas will have to be different, low-key, quiet, no big party gatherings.

People in Hastings seem to be very irresponsible and that must be one reason infection rates have shot up. In the Weatherspoon pub the other night, a group of seven or eight youths came in, no masks, obviously trying to treat it as a normal night out at the end of the week. Fortunately the staff reacted firmly, turned most of them away and just two were allowed to stay. In the streets, countless people walk straight at you without masks and without any avoidance - annoys me exceedingly.

The new lockdown restrictions should have been enforced more strictly in the first place, to avoid us getting to this situation. Whether some people like it or not.

Mind you, yesterday before 6pm the town centre was already like a ghost town, almost nothing open and quite depressing! What else do we do? It has to be endured.

[seahermit]

There are some benefits from the lockdown - believe it or not! Has anyone noticed the beautiful peace and quiet when you go into shops, no incessant Christmas songs blasted out over the PA systems (the same songs repeated in every shop you enter)? I heard Jingle Bells in just one shop, played very unobtrusively.

And no pre-recorded Christmas Carols blared out over loudspeakers in the town centre, which I always thought was a cheap and lazy way of doing things. Much nicer and more Christianlike to have a local choir or the Salvation Army do their thing for charity, though none of that can happen this year of course.

And not the milling crowds and pushing and shoving, all trying to pile up loads of unnecessary goods for the Christmas binge! I sound very Scrooge-like but I would just like to see some return to a quieter, more spiritual festival, less materialistic and more family-based.

[Richard]

Well, seahermit,

Many youths believe that the virus only affects the elderly or ill and that appears to them as distant as warnings about cancers from smoking and liver-damage from drinking.
They want to live for the moment (We've all been there) and so they should as long as we are not affected by their selfish behaviour.
Many shops rely on the materialism and greed of Christmas, you certainly wouldn't like Tesco's advert about there being 'no naughty list' giving their wholehearted agreement to indulge in (their) party food at will, even if you have done something wrong in the past year.
It's a really annoying advert and I hate it.

That's my Victor Meldrew moment done with!

I agree, the spirituality of Christmas is all-important.
I hope you find it.

[seahermit]

Some young people think they are invulnerable - not a realistic or well-informed view. Infection rates amongst children are shooting up and there have been deaths amongst all ages, just more amongst the elderly. But irresponsibility is not confined to the younger ones ..

I watch with derision all the Sainsburys, Asda and Tesco commercials - large, happy family groups breaking open piles of presents or stuffing into extravagant luxury foods. For countless people, Christmas is not going to be the slightest bit like that - instead, lonely, broke and worrying about employment! And trying to survive. Supermarkets are locked into their mindsets, but the ads are just fantasy, not much in tune with the current reality.

On Christmas Day I really enjoy a peaceful walk along the shore, then into town through unaccustomed quiet streets, a powerful drink with some friends if the pub is open for a few hours (maybe not this year?) - that's my spirituality! You don't actually need buckets of spending and luxury food to have an enjoyable time. Mind you, thinking of doing duck-casserole in orange sauce in the evening - dead easy to cook and my friends think I must have been a chef!

[Richard]

I prefer the Dickensian Christmas where the family are portrayed as part of a community and find happiness in small things.
Saying prayers before a meal may seem quaint now but Dickens showed their value.
Charles Dickens's book 'A Christmas Carol' is credited with helping to popularise and spread the traditions of the festival. Its themes of family, charity, goodwill, peace and happiness encapsulate the spirit of the Victorian Christmas, and are (or should be) very much a part of the Christmas we celebrate today.

[number9]

Someone I know was returning from Brighton railway station and noticed that most of the staff were not wearing any face coverings. When they challenged one member of staff who had a neck scarf under her chin, she replied she did not have to.

On speaking to a fellow passenger they said that some staff at Brighton claim they have asthma and don't have to prove it so they don't bother to wear a mask. Standing close by were the enforcement officers who all appeared to be wearing masks but ignored their railway staff colleagues close by who were not.

Considering the new cases that have been happening recently and the new Tier changes, I find it surprising that railway staff don't seem to want to wear face coverings.I know they do in other places.