The wearing of masks and WFH can again be broadly endorsed by ministers, as announced today.
Officials have drawn up a list of ‘softer’ pandemic-era measures that could be introduced in the event of a full-blown NHS collapse.
A Whitehall source claimed the measures – which, unlike in the darkest days of Covid, would only be a guideline – could include commuters wearing masks again on public transport.
They told the i-Gazette: “It would also make perfect sense to ask people who can work from home to do so when the NHS needs us all to support them at this busy time of year. “
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Health chiefs have already urged people with cold and flu symptoms to wear face coverings and keep sick children out of school.
Similar advice has been in place since the government decided to press ahead with its ‘Living with Covid’ strategy.
Pictured: People wearing face masks on the London Underground on January 4 after new advice was issued to combat rising infections amid rising flu and Covid numbers
Critics said there was no “good reason to reintroduce Covid-like measures” and Tory MPs called for another “dystopian” mask.
As the UK experiences a Covid resurgence, fueled in part by the new XBB.1.5 variant nicknamed ‘The Kraken’, the increase in health messages has been driven by the emergency situation within the NHS.
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Battered healthcare faces record winter pressure due to Covid and flu ‘twindemia’
A lack of staff and blocked beds are exacerbating the crisis.
ER patients waited up to four days for a bed. Others are treated in closets, hallways, conference rooms and even outside hospitals.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 1.2 million people had the virus on any day of the week to December 9 in England
The latest data on daily admissions of Covid shows that almost 1,300 people infected with the virus have been admitted to hospital since 19 December. The number increased by a third every week
In other related news…
Covid-style measures COULD return ‘in line with official plans to save the NHS’: Zealots call for masks in public, the WFH standard and the return of social distancing as schools tell sick children to stay away
Rishi Sunak vows to get the NHS crisis under control in the new year. ‘
The “Kraken” Covid variant XBB 1.5 is already responsible for HALF of the cases in the hardest hit places… so has it reached YOUR area?
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
