Vocal Voices

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53252760

This measure is being implemented on 10th July, I think.

Is this just a case of Sturgeon virtue-signalling / point-scoring over Boris, or is it a sensible move that England will introduce in the near future?

There is also some talk now about measures to enforce quarantining of English visitors to Scotland in the wake of a virus spike in Dumfries & Galloway.
Again, a reasonable precaution, or are we just playing at Independence?

Making face masks compulsory would surely have made more sense at the start of the epidemic?
The putting visitors from England into quarantine imo that's a standard SNP tactic.
Be obnoxious and build up even worse feelings between the Scots and the English.

It's a sensible move, albeit long overdue.

I do wish that people, especially the media, would stop using quarantine, lockdown and self-isolation as though they are interchangeable - they are not. At the very best we have only had light touch versions of all three and we are very quickly entering a period where any lockdown is only notional.

Face masks? They are largely a sop to the "We must be seen to be doing something" brigade. Outdoors and with the 2m rule they are next to no use. Indoors even the N95 surgical masks have been shown to be as low as 10% effective. They do offer some protection indoors and in enclosed spaces but let's not pretend that they are infallible.

And if we can put Leicester back into the old lockdown due to a spike in infections then why cannot Scotland do the same? If an increase in infections in the Borders region can be shown to be from English visitors then what is the problem?

Face masks protect others from your breath. But this is not being heralded as such but actually the other way round. As WM says, face masks as personal protection are an illusion.

Here in France it is mandatory for the staff, who interact with everyone and stand the greatest chance of spreading the disease, to wear masks. For the general popation, except in confined spaces such as public transport, is is optional and around 50% of the people don't.

UK numbers continue to fall and, as of yesterday, 30,000 cases have been removed from the count because we were double counting both UK and country based figures in the UK.

Spain, Peru and Chile leapfrogged us in the list as our cases and deaths continue to fall.

Sturgeon only has a few short weeks left to Lord it over everyone before it becomes blindingly obvious that the first phase is burning out.

Yesterday it was reported that the Oxford vaccene is producing good antibody results for Covid-19, those who want to prove they are "doing something different" do not have much time. AstraZenica are already manufacturing the Oxford vaccene in volume and I would expect it to go into general release by the Autumn.

Don't expect Scottish "were doing something different" actions to leak into England for much longer.

Definitely the best way to protect oneself is hand washing.

Kaz wrote:Definitely the best way to protect oneself is hand washing.

As was rammed into us as children.

In from playing outside, home from school, before meals, after using the toilet: wash your hands, wash your hands, wash - your - hands.

Indeed!