Face masks in shops, so why not in church?
WE cannot go into a shop from this Friday unless we are wearing a face mask in a bid to combat coronavirus.
I am for any measure that will help to defeat this killer bug, but I do wonder what will be the next step along the masking-up road? Health Secretary Matt Hancock flatly denies that office workers will be the group selected, but it has to be remembered that this Government has quite a reputation for doing U-turns.
I would not rule anything out, but I am concerned that the latest regulations raise a very big question over when spectators can resume attending sporting events.
Yes, most are held in the open air, but I note that according to Professor Wendy Barclay, chairwoman of Influenza Virology, Imperial College, London, tiny Covid-carrying droplets can hang in the air for up to an hour.
In addition, I have serious concerns for those who enjoy singing in choirs, and for church congregations in general.
As an occasional organist, I have a vested interest in such matters and miss making music with others.
Church congregations are still limited in numbers and I just wonder if the Government might be tempted to relax this rule if those attending wore face-masks. For both sport and church, the financial costs are mounting and I have not the slightest doubt that there are going to be casualties. Shopkeepers are going to have to be inventive in both presentation and price to attract people into their premises, as many shoppers will only make the effort to mask up for goods that they actually require.
There is currently very little impulse buying and shops have to recognise that the amount of purchasing online is rapidly increasing.
Although I don’t like wearing masks (they make my glasses steam up), if the end result is going to reduce the number of deaths, then until there is a cure, it will have to become a habit, part of the ‘new normal’ that I suppose we must get used to for the time being.
However, nothing lasts...
Russell Luckock is chairman of Birmingham pressings firm
AE Harris