THE POSITIVE PROFESSOR

CMO of Rutherford Cancer Centres and Former Director of WHO Cancer Programme

SOCIAL media’s voice of calm Karol Sikora has been signed up by the Daily Express. Readers can now enjoy his soothing advice in these troubled times that have won him hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter. If you need reassuring everything’s going to be all right read Professor Positivity.

I OFTEN think the debate in this country can’t plunge further into madness, but I am almost always wrong.

The airwaves have been full with arguments about whether Scotch eggs constitute a substantial meal – you couldn’t make it up.

It’s an amusing topic but it does mask a very real issue. Only allowing venues to open which serve food in Tier 2 areas severely limits a business’s opportunity to actually make any money.

Some of the rules surrounding this have been laughable – the whole bag of crisps and Scotch egg debate – but there has been more. Customers have been told to leave the establishment once they have finished their food. It’s just lunacy.

If we want people to follow the rules, then please try to make them a bit more sensible. Does the virus care what you are eating? A good prawn vindaloo may put it off. We’re trusting people to go to restaurants and pubs to enjoy a meal.

Surely if the same precautions are in place why can’t they do the same for a drink or two? Millions and millions has been spent by owners on making their venues “Covid- secure”.

Personally I have always felt very safe when we’ve gone out for a meal or drink.

Treating people like children isn’t going to help. If people want to have a few drinks, they’ll just order a plate of chips and carry on drinking. We desperately need some more common sense.

Pubs and restaurants have had an awful year and sadly it’s going to get a lot worse over the winter.

The least the Government can do is not saddle them with these crazy rules.

And as for Wales, it’s no- alcohol policy in pubs which must shut at 6pm is simply laughable nonsense.