Time for town to set an example re Covid safety
Jack Higgins, novelist, 91; Baroness (Shirley) Williams (pictured), politician, 90; Bobbie Gentry, singer, 78; Allan Border, former cricketer, 65; Christopher Dean (pictured), former Olympic ice-skater, 62; Jo Durie, former tennis player, 60; Jonathan Rhys Meyers, actor, 43
AFTER visiting Huddersfield town centre yesterday for the first time since the end of March, it was good to see how much work the council has put in place to keep social distancing key.
I was particularly impressed with Caffe Nero and XTG Hairdressing. The friendliness of the staff, cleanliness and social distancing measures were second to none and I felt extremely safe whilst visiting these premises.
Now mandatory masks are required to be worn in shops and in the lead-up to this, I noticed that quite a few members of public were already wearing these both inside and outside the shops and were wearing these correctly, which was great to see but there were still quite a few number of people wearing masks below their noses.
If we are to succeed in continuing to bring down the Covid-19 cases in Kirklees and to avoid a lockdown the council and the local MPs need to encourage the correct fitment of masks as well as continuing to educate social distancing.
This is the time for Huddersfield / Kirklees to set an example to the rest of our neighbouring councils as well as advertising that Huddersfield / Kirklees is a safe area to travel to.
Huddersfield town desperately needs this as well as the renovation to the town centre and Huddersfield will be a better town for it.
Mind how you go – traffic is the danger!
BORIS Johnson talks about good old British common sense.
I learned a long time ago that common sense, alas, is not that common. A few days ago I was out running as I have been for the last 40 years. Over the moors beyond Outlane, where the pandemic is not prevalent, it is not in the thick of civilisation, so one has plenty of room to pass by runners, cyclists and dog walkers, and exchange cheery pleasantries like ‘Good Morning.’
Occasionally there are those who step out almost into the middle of the road, despite the pavement being wide enough to observe social distancing.
As I was coming back from Scammonden, a woman running towards me with a dog decided she would cross over the road where there was no pavement, and indeed where she would now be jogging along with the traffic coming from behind her on a blind bend.
I tried to advise her that she should always be facing oncoming traffic, as it is advocated in the Highway Code. She shouted something about the virus. I was concerned about her safety.
The probability of death, I fear, would surely surge dramatically by such actions as opposed to her contracting Covid-19 whilst remaining on the pavement and passing fellow runners at a distance of 1-2 metres rather than 10-12 metres.