Could have been worse for Ukraine... if army supplied their boots!
IT WAS not back heels but high heels causing upset in Ukraine yesterday, as women ditched their army boots for feminine footwear.
The heels, to feature in a military parade next month to mark 30 years of independence after the Soviet Union’s collapse, sparked calls for defence minister Andriy Taran to apologise.
Opposition MP Irina Gerashchenko described the sight of women soldiers rehearsing in tight T-shirts, figure-hugging combat trousers and the black shoes as sexist.
Commentator Vitaly Portnikov accused officials of having a “medieval” mindset, saying: “The story of a parade in heels is a real disgrace.” Army veteran Maria Berlinskaya said instead of showing military prowess, the parade was aimed at titillating senior officers watching from the stands.
The defence ministry has backed the choice of shoes, saying they are part of regulation dress uniform.
pass is something we are considering but we are not near a decision on it.”
Dr Bharat Pankhania, a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter’s medical school, said he thought it “perfectly OK” for people who had received two doses to be exempt from quarantine.
He said: “The gold standard would be to be cautious. However, as a measured action going forward I think it is OK because an immunised person is less infectious and
furthermore the testing of people in quarantine is pretty inaccurate.”
News of the lockdown lifting comes after dozens of Tory backbenchers threatened to rebel if there was any attempt to further delay ending restrictions.
One of the 2019 intake said: “A number of us have been discussing this on Whatsapp groups. We have told our whips enough is enough.
“The damage this is doing to the country economically is too great.”
Another MP, who described himvaccine
self as a loyalist, said: “We have reached the end of the road. It is time to return to normal and start trying to repair the economy.”
A third added: “I don’t believe the Prime Minister wants to extend again but if he did, dozens would rebel.
“He would probably need Labour votes to get it through.” Meanwhile, members of the Conservative Covid Research Group want guidance written in a way that does not allow insurance firms, schools or other institutions to force an extension of measures.
MP Miriam Cates said: “Health Secretary Sajid Javid has indicated all Covid legislation will be lifted on July 19, but social distancing guidance must also be removed.
“As long as Government recommendations around mask wearing, home working, singing and indoor capacity remain in place, it is inevitable that insurance companies will prevent businesses, churches and others operating as normal.
“Covid is no longer a significant threat. We must return to a situation where individuals make their own decisions around risk.”
A further 122,377 people received their first vaccine and 160,763 received their second on Friday, taking the grand totals to 45,135,880 and 33,402,028.
There were 18 deaths and 24,885 cases
yesterday, down from 27 and 27,125 recorded on Friday. Concerns about the rate of infection have led some doctors to call for some restrictions to stay in England after July 19.
The British Medical Association said that keeping some protective measures is “crucial” to stop spiralling case numbers having a “devastating impact” on people’s health, the NHS, economy and education.
And yesterday, a professor in health psychology suggested that even if politicians are getting weary of lockdown, the public understand the importance of the restrictions.
Robert West, of University College London, who sits on the Spi-b government advisory team, said: “We’ve heard right from the beginning about pandemic fatigue.
“But when you look at people’s behaviour and attitude, they really understand the importance of the measures and the restrictions.”
The lifting of restrictions is also likely to be resisted by those calling for a “zero Covid” approach.
This sees measures kept in place until the virus has been fully eliminated.