Scots have been encouraged to build extenuating circumstances into their plans, look at the smaller goals and reward themselves to help them stick to their routines during this difficult time.
The team from Blackwolf Workout have offered those struggling four tips to help keep their days more structured.
A lack of motivation and productivity is normal for anyone during a global pandemic, whether this is in terms of keeping to a gym routine or adapting to working from home.
Everyone is feeling different day to day so it’s important to not let your entire week or routine be overshadowed by one slip-up.
A spokesperson for Blackwolf Workout said: “This has been a very uncertain year for everyone where normal routines, such as commuting to and from work, have been disrupted.
“It can be difficult to stick to the routines of the ‘new normal’ when everything is so uncertain with further potential lockdowns still possible.
“By planning ahead and building any uncertainty into your routine you’re more likely to stick to it.”
Everything seems more achievable with smaller goals. If you have one finish point in mind, try and break down the journey between where you are now and the endpoint. Within the journey, you should highlight several markers or smaller goals to help show you’re on track.
2.Reward
Everyone likes a reward and they can sometimes be just the motivation you need. If you’re struggling to motivate yourself to go to the gym, why don’t you treat yourself to your favourite meal on a Saturday night if you go three times a week? Be careful not to burn yourself out otherwise you’ll never want to get back to a routine.
3.Remind
Write down exactly what you want to achieve by our routine. Do you want to lower your body mass, look more toned or reach a lifting goal? By writing your goal down and displaying it somewhere within your house, maybe on your desk or the door of your fridge, it’ll remind you of why you’re doing what you are and help motivate you.
4.Location
With further potential lockdowns looking likely it can be hard to create a routine which you know will look the same in the next few months. Try and incorporate things that you can do at home, such as home workouts, into the routine.
If you do want to go to the gym, consider how you could do this at home if they shut. By planning as much as you can and considering these options before they happen it means you’re less likely to be thrown out of routine if they do.
Economy Secretary confirms eligibility for more licensed businesses required by law to close or operate with specific restrictions
Hardship and closure grants will be paid to bowling and other sports clubhouses which are licensed to serve alcohol.
Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “Earlier this month, we announced a £40 million Fund to support specific businesses currently required to close or operate with restrictions. Some sporting and other clubs have asked for explicit confirmation that they are eligible and I am pleased to confirm that we will be supporting those businesses.
Scottish Government has also confirmed that hardship grants can be paid to sports clubs, gyms and others in the central belt that operate from their own non-domestic premises and are have not been allowed to run or charge for group exercise classes since 9th October.
Applications for these funds close at 5 pm on 3rd November.
They will be replaced by a new form of support – linked to the new Strategic Framework – which will provide eligible businesses with grants of up to £3,000 every four weeks.
“As we move into the new Framework next week, I want to again recognise the sacrifices that businesses have made during this period.
“By continuing to work together to suppress this virus we can come through the other side with a fair, sustainable and wellbeing economy that will benefit us all.”
Details of current £40 million Fund and how to apply can be found at:
Last week the Scottish Government announced support for businesses which are required to close or are constrained by measures in place from 2 November.
The British Dental Association Scotland has warned that the reintroduction of the ‘full range’ of NHS treatments from Sunday 1 November will not signal a return to routine care, as a new poll reveals the limited capacity in the service.
According to new data from practices across Scotland:
Two-thirds (66%) are operating at less than a quarter of their pre-COVID capacity, with social distancing and new operating procedures leaving them capable of seeing a fraction of their former patient numbers.
80% report less focus on routine NHS dentistry, with 53% report more focus on urgent cases, with 63% stating less focus on cosmetic dentistry.
The greatest levels of concern with the Scottish Government’s performance has been on managing patient expectations, where 84% of practices expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s record. This compares to 43% dissatisfied with access to PPE, 58% on financial support. 82% were dissatisfied with the government’s overall performance during the pandemic in relation to the service.
The BDA has welcomed positive signals that the Scottish Government is developing communications to provide a needed ‘reality-check’ to patients. It has said clear and consistent messages from government and all NHS Boards are now essential to reduce patient frustration and prevent practices and their staff from being overwhelmed.
Dentist leaders have stressed that the pandemic has caused a huge backlog in unmet treatment built up over lockdown, and will require continued priority to be given to urgent cases, those midway through courses of treatment, and high-risk patients who have not been seen for several years.
While the BDA has recognised growing anxiety about an increasingly ‘two-tier’ system in Scotland it has questioned the timing of reintroduction of a full range of NHS dental services when COVID transmission rates are increasing significantly, and a huge swathe of the country is already facing Level 3-type restrictions.
David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said:“November will not mark a return to ‘normal’ dental services in Scotland.
“Since the return to a ‘full range’ of services was announced the phones at many practices have been ringing off the hook. Dentists may be able to offer a wider range of treatment but now face demand that simply cannot be met.
“The Scottish Government is making the right noises, but we need every Health Board onside to prevent practices from being overwhelmed. Dentistry remains a skeleton service and urgent and high-risk cases need to be at the front of the queue.
“It is paramount that officials communicate this message effectively to the public. It now takes a nurse 42 minutes to thoroughly deep clean a surgery following a procedure. Rules designed to keep the public and staff safe mean dentists that once saw twenty patients a day are now capable of seeing just five.”
Top restaurant group, Kained, has teamed up with TiPJAR and Hospitality Action to kickstart a national charity campaign to help Scottish hospitality workers during the COVID-19 crisis.
If you take a stroll down Finnieston this month, you’ll spot an innovative window display that has been designed to support local hospitality staff who have been hit the worst during the pandemic.
The pioneering new ‘Support Local’ activation – the first of its kind in the world launches today (Monday, 2nd November), and is the first fintech project of its kind in Scotland to tackle challenges presented by the uncertainty of the current pandemic and help support local hospitality staff.
TiPJAR – the UK’s new cashless and contactless tipping platform will help raise emergency funds for the Kained 100-strong team, and thousands of others nationally, who like many in the hospitality sector are receiving reduced support for 67% of their regular income and in most cases, now facing no government support due to changes in the new tier system and furlough eligibility.
The revolutionary campaign sees contactless tipping boxes provided by TiPJAR in the Finnieston restaurant windows which you can support by giving a £2 cash-free donation that goes directly to Hospitality Action to distribute to hospitality workers across Scotland – including the Kained team.
Simply tap to tip on their window to support local workers, with half of the money distributed straight to the Kained staff and the other half donated to a national pot to help the most at-risk workers.
Graham Suttle, MD of Kained, said: “We are proud to kick off a national campaign to bring support and a much-needed lifeline for so many, in such difficult times.
“Our customers are as much part of the family as our team, and have asked so many times to help they now have a safe and direct way via this award-winning platform, to help support our amazing team and those most in need across the nation.”
TiPJAR is an award-winning cashless tipping platform that allows individuals and groups to receive tips from consumers directly and distribute them transparently and fairly amongst their team.
James Brown, founder of TiPJAR and retail director of to BrewDog, said: “Having started my hospitality career working in bars in the city, I couldn’t think of a better place to launch this campaign.
“As many staff and businesses now face their toughest challenge of the pandemic so far, we wanted to do what we can to help the staff at Kained and staff all across the U.K.”
All funds will be donated towards Hospitality Action who will distribute funds to hospitality workers in Scotland.
If you would like to support the initiative, you can donate by clicking this link, head to the Finnieston and tap to tip their windows or visit https://tip.wearetipjar.com/p/kh-finnieston
A new study conducted by Savanta ComRes, has found that seven in ten UK adults (71%) feel concerned for children in the toughest of circumstances all over the world during the COVID19 crisis. However, only one quarter (26%) of UK adults are planning to donate to an overseas charity this Christmas due to the impact of COVID19.
The research, which was commissioned by international relief charity Samaritan’s Purse who run Operation Christmas Child, also highlighted that 75% of those surveyed believed that children needed to feel loved this Christmas more than ever due to the impact of COVID-19.
Director of Operation Christmas Child, Nick Cole says, “The pandemic has once again highlighted the importance of children’s mental and physical health. The concern for children across the world, and the importance that they need to feel seen and loved this year is more tangible than ever. We must all play our part in ensuring children are given the necessary support in the face of all they have experienced this year.”
Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts—filled with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys—to children in the toughest circumstances across the globe for more than two decades. For many children who receive them, it is the first gift they have ever received. This is a project that everyone can still be a part of, even with COVID-19 restrictions.
Cole continues, “From this survey we see that while concern is high for children across the world during the pandemic, the desire to donate to charities is a low priority.
“Through Operation Christmas Child, individuals can do the simple act of packing a shoebox and help contribute to the mental well-being of children in the most vulnerable communities.”
With the NHS weeks from being overwhelmed, and a higher death toll than the first wave predicted without new restrictions, the Prime Minister, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Scientific Advisor, and Cabinet agreed there was no alternative to tougher national measures.
The Prime Minister will update Parliament on Monday, and MPs are set to vote on the measures on Wednesday. This follows a Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister earlier today.
He said that no one wants to impose these kinds of measures, but no responsible Prime Minister could ignore the evidence presented.
He also said that, whilst Christmas will inevitably be different this year, tough action now could mean families may be able to be together.
Belgium, France, Germany and other countries have already put in place national restrictions, following earlier local measures.
From Thursday 5 November, everyone in England must stay at home, and may leave only for a limited set of reasons. These include:
For education;
For work, if you cannot work from home;
For exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household, support bubble or on your own with one person from another household;
For all medical reasons, appointments and to escape injury or harm;
To shop for food and essentials;
And to provide care for vulnerable people, or as a volunteer.
A full set of exemptions will be set out in law.
Single-adult households will still be able to form an exclusive support bubble with one other household, and children can move between homes if their parents are separated.
Non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues will be closed. Click and collect services can continue and essential shops, including supermarkets, will remain open, so there is no need for anyone to stockpile.
Pubs, bars, restaurants must close, except for takeaway and delivery services.
People should work from home wherever possible. Workplaces should stay open where people cannot work from home – for example, in the construction or manufacturing sectors.
Shielding as practised in the spring will not currently be reintroduced. The clinically vulnerable, or those over the age of 60, should be especially careful to follow the rules and minimise contacts with others. Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable should not only minimise their contacts with others, but also not go to work if they are unable to work from home.
There is no exemption for staying away from home on holiday. This means people cannot travel internationally or within the UK, unless for work, education or other legally permitted exemptions. Overnight stays away from primary residences will not be allowed, except for specific exceptions including for work.
Inbound international travel will continue to be governed by the travel corridor approach, and those currently on a domestic holiday will be allowed to finish their holidays, but are still subject to the requirements in England not to go out without a reasonable excuse.
Public services, such as job centres, courts, and civil registration offices will remain open.
There is no exemption for communal worship in places of worship (except funerals and individual prayer), organised team sports, or children’s activities.
Elite sport will be allowed to continue behind closed doors as currently.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, known as the furlough scheme, will remain open until December, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500. The cost for employers of retaining workers will be reduced compared to the current scheme, which ended on Saturday.
As the Prime Minister and Education Secretary have said, keeping young people in education is a national priority so early years settings, schools, colleges and universities will all remain open. Parents and carers should make sure their children keep attending school. However, universities and adult learning providers should consider increasing online provision where possible.
Parents will still be able to access registered childcare and other childcare activities where reasonably necessary to enable parents to work. Parents are also able to form a childcare bubble with another household for the purposes of informal childcare, where the child is 13 or under.
Ministers are also clear that it is vital to keep the provision for non-Covid healthcare needs going. Unless clinicians tell patients otherwise, they should continue to use the NHS, get scans and other tests, turn up for all appointments and collect medicines and treatments.
Ministers have done everything in their power to avoid another national lockdown.
The natural rate of R is around 3, meaning local restrictions have helped slow the spread of the virus, whilst NHS Test and Trace is testing more than any other country in Europe.
But the R rate is still above 1, meaning infections, hospitalisations and deaths continue to double, and the virus is now a national problem.
On present trends, in the South West, where incidence is low for example, it is clear they would run out of hospital capacity in a matter of weeks unless we act.
Whilst work is underway to boost capacity, including preparing the Nightingales, it is impossible to create extra bed space, and recruit extra doctors and nurses, at the rate necessary to outpace the virus.
Prime Minister’s statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 31 October 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a statement at the coronavirus press conference
Good evening and apologies for disturbing your Saturday evening with more news of Covid and I can assure you I wouldn’t do it unless it was absolutely necessary.
First I will hand over to Chris and then Patrick who will present the latest data.
Thank you very much Patrick, and Chris. I am afraid that no responsible PM can ignore the message of those figures.
When I told you two weeks ago that we were pursuing a local and a regional approach to tackling this virus, I believed then and I still believe passionately that it was the right thing to do.
Because we know the cost of these restrictions, the damage they do, the impact on jobs, and on livelihoods, and on people’s mental health.
No one wants to be imposing these kinds of measures anywhere.
We didn’t want to be shutting businesses, pubs and restaurants in one part of the country, where incidence was very low, when the vast bulk of infections were taking place elsewhere.
Our hope was that by strong local action, strong local leadership, we could get the rates of infection down where the disease was surging, and address the problem thereby across the whole country.
And I want to thank the millions of people who have been putting up with these restrictions in their areas for so long. I want to thank local leaders who have stepped up and local communities.
Because as you can see from some of those charts, the R has been kept lower than it would otherwise have been, and there are signs that your work has been paying off
And we will continue as far as we possibly can to adopt a pragmatic and local approach in the months ahead
But as we’ve also seen from those charts, we’ve got to be humble in the face of nature
And in this country alas as across much of Europe the virus is spreading even faster than the reasonable worst case scenario of our scientific advisers
Whose models as you’ve just seen now suggest that unless we act we could see deaths in this country running at several thousand a day
A peak of mortality alas far bigger than the one we saw in April
Even in the South West, where incidence was so low, and still is so low, it is now clear that current projections mean they will run out of hospital capacity in a matter of weeks unless we act.
And let me explain why the overrunning of the NHS would be a medical and moral disaster beyond the raw loss of life
Because the huge exponential growth in the number of patients – by no means all of them elderly, by the way – would mean that doctors and nurses would be forced to choose which patients to treat
Who would get oxygen and who wouldn’t
Who would live and who would die,
And doctors and nurses would be forced to choose between saving covid patients and non-covid patients
And the sheer weight of covid demand would mean depriving tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of non-covid patients of the care they need
It is crucial to grasp this that the general threat to public health comes not from focusing too much on covid, but from not focusing enough, from failing to get it under control
And if we let the lines on those graphs grow in the way they could and in the way they’re projected to grow, then the risk is that for the first time in our lives, the NHS will not be there for us and for our families
And even if I could now double capacity overnight – and obviously I am proud that we have massively increased capacity, we do have the Nightingales, we’ve got 13,000 more nurses now than last year, we have many more doctors – but it still would not be enough, because the virus is doubling faster than we could conceivably add capacity
And so now is the time to take action because there is no alternative. From Thursday until the start of December, you must stay at home.
You may only leave home for specific reasons, including:
For education; For work, say if you cannot work from home; For exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household or on your own with one person from another household; For medical reasons, appointments and to escape injury or harm; To shop for food and essentials; And to provide care for vulnerable people, or as a volunteer.
I’m afraid non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues will all be closed – though click and collect services can continue and essential shops will remain open, so there is no need to stock up.
Pubs, bars, restaurants must close except for takeaway and delivery services.
Workplaces should stay open where people can’t work from home – for example in the construction or manufacturing sectors.
Single adult households can still form exclusive support bubbles with one other household, and children will still be able to move between homes if their parents are separated.
If you are clinically vulnerable, or over the age of 60, you should be especially careful to follow the rules and minimise your contacts with others.
I know how tough shielding was, and we will not ask people to shield again in the same way again. However we are asking those who are clinically extremely vulnerable to minimise their contact with others, and not to go to work if they are unable to work from home.
I am under no illusions about how difficult this will be for businesses which have already had to endure hardship this year. I am truly, truly sorry for that.
This is why we are also going to extend the furlough system through November. The furlough scheme was a success in the spring. It supported people and businesses in a critical time. We will not end it. We will extend it until December.
There will be some differences compared to March.
These measures above all will be time-limited, starting next Thursday 5 November. They will end on Wednesday 2 December, when we will seek to ease restrictions, going back into the tiered system on a local and regional basis according to the latest data and trends.
Christmas is going to be different this year, very different, but it is my sincere hope and belief that by taking tough action now, we can allow families across the country to be together.
My priority, our priority, remains keeping people in education – so childcare, early years settings, schools, colleges and universities will all remain open. Our senior clinicians still advise that school is the best place for children to be.
We cannot let this virus damage our children’s futures even more than it has already. I urge parents to continue taking their children to school and I am extremely grateful to teachers across the country for their dedication in enabling schools to remain open.
And it is vital that we will keep provision for non-Covid healthcare groups going.
So please – this is really important – unless your clinicians tell you otherwise, you should continue to use the NHS, get your scans, turn up for your appointments and pick up your treatments. If at all possible, we want you to continue to access these services, now and through the winter. Indeed it’s only by taking this action that we can protect the NHS for you.
On Monday I will set out our plans to parliament. On Wednesday, parliament will debate and vote on these measures which, if passed, will as I say come into force on Thursday.
We have updated the devolved administrations on the action we are taking in England and stand ready to work with them on plans for Christmas and beyond.
We should remember we are not alone in what we’re going through. Our friends in Belgium, France and Germany have had to take very similar action.
So as we come together now to fight this second wave, I want to say something about the way ahead
Because people will reasonably ask when will this all end
And as I have said before I am optimistic that this will feel very different and better by the spring
It is not just that we have ever better medicine and therapies, and the realistic hope of a vaccine in the first quarter of next year
We now have the immediate prospect of using many millions of cheap, reliable and above all rapid turnaround tests
Tests that you can use yourself to tell whether or not you are infectious and get the result within ten to 15 minutes
And we know from trial across the country in schools and hospitals that we can use these tests not just to locate infectious people but to drive down the disease
And so over the next few days and weeks, we plan a steady but massive expansion in the deployment of these quick turnaround tests
Applying them in an ever-growing number of situations
From helping women to have their partners with them in labour wards when they’re giving birth to testing whole towns and even whole cities
The army has been brought in to work on the logistics and the programme will begin in a matter of days
Working with local communities, local government, public health directors and organisations of all kinds to help people discover whether or not they are infectious, and then immediately to get them to self-isolate and to stop the spread
And I can tell you tonight that the scientists may be unanimously gloomy about the immediate options
But they are unanimously optimistic about the medium and the long term future
We will get through this – but we must act now to contain this autumn surge
We are not going back to the full-scale lockdown of March and April
It is less prohibitive and less restrictive
But from Thursday the basic message is the same: Stay at home. Protect the NHS. And save lives.
HOW WILL THIS AFFECT SCOTLAND?
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted last night:
She added:
2. @scotgov will take considered decisions based on what is right for Scotland. A key point for us – which we hope to clarify ASAP – is whether extended furlough support is available only in November or flexibly for devolved admins. That could have an impact on our decisions.
Parents and carers should wear masks when collecting school kids
Guidance on school safety has been updated to take account of public health advice and Scotland’s new approach to suppressing coronavirus (COVID-19).
The guidance, which outlines additional protection measures at all five levels in the Strategic Framework, comes into force on Monday 2 November.
Across all levels, face coverings should be worn by adults at all times where they cannot keep two metres from other adults and/or children and young people in primary and secondary schools (with some exceptions in P1-2). Face coverings should also be worn by parents and other visitors to any school site (whether entering the building or otherwise), including parents at drop-off and pick-up.
In local authority areas in Levels 3 and 4, pupils in the senior phase – S4-6 – and their teachers should wear face coverings in classrooms, as well as when they are moving around the school and in communal areas.
Guidance for school staff and pupils at the highest clinical risk (shielding) has also been updated.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Keeping schools open remains our priority but that can only be the case if schools are safe. There have been tremendous efforts applied by staff and pupils to ensure this is the case and I thank them all for their efforts.
“We constantly review the guidance on school opening along with our local authority partners, trades unions, parental representatives and other stakeholders to ensure we are taking all the necessary measures to ensure our schools are safe.
“This strengthened guidance, produced in light of updated scientific and health advice, adds to the health mitigations that have been in place since schools opened in August.
“From Monday, there will be increased use of face coverings and new advice to help protect those in the shielding category.
“It is vital that all the measures are followed rigorously in schools. Doing that – together with the collective efforts of all of us across wider society – will help to ensure that schools can safely remain open.
“None of the levels in the framework require any automatic move to school closures or blended learning. However, no one can predict what the coming weeks and months will bring. Remote learning remains an important contingency for schools at all levels of the strategic framework and there has been considerable progress made in the provision of remote learning, should that be required.”
The updated guidance includes:
At Level 3
parents or guardians should discuss with their GP or clinician whether children with the highest clinical risk should attend school
employers should ensure that individual risk assessments for school staff members with the highest clinical risk are in place and updated appropriately, and staff should speak to their employer to ensure all appropriate protections are in place. If protections cannot be put in place, they can discuss with their GP or clinician to see if a fit note may be appropriate
At Level 4
the current advice is that children on the shielding list should not attend school in person. However, we will look further at how we can use individualised risk assessments to maximise attendance for such children during Level 4 restrictions
the majority of workplaces can be made safe for staff. To ensure this remains the case, employers should ensure that individualised risk assessments for school staff members with the highest clinical risk are in place and updated appropriately, and staff should speak to their employer to ensure all appropriate protections are in place. To provide reassurance on this, the Chief Medical Officer will issue a letter similar to a fit note which can be used in the few cases where, following updating of risk assessments and discussions with employers, it is not possible to make a workplace safe for staff
greater levels of testing in response to COVID-19 outbreaks in schools may be recommended by the Incident Management Team
PE in school settings should only take place out of doors
Non-essential activities or clubs outside the usual school timetable should be paused. This does not include regulated childcare operating from school premises
Other changes in the guidance reflect updated advice from the COVID-19 Advisory Sub Group on Education and Children’s Issues. Members concluded that indoor PE may now be brought into line with advice outwith school settings, with appropriate safety measures in place. This does not apply to indoor PE in schools in Level 4 areas.
The EIS has issued its initial response to the new COVID-19 Guidance for Schools, published by the Scottish Government.
EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said: “The strengthening of the School Guidance in a number of areas is a reflection of the greater risk posed by higher levels of community infection.
“Whilst the EIS supports the stronger advice in areas such as the use of face coverings and the critical need for adequate ventilation, we remain dissatisfied with the lack of specification on social distancing between pupils, which is exhorted but remains impossible to achieve in full classrooms.”
Mr Flanagan added, “The proposed mitigations at Level 4, essentially face coverings for senior pupils, are inadequate. The EIS is clear that Level 4 should trigger an automatic consideration of moves towards blended or remote learning.
“Schools cannot stay open at any cost; the safety of pupils and staff has to be the priority, especially those with increased vulnerabilities. In the event of any Council area moving into Level 4, the EIS is likely to consult affected members directly on their views.”
Which? is urging manufacturers and retailers to up their game on face coverings after the consumer champion’s lab tests revealed alarming differences in the effectiveness of widely-available reusable masks.
Which? found that the best performing face coverings were able to block more than 99 per cent of potentially harmful bacterial particles from penetrating the mask material – similar to the standard of surgical masks.
But the worst only managed to filter out a paltry 7 per cent – allowing up to 93 per cent to escape.
With face coverings now an essential purchase and considered important for minimising the spread of coronavirus, Which?’s latest research looked at a range of popular brands and styles of face coverings and masks, including those sold by pharmacy chains, supermarkets, high street stores and online retailers.
Scientists tested for how well they filter bacteria, how breathable they are, and how they fare after multiple washes.
Three out of the 15 face coverings Which? tested performed so poorly that they were deemed a ‘Don’t Buy’. At the bottom of the table and earning the lowest scores overall were a face covering from Termini8 sold at Lloyds Pharmacy (£2), one from Asda (£3) and one from Etiquette (£3), which is sold at Superdrug.
All were lightweight and breathable as they were made with only one layer, but this affected their ability to filter potentially harmful particles, earning each mask only one star out of five in this category.
Which? awarded two of the products tested Best Buy status. The NEQI reusable face mask (£15 for 3), which is available from retailers including Boots and Ocado as well as Bags of Ethics Great British Designer face coverings (£15 for 3), available at Asos and John Lewis, were both considered comfortably breathable, earning the full five stars in this category without compromising on filtration (four stars out of five).
The lab tests revealed that masks with multiple layers are much more effective than single layer masks at filtering particles. However, Which? found that there was a clear trade off between breathability and how effective the mask was at filtering potentially harmful particles. In fact, the fabric masks that scored five out of five for filtration were also those that scored the lowest for breathability.
These included the Firebox reusable mask (£15), which is made with double-layered polyester and uses a double filter, Maskie Loop UV Sanitized reusable Face Mask (£6), which is made of three layers, and the Smart Mask (£14), which is also made of three layers and markets itself as the number one rated face mask in the UK, which all got one star for breathability. The AB Mask (£10), which is available at Boots, also received full marks for filtration but got two stars for breathability.
If a face covering isn’t breathable, it can get damp more quickly with condensation from trapped breath and might encourage people to adjust or remove their mask, especially if they wear glasses.
The Asos (£12) and AB Mask were the only two that avoided glasses steaming up and were rated highest for glasses-wearers’ comfort, with both scoring five stars in this category.
The Which? tests also revealed that almost all of the face coverings got better at filtering particles after being washed. Face coverings were re-tested after five hot wash cycles, and most improved, due to the fibres compressing.
While reusable fabric face coverings are not designed to block ultra-fine particles such as Covid-19 like a higher-grade medical respirator mask would, they are intended to help block larger droplets and aerosols breathed out by the wearer, who may be infected but asymptomatic.
The prevailing scientific thinking is that this should help protect the wider community by minimising exhalation of virus particles in enclosed public spaces.
Which? is urging manufacturers to use these findings as a basis for improving their products, while retailers should seek to ensure they are selling products that will effectively filter out potentially harmful particles. In the meantime, the consumer champion is encouraging consumers to research the best available options for themselves and their loved ones before making a purchase.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said:“With face coverings now such an important part of daily life, they not only need to be durable and comfortable, but also provide effective filtration from harmful particles in order to keep us and others safe.
“Our results prove that there is a huge difference in quality between reusable masks sold in stores around the country and online. We would urge manufacturers to use our findings to up their game and improve their products – until then it is worth taking time to research the best option for yourself and your loved ones.”
I hope this email finds you safe and well in these difficult times.
I am pleased to share new research from the Carnegie UK Trust, looking at how we can achieve ‘good work’ for all in the UK coronavirus economy.
The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted jobs and livelihoods, but it has also seen labour market interventions that were previously unimaginable and given rise to calls to build back a better labour market. For our research we interviewed labour market experts including academics, business and trade union representatives and leading think tanks, and undertook analysis of the impacts of the crisis on different groups of workers.
Our report Good Work for Wellbeing in the Coronavirus Economy draws together these insights and presents a package of over 30 proposals for how good work can be achieved and sustained, to ensure work improves wellbeing for many more people.
You can read the report’s key messages and recommendations here
We would be delighted to hear your views on the ideas put forward in the report. You can get in touch with us on Twitter @CarnegieUKTrust, using the hashtag #GoodWork #COVID19 or you can let us know your thoughts by emailing Gail Irvine, Senior Policy and Development Officer, on gail.irvine@carnegieuk.org.
An NHS Winter Preparedness Plan outlining steps to ensure a resilient and safe health care system has been published.
With coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continuing to rise, £1.1 billion has already been allocated to NHS Health Boards and Integration Authorities to meet the costs of responding to the pandemic.
An additional £37 million has been announced today to support services cope with the virus, vaccinations and Test and Protect and the delivery of normal winter illnesses and weather. As a result of these continued pressures, NHS Scotland will remain in a state of emergency over winter.
To complement the NHS Winter Preparedness Plan, a comprehensive Adult Social Care Winter plan will be published in early November. This will focus on delivering maximum protection for people who use social care support in residential and community settings and in their own homes, and for those who provide that care, including unpaid carers.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Every effort must be made to prepare the NHS for the pressures it will face in the coming months, including normal winter illnesses, the impact of any severe weather, a significant resurgence of COVID-19 and a potential no-deal Brexit.
“Due to the continued dedication of health and social care staff, and support from the public, NHS Scotland has not been overwhelmed at any point during the pandemic. Our over-riding priority is to ensure the this continues to be the case, not only to save lives and treat COVID-19 patients but to make sure we can continue to deliver healthcare to those who need it.
“I am absolutely determined that we will do everything in our power to be ready for these challenges. We have learnt a lot from the first wave of the pandemic and we are better prepared. We must also recognise that we cannot respond successfully to any of these challenges, if we do not work to support the health, wellbeing and resilience of our staff, of whom we have asked so much already.
“Our Winter Preparedness Plan sets out the range of actions we are taking to support our incredible health and care services and our staff, and outlines how we will work with them to manage this next phase.”
Actions outlined in the plan include:
doubling the number of people protected by the flu vaccine to nearly 2.5 million and preparing to deliver a safe, effective vaccine against COVID-19 as soon as available
increasing testing capacity from around 27,000 to at least 65,000 tests per day by winter, drawing upon both Scottish and UK-wide lab capacities. Three new Regional Testing Hubs will be fully operational by early December, providing an additional 22,000 daily tests
continuing to ensure Health Boards have access to sufficient contact tracers to respond to local surges, with additional national resilience from the National Contact Tracing Centre
the ability to repurpose approximately 3,000 acute beds nationwide for COVID-19 patients; including doubling ICU capacity within one week, trebling it in two weeks and quadrupling to over 700 should circumstances demand, subject to staffing and supplies
investing £20 million to support the redesign of urgent care and ensuring a consistent national framework to unplanned care
continuing to provide care and treatment for both urgent and routine health needs, including treatment for cancer and other life threatening conditions, and where we can, restarting a number of diagnostic and screening services, and elective procedures
investing over £78 million to restore as much elective activity as circumstances allow, supporting over 70,000 outpatient appointments, over 13,800 elective procedures and over 98,000 diagnostic tests
supporting the NHS Golden Jubilee hospital to treat a further 13,000 patients before the end of March 2021
maintaining the NHS Louisa Jordan as a crucial national facility for either COVID-19 or non-COVID patients, building on the 4,000 outpatients who have been seen there since July
supporting key workers in health and social care by ensuring staff ‘hubs’ and rest areas are maintained and establishing a Mental Health Network, backed initially by £5 million of funding
maintaining the COVID-19 Community Pathway with local Community Assessment Centres in every Board area
maintaining the Out of Hours Service in all Board areas for patients who need to be seen urgently and cannot wait for their GP practice to open
