The 20 countries that have scrapped all mask rules
The mask is slipping. After two years of hidden faces and muffled conversations, mask rules are being discarded around the world. Most of Britain ditched the divisive…
How face masks and Covid anxiety created an air rage pandemic
Two British passengers hopped-up on vodka and brawling on a flight to Ibiza. A young man causing a scene so severe he had to be strapped to…
Do I still have to wear a mask on a plane? Your questions answered
The days of wearing a mask at airports and on board flights are coming to an end, after Heathrow today (March 15) dropped its face covering requirement. …
Nicola Sturgeon takes a saw to classroom doors in ‘crackpot’ DIY effort to stop Covid in schools
SNP ministers plan to spend £300,000 chopping the bottoms off hundreds of classroom doors to try to stop the spread of Covid in schools. Shirley Anne-Somerville, the…
Classroom doors to be chopped off in Scotland to tackle Covid spread
SNP ministers plan to spend £300,000 chopping the bottoms off hundreds of classroom doors to try and stop the spread of Covid in schools, they have admitted….
Why some will never ditch the masks – and think they’re better than you for it
Those clinging to their masks will continue to point to “the science”, which has been increasingly on their side as the pandemic has progressed and more data…
Facemasks no longer required in classrooms despite union protests, as Covid curbs binned
Facemasks will no longer be required in the classroom from Thursday, despite protests from teachers’ unions. The move, announced by the Prime Minister on Wednesday, comes alongside…
Masking children is illogical and irrational
Any enlightened society supports a diversity of opinion on political matters, but we all tend to agree, generally, on a set of ethical principles and, even more…
‘Covid tests should be for those who need and benefit from it’: Readers on the week’s biggest stories
‘Blair does not deserve this award’ @Martin Selves: “Tony Blair was successful because the Conservatives were so poor and he took over some parts of Tory progress…
Why masks could be on planes forever
The requirement to remove shoes at airport security, enforced across the US and sometimes required in other countries, is another rule that refuses to die. This traces…
I used to love school. But now I’m dreading going back
Why are people so upset about teenagers having to wear masks in classrooms? It’s just a bit of cloth, and if it makes teachers feel safer, then…
Masks on planes forever? What a ludicrous travesty that would be
Secondly, it might seem counterintuitive but even if no-one wore masks on flights at all, airline cabins would still provide about the safest environment you can be…
Don’t knock face-masks in cinemas – or soon you’ll be praying for one
Does this mean the much-longed-for recovery is about to be stopped in its tracks? The same cinema operators that had been thrilled by the brisk advance ticket-sales…
Masks aren’t a minor inconvenience. They’re dehumanising and controlling
I have succumbed. On the train to work yesterday I wore a mask for the first time since the prematurely designated “Freedom Day” back in July. Since…
Omicron variant will cause chaos in schools, warn MPs
Sajid Javid’s calming words The Health Secretary sought to calm concerns on Sunday, saying that families should keep planning for Christmas as normal. Sajid Javid said the…
Should I still wear a face mask in shops and on public transport? Latest government guidance explained
Face masks are no longer compulsory from today as England takes the final step in the roadmap out of lockdown. From today, rules surrounding face masks largely…
Leave Boris alone – baffling mask rules are stifling theatre’s comeback
Andrew Lloyd Webber has stated this week that low levels of mask-wearing in theatres poses a problem and that he’d like to introduce compulsory face-masks at his…
Why I’m not selfish for refusing to wear a mask
Last week I was in Waitrose, doing my food shopping. Bare-faced and mask-free, I spied an old friend. As I wheeled my trolley over to her, smiling,…