The Covid Rules That Won't Go Away

The Covid Rules That Won’t Go Away

The legal rules may have gone in England, but many contexts don’t seem to have noticed. The Telegraph has compiled a list of the places stuck in a neverendemic where Covid rules are still in force.

Hospitals across the country are still banning loved ones from visiting patients, even though the official NHS guidance has told them to open up. More than one in eight hospital trusts in England are still refusing to allow any visitors, while many more have some form of restrictions in place. …
Households are still having to book a slot before visiting rubbish tips – a system that has led to an increase in fly-tipping. …
Holidaymakers are still having to wear masks at airports and on flights, even though the legal requirement no longer applies. Major airlines, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, Norwegian, Jet2 and Tui have relaxed the rules. However, they still require passengers to wear masks if the destination country mandates that people wear face coverings indoors. This means a passenger flying to the USA, where there is still a federal mask mandate on aircraft, will have to cover their nose and mouth for the duration of the flight. Airlines are still encouraging passengers to wear masks, even though it is not required, and are urging them to pack masks in case the rules change. U.K. airports are also strongly advising holidaymakers to wear masks in terminal buildings, bus stations and railway platforms. …
The days when visitors could wander into a gallery or museum have not yet returned. During the pandemic, many introduced booking systems which required people to obtain tickets in advance, so that visitor numbers could be better managed. Some have not yet reversed the policy, even though social distancing is no longer a legal requirement. …
Theatres are also sticking with some coronavirus restrictions. The Old Vic says it would “strongly recommend and request that you wear a face mask at all times”. It also asks visitors who are exempt to download a “mask exemption” badge on their phone to display it to staff. Visitors are being offered mask exemption stickers, even though everyone is legally exempt from wearing masks. Everyone is also required to sanitise their hands before entering the building.

One piece of good news is that this week, the UK Health Security Agency revised its infection prevention and control guidance for hospitals. They are now advised to remove all social distancing measures, which have been identified as adding to recent pressures. The required isolation period for Covid-positive patients in hospitals is also reduced from 10 to seven days if the patient produces two negative lateral flow tests – which is better but still treating Covid as an especially serious disease – while patient contacts of those who test positive are no longer required to isolate if they have no symptoms.

But with Covid now recognised as not a socially critical disease, why not removed all the special guidance completely?

Worth reading in full.