Whenever the Prime Minister, his colleagues, or spokespeople give an instruction to the population about what we must or must not do in relation to Covid precautions, it is seldom presented in crystal clear terms.
Think back to the much-mocked ‘Stay alert, go to work, don’t go to work, go out, don’t go out’ confusion last May. And whether we should all be staying at home or instead be driving to Barnard Castle for a mobile eye test…
Now we are told that the government is about to announce that wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets in England is to become mandatory from 24 July.
Those who fail to comply with the new rules will face a fine of up to £100.
An EYE reader was quick to ask whether the face mask rule would apply to estate agency offices.
Whilst it is pretty clear that it is sensible to wear a face covering whenever in an enclosed public space, unless the government is makes it very clear, there will be those who will circumvent the rules simply because they can.
Saying that the new rule will apply to ‘shops and supermarkets’ will leave open a very wide range of interpretation which will affect whether or not estate agency branches are included or not.
Most estate agency branches will be operating under an A2 use class.
A2 is financial and professional services – Financial services such as banks and building societies, professional services (other than health and medical services) and including estate and employment agencies.
And that is distinct from A1 – Shops, retail warehouses, hairdressers, undertakers, travel and ticket agencies, post offices, pet shops, sandwich bars, showrooms, domestic hire shops, dry cleaners, funeral directors and internet cafes.
So, is your estate agency branch a shop or an office? Discuss.
Whatever the answer, we can probably all agree that managing the Covid crisis is something that few of us would choose as an occupation.
Comments (20)
if your ugly like me, where a face mask. Keeps the buyers happy
It does wonders for the jowls and is saving me money on lipstick to boot.
I expect that nobody will really be visiting Estate Agents offices in large numbers for the foreseeable future.
The staff can largely rotate and work from home.
The public should be encouraged to stay healthy and if that means wearing a mask then do it to be in the safe side.
Common sense does exist in some parts of the country but clearly not in every location.
your expectation is wrong, we are seeing large numbers of people visit our offices.
Yes, the public need to stay safe, but face coverings don’t do that! Wash your hands regularly, that is far better. If the government tell you to wear purple, will you do that too, even though it has no benefit? We are becoming a nation of subservient sheep.
Under the RH&L Grant extension estate agents became ‘retail’ for this pandemic period. I suspect masks will need to worn in all enclosed public places for a time, remember they were not readily available in the first few weeks and supply was concentrated towards those who rightly required them, nor required when the majority of the population were in lockdown. Although I agree with Simon re the difference between medical masks and ‘fashion’ masks, if they are not cleaned (or disposed of) appropriately they are effectively merely no more than a gesture.
Face coverings will destroy the high street?
To paraphrase your own twaddle – There is NO clear scientific evidence whatsoever that a cloth face covering has any effect on destroying the high street.
Why would a scientist’s opinion about economics be of any significance?
That would be the clear evidence that that led to this lockdown in the first place.
Ah NO, the forecasting program they used was of course later examined and found to be full of holes, badly written and generally such utter twaddle that a 3 year old using lego blocks was more likely to come up with a forecast that was more accurate.
Parading “Experts” who in reality have no idea about the truth is the NEW NORMAL.
Your article is majorly inaccurate where you state, “it is pretty clear that it is sensible to wear a face covering whenever in an enclosed public space.” There is NO clear scientific evidence whatsoever that a cloth face covering (as opposed to a proper surgical mask) has any benefit in stopping the spread of coronavirus, but putting your inaccuracy aside, offices *don’t* fall into the category of shops and therefore coverings are not mandatory in estate agencies. The new law making coverings mandatory in shops is yet another massive mistake by this inept govt, and it will destroy the high street. Face coverings de-humanise us as a society. We should all be fighting with every (uncovered) breath to make the Govt U turn.
Wearing face masks will help everyone in enclosed spaces. All you’re going to do is de-humanise funerals because. There’ll be too many, too often.
Get a grip, stop blaming the government and take some personal responsibility.
Where is your proof that face coverings “help everyone”? The WHO state there isn’t any. Do you know better than the scientists, or are you just going along with this mandatory muzzling because the BBC have told you it’s a good thing? If you want to wear one it is your right to, and good for you, but don’t tell me what I should wear unless you have scientific proof to back it up.
Well Done Simon Wratten for standing up against this unwarranted imposition.
It’s hard to believe that some fools won’t make any effort to protect their loved ones and the most vulnerable in society.
Simon your ignorance and lack of common sense is staggering and detrimental in the effort to stop the spread of this awful disease. Stop spreading your ignorance – people could get hurt if they are foolish enough to listen to you. Where is YOUR scientific evidence to speak like this anyway, ever considered that? Brain in gear, then speak is what my teachers used to say.
How about this for scientific evidence
https://www.technocracy.news/masks-are-neither-effective-nor-safe-a-summary-of-the-science/
Why not give a link to your “SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE” that they are a good idea?
the above article lists 42 scientific reviews of facemasks from places such as CDC, PubMed, bmj etc. which generally point to them either being pointless or a BAD idea.
Interesting that you think it will destroy the high street. I have spoken to many people whilst carrying out viewings wearing a mask with prospective tenants and buyers also wearing masks and the vast majority of them would feel more comfortable visiting a shop or supermarket if others wore masks. Perhaps it would therefore be better for the economy as more people who wouldn’t otherwise have done so venture out.
This is exactly what the Govt are banking on – they are hoping that the (false) sense of security given by mandatory face coverings will have a greater affect on shop attendance, but that has to be weighed up against people like me who won’t set foot in a high street shop whilst coverings/veils/muzzles are mandatory. The Govt have obviously decided that there are more subservient sheep than there are intelligent rebels who refuse to just do as they are told, and perhaps they are right…which is desperately disappointing.
One thing that *is* glaringly obvious (at least to us non-subservient intelligent ones), is that face coverings have nothing whatsoever to do with the virus, and EVERYTHING to do with the economy.
That’s a different point entirely you’re making. So you don’t really think it will destroy the High Street then? You just feel that your personal liberty is at risk and so you won’t support the shops as a result. People will do as they choose and that’s your choice.
No, I still believe it will destroy the High St because we need ALL people shopping not just Group A) the frightened & the compliant or Group B) the non-compliant.
It’s the Government’s fault for frightening the masses too much in the first place. Rather than now trying to convince people that they will be safe by wearing a piece of cloth on their faces, Johnson would be better off telling the public that the virus isn’t a danger to anyone other than the elderly & vulnerable.