The new etiquette rules for winter: William Hanson tells Lorraine viewers ‘not to enter a friend’s intimate zone’ before checking if they want to hug and to get OFF the train to avoid coughers
- Government has so far resisted growing pressure to revert to its winter ‘Plan B’
- It would include bringing back masks and updated work from home guidance
- Amid Covid-19 pandemic, many people remain uncertain about how to act
- As cases rise, etiquette expert William Hanson shared his top dos and don’ts
- This included avoiding people with a cough and whether to offer a hug to friends
Etiquette expert William Hanson has revealed his dos and don’ts for pandemic life this winter during an appearance on Lorraine today.
As fears continue to grow around the impending winter wave, the expert William shared his advice with ITV viewers, explaining people need to ‘be proactive’ with their boundaries during the pandemic.
Speaking to presenter Christine Lampard, he said: ‘If you’re one of those people who doesn’t want to hug, then be proactive. Stop a few paces before you enter that sort of intimate zone and give them a hand on heart, a namaste, a nice wave.’
It comes as Rishi Sunak insisted there was no need to move to Plan B to cut Covid cases – after health chiefs discussed whether there needed to be an ‘immediate rollout’ of tougher measures to combat a surge in cases.
Etiquette expert William Hanson has revealed his dos and don’ts for pandemic life this winter during an appearance on Lorraine today
Discussing the crisis on the programme today, William said: ‘Everyone is going to have different attitudes and levels of comfort and while we’re in this limbo where some people are absolutely fine with hugging and want that, and others don’t, we’ve got to be proactive.’
‘If needs be, if you’re not sure if they’re comfortable with hugging, you can ask them “Would you like a hug?” You can ask them, talk to them.
‘If they’re not comfortable then they might say “I’m fine thankyou but so nice to see you.”
‘You can be effusive with your language, your non-verbal communication before you go into that sort of awkward hug.’
The etiquette expert has advised commuters ‘move carriages’ if they feel uncomfortably close to someone who is coughing
Christine called the conversations ‘time consuming’, but William added: ‘If its there to keep us safe, it’s probably for the better.’
Is Plan B imminent? Health chiefs gauge support for ‘immediate rollout’ of working from home and Covid passports, ‘secret document’ shows – but Rishi insists it’s not necessary ‘at the moment’ as Covid cases FALL by 11% in week
Rishi Sunak insisted there was no need to move to Plan B to cut Covid cases today – after health chiefs discussed whether there needed to be an ‘immediate rollout’ of tougher measures to combat a surge in cases.
The Chancellor insisted that the data shows that bringing back working from home and introducing mandatory Covid passports was not yet required.
His comments to the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme came after it was reported that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) contacted local authorities on Friday to canvass their level of support for the ‘immediate rollout of the winter plan – plan B’.
An ‘official – sensitive’ document seen by the Observer sought opinions from the leaders and chief executives of councils across England to be fed to the Cabinet Office before then end of the day.
But Mr Sunak today said: ‘The data does not suggest we should be immediately moving to Plan B.’
However a leading Government scientist said ‘some kind of Plan B’ was needed immediately.
Professor Adam Finn, who is on the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said Covid-19 hospital admissions and deaths are rising, and warned against complacency in what he said is a ‘worsening’ situation.
The presenter went on to ask how to ‘get out of the situation’ where someone might be coughing near to you on the commute.
William explained: ‘It is going to be awkward either way, or I’m going to sit there and be tense and worried that I’m going to be inhaling those particles.
‘If you can, my suggestion is to wait for the next stop and pretend you’re going to get off, go to the doors and hopefully that person doesn’t think you’re getting off because they’re coughing.
‘Move to the next carriage at the next stop.’
He continued: ‘It might be a little bit extreme but…I’d rather keep myself safe than make them feel awkward. Because maybe they have a crisp at the back of their throat, it might be completely normal.
William added: ‘It’s not always the best way to be confrontational and direct. Manners are about other people, other people have feelings as well as us.’
It comes as it emerged Britain’s Covid-19 infections have fallen by 11 per cent in a week as fears continue to grow around the impending winter wave.
Department of Health bosses reported a further 39,962 cases today, a drop from the 45,140 reported last Sunday.
However the number of people dying with the virus has risen, with 72 deaths reported today compared to 57 on October 17 – a rise of 26 per cent.
The Government figures come as the vaccine effort continues across Britain, with a total of 45,542,207 now having received both doses of the Covid jab.
The Chancellor has insisted that the data shows that bringing back working from home and introducing mandatory Covid passports was not yet required.
His comments to the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme came after it was reported that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) contacted local authorities on Friday to canvass their level of support for the ‘immediate rollout of the winter plan – plan B’.
An ‘official – sensitive’ document seen by the Observer sought opinions from the leaders and chief executives of councils across England to be fed to the Cabinet Office before then end of the day.
But Mr Sunak yesterday said: ‘The data does not suggest we should be immediately moving to Plan B.’
Yesterday a Government scientific adviser said he was ‘very fearful’ there will be another ‘lockdown Christmas’.
William suggested those who don’t feel comfortable hugging should ‘not enter a friend’s intimate zone’ and offer a ‘namaste’ instead
Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) and SAGE subgroup CO-CIN, said case numbers and death rates are currently ‘unacceptable’.
But SAGE scientists insisted it was ‘highly unlikely’ that the NHS would be overwhelmed by the virus this winter even without restrictions.
Modelling by the group for England predicted that the combination of vaccine-acquired immunity and natural protection would be enough to keep hospital rates below levels seen during the second wave.
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