you can still use the table Sex and coronavirus: How to have it safely please log in to view this image Image copyright Getty Images You've heard of the "new normal" around things like going back to work or shopping. But it also applies to sex, according to a sexual health charity. The Terrence Higgins Trust has published advice suggesting people avoid kissing, wear a face covering and choose positions that aren't face-to-face during sex. It may sound tough, but people need to find a way "to balance our need for sex and intimacy with the risks of the spread of COVID-19", the Trust says. Staying safe The best sexual partner during the pandemic is yourself or someone you live with, the Trust says. Masturbation, using sex toys or participating in phone or online sex are recommended as the safest options. That's not to say sex is off the table, but it should ideally be with people who are part of your household. We should still be socially distancing, but after months of lockdown the charity says it is unrealistic to expect people to stop having sex indefinitely. If you are having sex with people outside of your household, it's important to limit the number of partners, it says. Like with everything at the moment, be aware of any Covid-19 symptoms you or your partner might have - and isolate if you have them. If you are meeting someone new, the charity says to ask if they or anyone in their household have had symptoms or tested positive. At-a-glance: What can I do now? Does the virus spread through sex? The virus can spread through saliva, mucus or the breath of those who have it, along with contact with hard surfaces. "If you are going to touch each other's genitals it's likely that you will potentially be kissing at the same time - and we know the virus is passed through saliva," Dr Alex George told Radio 1 Newsbeat in March. Dr Alex is an A&E doctor and former Love Island contestant and says "any possibility of transfer of coronavirus - from your mouth to your hands, to genitals, to someone else's nose or mouth" increases the risk of passing on coronavirus. please log in to view this image That's why the Trust recommends not kissing, wearing a face mask during sex and favouring positions where you're not face-to-face. It adds the virus has been found in semen and poo, which is why you should use condoms and dams for oral sex to minimise risk. And given we're supposed to be doing it after most things - washing your hands for more than 20 seconds or using hand sanitiser before and after sex is recommended. please log in to view this image You might also like: Coronavirus and sex: What you need to know The great housemate sex dilemma Making relationships work during coronavirus please log in to view this image All of this is not to say you should forget about your sexual health in general. The charity says it's important to get tested for sexually transmitted infections before starting to have sex again. "Lockdown has meant that most people have had fewer sexual partners, if any at all, and now is the perfect time to be sure you don't have an STI and to know what your HIV status is," it says. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
https://www.theatlantic.com/interna...il&utm_term=0_10959edeb5-fe2cbc984b-190057857 This is a (very) long read, but worth reading in full. Something for everyone, be you a Boris lover or loather, and some serious considerations about what needs to change over the longer-term.
Don't forget to pack your bucket and spade @StortfordQPR when you pop up to visit.... Trowels in lay-bys for 'urgent toilet breaks' 12 August 2020 please log in to view this image Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES Image captionThe area around Ullapool in the north west Highlands is popular with tourists Trowels are to be left in 90 lay-bys in part of the Highlands to help tackle problems with outdoor toileting. Lochbroom Community Council is also to install signs directing visitors to where there are public toilets. Chairman Topher Dawson said the trowels would offer an "emergency, last resort" for those who desperately need the loo to dig a hole and bury the waste. He said some of the many "welcome visitors" came to area without knowing there would be few facilities. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-53734992
Good point - all the trowels will have been nicked before I arrive I shall certainly be very careful where I head on my mountain bike!
An interesting read. Not sure what Johnson lovers could get out of it, other than the fact that he wasn't alone in ****ing everything up. Notwithstanding the many embarrassments over testing and PPE, I think it will be shown that it was the initial strategy to 'Protect the NHS' (backed by a media fear campaign) that was the biggest mistake, understandable as it may have seemed at the time. It's acknowledged that there have already been many thousands of non-Covid deaths as a result of this strategy, and the effects of delayed treatments and missed diagnoses will be felt for many years. This of course on top of the horrendous decision to move thousands of untested hospital patients into care homes. 'Protect the NHS' was not an approach that was dictated by 'the science', it was a choice by Johnson's government, anxious to avoid the negative publicity of an NHS that couldn't cope.
I've never found a trowel in a layby before, but have become acquainted with a few hoes in such places.
I'm no fan of his - quite the opposite, but the article makes the following points, which his supporters would presumably welcome: He followed the advice of the experts. [Fine, it also makes the point he didn't challenge or lead them enough, but that is a point for debate] The deep structural problems in the UK exacerbated our poor response to COVID We had more individuals abroad, who were older, when COVID struck, making spread more likely We have the busiest airport in Europe To be clear, I'm not interested in defending him. He made deep and serious errors too, but you asked what they could get out of it and I'm just pointing those bits out.
Yes, I get the other points, but I would disagree with the bit about following the advice of the experts, as if that exonerates him in some way. As I said earlier, the strategy to pretty much close the NHS to anything non-Covid was a government choice, not one dictated by experts, and one that will quite possibly wind up killing more people than the virus itself. I also suspect that Cummings's presence at SAGE meetings will have influenced the advice given. Finally though, as Rory Stewart said, 'Experts advise, governments decide'.
I The cost was actually from third parties - not Spurs - for security and other services relating to use of the car park. Spurs gave free use of the car park itself Would've been a nice gesture if Spurs had covered those costs too, but the article is looking for a story that isn't really backed by the facts