On 01/02/2021 14:19, jon wrote:
On Mon, 01 Feb 2021 12:38:57 +0000, R D S wrote:

On 01/02/2021 12:19, jon wrote:


I wouldn't want to sit in an optician's shop for half an hour during
Covid.


You'd be surprised at the extra lengths we (some, perhaps not all) are
going to to provide as safe and sanitary an environment as possible.

Things are nothing like they were a year or so ago in our gaff.


There is always the possibility of someone walking in the shop with an
asymptomatic Covid condition. (not sure if they all are infectious though)


Yeah, Not entirely risk free I concur. Infinitely safer than a
supermarket trip though.

It's one at a time, PPE all round, 15 minute cleanup between customer*
(seating/equipment etc), everything they've tried on gets sterilised,
we're testing ourselves regularly (FWIW though cos our tests are the
lateral flow ones), only seeing people where there's a need rather than
dragging them in just because they are due.

*The profession hates that term and prefers patient. I don't like it
personally.

Many opticians would prefer we were for the most part shut down and
getting handouts like last April and onwards. I dunno, i've never been
part of the claim culture but it's moot because we *are* allowed to
open, hence can't get funding and we need to eat.

And the reason we are allowed to open almost as normal in case anyone is
interested is that during the first lockdown opticians were supposed to
have a locked door and deal with genuine emergencies only, treat basic
stuff or triage, so that fewer people visited A&E.
But some within 'Britains Most Trusted' just couldn't help themselves
and were going to see people routinely anyway.
This caused an outcry in Optician Land and the professional bodies, who
haven't really the weight to take them on backtracked, moved the
goalposts shamelessly and history was literally rewritten.