Respectacle Company’s approach to COVID and the new variants
If you keep a watchful eye on the news, there are calls for the return of COVID controls. The highly-contagious subvariant (Omicron BA.5) has seen a fresh wave of infections in the UK and across the globe. While we don’t want to keep banging on about Covid, given that the virus will be with us for quite some time to come, we must learn to live with it and continue our daily lives whilst being mindful of the precautions we need to continue to implement.
Over the last few months, people have become more relaxed in their approach to Covid 19. Most of the original measures put in place no longer exist. At Respectacle Company, we continue to follow the protocol and guidance from the NHS. We clean down hard surfaces, disinfect our eyewear stock and wear face coverings. Even though we no longer need to adhere to Covid safe measures, we have decided to continue our regime because of the nature of our work.
Some of our customers have been surprised by our decision. As the rules were no longer mandatory, some think we should relax our regulations. But overall, most people have been understanding. Many have thanked us for being so mindful about our approach to the care of our patients. We took this decision to protect both ourselves and our customers.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve all been aware of the rising numbers of positive covid cases throughout the UK. Due to the increasing number of people travelling on holiday and engaging in long overdue social events, the numbers aren’t a surprise.
While some of our team have tested positive for Covid over the last two years, Alison had been lucky to avoid it. That was until a family member travelled to the US on business and brought Covid back with him, spreading it around the rest of the family – how kind of him! In a case of poor timing, Alison was away on a family holiday when she tested positive. Although the new guidance is to isolate if you can, knowing the family had tested positive for Covid, Alison felt uncomfortable mingling with other people.
So, they stayed in their little holiday cottage for a couple of days and then headed home. Having a family member classed as high risk has always been a concern. Fortunately, there are now anti-viral medications prescribed to help lessen the symptoms. After arriving home, he also tested positive, but thankfully he hasn’t experienced any symptoms
Alison wants to share her story to emphasise that Covid affects everyone differently, and none of us knows how we will be should we catch the virus. This week we received a letter from NHS England (Midlands) advising us about the significant increase in positive Covid cases, including admissions to critical care beds in the region, which has a knock-on effect on primary care staff shortages. So, as a result, we have been advised to return to wearing face masks and ask customers to wear them during appointments. We will continue to clean down our environment, wear face masks, advise our customers to wear them within our examination room and sterilize our eyewear after being handled.
We’re now in the middle of summer and enjoying some of the hottest summer temperatures on record. If you can get out and about, we hope you enjoy catching up on postponed events and holidays. After the difficulties of the past two and a half years, there comes a time when you must start to enjoy life and the experiences it brings with it. If we must continue to wear face masks and use hand sanitisers within some public settings to help to stay safe and avoid a surge in Covid cases, then it shouldn’t be a hard choice to make.
By continuing with our Covid safe protocols, we hope all our customers will feel comfortable when visiting us on Manor Walk. It is vital to continue to have regular eye examinations to check the health of your eyes – even during a global pandemic.
If you need an eye examination, and would like to make an appointment, please get in touch to book a time to see Tim, our optometrist. Eye tests can be made by calling 01858 433577. You can also email hello@respectaclecompany.co.uk or contact us here.
Further reading:
