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Masks: Agents should wear them even if public not in branch - call

Agents are being advised to wear face masks at work - even if no member of the public is present. 

Paul Offley, compliance officer at The Guild of Property Professionals, says the precautionary measures announced by the government are a stark reminder that the pandemic is ongoing.

He says it is “essential” everyone continues to carry out their business within a COVID-secure manner to reduce the spread of the new variant.

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“In the guidance issued by the Cabinet Office, the list of ‘shops’ is quite extensive and includes Estate and Lettings Agents, as well as Auction Houses. There is no clear guidance with regard to whether agents would need to wear a mask at all times or just when a member of the public is in the office, however, it would appear that it would be at all times unless the agent has screens up or has a locked door policy.”

“Previous guidance states ‘it is recommended face coverings are worn when in an indoor setting with people you are not usually with’" says Offley.

He adds that Covid-secure policies have kept the property sector and people moving over the past 18 months.

“With the new variant and the rate of infections increasing, it is vital that agents continue to act within a safe manner to ensure that they are protecting the public and doing what they can to minimise the spread of the virus” he says.

“With some potentially challenging months ahead, agents should look to review their Covid-19 operating plan and continue to review working practices to take all reasonable steps to help restrict the spread of the virus” adds Offley.

  • Lee James  Pendleton

    Daily testing is key but as we all know it's totally impossible to know where this terrible virus is picked up. Keeping teams in bubbles is also very wise. We will eventually come through this horrific situation.

  • Vilesh Rew

    Locked door policy, all the way, imho.

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    • D G
    • 01 December 2021 09:11 AM

    “Previous guidance states ‘it is recommended face coverings are worn when in an indoor setting with people you are not usually with’" says Offley. I take it I'll need to wear a mask at home then, as I spend more time in the office.

  • Richard Copus

    The Guild and Propertymark advice conflicts. RICS say nothing. Like the Government, the industry does not know what it is doing so let's just all keep our fingers crossed and use common sense.

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    So, to recap, three lock downs in, around 120 million jabs doled out, booster no. 2 in preparation (every three months from now on remember), 95% of the population already have antibodies (waaaay past herd immunity) and face masks are the answer? Seriously? Still no real world evidence they have any effect (other than to generate mass hysteria of course). Just in case people have forgotten, the average covid death age is still 82+, the IFR is akin to a mild flu (just over 4000 healthy people in England have succumbed out of 54 million people) and survivability is still 99.9%+ for the majority of people. Still think it's a health issue?

    Matthew Gardiner Legge

    Part of me wants to agree with you and I think we are all frustrated too but it is really all about not letting trollies build up at hospitals which is happening already. Then, when you are diagnosed with cancer or diabetes or whatever it is that you might get.... you won't get proper treatment and you will probably die before your time. Or it might not be you, it might be me, or someone in your family. The NHS is now several million cases behind as a result of this 'mild flu' so I believe it actually is a health issue.

     
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    My mate is a doctor - says people who need treatment for cancer ore not getting it due to morons who refuse to get vaccinated.
    also said where he is 92% of those in hospital with it have not been vaccinated
    he had a 25 and 33 year old die of it last week - not jabbed
    had no sympathy says it is pure Darwinism

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    You have to be one of the most ill-formed, ignorant shell of a human being to ever post on estate agency forums and it's a low bar. Get back to 1930s Germany, they're expecting for you.

     
  • Hit Man

    Masks or not it makes no difference whatsoever there is no evidence to suggest that masks actually stop the spread and in any case if every other country in the world do not do the same it will never stop. Variants will continue to thrive in people as antibodies change. The Government have only brought these measures in to play to protect their votes nothing else.

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    It`s too much to expect some backbone from Estate Agents, masks are useless, lockdowns are useless and the vaccination is the only one I know that allows you to get the disease it vaccinates you against, priceless really, the claim that the vaccine stops you getting Covid badly is easily made, but of course is not provable one way or another. We should all be telling the Government to get lost and get on with our lives in the hope that it will stop them spending our grandchildrens money like drunken sailors. In my view the Gov and Opposition are criminally negligent and should be prosecuted...if anyone knows how to organise crowdfunding to prosecute them let me know.

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    Do you guys actually realise that young and impressionable people from the industry read these articles and comments? Such aggression and hatred should not be aired on here. Save it for the pub- if there are any left open, of course.

  • edward apostolides

    Follow the science is the biggest joke this lot have come out with. We are seeing a downward slide into authoritarianism at a rate of knots! Does no one see the warnings signs of history for pitys sake! Look at Europe it's shocking what's happening there! There is scant scientific evidence for masks, or further jabs, all this lot are doing is giving contracts away to friends and associates (family too) whilst being sycophants to billionaires at our expense, not just with our money but with our dignity too. I am old enough to remember there hasn't been a winter when the NHS wasn't in crisis since the 1970's, and look what they did when they upped our taxes for social care, created jobs for "diversity executives" in the NHS on salaries in excess of £200k a year...it's utterly reprehensible and meanwhile we are arguing over whether we should wear filthy bits of cloth over our mouths and noses without a shred of scientific or medical data.

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    Bang on Edward, Terence you need to remember that it only needs all good men to stay silent in the face of corruption and evil for it to triumph. We all need to tell this bunch of morons who claim to be our Government to remember that our fore-bares sacrificed their lives for freedom. To stand by and watch vaccine mandates and vaccine passports become a reality is an insult to our history and all the brave, fearless people who shaped it.

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