'Being under house arrest isn't justified' - Telegraph readers on the week's top stories
This week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that anyone seeking to conceal their trip from a red list country would face a £10,000 fine or prosecution and a maximum 10-year prison sentence. Arrivals from red list countries, such as Portugal, are required to spend ten days in a quarantine hotel upon arrival.
Elsewhere, it was revealed that ministers disagreed over whether employers could insist that all of their staff get vaccinated against Covid under laws governing health and safety at work.
Read on to see what Telegraph readers had to say about this week's biggest news stories and have your say in the comments section below.
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The vaccine was supposed to give us freedom, so why is our government fencing us in?
Matt Hancock's announcement of 10-year prison sentences for those who lie about their travel history angered readers, who mostly agreed that it is unfair for the government to be taking away more of our freedom despite the vaccine roll-out success so far. Others, however, pointed out the importance of enforcing these rules to prevent new virus strains from entering the country.
'This will be remembered at the next election'
@Angela Haines:
"I feel so frustrated at the way this government will do anything apart from lift this lockdown. They are getting away with it because the silent majority of law-abiding Britons just don't know what else to do. But this will be remembered at the next election, which cannot come too soon for me."
'We don’t want to be a melting pot of coronavirus strains'
@jay True:
"We don’t want to be a melting pot of coronavirus strains. We’ve seen the import and mutation of various strains of coronavirus on these shores. If we are not careful, this will lead to lower effectiveness of the vaccine, therefore bringing us right back to square one. So, while I am not a fan or lover of this policy – I do understand its logic."
'The virus will be kicking around for years'
@Yalla Imshi:
"So what is the point of the vaccine then? Clearly this virus will be kicking around for years but with the old and vulnerable vaccinated there is no justification for keeping us under house arrest."
See what else our readers had to say on the new quarantine rules and fines here.
Employers could insist all staff get vaccinated under health and safety law
Telegraph readers weighed in with their thoughts on vaccine passports in the workplace, with many highlighting the possible discriminatory issues with such a policy.
'I really hate this'
@Sally Linsell:
"It looks like we are running out of time to choose for ourselves whether we are vaccinated. I really hate this. It's miserable."
'Employers should do regular testing'
@Lindy Petts:
"I’m afraid being vaccinated largely protects you, not those you mix with. It may prevent transmission but to a lesser extent and the jury is still largely out on this. If employers are worried about employee transmission, in the health service for example, they should do regular testing, which many services do.
"People who see the the sense in getting vaccinated will do so. Those who for whatever reason thing these vaccines are unsafe or whatever, will not."
'This principle has already been tested in courts'
@Philip Wadsworth:
"The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is quite clear on the duty of not only the employer but the employee to look after his own safety and that of his/her fellow employees.
"Precedence has already been set. Sewerage workers are required to be vaccinated against Hepatitis and Weil's disease and there are other working conditions where an employer may make such a condition of employment. This is nothing new.
"If an employer can’t find alternative employment for someone who refuses then the employee could be dismissed. This principle has already been tested in courts."
Has the BBC lost its sense of humour? Why British TV comedy is in decline
A new report on the BBC’s TV output from regulator Ofcom has classed comedy as an at risk genre. Telegraph readers joined Michael Hogan in discussing where British TV comedy has gone wrong in recent years.
'Political correctness has destroyed all comedy'
@Jamie Scott-Douglas:
"As will have been said a hundred times, political correctness has destroyed all comedy forever. It is all about timing and if you have to stumble in case you might offend someone, all comic timing is lost and it is a hopeless cause. Thank God all the greats from the past are recorded for posterity."
'The channels are awful at putting anything on at prime time'
@gary stark:
"We all remember the great like Only Fools and Horses, Fawlty Towers etc, but in reality the greats come along maybe three times a decade. The favourite great top 20 spreads over 60 years, and we wear rose coloured glasses wondering where the new stuff has gone.
"But recently, we have had the brilliant Two Doors Down, Sara Pascoe's strange but memorable Out of her Mind, Ghosts and several other shows all funny, all well written and superbly acted.
"But having said that, the channels are awful at putting anything on at prime time, so we have to wade through the Radio Times to find where and when these are being shown. They believe we're not prepared to watch edgy shows at main times and I imagine history probably backs them up. So we need to be more open-minded too."
'Laughter and humour are important in our lives'
@Michael Anderson:
"I am not convinced that the BBC sees that laughter and humour are important in our lives. I have on the same score bemoaned the lack of light entertainment. Surely there are some writers out there who have material and need the opportunity. Richard Curtis, Ben Elton and John Sullivan all started somewhere."
Andrew Neil's GB News could make British TV truly diverse – and that's a big problem for the Left
In response to Andrew Neil’s appointment as chairman of the GB News network, Ella Whelan called for there to be more diversity on television and expressed the importance of being exposed to all opinions, even if they’re hateful.
'Good luck Andrew Neil'
@Heather Gulliver:
"It is paramount that we have trustworthy information. The fact that you have to dig hard to find it at the moment is worrying. Good luck Andrew Neil."
'The Right has more support and collective buying power than the Left'
@David Powell:
"I can see GB news doing extremely well. Lest we not forget in the UK today, the Right has more support and collective buying power than the Left.
"We currently have a Tory government with an 80-seat majority, the county voted for Brexit and in the last European elections the Brexit party formed the largest body of MEPs from a single country.
"Quite how and why the incumbent news channels got into a race to the bottom siding with the minority viewpoint of the modern Left is a mystery.
"Imagine what could have been achieved as a nation if we had someone on TV banging the drum for UK PLC."
'I am looking forward to a news channel with a different point of view'
@kevin wardle:
"It’s okay for the Left to spout hate but not the Right. It’s okay for the Left to express their viewpoint but not the Right. You do as the Left say or they shut you down, that is not free speech or democracy. The more the Left shout about it the more they push people into watching GB News.
"I stopped watching the news on the BBC and Channel 4 some time ago because of their biased reporting and one-sided arguments. I am looking forward to a news channel with a different point of view. I can then decide if it's worth watching."
As we get a glimpse of Princess Anne’s living room, would your place pass the posh test?
After a picture of Princess Anne’s seemingly cluttered living room emerged on Twitter, author Christina Hopkinson leapt to the royal’s defence, claiming that it embodied the insouciance of upper class living. Our readers offered their views on the importance of interiors and how they celebrate their owners' character.
'It’s the sort of room you would find in homes high and low across the land'
@Simon Coulter:
"It’s organic and eclectic, comfy and cosy – and isn’t there to be on show or impress anybody.
"It’s the sort of room you would likely find in homes high and low across the land including those of the Royal.
"They do not live in the State Apartments built to impress and entertain high ranking visitors that may be in the same buildings."
'A home should illustrate the story of one’s life'
@Annabelle McDonald:
"A home should illustrate the story of one’s life.
"I wouldn’t be without any of my bits and pieces, many of them generational hand-me-downs. They connect me directly to my family past and illustrate generational history to my children.
"I think Princess Anne’s room looks very comfortable, one’s home is just that – a home – not a show house."
'I'd guess the home was that of someone who is at one with themselves'
@margaret casey:
"Less 'upper class' than 'animal lover'.
"Focusing on the horses and dogs rather than the drawing room. Personally, I think the home is an extension of the self (or selves) and reflects the personality and what the self thinks is important in life.
"If Princess Anne wasn't in the photo, I'd guess the home was that of a horse owner or lover, dog kennel owner, extreme sports person, someone who is at one with themselves and doesn't give a hoot about dressing a room to impress others."
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