'Is that Dr Who? I would listen to hme' - Readers online comments on WHO Christmas advice

Steve Bell: They also warned against packed beaches in the summer yet no one listened. At least people who actually believe it can queue jump for the vaccine when it all inevitably backfires.

Dean Burne: Don't care what the WHO say as they lost all creditability in my books by withholding info from the world about Covid-19. If they had told everyone earlier we would all be in a different situation.

Rasim Nemian Valdes Laribi: Tougher lockdown from the beginning would have been better but people seem to feel the mild inconvenience of lockdown is worse than mass die-offs of old people so here we are.

Peter Donoghue: Our governments could have reacted way more effectively having watched what happened in China for two months. The failures here are our leaders’ faults, not WHO’s.

Robert McNeil: Is that Dr Who? I would listen to him – he is a time traveller.

Shaw Miller: Fear makes people do strange things like missing potentially a last Christmas with there families because of a bug.

Steve Carruthers: Some people have lost the last Christmas together because of this ‘bug’.

Cheneese Rowley: You do understand the danger is that Covid might not directly kill you, but lead to critical hospitalisation from things such as pneumonia, and blood clots that a patient wouldn’t have otherwise? Not to mention long Covid. That’s why it’s so dangerous.

Justin Taylor Mackenzie: Hasn’t WHO also said lockdowns have no effect in stopping the spread all they do is delay the inevitable? If people stopped using excuses not to and just started wear a mask whenever they are in public, have a bit of respect and give others space and wash their hands regularly with soap and water whenever possible rather than rely on sanitiser then we may have a chance. If thewounded returning from the trenches of the First World War could wear a mask to help contain the spread of Spanish flu which killed 50 million, massively more deadly than our current pandemic then people today have no valid excuse for not wearing one. Masks for all should be mandatory.

Tom Hamilton: The Who are a great band. Party on down,

Rita Brett: What’s the point in staying home or going to see family, we’re going to be in lockdown aftewards as who is to know if everyone stays home or not?

LOCKDOWN LOOMS?

In related Covid news, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman was tight-lipped on the subject of the likelihood of a post-Christmas lockdown for all or parts of Scotland, saying only tht the option “remains on the table”.

Jacqueline Calder: It doesn't take a lot to have already worked this out as being the high likelihood. Lothian numbers of infections are rising. With therelaxed restrictions over Christmas we're sitting on a potential tsunami of infections early next year. Also, people are crossing local authority borders to go Christmas shopping! When will people learn this isn't a trial run. This is for real and people are losing their lives.

Oscar Guggiana Neto: Just ran some errands in Edinburgh now. I saw plenty of teenagers walking side by side, no masks and not caring at all. I do believe that education is a priority but they should do their part too. I don’t blame them but most of them are not conscious enough about the current situation. Who is responsible by make them conscious? Parents? School? The Government?

Crystal Tips: They should never have said it was ok to spend Christmas with family and/or friends in the first place as I feel it is wrong to take that away! Folk have probably catered for having a small gathering too.

Geraint Le Boeuf

Wish I lived on an island far away from the maskless covidiots that are congregating in enclosed public spaces more and more of late.

Christopher Black: Northern Ireland doing it already and it looks like the English are going to follow. Its pretty much certain that we will be doing the same.