Don’t mess with a Dame, especially if that Dame is Dame Joan Collins. While I appreciate a good diva throwdown regardless of what set it off, in this case, Dame Joan is exactly right. She woke up to find a group of maskless workmen on her balcony. Since London is in lockdown during a serious surge in coronavirus, Dame Joan called the cops on them. Can I get two snaps way up, please?
Even the great and good are struggling during lockdown. I hear that Dame Joan Collins contacted the police yesterday after being confronted by the sight of scaffolders with no face coverings climbing all over her flat in London’s Belgravia.
‘Woke up to find two workmen on my balcony not wearing masks and several of them maskless all over the building putting scaffolding up,’ declared the startled Dynasty star.
Their presence was particularly alarming because of the efforts she and her husband, producer Percy Gibson, had made to self-isolate during the present lockdown restrictions.
‘Being careful to quarantine and having no contact with people,’ she added. ‘Why should others invade my quarantine?’Metropolitan Police officers wasted no time in heading over to the couple’s home. ‘They are talking to Joan outside now,’ said Percy as I spoke to him on the phone.
‘What is so annoying is that these works are unnecessary. Surely, they could have waited until lockdown is over. Are they really essential?
‘I can understand works taking place to repair gas mains or build houses, but not this, which is external redecoration to make a house pretty.’
“Being careful to quarantine and having no contact with people. Why should others invade my quarantine?” This! All the COVIDiots out there not sticking to precautions are invading my quarantine. I follow all the rules. The only risk I take is I still go to the grocery store to shop because delivery costs were killing us but even then, I take every precaution I can. And it’s not fair that I still haven’t seen anyone in 11 months because my idiot neighbors can’t bear to live without their chardonnay party for more than three weeks.
Joan is in a bit of a scuffle with her neighbors and the building to begin with because they’ve been renovating various apartments in her building for years, driving her to vacate to a hotel due to noise and disruption back in 2017. I’m not as bothered as she is with outside refurbishment being done because it is outside. However, that falls under the assumption that everyone has been tested and are taking all the necessary precautions, which these bozos clearly were not. I’m glad the police were involved. This is no trifling matter, people’s lives are at stake. Dame Joan is 87 years old. Nothing gives them the right to gamble with her – or anyone’s – life.
Photo credit: Avalon
Totally agree. I have become deeply depressed over the people in my high-rise who refuse to mask, including the maintenance supervisor who lives and works in this building and is constantly being seen with his mask down, carrying on conversation with other workers, walking through halls, etc. It makes me livid and also spiral in anxiety. I do all I can to stay alive and these folks are belligerent about not wearing masks, even threatening if you say anything. As a Black person in the U.S., I will not call the police on fellow Black folks, but the situation is so disheartening. I feel trapped and angry. Praying they get these vaccine rollouts speeded up so even with continued masking, at least there would be some feeling of relief.
Hecate- curbside pickup is great and often has no extra fee if you meet a certain purchase threshold.
I’ve done that with Target a few times, I absolutely love it. I hope they continue to offer it as a service even after the pandemic.
I feel for Joan, it has to be frustrating. I’m good with people continuing to work if they take the precautions, especially if they’re outside, but maskless in London right now? Hell no.
We are all Joan right now.
In solidarity sister.
Good for her! I live in a 3 family private house and my landlady says Covid is just the flu, continues to go out as if nothing is going on, AND has people over all the time who also believe this bs. I am so tired of all of these people who are endangering others without a single thought.
I totally understand Joan. It frustrates me so much that people can’t even wear their masks when arriving at our common mailbox area. I don’t care if they think COVID is serious or not, wearing a mask is a sign of respect.
I did not call the cops but I get where she’s coming from.
I had workers come into my house in October to work on my internet access.
I had to put many protocols in place to follow the rules to let them in and they arrived…maskless!
I was furious but also mainly at myself because I didn’t know how to tell them I wanted them to wear their masks. I had mine on! I thought the signal was clear!
I politely offered to give them one in case they din’t have one (and also to suggest I wanted them to wear one) but they declined.
They came back, coming in and out with the cables and whatnot.
At one point one of them asked me if I minded if they did something and I said “no, but I really would appreciate it if you would put your mask on”.
He obliged immediately and told the others.
I wish I could have said it straight up without trying to be “diplomatic” about it.
Mel, it can be very hard to be direct, but desperation has turned me into a much less tactful person. I just exclaim in genuine alarm “too close!” if someone pops beside me someplace, and if someone’s mask is below their nose I exclaim “Oh, your mask has slipped down! It needs to be pulled up!” & I usually get away with it because I’m an older female. Oddly, the hardest thing for me was telling a lonely widow I can’t come over any more. She feels she’s being super safe, but she’s not! The new guidelines for the extra-catchy version say no entering anyone else’s house, so that’s my excuse…
Some of my family members came down with COVID. I don’t believe how they got it (that’s another story though). So we were worried for a while as some were more serious, with a few having to go to the hospital and coming out not too bad. So when I had to get a new furnace (😡) the guys that came out came with masks on. However when it came time to install the new thermostat which was a few feet away from my work from home set-up, the guy had no mask.
I was mad but told him politely to please wear a mask because my family had had an outbreak (not really a lie) and I really wanted him to be safe. He put one on right away as he said he didn’t really believe in the virus. I was paranoid after that and got tested to be sure a week later. I was negative.
Anyway that is a good way to approach these people. I see nothing wrong with lying to people telling them that there was an outbreak in the house they are working in and they should put a mask on for their safety.
So glad Joan called police. I love her response “they are invading her quarantine”.
The masks sole purpose is to protect other people. If you don’t care about me then trust me, I will let you know how feel. OFTENTIMES it’s not pretty.🤬.