Is that light at the end of the tunnel? Are we sure it’s not a train full of who know’s what?
It does seems strange when rising case numbers and reports from hospitals point to huge stresses and strains in the stretched health services.
But the First Minister’s announcement of the potential lifting of many – but not all – Covid restrictions on July 19 is hugely welcome.
Now, as we all know, the words “Nicola Sturgeon” and “optimistic” are rarely, if ever, heard in the same sentence so this is a bit of a landmark for us all north of the border.
Needless to say, there are – and will be – caveats re July 19 and the following period which I for one am glad to hear about.
Let me say here that I hope, fervently, that Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid are right in their decisions basically to end rather abruptly most of the safety checks in England.
History so far, it should be said, is not on their side in this, nor are many of the hard-pressed scientists.
If there is a wholesale move away from the most basic of precautions, I will not be throwing caution to the winds.
After 18 months of what we have all been through, it seems cavalier, to put it mildly, to
abandon practically every safety measure, including the somewhat inconsistent track and trace systems, in a matter of days.
Personal freedom might just be a couple of words for nothing left to lose.
Sympathy for the mask wearers
I admit it, wearing a mask all day at your place of work must be a nightmare of discomfort and claustrophobia.
I take my hat off (but not my mask) to those who have to do it and get on with it
without beefing.
Not for nothing is the feeling of release you get when you take off your mask popularly known as an airgasm.
If I am ridiculed, or worse, for continuing to wear a mask, keep my distance in relatively confined public spaces, check apps and act on their advice or body-swerve oncoming human traffic in the street, so be it.
I will choke back my knee-jerk response of: “Beggar off, you twit” or words to that
effect and calmly reply: “I’m not just doing it for me, I’m doing it for you as well.”
Which loosely translates as: “Belt up, butt out and leave me to my harmless bit of passive aggression.”
I’m almost looking forward, in fact, to being taken to task by the kind of person up whose nose it is a pleasure to get, in a purely figurative sense, of course.
And with very few exceptions, I and I suspect many others, will not be doing much or going anywhere without continued careful thought and preparation.
How quickly many have forgotten how deeply imperfect life before Covid actually was for so many people
I am lucky – I can and can afford to do this.
Those who have to earn a living at the sharp end, have no financial back-up if they get ill, have to self-isolate or cannot even get a delivery slot for essentials are not so fortunate.
They should not be forgotten in this rush to return, largely, to what went before.
And how quickly many have forgotten how deeply imperfect life before Covid actually was for so many people.
Jargon trumps practical support
Of course, businesses and employers want to ply their trade, earn their profits and – vitally – pay their employees.
But as far as I can see, little has been put in place to help individuals or companies
achieve this.
This entire process, from the top down, has been fraught with date-related soundbites and jargon from “routemap” and “roadmap” to “firebreak” by way of “irreversible.”
Now, the buzz words appear to be “personal responsibility”.
It seems government is telling us it’s all up to us.
Not so much a big boy did it and ran away as a big boy didn’t do much and ran away anyway.
Nicola Sturgeon wagging her disapproving finger is bad enough. But – and I don’t know about you – I’m afraid I take exception to being lectured on personal responsibility by the likes of Boris Johnson and his ilk.
This ill-assorted crew of ill-qualified sidekicks don’t even seem to be able to take
responsibility for their own briefs (thank you and goodnight, Matt Hancock), let alone take the extra (and tellingly, unpopular) steps needed.
When Covid freedom comes at a cost
Covid isn’t going anywhere. Unfortunately, neither are they.
From next month, the government is apparently contemplating charging for the hitherto free lateral flow tests, until recently touted by officialdom as absolutely central to our struggle against a disease which may, according to the new Health Secretary, soon be about to claim 100,000 new sufferers a day.
All this while the rest of us are enjoying our new-found “freedom”.
What price freedom? Not high enough for some people, obviously. Or, come to that, free.