Who pays for our no Covid rules?
It seems odd when the growing number of cases and reports from hospitals point to enormous strains and strains in stretched health services. But the Prime Ministers announcement of the potential lifting of many but not all of the Covid restrictions on July 19 is extremely welcome. Now, as we all know, the words Nicola Sturgeon and optimist are rarely, if ever, heard in the same sentence, so its kind of a landmark for all of us north of the border. Needless to say, there are and will be warnings regarding July 19 and the following period that I personally am happy to hear about. Let me say here that I fervently hope that Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid are right in their decisions to quite abruptly end most security checks in England. History so far, it must be said, is not on their side, nor are many scientists in a hurry. If there is a general departure from the most elementary precautions, I will not throw caution to the winds. After 18 months of what weve all been through, it seems cavalier, to put it mildly, to  abandon virtually all security measures, including somewhat inconsistent tracking and tracing systems, within days. Personal freedom may be just a few words so you dont lose anything. Sympathy for mask wearers  I admit, wearing a mask all day in the workplace must be a nightmare of discomfort and claustrophobia. I take my hat off (but not my mask) to those who have to and keep going  without beef. Its not for nothing that the feeling of release you get when you take off your mask is known as 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 avoid oncoming human traffic on the street, whether it be so be it. Im gonna stifle my gut response of: Beggar, you twit or words to that  effect and answer calmly: I do not only do it for myself, I also do it for you. Which roughly translates to: buckle up, crash and leave me to my harmless passive aggression. I almost cant wait, in fact, to be taken to task by the kind of person whose nose it is, in the purely figurative sense, of course. And with a few exceptions, I suspect that many more will not do much or get anywhere without careful and continuous thought and preparation. How long have many forgotten how life before Covid actually was for so many people  I am fortunate to be able and to be able to afford it. Those who have to make a living in the end, have no financial help if they get sick, have to self-isolate, or cant even get a delivery slot for the most part are not so lucky. We must not forget them in this rush to return, in large part, to what happened before. And how quickly many have forgotten how life before Covid actually was for so many people. Jargon trumps practical support  Of course, companies and employers want to do their job, earn their profits and pay their employees in a vital way. But as far as I know, little has been put in place to help individuals or businesses  achieve this. This whole process, from top to bottom, was strewn with sound clips and jargon related to the date of the roadmap and from the roadmap to the firebreak through the irreversible. Now, the buzzwords seem to be a personal responsibility. It seems the government is telling us that it is all up to us. It wasnt so much a big boy who did it and ran away, as a big boy who didnt do much and ran away anyway. Nicola Sturgeon wagging her disapproving finger is bad enough. But and I dont know about you, Im afraid to apologize for being lectured about personal responsibility by people like Boris Johnson and his ilk. This motley crew of unskilled acolytes doesnt even seem capable of taking  responsibility for their own memories (thank you and goodnight, Matt Hancock), not to mention taking the extra (and tellingly, unpopular) action needed. When freedom from Covid comes at a price  The Covid is not going anywhere. Unfortunately, neither do they. From next month, the government is apparently considering pricing for previously free lateral flow tests, until recently presented by the authorities as absolutely central in our fight against a disease which could, according to the new Secretary of Health, soon be on the verge of making 100,000 new victims per day. All this while the rest of us enjoy our newfound freedom. Not high enough for some people, obviously. Or, come to this, free.