I'm feeling tense about the Government's proposed lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions in ten days.
While I accept how difficult it is to find the sweet spot between balancing case numbers, the percentage of people already vaccinated, seasonal advantage and the economy, to choose now seems tenuous, particularly when not everyone's had their second dose. And to remove mandatory mask-wearing at the same time is just reckless. Surely keeping them a little longer is the perfect bridge between total lockdown and normality?
People who take issue with wearing masks except for the medically exempt should grow up, frankly. I mean, seriously, what's the problem? It's an act of kindness to anyone with a compromised immune system. Imagine taking a packed bus ride to a chemotherapy appointment in fear of the highly transmissible delta variant. Wouldn't you feel safer if nearly everyone around you wore a mask? Catching the virus is still a matter of life or death. Should avoiding messy hair and steamed up glasses be our priority?
I also can't understand the logic of immediately opening all venues to capacity, particularly with masks gone. And I say that well aware that keeping the restriction will affect my comedy club directly, not to mention any theatre work. It's like we're racing into a crisis without heeding any warnings. Is it me, or is that an iceberg ahead?
And all this talk of relying on personal judgment over government diktat sounds like passing the buck to me. How many rounds of Happy Birthday will Boris sing to himself before he's washed his hands of taking culpability?