England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, looks like a man you can trust.
He hasn’t let the unlikely fame that has been thrust upon him go to his head.
He probably paints watercolour lake scenes at the weekend and rinses dishes thoroughly before putting them in the dishwasher.
He’s the neighbour you’d ask to take in your parcel and the guy that helps women with prams off the train.
It has become clear that at this most tricky stage of the pandemic, Prof Whitty’s dependable uncle vibe is needed more than ever.
At the UK government Covid briefing last week, Prof Whitty gave a clear answer when asked about the continued use of face masks.
He outlined why they are still necessary and listed the scenarios in which he will still wear one. Covid masks, he said, were an example of “common courtesy’’.
And the Prime Minister agreed…sort of.
Actions speak louder than words?
With all the sincerity of a paint-streaked toddler denying any knowledge of who gave the couch the Jackson Pollock treatment, Boris Johnson said that he too would do the “common courtesy” of wearing a mask where necessary.
Only days later, our never-knowingly truthful PM was photographed without a Covid mask inside a car taking him home from the Euros semi-final.
England is in a bit of a muddle over face coverings and if we’re not careful, Scotland could easily go the same way.
New health secretary Sajid Javid confirmed on Monday that the country will shift to the final stage of easing Covid restrictions on July 19.
Boris Johnson has said England will “move on from a universal government diktat to relying on people’s personal responsibility.’’
That’s all well and good, but it relies on the assumption that an innate sense of personal responsibility and common-sense are in ready supply among the general population.
The scenes we saw at the weekend, of England fans (in various states of undress) rampaging through London and using their buttocks’ as launch pads for pyrotechnical displays should put an end to that notion.
‘Mum can we FaceTime Daddy before the game’
‘No love Daddy’s just shoving a flare up his bum at Leicester square’
‘Can I have a new daddy please mum’ pic.twitter.com/RCR9rL6Pun
— Matt Baxter (@mattwearehidden) July 11, 2021
I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure we should be trusting people who eject bodily fluids all over the street during a pandemic to know when and where they should be masked-up and socially distanced.
If masks are still an important tool in our armoury, then they should be mandatory on public transport and in shops.
And politicians should make it clear that nothing has changed in that regard.
Covid masks are how we play our part
Put your Covid mask on, wipe the fog from your glasses and feel proud that you are playing your part in helping stop the spread of the virus.
Otherwise, it’s left to low-paid workers in these settings to manage disagreements between the masked and the maskless.
It breeds resentment at a time when everybody is already crabbit and tired after more than a year of living alongside Covid.
And it’s far easier to identify a lack of common-sense in other people than to see it in yourself – take those who adopt a #FreeTheNose approach to face masks.
They probably think they’ve come up with an ingenious hack. They must imagine that they are getting all the benefits of mask wearing while also having well-ventilated nostrils.
I found myself looking around and counting the unmasked. The fiery rage of injustice burned up inside me.
I was on a very busy train last week and sat across from two men who had taken things one step further.
They had masks on, but both had pulled them down and were using them as chin warmers.
I found myself looking around and counting the unmasked. The fiery rage of injustice burned up inside me.
There’s me, dutifully complying with the guidance and smudging my perfectly applied red-lipstick in the process, while so many others just couldn’t be bothered.
Pressure on Sturgeon to follow suit
Nicola Sturgeon shouldn’t dance to Boris Johnson’s tune on this one, though she will undoubtedly come under great pressure to do so.
During a recent briefing, the first minister suggested that when Scotland moves to Level 0, Covid masks will still be part of our lives.
‘’It is still probable we will require the wearing of face coverings in certain settings – public transport, retail and perhaps others as well,” she said.
“While I’m not going to say anything definitive before making the decision, I do want to be clear that I think the wearing of face coverings for a period longer is likely to be one of the things we have to do.’’
For the sake of our collective sanity and societal cohesion as a whole, I hope that the decision on face coverings will come in the form of an instruction and not merely guidance.
I’m old enough to remember when we were only allowed out of our homes for an hour’s exercise every day.
If most things are as normal but we need to keep a few public health measures in place to ensure that we never return to the dark days of full lockdown, then that seems a worthwhile trade-off.
KIRSTY STRICKLAND: To the anti-vaccine mob who targeted my daughter – you won’t win