Some interesting posts in here today.
I have mixed views on Boris’s speech and I need to be careful as I don’t want to appear inconsistent with posts I’ve made recently.
I think whatever he said, given the circumstances, he would have faced criticism from some quarters.
If he had said the lockdown is to continue, “STAY AT HOME” without providing any detail on an exit strategy, I would have been the first to criticise and said we need an outline on what needs to be done moving forward, and how the lockdown can be eased in an effective and safe way. So I’m going to put my hands up and say I was generally happy with the content of his message, and that the alert system could be a good idea.
In an ideal world, and if the decision was mine, Johnson would have maintained (or even strengthened) the lockdown, whilst simultaneously providing a clear, easy to understand exit strategy from June onwards, placating those who are worried about losing their jobs, businesses and livelihoods. Rightly or wrongly, it has been decided to start easing things now - if you disagree then fair enough. This lockdown can’t go on for ever, and I don’t even think it can go on until there’s a vaccine. I understand people are scared, I am too, but this lockdown, if lengthened indefinitely, would cause a significant catastrophe in itself.
I would have liked to have heard more on the NHS app and the contact tracing, and I am keen to hear more on the local monitoring highlighting specific risk localities - this in principle could work quite well. And it’s a shame about the mixed messages about outdoor activities & meeting others. It’s also unforgivable that the metro mayors & the devolved administrations weren’t consulted.
So yes, my feelings are mixed and I don’t envy anyone trying to get us out of this mess. Severe mistakes have undoubtedly been made up to now, but no decision made now is going to come without repercussions in some form or another.
Originally Posted by: Joe Bloggs