England is due to re-open in two weeks with the final Covid restrictions being eased. Some people already act as though this has happened with blatant disregard for social distancing and not wearing masks in enclosed spaces – you know damn well many of those do not have some kind of medical exemption for wearing one. And then there are those who wear one but have it sat under their nose so might as well not have it on.
We can't go on with the restrictions forever but removing the mandate to wear masks during a period when cases are on the rise seems ridiculous. A lot of people still aren't vaccinated and vaccines themselves are no guarantee against infection. Saying you don't have to wear masks, even while acknowledging cases will continue to rise, is like saying you want people to get sick. Vaccines are reducing the rate of hospitalisation but people can and will stick get sick and potentially spread it to those who haven't had jabs.
The current line from government is that people should start taking personal responsibility but, based on existing behaviour, it's obvious that this means nothing to some. I'm all for a greater degree of personal responsibility, people should have been exercising it over the past 18 months, but what about social responsibility? Wearing a mask is an inconvenience; removing the need to wear one, however, seems to have become an ideological and political tool, a demonstration of restoring people's freedoms in order to score points.
I listened to the news at the weekend and despaired, because I suspect this is the government's way of avoiding blame for another wave of infections and deaths: it's because people didn't take enough 'personal responsibility'. Meanwhile, the poor, sick, disabled and elderly, along with many ethnic minorities, will be worst affected, but I fear the Conservatives see that as a plus. Oh, and Boris is going to announce these changes on the anniversary of the creation of the NHS, another thing the Conservatives would love to kill off – probably not a coincidence.
Not to mention the bill designed to take more ministerial control over the NHS thus reducing its independence.