Changing attitudes
They say a week’s a long time in politics but it feels like a decade in a pandemic. On 5th March 2020 Boris Johnson said
“…perhaps you could take it on the chin, take it all in one go and allow the disease, as it were, to move through the population, without taking as many draconian measures.”
To be fair (and it pains me) but he did say that this was one of the theories and it needed to be balanced with more preventive measures. But even to consider this as part of a balanced approach seems extraordinary when, according to more than 200 scientists who wrote an open letter on 14th March this tactic to produce the much quoted “herd immunity”, would result in many thousands of unnecessary deaths.
Three weeks later and we’re in a different place, with almost a lockdown being implemented last night. Almost, because people can still go to work and there is a lot of confusion about what can and can’t be done. You can probably take your car for an MOT if you can find a garage open but you’re not allowed to visit your partner if they don’t live in the same house. No visits with family members unless you live together.
After Johnson’s TV address last night though attitudes seem to be changing. It’s less than 10 days since a doctor told my husband that this thing would ‘blow over’ soon enough, surprised and not a little dismissive, that he was self isolating.
14 days in isolation for us today, which seems like a mini milestone but I’ve a feeling it’s going to be a long year.