Day One Hundred and Twenty-five

Feest Isolation Days – 17 July

While I was busy celebrating my birthday yesterday ( it was wonderful and a big thank you to all!) Sir Patrick Vallance was busy talking to the science and technology select committee. He wore a mask.  He also said in no uncertain terms that Sage had recommended an immediate total lockdown on 16 March.  While the recommendation for lockdown was still later than many people thought was wise, it was a full week earlier than the government actually implemented.

But Boris’ pal Dido Harding – soon to be chief executive of the track and trace system – wanted the Cheltenham festival to go ahead. As she was then still the jockey club director, it would have been a shame not to hold off for a week.  What’s an extra 20,000 deaths when you can all have such fun wearing those pretty hats on those soon to be locked down heads? 

Shockingly, Matt Hancock the Health Secretary speaking in the Commons afterwards, said: “16 March is the day when I came to this House and said that all unnecessary social contact should cease – that is precisely when the lockdown was started.”  That is not when lockdown started. Sorry Matt.  Even you should know better!  As you said yourself, in a debate in the Commons on 2 June, the daily death figures were “lower than at any time since lockdown began on 23 March”. Shame on you!

Sir Patrick certainly has had enough of not being listened to.  He and his team didn’t get it all right at the beginning that is for certain.  It is also now clear that the government choose to ignore the “scientific advice” that they say they are always following.  I wonder if Sir Patrick will be at any more Downing Street Press briefings?

Sir Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England, has asked for guarantees from the government that all the Nightingale hospitals remain open at least until Spring 2021 to cope with the possibility of another spike in the numbers with Covid. Sir Simon also wants funding in place so that private hospitals can deal with the backlog of operations that have been cancelled due to Covid.  It would appear that the “Sirs” have it at the moment.  The government announced an extra 3 Billion in funding for the NHS. This is new money. 

Sir Patrick says work from home if you can, Boris says go to work,  Wear a mask, don’t wear a mask.  I know which chaps I intend to listen to. 

Meantime, we are all trying to take steps into the world that are safe and help us get back into something like normal.  I’m going to have my hair cut!  I’ll let you know how that goes.  Have  a great weekend…we are off to visit the family in a socially distanced sort of way.  Beats zoom!

With love,

Kathy x