Feest Isolation Days – 1 June
Monday. 1st of June. Kids (some of them, only in England) back at school. We can see people in our gardens up to six at a time! Wait. Wait. Wait. That does seem to be the advice of several of the Scientific advisors. The R is just under one. And track and trace isn’t yet fully up and running. Doesn’t that mean hold on a bit? Steady as she goes? Perhaps we ought to stay as we are for another few weeks until the virus isn’t infecting up to nine thousand people a day and the R is really down. We are staying alert. Alert to the science and at the very least some of the advisors who think it is all too early. Who can trust Boris?
Sir Patrick gave us clear advice on Thursday at the press briefing. I share it here in case you missed it. It’s worth remembering. He said, “We still have a significant burden of infection, we are still seeing new infections every day at quite a significant rate and the R is close to one. That means there is not a lot of room to do things and things need to be done cautiously, step-by-step and monitored and the Test and Trace system needs to be effective in order to manage that.”
He added: “The R remains below one everywhere, but it’s very close to one in some places and there may be, both in terms of nations and places within those nations, areas where the R is very close to one. That’s why we’ve got to be very cautious. This is not a time to say ‘Everything’s OK, we’re releasing measures, everything’s going to be rosy’. It’s a time to go very cautiously, with changes, as they take place, monitored very carefully. Being prepared that there will be local outbreaks, because there will be, and being prepared that recommendations may come to reimpose measures. I think that’s the world we’re in. The number of cases remains high.
We need to keep concentrating on R below one, that means making sure that the measures that are in place are adhered to and that we all stick to them to make sure that the right thing is done and that we end up in a position where we can get the numbers down and the R down a bit. But we are at a fragile state.”
This is the advice we got from the Chief Scientific officer. Why do I think so many would have instead listened to Boris who said having a BBQ at home was fine from Monday with up to six people? Pass me my hot dog! Lather on the mustard and yes I’ll have another glass of your wine. Somehow this doesn’t seem quite the same idea as that of the Scientists.
We shall begin to see friends carefully. No the kids aren’t coming to stay yet, and sorry my loo is off limits if you visit for socially distanced tea. This isn’t over yet. Listen to the Scientific advisors. Carefully. They are giving us the messages. Some of us don’t want to hear them, and others of us remain cautious.
Be safe, be sensible and be kind.
With love,
Kathy x