Comment
DAN WOOTTON
Britain has become a nanny state on speed during this pandemic and the dystopian nonsense must stop
A WHOLE new corrosive breed of Covid critic is popping up with less than six weeks until Christmas.
They’re the scaremongers telling us anyone who dares countenance trying to mark the day with their family is putting the health of the nation under threat.
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How does that make any sense?
So it’s OK to catch a busy bus to go and work at the supermarket all day every day, making contacts with thousands, but it’s a disgrace to spend one of the most important days of the year celebrating with ten loved ones in carefully engineered bubbles.
We’ve become a nanny state on speed during this pandemic.
But this dystopian nonsense has to stop and the trust needs to start being transferred to the individual.
That’s what makes our society work.
When it comes to Christmas, rather than hector and threaten, by far the best approach the government and our official scientific advisers could take is to enlighten and educate.
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DON’T suggest we postpone Christmas and host a party next summer. That’s ludicrous. Some of our relatives may not get a second chance.
DO suggest ways we can mark the festive season in the most responsible manner possible.
I have no doubt the majority of the public will be open to sensible and measured precautions like social distancing from elderly relatives, keeping houses naturally ventilated, and limiting numbers to as low as practically possible.
There’s growing scientific evidence that strong communication about social distancing is nearly as effective as imposing draconian lockdowns that bring so much damage and destruction to the individual and the economy.
A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour analysed 6,000 non-pharmaceutical interventions used in 79 countries at the height of the pandemic in March and April.
The authors write: “Surprisingly, communicating on the importance of social distancing has been only marginally less effective than imposing distancing measures by law.
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“A smaller package of such measures can substitute for a full lockdown in terms of effectiveness, while reducing adverse impacts on society, the economy, the humanitarian response system and the environment.”
And they concluded: “Less drastic measures may also foster better compliance from the population.”
Our decision makers need to take note before attempting to become The Grinches Who Rule Christmas.