Chat about Novel Coronavirus - 2019-nCoV - COVID-19

Soon we have to wear masks in shops?! What have we been doing for the last three months? Why did they bring this in now, after pubs were allowed to open and such?

The messaging is so bad that it’s hard not to assume a degree of malice: ‘It’s absolutely critical that we all wear masks to stop this deadly virus, so they’ll be mandatory in a week from now. In the meantime, as you were.’ Undermining their own messaging.

To say it’s asinine is an insult to asses, who at least learn from experience. In frigging March, 4 months and >42,000 UK deaths ago, there were internationally recognised experts in South Korea telling western countries that the use of masks and face coverings by the public was essential to controlling the virus, right after isolating the sick and alongside implementing social distancing. The lack of masks for healthcare workers is a straw man, and could have easily been resolved by making the use of face coverings or homemade masks mandatory, but making it illegal for anyone other than healthcare workers/military/police to wear surgical grade masks in public.

More civilians have died from Covid than died during the Blitz, so a galvanising government programme to recover masks for the NHS and make the public wear masks would have been appropriate. Instead, we got idiotic distractions and arguments, only to arrive at the same conclusion but still with a half-assed implementation.

Right, I feel better.