C19 Epidemic

 How could a country get into such a mess over the C19 epidemic? The relaxation of the social distancing rules for Christmas is bordering on the irresponsible. In London, where I live, the cases of C19 are rising sharply despite the latest lockdown. The rise in infections is being driven by the schools not being able to ensure social distancing amongst the pupils. We have been warned by the WHO that wearing masks is insufficient to prevent the spread of the virus. This is something that I worked out for myself months ago. To curb infections everyone must adopt distancing measures of at least one meter and practice hand hygiene as well as wearing masks in confined spaces. Clearly this is not working in schools.

The WHO also recommends targeted testing and the  isolation of anyone who has contracted the virus. Clearly this is not working despite billions of pounds being spent on the national system. Test and isolation is best left to the local public health authorities but they have been starved of funds and resources. 

The best course of action to control the virus would have been to lock down the nation whilst the pupils were off school. With a bit of imagination lonely or old people could have been catered for without risking their health or anyone else's.

The WHO is not recommending a Christmas free for all for good reason.

As I have said before, we have become a decadent society where excellence hardly exists. Let's hope most people ignore the Christmas relaxation of social distancing rules. The the nation's health and its economy will then be given a chance to recover. Recovery will require careful thought, planning and self control and not sudden changes of mind, otherwise we shall drift from one lockdown to another and thousands more will die unnecessarily and thousands more businesses will go broke. This is not a good prospect for our nation. The best advice is stay at home but I fear vast numbers will not follow it.