Blame Game

It's reported in the news that some people are having a Covid-spreading last hurrah at cinemas and similar venues before the regional lockdowns, ignoring the entire point of the lockdowns and risking making a bad situation worse and longer lasting.

I remain shocked by the number of people I see walking around without face coverings. I also find it incomprehensible why people claiming to have asthma are exempt. If a face covering distresses you, you should be wheezing, at the very least, without one. 

I have COPD, for God's sake, and I can wear a mask. It seems to be the easiest excuse in the world to fabricate, as no-one is going to challenge you. I personally know someone who will go into a pub and claim he has asthma so he doesn't have to wear a mask, and then goes outside every 10 minutes to have a fag. He no more has asthma than I have beri-beri.

Are we too quick to blame students for the current increase in infections? The government said they had to go back to university, travelling from all corners of the country - not a good decision to start with. They mix in accommodation, pass each other in packed corridors and share kitchens. Is it any wonder universities are hotspots? 

Yes, you hear the odd story of parties, but a single party is perfect fodder for the tabloids, which are renowned for blowing things out of all proportion. The £10k fine for each of 3 students who held a party will put paid to that - as well as their degree chances. If one of my kids got fined for holding an illegal party, I certainly would not be footing the bill for them. Many students are more sensible than a lot of older people I'm acquainted with - witness the smoking, alleged asthmatic above.

Meanwhile, pubs in Liverpool are shut down, but not if they also happen to sell food. Now, if you're closing pubs, it must be because there's a link to infection - else why close them? To exempt pubs that sell food doesn't make any logical sense - both use tables. That's Wetherspoon's safe then - and the north screwed.