Freedom

Today is “Freedom Day”. A day for ditching masks, getting up close and personal with people and generally returning to pre-pandemic life.
So why is it that I feel more worried about catching Covid now, than I have at any point in the last eighteen months? Why am I no longer looking forward to all those gigs and shows, thinking instead that they will just be hotbeds of infection.
I’m double jabbed so it’s unlikely the virus will kill me. But I could still be quite ill and there’s always the possibility of a new, vaccine defeating, variant coming along. I accept the premise that, if we wait until autumn, the inevitable rise in cases will coincide with flu season so better to fully unlock now and get all those cases out of the way before winter.
But doesn’t it just feel like we are now all guinea pigs in an experiment? How do we know if the vaccine works - well, exposing everyone to the virus and seeing how many get ill or die would seem to be the government’s approach. And what we are seeing in countries that unlocked earlier - like Israel and the Netherlands - does not exactly fill one with confidence that ditching all restrictions is a good idea.
So it’s down to us as individuals to decide what measures we impose on ourselves to stay safe. And maybe that approach will work. Out and about today, I saw no change from yesterday. Most people still wearing masks, businesses requesting you wear a mask on their premises and sanitise your hands upon entry. To be honest, those not wearing a mask are probably those who didn’t bother before. If the only “punishment” for not wearing a mask was your fellow citizens tutting softly behind theirs, then there is little incentive to modify your behaviour.
Perhaps I should fish those masks out of the bin, give them a wash and keep on using them. At least for the foreseeable future.