Categories
News

UK Covid-19 Messaging – Episode 2

For the start of our UK “Covid-19 messaging” series please click here.

This is the message Boris Johnson apparently wanted to impart to the citizens of England on May 22nd 2020:

Then came the news that BoJo’s “senior aide” Dominic Cummings had risked spreading the virus by driving from London to Durham. By the morning of May 24th the front pages of the “conservative” mainstream media looked like this, with thanks once again to Neil Henderson‘s Twitter feed:

On the evening of May 24th Boris retweeted a message from 10 Downing Street, then somewhat unusually stood behind the lectern at the Covid-19 daily briefing and refused to throw his top aide to the dogs. Try starting to watch the video at around 4:30:

The following morning I found myself agreeing with a Daily Mail headline for probably the first time in living memory:

Alternative points of view were less critical of Mr. Cummings’ actions:

I wonder how the Times’ promised “cabinet backlash” will pan out? I also cannot help but wonder how many Great British citizens will ignore the messages imparted in any future Tweets by Boris Johnson.

6 replies on “UK Covid-19 Messaging – Episode 2”

There’s been a long list of “messages” delivered via Twitter today. Here’s a non exhaustive sample:

Meanwhile in other recent news the Director of Public Health at Blackburn with Darwen Council has this to say:

More messages have been emanating from 10 Downing Street this morning:

Meanwhile at Durdle Door in Dorset yesterday:

As if all that isn’t bad enough, Matt Hancock is quoting the Daily Telegraph with approval:

People forced to “shield” themselves during lockdown can go outside with family or exercise with a friend from Monday after Boris Johnson eased the restrictions they have been living under.

Around 2.2 million of the most medically vulnerable in society have had to stay indoors for the past 10 weeks and avoid seeing anyone they do not live with, but Mr Johnson said their “patience and sacrifice” could now be rewarded.

Anyone who lives with family members can go outside with them from Monday as long as they are careful to follow social distancing guidelines.

Those who live alone – many of whom have had no face-to-face contact since March – can meet outside with one other person from another household as long as they stay two metres apart.

It comes after Government scientists estimate the average chance of someone catching the virus to have fallen from 1 in 40 to 1 in 1,000.

Boris Johnson tweets this morning:

By way of stark contrast to BoJo’s message of “joy and relief”, an expert in public health at Oxford University retweeted this tweet from a member of the Independent SAGE committee yesterday:

Leave a Reply to Jim Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.