Eat Out To Help Out: Brilliance or Lunacy?

[verdantverdure]

On the day the Covid Inquiry convenes I thought I'd ask your opinion on Eat Out To Help Out.

Covid case numbers and deaths were low, as we'd done a phased return out of the first lockdown.

Then we had Eat Out To Help Out and it all kicked off again within weeks.

What did you think? At the time? Now?

YABU Eat Out To Help Out was brilliant, I loved it.

YANBU Eat out To Help Out was a bloody stupid idea that was obviously going to help the virus spread, leading to another wave, more economic devastation, and tens of thousands of us dead. And it didn't even help the hospitality industry because it screwed up Christmas which is usually their most profitable quarter.

academic.oup.com/ej/article/132/643/1200/6382847?login=false

The pub issue...."The biggest risks are when lots of people from completely different households are brought together in close proximity indoors... that is a high risk activity." Chris Whitty

https://x.com/haggisuk/status/1279098192202731530?s=46&t=1F33_GXoDvLPajCYTYkHKGg

Hugo Keith, "Were you concerned about Eat Out To Help Out?"

Prof John Edmunds, "It made me angry and I'm still angry about it.. Yes, pub and restaurant sector needed support, I wasn't against that at all. They could just have given them the money. This was a scheme to encourage people to take an epidemiological risk as it only applied to dining in, and not take out"

x.com/implausibleblog/status/1715069167492026527?s=46&t=1F3_GXoDvLPajCYTYkHKGg

metro.co.uk/2023/03/05/rishi-sunaks-eat-out-to-help-out-spread-covid-but-was-covered-up-18388575/amp/

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/centres/cage/news/30-10-20-eatoutttohelppoutschemeedrovenewwcovid199infectionsuppbybetweenn8andd17newwresearchfinds/

Private Eye cartoon, and Matt Hancock saying the effect of EOTHO was serious in August 2020.

@wildfirewonder

Ah, but I didn't say which people he was trying to please! I'd imagine Bojo has little contact or interest in the general public, but he would have had Treasury and Tory donors shouting to open up, whilst others in government (and health advisors) wanted to exercise caution and keep lock down on table.

I think he does try to please the last person he spoke to - that wouldn't have been you or I, though!!

Best stay at home then, OP.
Much safer for you.
Don't worry about the economy, we can just pay for people to stay at home.
That worked out so well didn’t it.