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Original poster

Government urging caution…

145 replies

Moonme · 13/07/2021 10:45

Anyone else feel like we are back to early March 2020. They are opening night clubs but then telling us to be cautious and not be reckless?! How do we square that circle? What is reckless behaviour? Coffee in doors? Going to a bar? Sitting in a cinema?
Finding it increasingly hard to know what we should be doing.
Government once again have totally lost control of the public health messaging.

OP posts:
UrAWizHarry · 13/07/2021 10:47

The messaging at the moment is an absolute shit-show, there is no doubt about that.

Howcanthisbe123 · 13/07/2021 10:48

Yh it’s all a bit wishy washy!

FoolsAssassin · 13/07/2021 10:49

I laughed out loud when I saw your thread title, think that sums up how I feel about it all.

Indigopearl · 13/07/2021 10:51

They are clearly setting the public up so they can be blamed when it all goes badly wrong in a few weeks.

beentoldcomputersaysno · 13/07/2021 10:52

It's crackers and clear as mud.

Downtown36 · 13/07/2021 10:56

Yep. Bumbling BJ. Go out but don’t go out. Don’t wear masks but do.

nordica · 13/07/2021 10:56

There was a scientist and JCVI member (sorry I've forgotten his name) on the BBC yesterday saying the cautious and gradual reopening message was intended so that people could do everything, just not everyone at the same time. So go to the office but maybe not every day and not on the same days everyone else does. Go to the pub but don't mix with too many people. Wear a mask when you think you should. It's all up to you but if everyone forgets about any precautions then the consequences will be dire with hospitals surely overwhelmed. Confused

I think what will happen is those who haven't been careful for some time now will forget about any caution and those who have been cautious will be even more cautious. Then we hope the two will balance each other out and we'll end up with economic recovery but not too many covid cases so hospitals are not overwhelmed.

MarshaBradyo · 13/07/2021 10:58

It is unclear

But I do think there will be a spectrum of response which will help

You see on here some will be very cautious and others not and many in between

OliveTree75 · 13/07/2021 11:04

I honestly have no idea what is going on anymore.

jgw1 · 13/07/2021 11:08

@OliveTree75

I honestly have no idea what is going on anymore.
How much does the government spend on its mates to communicate the governments messages to the public? Clearly money very well spent.
PRabbit · 13/07/2021 11:15

The fact is that the stupid and selfish will just do whatever they want with no legal restrictions. Then when people get sick they’ll expect others to pick up the pieces.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 13/07/2021 11:18

I think you may be assuming the government is aiming for clear and honest messaging, jgw1 😂

The problem seems to be that on top of Boris’s normal problems with the truth, he seems to be completely incapable of delivering bad or negative news when he needs to. He can do positive spin and gestures so you end up with this weird everything’s going great but also be very careful because it isn’t message.

FoolsAssassin · 13/07/2021 11:21

@Indigopearl

They are clearly setting the public up so they can be blamed when it all goes badly wrong in a few weeks.
Think this is a big part of it as causing division has worked really well for them for ages now and keeps people busy turning on each other than examining our Government’s actions.

Also agree that the spectrum of responses people will have will help the situation a bit.

x2boys · 13/07/2021 11:26

They are damned if they do and damned if they don't really, people have been ignoring the rules and the guidelines all along, cases are sky rocketing and whilst deaths and hospitalizations are going up, not dramatically so
What do people want?

QueenStromba · 13/07/2021 11:26

It feels just like March and December all over again. Although at least in December there was the hope that vaccines would get us out of this mess.

jgw1 · 13/07/2021 11:27

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

I think you may be assuming the government is aiming for clear and honest messaging, jgw1 😂

The problem seems to be that on top of Boris’s normal problems with the truth, he seems to be completely incapable of delivering bad or negative news when he needs to. He can do positive spin and gestures so you end up with this weird everything’s going great but also be very careful because it isn’t message.

You may be correct. I am not usually one to over estimate the sense of this government, but I didn't think they would be trying to set out a message that was intentionally unintelligible.
DentonsFringeArnottsWaistcoat · 13/07/2021 11:31

Yeah, it’s either totally safe to fully reopen or it isn’t. If they had said something like - we know this will cause higher infection, hospitalisation and death rates but we have concluded it is better to have that during summer than postpone the inevitable til winter, then it might have made some sense. But this you’re free to do as you wish/don’t do as you wish shit, yet again, is stupid.

OliveTree75 · 13/07/2021 11:31

How much does the government spend on its mates to communicate the governments messages to the public?
Clearly money very well spent.
Was that meant to be sarcastic

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 13/07/2021 11:33

I’m not sure they are deliberately trying to send out a confusing and unintelligible message. I think that’s mostly happened by accident. I just don’t think clarity was an aim either.

It doesn’t really help that some of their messaging appears to be aimed at members of their own party rather than the public.

jgw1 · 13/07/2021 11:42

@DentonsFringeArnottsWaistcoat

Yeah, it’s either totally safe to fully reopen or it isn’t. If they had said something like - we know this will cause higher infection, hospitalisation and death rates but we have concluded it is better to have that during summer than postpone the inevitable til winter, then it might have made some sense. But this you’re free to do as you wish/don’t do as you wish shit, yet again, is stupid.
Maybe the whole point is not to have any rules, so that other ministers can Hancock about to their hearts contents?
AlecTrevelyan006 · 13/07/2021 11:53

@DentonsFringeArnottsWaistcoat

Yeah, it’s either totally safe to fully reopen or it isn’t. If they had said something like - we know this will cause higher infection, hospitalisation and death rates but we have concluded it is better to have that during summer than postpone the inevitable til winter, then it might have made some sense. But this you’re free to do as you wish/don’t do as you wish shit, yet again, is stupid.
If they had said something like - we know this will cause higher infection, hospitalisation and death rates but we have concluded it is better to have that during summer than postpone the inevitable til winter, then it might have made some sense.

…

But that is exactly what they have said and some people still won’t / don’t listen

wonderstuff123 · 13/07/2021 12:03

I was just coming on here to write that. That's exactly what they said. Along with,we all have to learn to live with Covid.
It's really baffling me why people are looking to he Government to make decisions on what they can and can't do. Did you do all this before 2020?

They've made it clear,make your own risk assessments. If you don't feel comfortable going to the cinema,don't go. If you worry about picking it up in a coffee shop,don't go.

I honestly can't believe that in the space of 18months,people who presumably made autonomous decisions over their ow lives have been reduced to,I don't know what to do because the Government haven't made it clear.

UrAWizHarry · 13/07/2021 12:06

@x2boys

They are damned if they do and damned if they don't really, people have been ignoring the rules and the guidelines all along, cases are sky rocketing and whilst deaths and hospitalizations are going up, not dramatically so What do people want?
Oh, I dunno, a simple clear message of what people should be doing? Rather than say MP's saying that they expect people to wear masks indoors and then not doing so themselves, for instance.

Any idiot can see that the government are basically setting the public up to take the blame for when shit inevitably hits the fan again.

Lemonmelonsun · 13/07/2021 12:14

Messaging is ridiculous!
It's the younger unvacinated who will be rammed into air less night clubs!!

Chris whitty seemed very odd yesterday.

sleepwouldbenice · 13/07/2021 12:15

@DentonsFringeArnottsWaistcoat

Yeah, it’s either totally safe to fully reopen or it isn’t. If they had said something like - we know this will cause higher infection, hospitalisation and death rates but we have concluded it is better to have that during summer than postpone the inevitable til winter, then it might have made some sense. But this you’re free to do as you wish/don’t do as you wish shit, yet again, is stupid.
Yes they said this Several times People don't listen