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Friday 1 May 2020

Day 46 of self-isolation - mixed messages


Mixed messages

Scotland's chief medical officer, Catherine Calderwood,was forced to resign a few weeks ago. She told the Scots that they should stay at home and protect lives. Then she broke that rule by travelling to her second home. Twice. She was sacked.

Our political and medical leaders, need to give leadership, and that means that they shouldn't be thinking "Do as we say, not as we do". They should set an example. Although getting infected with Covid-19 was going a bit too far, Boris.

President Trump told the American people that the CDC recommends that people should wear masks in public - and then immediately said that he wouldn't. "Do as we say, not as we do". Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York State, is giving daily briefings. He's making a strong point that New Yorkers should be masked. He doesn't mask at the briefings. At least he could be masked as they walk in to the briefing in a tight group, and then when they are settled six feet apart, take off the masks. That's what I'd do. I would never demand of people that they do something that I'm not doing.

But the biggest mixed message comes from the three layers of government in the USA - federal, state and city. I watch, aghast, as American leaders contradict each other. Virginia commands a lock down, but the president encourages the people protesting against it.

Georgia is ending the lock down, but Altanta's mayor contradicts the governor. Nevada has a lock down, but the Las Vegas mayor is demanding an end to the lock down, calling it "total insanity".

 It certainly is madness. The Disunited States of America! Guys - this is a national emergency, both of health and the economy.


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