FREEDOM Leisure, which runs the Prince Regent Leisure Centre in Brighton, and the King Alfred centre in Hove, said that it will open facilities in line with “Government guidance” and with “new normal” operating procedures. (The Argus, June 22).
New normal? What was so wrong with “old normal” that our lives must be changed irrevocably by “Government guidance”, something that, during the present crisis, has changed on an almost daily basis, dependent on the ever-changing opinions offered up by scientists and “experts”?
For example, “masks make little, if any, difference”.
No, change that, because everyone should, at the very least, wear them on public transport.
“Keep two metres apart”.
No, change that, because the World Health Organisation said all along that one metre was enough.
“Two weeks quarantine for everyone flying into the UK”.
No, change that, because everyone thinks it’s a rubbish idea.
And let us not forget the “510,000 people could die” prediction, (wrong), followed by the one that said “260,000 could die’ (wrong), followed by the one that estimated 20,000 deaths (wrong again).
Another word for guidance is leadership, something that has been sadly lacking all the way through this pandemic and the reason why our Government has continually changed its mind, often from one day to the next.
Those in charge clearly forgot that “scientists and experts advise, Ministers decide”.
By continually stating that “we are following the science” they ignored the fact that they were elected to lead this country, and not to abrogate that responsibility to others for whom nobody voted and who should not have finished up having such influence over the Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues.
Come back, old normal, all is forgiven.
Eric Waters Lancing
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