Government Cummings message ‘could cost lives’
The "muddying of the waters" around the Government’s coronavirus messaging in the wake of the Dominic Cummings scandal "could cost lives", a leading figure at a council has said.
Birmingham City Council leader, Councillor Ian Ward, and deputy leader Councillor Brigid Jones reiterated the importance of following the government guidelines despite the controversy.
Over the weekend it was revealed that Dominic Cummings had travelled from his home in London to Durham during the peak of pandemic, despite the official advice being to stay at home during this period.
The Prime Minister has since publicly given his backing to Cummings – however Councillor Jones believes that the mixed messages coming from the Government risk putting lives in danger.
“We need to carry on giving clear messages to the public, and it would really help us if the Government collaborated in giving clear messages to the public on what is and isn’t safe to do, and what is and isn’t acceptable,” she said at a city council cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
“Because I think the weekend, and the actions of Dominic Cummings, have led to a very severe muddying of the waters, and it will cost lives if people take the wrong impression from what the Government has said.”
Scenes from the weekend showed Brits flocking to seaside destinations across the country, with many images showing social distancing guidelines being ignored.
But council leader Ian Ward was keen to reiterate the existing guidelines, adding that events across the weekend may have created "confusion" around them.
“I will reiterate that people across Birmingham should continue to follow the guidance issued, in spite of any confusion that may have arisen over the weekend,” he said.
“We do need to make sure that people continue to follow the guidelines, and that is the best chance of keeping as many people safe as possible.”
