Express & Star comment: Should there be 'modern day' gas mask equivalent available?
Gas masks were made available to millions of people during the War. The question posed, therefore, is simple: should there be a similar national effort to equip people with modern-day equivalents so that we can move around more freely without the risk of spreading the disease?
The answer is not so simple. While masks dramatically reduce the risk of transmission, they do not eliminate it. It is also probably a little far-fetched to imagine we either could or should turn our nation’s factories over to such manufacture. They tried that with ventilators, after all, with little success.
The issue of masks, however, is an important one that is tied to whether the 2m rule on social distancing should be relaxed. While the science is unclear on the exact effects of 2m versus 1m, the general principles are unarguable. If you stand further away from a person who is infected you are less likely to catch the disease.
The economy, however, has fallen off a cliff. We have effectively rewound to 2000, losing 20 years of economic growth in the space of two months. Large sectors of the economy remain closed and the type of recovery plans that are in place in other developed nations are not yet in place in the UK. While retail is making a return, hospitality is not in the picture when it comes to a hoped-for re-opening on July 4. Restaurants, bars, pubs and cafes need clarity so they can stick to the rules, if such rules have even been written.
Other sectors are in an even worse position. Britain’s night-time economy lies in tatters and theatres, large events and other forms of entertainment may never recover.
Taking precautions to improve hygiene and prevent the spread of Covid-19 is a civic duty to which all of us must adhere. There have been a huge number of people who have decided not to prioritise such activities, from selfish day trippers gathering in massive numbers on beaches to those who have felt the need to protest in large numbers. We face an uphill struggle to recover. Hygiene must be uppermost in all of our minds.
