Too much, too soon?

The COVID Diaries – 64 31st May

Are we going too far too quickly?

Senior public health officials have warned that England is not prepared to deal with any surge in infection and that the population’s resolve to cooperate in conforming to the actions that limit transmission has been eroded.

The Association of Directors of Public Health said new rules, including allowing groups of up to six people to meet outdoors and in private gardens, were “not supported by the science” and that pictures of crowded beaches and beauty spots over the weekend showed “the public is not keeping to social distancing as it was”.

On Saturday and Sunday, parks and seafronts were packed as people didn’t wait for the lifting of restrictions on what has been dubbed “happy Monday”. Car showrooms and outdoor markets will be reopened, millions of children will return to primary schools and the most vulnerable “shielded” people will be allowed out for the first time since lockdown began in March. But all of this requires physical distancing to be maintained.