Stop treating us like errant children

The vast majority of the Scottish population understand the need for distancing, hygiene and personal health. It is clear that this Government does not believe that to be the case as it is attempting to remove responsibility from us all by telling us what we must do and how we must behave. The reaction to the crisis is further evidence of the Nanny State that this Government seeks to create.

The Government's efforts on containment and reduction of the virus must now focus on the sections of the population who are most at risk or most likely to ignore or fail to understand the messages on distancing and hygiene. Sadly the latter group are also most likely to be from socially and economically deprived areas, ie those areas where personal health messages have so far failed to change behaviours towards a lifestyle without tobacco, alcohol, sugar and saturated fat.

Outside of those groups the population can be trusted to behave responsibly - maintaining social distancing in all settings, maintaining high standards of personal hygiene and self isolating if they have symptoms or believe they might have been in contact with infected individuals.

For the economic and mental well being of the country we must now be allowed to return to work, exercise, play non-contact sports and meet in small groups with family and friends.

We are being denied these basic liberties despite a lack of compelling evidence that doing so makes a difference to the spread of the virus. So Ms Sturgeon focus on the high risk parts of the population and please stop treating us all like errant children.

Why the contribution is important

Blanket or scatter-gun approaches to all areas of public policy have always failed in the past to deliver better outcomes for society - look at our track record in health education as an example. The approaches that work best are those that target specific communities and individuals with well defined messaging and support to achieve better outcomes. That is what is needed to beat this virus.

by Lambertos on May 08, 2020 at 03:12PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 3.8
Based on: 16 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Lord_Lookin May 08, 2020 at 15:21

    I support that we should not be treated like errant children. I see it quite clearly, if you think you are at risk then isolate or do whatever you feel you need to do to protect yourself and your family and let the rest of us get on with life and making a living before we all go bust.

  • Posted by Devilfish May 08, 2020 at 15:41

    Totally agree. The vast majority of the public are not at risk of a serious health reaction if they contract the virus so isolating those not at risk not only serves to stop that population acquiring some level of immunity but means the current lockdown measures would need to continue until either a vaccination or treatment is available. Clearly that is not reasonable not only from an economic perspective but also from a compliance perspective. The approach that is required is to leave those at risk to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and let everyone else return to normal.

  • Posted by Aldo60 May 08, 2020 at 15:56

    Unfortunately the rules on self isolation have to be followed in order to ensure the safety of the populace. If the greater minority would stop acting like errant children or complete morons , then this would ensure a
    successfu & more expeditious return to normal.

  • Posted by Haggis59 May 08, 2020 at 16:06

    I don't think the First Minister is treating us like children. She has been very open and honest with the people of Scotland since the start, about measures she has taken and why she has taken them, to slow down the spread of the virus. These measures apply to all people who live in Scotland as anyone can get the virus regardless of their financial situation or social status. The first minister has treated everyone fairly and equally during this pandemic without exception. She is as keen as anyone to see her family again and get the country up and running but we're not quite there yet. By continuing to take her advice and work together we'll all get through this.

  • Posted by GIN May 08, 2020 at 16:14

    Totally agree. The majority of the public will continue to adhere to the social distancing rules and again the majority of the public do not appear to be at high risk. Continue to shield the elderly and others whom have underlying health issues but allow the rest of us to try and continue with normal life, well as normal as it can be now. If individuals still have concerns regarding leaving the house and meeting up with others, then they will be capable of making their own minds up and remain isolated.

  • Posted by firehorse May 08, 2020 at 16:25

    Disagree with your statement of being treated like errant children!, it is fine for us that are economically dependant / educated individuals who feel that we are adults, but I am afraid that isn't the case for everyone. If you where an adult you would be aware that a country is made up of a collection of different groups, with different social norms and abilities, unless you feel the government has the time money and workforce to create individual restriction packages for every person in the country, you will have to remind yourself that it is easier for mass communication to be accessible to the majority, and the simpler that message, the easier it is to understand. Good to see that "self" is still prevalent in this new way of being.

  • Posted by archiemcbeastie May 08, 2020 at 19:05

    Ms Sturgeon may not treat us like children and imparts genuine respect but Professor Jason Leitch impresses as if he has arrived at his career’s most important moment, not unlike a newly appointed head boy with a penchant for laying down the law. He cheerfully admits on Twitter to annoying members of his own family about the approach that he thinks should be taken with people and Covid19. People don’t react well to this approach which has the whiff of righteous overreach. As every day goes by I sense patience running out faster and faster as people are deprived of contact with their loved ones. I see the rules being flouted daily by more and more citizens in my immediate locality. They are despairing from separation from their family members, can’t take any more of it and are voting to leave lockdown with their feet and their cars.
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