Change for change sake

Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives.

It's a simple message, and pretty clear. You'd have to be an idiot not to understand "stay at home", even though it seems that more and more people seem to be flouting this pretty straightforward advice. And there's a lovely logo to go along with it just in case your'e in any doubt.

Very Ronseal

• Clear and unambiguous
• Stay home = what it says
• Red = danger

So, what to do eh? Well, let's change the message.

• Stay alert = Eh? What does that mean?
• Control the virus = Eh? What does this mean?
• Green = In my mind at least green is good. All systems go! But they're not.

Not quite Ronseal

Seriously, you have to ask who dreams this crap up. I'm sure the essence of this change is buried in the idea that the Government has to do something to demonstrate that things are getting better. But to confuse the message - especially when the message from both Scotland and Wales remains "Stay at home", truly increases the risk for confusion and mixed messages. It really feels like change for change sake.

• Do I stay at home and be alert?
• Do I only need to be alert if I go out?
• I can go out if I need to do something essential or exercise notwithstanding that...
• I have to stay local (Wales only)....even though I have to stay at home (Eh?). Unless of course I fancy nipping out to go to a garden centre, or B&Q, or KFC.
• What happens if I'm out and someone sees me being not alert? "Oi sonny. You're not being alert enough".

Surely they could have kept the stay at home message but adapted the exceptions?

Boris will undoubtedly be full of his usual bluster when he address the nation later, but it's clear that really he's only setting the scene out for what will be the case for England.

I'm afraid that these mixed and confusing messages are only going to increase the unease about what people should be doing. 

For once, I just wish the politicians would put their petty differences aside and work for the good of the nation. If the vast majority of the people I see posting on social media are anything to go by, there's a fairly obvious split. Those who are willing to put with the lockdown for as long as it takes, and those that are fed up with it all and just want to "get on" with their lives as normal. Giving a message that's not crystal clear about what we should be doing (either way) is only going to make matters worse, and increase the numbers of people who are interpreting "stay alert" as it's ok to get on with your life but just be alert. Whatever that means.

I might have calmed down by tomorrow.

Until then....
#isolationlife
#stayhomesavelives