Why it’s time for us to take some responsibility in the post-Covid world

It’s not the first time Boris has said he’ll lift all restrictions before being brought back down to earth by other advice. But pending any major hiccups — and it’s obvious rising case numbers and the pervasive threat of the Delta variant is not considered enough to put the brakes on his or Westminster’s plans — it looks like England will be restriction free in the near future.

The fears of those who think the lifting of the restrictions is a bridge too far might be well founded and it remains to be seen what effect this will have. There are many who think the prime minister is mad to consider it. It’s definitely hard to imagine a time when the comfort of the government holding our hands by imposing measures to curb the spread of the virus is no longer there. During a certain period, national lockdowns and restrictions had their time and place. Some said they worked but further down the track others weren’t so sure.

But after 16 months of repeated lockdowns, a news agenda that has been dominated by Covid and the inescapabable nature of the virus itself, surely we’ve got the message by now? Are we really that afraid of using our own common sense?

I am not anti-lockdown but it surely hasn’t escaped anyone’s notice adherence to measures such as masks and social distancing is dropping off. Adherence to mask wearing has dropped as low as 30% in some parts of the UK according to the Guardian and I’ve noticed myself while travelling on public transport how an increasingly laissez-faire attitude towards face coverings is ever more prevalent. It’s becoming like the days of old, where people looked at you strangely for wearing a mask instead of choosing not to wear one.

Admittedly, Boris hasn’t said don’t wear a mask but he is saying the person who chooses not to won’t be punished. But it’s baffling to believe any of us really need to be told that any longer. I have absolutely no plans to let anyone cough in my face and I doubt that will ever change. There are few among us who at this stage wouldn’t consider themselves bona-fide virologists. We’ve read the headlines, listened to the analysis and in some unfortunate cases, we’ve even contracted Covid ourselves.

We all make decisions every day for the good of ourselves and those around us. You stop at a red light while driving not just because it’s the law but also because you don’t want to be hit by another car or cause damage or hurt to another road-user. It’s time to start applying that common sense when we decide where to go or what to do as we move on to that next stage of life post-pandemic. The government will have other challenges to face — such as high levels of sick pay in workplaces — and we need to address them head-on without delay.

It’s becoming increasingly ludicrous we still need to be told what is best practice by our politicians and elected representatives. The topic of my column last week, some of them can’t even take their own advice, so what’s the point in asking them to make up the rules for us, protect us when we know ourselves what’s sensible? If the message hasn’t sunk in at this stage, it probably never will.

The WHO has said lockdowns themselves lockdowns are a sign of failure. The majority are now vaccinated and as time goes on, there becomes less of a reason and more of a justification to wave restrictions goodbye and leave repeated lockdowns behind and rely on what we now know will keep us safe.

But some of us still cling on to that security blanket of being told what to do. What is it we’re scared of? Potentially the responsibility that comes with choosing where to go and who to spend time with and carry out personal risk assessments as much as possible when deciding how much freedom you want.

We’ve been constantly told to stay safe, protect the NHS — but now, we should be doing it ourselves. And that’s what scares us.