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AMinisters launched the new catchphrase “stay alert” to usher in the next phase of the coronavirus blockade, including unlimited exercise and sunbathing, members of the public expressed confusion and anxiety over the lack of clarity it offered.
Alert to what? You can’t see the virus, “said Rose Smith, 88, one of those in Manchester’s Alexandra Park on Sunday.” I don’t think it makes much difference if people are allowed to exercise more. It’s when things like pubs and clubs start opening that it will spread. “
In addition to going for a walk with his dog, Jack, Smith has not left his home in Moss Side since the closing began seven weeks ago. Her daughter who lives nearby brings food and other essentials. Even if the guide is updated, she believes it is unlikely to affect her. “Supposedly I am vulnerable, but we are all vulnerable: a virus is a virus,” he said.
Others were concerned that a change in the tone of government communication during the pandemic could lead to more people gathering and the virus to spread further.
Elizabeth Webster, 42, who lives near the park with her Rhodesian crest, Ming the Merciless, said she felt “very anxious” because the message was no longer staying home.
“I think we entered the shutdown too late, and the government’s handling of the entire crisis has been chaotic. It is still a very scary time and I don’t think people should be encouraged to go out anymore,” he said.
Although the closure means Webster has struggled to find a job in the television and film industry, he believes ministers should “stand firm” in the previous orientation. “I think they are only doing it because people want a timeline of how to get out of that,” he said.
William Cartmell, 36, who went for a walk, similarly felt that the government was responding to general fatigue among the public. “I think people are getting tired of the existing advice. It’s probably losing its importance, “he said.
When asked what “staying alert” meant to him, Cartmell said the phrase was “vague” and “open to interpretation,” but he did not think “they will say that people can go out as usual.”
What worried him most was the fact that companies could cynically interpret the message to order employees to return to work. “My work is trying to get us back there, but they have to figure out how to build people’s trust in how they will stay safe,” he added.
Mohamed Elkhouly, 22, a soccer coach who lives in Manchester city center, also felt it was the “wrong time” in terms of the spread of the virus to start easing the measures, but he sympathized with the government. in terms of their need to start. the economy. “I think ‘staying alert’ simply means maintaining the same state of alert, not socializing too much,” he said.
