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The people of my city are frustrated, angry and dismayed by the government’s draconian proposals to impose even more oppressive local restrictions.
There is nothing compassionate or pragmatic about what Health Secretary Matt Hancock intends to do.
It is badly thought out, it is illogical and, despite what the Government said yesterday, it is not based on consultations with local councils or experts.
Putting people out of work and taking support from their friends, family and community is simply cruel. People are seen in Middlesbrough
Fortunately, these plans are not yet in place, and hopefully will remain so. Because I know I speak for Middlesbrough here when I say that as things stand, we do not accept them.
Of course, stopping the spread of the virus must be the government’s priority. But this must be done with an awareness of the pain that isolation can inflict and the damage it causes to physical and mental health.
Above all, for the love of God, we have to do everything we can to preserve people’s livelihoods.
Our local council went to the government and explained the primary importance of this. We asked them to work with the community and local businesses to enable safe socializing and keep Middlesbrough moving. They did not listen.
It is obvious to me that anyone should be allowed to visit a family member or friend in their garden and have a cup of coffee while still being well distanced. And of course we should be able to meet them for a chat in a well-run and socially distanced coffee shop.
However, these new rules, which essentially prohibit the gatherings of different households, will prohibit all those safe human activities that are small but so essential to well-being.
People are seen shopping in Middlesbrough city center. The people of my city are frustrated, angry, and dismayed by the government’s draconian proposals to impose even more oppressive local restrictions.
To increase the insanity, it is not even clear how the regulations will be enforced. Like so many other growing cities, Middlesbrough is out of bounds and the neighboring districts of Redcar and Cleveland are not included in the restrictions.
It will be two rules for a city and sometimes two rules within a street.
This is bitterly unfair to a community still reeling from the recessions of the 1980s.
I don’t like to complain because my parents always said life is not fair, but that is no reason to introduce obviously and unnecessarily unfair measures like these.
Right now is the worst possible time to ban people from socializing. Six months of long nights and cold weather are ahead.
Putting people out of work and taking support from their friends, family and community is simply cruel.
It will push many people into depression, and I am afraid that rising suicide rates will be just one of the dire consequences. Fundamentally, it doesn’t have to be this way.
It is obvious to me that anyone should be allowed to visit a family member or friend in their garden and have a cup of coffee while still being well distanced.
After the initial shutdown, our public health experts came up with innovative and workable ideas to make places safe and limit the spread of the virus, while allowing people to see each other. But the government seems not to have paid attention to these advances.
The injustice is compounded because Middlesbrough has been at the forefront of tough measures to try to stem the tide during this global crisis. We have not been soft on Covid-19.
As advice, we have been active and supportive, and we have done things. We’ve handed out 180,000 free masks and my team was pushing for people in the hospitality industry to use them long before it became mandatory. For me it was an obvious preventive measure, applied in much of Europe, and we paved the way.
Yes, I will grudgingly obey these new rules if they become law and urge everyone in my city to do so. It’s not about lifting two fingers to Downing Street. It is much more important than a simple protest.
But before the government makes a serious mistake and enacts these restrictions, I beg you to think again.
We need a plan to reduce the spread of the virus while showing compassion and understanding. That’s what’s missing.
As advice, we have been active and supportive, and we have done things. We have distributed 180,000 free masks and my team was pushing for people in the hospitality industry to use them long before it became mandatory
