[ad_1]
Boris Johnson’s “four nations” approach to tackling the coronavirus has taken a new hit after the Northern Ireland government joined those of Scotland and Wales in rejecting the slogan “stay vigilant” and announce its own plans to ease the blockage.
The prime minister tried to minimize differences in approaches on Monday, emphasizing in the Plan to Rebuild that people should “come together as a United Kingdom.” But Edinburgh, Cardiff and now Belfast have chosen to develop their own plans.
The Stormont executive released a five-stage roadmap for his release on Tuesday, revealing a slower and more cautious strategy than Downing Street’s plan for England. Ministers rejected Johnson’s “keep alert” slogan, which has been widely criticized for being confusing, and also decided not to set projected dates to loosen the restrictions.
The plan broadly aligned Northern Ireland with Scotland and Wales, which also rejected Johnson’s new messages.
“We will not get carried away by a calendar and we know that some will be disappointed by that, but our roadmap does not answer all questions, it gives people an indication of how things might move in the coming weeks and months,” said Arlene Foster, the prime minister and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
The guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO) on facial masks has remained constant during the coronavirus pandemic. It has stuck to the line that masks are for healthcare workers, not the public.
“Wearing a medical mask is one of the preventive measures that can limit the spread of certain viral respiratory diseases, including Covid-19. However, the use of a mask alone is not sufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, and other measures must also be taken, “said the WHO.
However, as some countries have eased closing conditions, they have made it mandatory to use face covers outside as a way of trying to inhibit the spread of the virus. This is in the belief that covering the face will prevent coughing and sneezing from expelling the virus from a great distance.
There is no strong scientific evidence, in the form of trials, that common masks prevent the virus from infecting people who use it. There is also concern that the public does not understand how to wear a mask correctly, and can become infected if they come in contact with the virus when they remove it and then touch their faces.
Underlying WHO concerns are the shortage of high-quality protective masks for front-line healthcare workers.
However, masks play a role when worn by people who are already infected. It is accepted that they can block transmission to other people. Since many people with Covid-19 show no symptoms in the first few days after becoming infected, the masks clearly have a potential role to play if everyone uses them.
Sarah Boseley Health editor
Michelle O’Neill, Deputy Prime Minister and Vice President of Sinn Féin, asked the public for patience. “When we are in a position to slowly and carefully emerge from the blockade, we will keep you updated every step of the way,” he said.
The power-sharing executive last week extended the Northern Ireland blockade to May 28 and said he would avoid specifying dates for each of the five stages to have “enough flexibility” to modify the plan based on scientific advice.
Matthew O’Toole, a member of the SDLP of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast South and a former Downing Street staff member, said: “No. 10 as a machine has simply not been configured to think about dealing with return, in the way that it probably should . “
He said the infection could have been more quickly controlled in Northern Ireland because the public took its lead from Dublin, which announced a more drastic blockade earlier than England. “If the Irish Prime Minister is saying, ‘Now we have to shut down,’ people will follow suit.”
And he warned of the continued risk of “confusing messages” as England begins to undo some of its restrictions.
Scottish Labor Secretary Ian Murray said: “We are starting to see England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland pulling in different directions. While the return naturally means governments can make different decisions, the lack of coordination and clear messages from No. 10 have led to this fragmentation.
“The UK government must not only work together with all nations, but must also collaborate more closely with all regions, local authorities and elected mayors.”
The Scottish Affairs Committee in the House of Commons is announcing an investigation into “the effectiveness of the four-nation approach to dealing with the pandemic.” Its chairman, the SNP’s Pete Wishart, said: “As we consider leaving the blockade, we will examine the widening divergence in policies and messages and consider what impact this will have on the Scottish public.”
Johnson acknowledged Monday that the new guide was inevitably more complex than the blunt “stay home, save lives” message of the past six weeks. But he suggested that the public could be trusted to use their “common sense” when interpreting new guidelines on outdoor activities and returning to the workplace.
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon expressed concern about people who feel compelled to return to work too soon, after Johnson said some workplaces could “actively encourage” staff to return from Wednesday, always and when they comply with the new “Covid-secure” orientation.
Sturgeon said: “I know that yesterday the UK government published a guide for business. That orientation is not operational in Scotland at this stage as we are not currently encouraging more people to return to work. ”
She added: “I am very grateful that the vast majority of employers have been so responsible during this crisis, so I am sure that the majority will and will not urge employees to return prematurely.”
Sturgeon also echoed the message from Welsh Prime Minister Mark Drakeford, who said police will patrol the border with England to “advise and explain” to potential tourists that they should return home.
The new council for England does not allow vacation travel, but it does allow the public to travel as far as they want to exercise, fueling fears that many will be going to beauty spots.
“I think we have done well in Wales and I don’t think they did it at the border,” Drakeford said Monday. Sturgeon agreed, saying: “It is not okay to drive Scotland to places of beauty to visit places and for pleasure.”
The prime minister’s approach to communicating his strategy was fiercely criticized by proxy Tory Peter Bone on Tuesday, who said Johnson’s aides seemed to think they were running a “presidential government” and had seen too many episodes of the American political drama The West Wing. .
He accused Johnson of breaking the ministerial code by announcing his plans in a televised speech, more than 18 hours before the document was published or lawmakers had an opportunity to question him.
“The spin and the presentation do not make good government: it is the parliament that makes good government,” Bone told parliamentarians.
