Covid Compliance

 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/15/lockdown-rules-blaming-covidiots-compliance

In an opinion piece in The Guardian on 5 Jan (link above), psychologist Stephen Reiker discusses the issue of Covid compliance. He makes the points that:

a) far more people are complying with Covid restriction regulations than are refusing to comply

b) most people actually wished the regulations had been brought in earlier

c) we have the perception that masses of people are not complying due to media stories about 'Covidiots', which in fact makes others less likely to comply because humans tend to do what they perceive the majority of their peers are doing. Therefore, it would be much more helpful to have lots of media stories about people who are complying under highly stressful circumstances (and there are many of these to choose from - Reiker includes an excellent example in his article).

This is a very good, clearly-written and intelligent article which expresses my own opinion. I think the government and the media should be focusing on the positives, the way people are pulling together, the importance of 'community spirit' and self-discipline in this difficult time. This would bring people together rather than splitting us apart.

Today I read that a scientist from SAGE is saying that in fact Covid is driving a wedge between two groups of people - those who can afford to stay at home and work from home, and those who can't. There has been a lot of criticism of people for not getting tested when requested to, for example. The knee-jerk response of many people to such non-compliers is that they are selfish, or irresponsible. A more nuanced criticism is that such non-compliers are stupidly assuming that somehow it won't make a difference whether they are tested or not, that they know they don't have the virus so what's the point? If the man from SAGE is right, we are going to leave this pandemic with a nation even more gravely divided than we already are due to Brexit, and his argument rests on the fact that we are an increasingly unequal society. 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/02/psychologists-pandemic-cooperation-government-public-britain

In another opinion piece (link above), Reicher argues that a failure to get tested when requested - such as the reluctance among workers in Liverpool which has caused such outrage in the media - is not necessarily a moral failing. Working people who don't want to be tested are not monsters who don't care about other people and don't care, or are too stupid to understand, that they might spread the virus if they don't self-isolate. There is a strong correlation between those who refuse to get tested and the failure to get financial support from the government for loss of earnings. If you have to pay your rent/mortgage, buy food, pay bills, and your employer isn't willing to pay you for your ten days absence from work should your Covid test prove positive, and there is no compensation from the government, then what choice do you have? The practicalities of life for people in low-paid jobs often override any sense of moral obligation to 'community'.  With the best will in the world, you might hope you aren't spreading the virus, but your family still needs to eat and pay their bills.

Covid is real and it is a serious crisis. It's victims aren't just the poor people who are dying or seriously ill with the virus, however. The government should be doing more to help the poorest to be able to comply with regulations, and the media should be doing its part in promoting a united front rather than doing it's usual dirty job of seeding conflict and being an agent provocateur, creating manufactured outrage against perceived 'dissenters' rather than against an out-of-touch and hypocritical government.