Let us bounce back to business
I WOULD like to question the motives behind government decisions on which businesses can and can’t open. Despite following excellent standards of hygiene and cross infection methods, with known clients who can be contacted, beauticians specialising in facials were given less than a day’s notice that they would not be able to reopen last weekend as planned. A handful of couples who have already had the best day of their lives ruined once have had to endure disappointment again, with a scaled down version of their wedding without a planned reception for up to 30. I co-own a children’s soft play centre, which is spotless, and we have clear measures in place to maintain hygiene and contact tracing, but we have been put in the same category as nightclubs and lap-dancing clubs. Another local play centre has decided to close permanently because of the uncertainty about when it can reopen. Yet people are able to go to pubs and use public transport, and on sunny days families are packed like sardines on beaches, having travelled there from all over the country. I can’t help feeling that the people who are trying their hardest to be responsible, make a living, have some small element of pleasure in their lives and do the right thing are the easy scapegoats, to make it look as if ‘the right decisions are being made for the right reasons’. They are being made to feel guilty for being disappointed. Yet those who are selfish by putting the country at risk and are likely to spread the virus are allowed to carry on. The only response from the powers that be are meaningless comments such as: ‘We are disappointed in these actions.’ But such people will continue to ignore the rules and show no respect or consideration for those whose lives are being turned upside down. If antisocial actions were tackled, we would all be in a better position. Maybe the real question to ask is who is adding more to the coffers? Is this the motive that drives decision? This is perfectly understandable as the economy can have just as high an impact as the nation’s health. So why not stop being hypocritical and let everyone take their chance?
SUE CUMBERLAND, Nottingham.