The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Naebody wants yer clarty germs – just stay at hame or at least git a mask oan
How come yous arnae wearing masks? Mair tae the point, how come I amnae wearing ane either? Genuinely, I dinnae get it. Are we no meant tae hae “lairned” tae live wi Covid? There hasnae been ower muckle lairnin gaed on, I dinnae think.
The hail time we aa sat at hame an stewed through the umpteen lockdoons, the chat wis fleein aboot aroon the subject o “whit we can lairn fae this pandemic”.
Aa sorts o guid stuff wad emerge, we convinced wirsels. An some o it hus.
We thocht that workin fae hame wad be mair constant reality aifter lockdoon.
Thons certainly been the case. Maist job advertisements I’ve seen have gied “hybrid working negotiable” as ae stipulation o the gig. Guid.
A better work/life balance wis spake aboot at length anaa. Aa thae valuable hours spent at hame wi the faimly minded us on the importance o love an proximity tae wir ain wee clan.
Fae informal conversations I’d say that mony fowk are indeed choosin tae spend mair time wi faimly aheid o their careers. Also, guid.
But the ae thing aabdy I spake tae ower the lockdoons wis sure o, the ae absolute nailed-on change tae the world as we kent it that’d emerge fae covid wis this; we’d be way mair sensible wi wir health.
Ae pal: “Noo and again ye turn up tae Tannadice, sit doon, and some auld boy behind ye starts up wi this mingin phlglemy cough.
“Ye dinnae dae anything about it. Just sit there and think ‘well that’s me got the cold then.’ And sure enough a couple days on and you’re coughin an sneezin yersel.
“We just wilnae dae that: folk will stick on a mask when they’ve got the cold. Or if they’re ill they’ll just no go to a busy place.”
Others said mair or less the same. Masks and hand gel. Total game changer.
We dinnae need tae just be sickly, nebs dreepin, sair heids, wabbit for hail chunks o the year. We can stap spreidin these common auld infections we’ve been passin roon for centuries. Progress!
Weel. That really hasnae panned oot. Dafties wi caulds insist on comin intae ma various places o work, even when we noo aa ken there’s absolutely nae need. If ye’re contagious, stay hame. Work fae there.
We managed for twa year o a pandemic wioot ye here, Steve. We can mak it through anither three days. Tak yer hackin hoast and yer tooting snoot an get away fae me. Mankit.
But there’s waur nor that aboot.
I ken a couple fowk personally that testit positive, but hae still been daein hings like gingin tae the barbers, sittin in the pub wi fowk, daein their messages, wi nae mitigation at aa. No even haein the decency tae tell the fowk theyre wi that they’ve the Covid.
Masks. There wis fowk that loved them. There wis fowk hated them. And there were thousans like me an you that didnae really mind either wey. But they are awa.
I’ve been oot at gigs, events, trains an cafes this past week, and aside fae yer occasional tourist, ye just didnae see ony masks.
Hand sanitiser anaa, it’s evaporatit fae gyms, naebdy yaises it at the supermarket onymair. We just stot aboot wi oor clarty mits spreidin infections like the bad auld days pre-Covid.
An noo Scotland has tane the first dunt o a new strain o Covid that’s got just aboot aabdy in ma WhatsApp contacts tested positive an feelin gey ropey.
Gigs are called aff as stars faa sick, pals are doon and oot, the puir sowels that hae complex health needs aaready are back tae worrying every time a body sneezes near them.
It isnae the ill months o peak Covid. But it’s a new, reality whaur aahin is subject tae change and yer health is far fae guaranteed.
It’s o course exacerbatit by the weirdo Tory policy o gettin rid o free tests fae the chemists, sae naebdy kens if they’ve Covid or a cauld until it’s ower late.
And then wioot clear instructions tae fowk that dae test positive, they are oot there cuttin aboot makkin the rest o us sick.
An we’ve ditched wir twa basic defences o hand sanitiser an face masks. Wioot them, we’re like a boxer stood aboot the ring wi his chin jutting oot an his hauns doon at his waist. We’re askin for it.
It’s a sair ane. How can we no just pop on wee mask when we ken Covid rates are
high, same as we pop on a jaicket when the weather report tells us rain’s comin?
Free tests. Normalise masks. Publish regular Covid level updates like weather reports sae we ken whaur aboot and when we hae tae be a bitty mair cautious.
I’m happy tae keep livin wir lives. Ye couldnae get us back intae lockdoon wi a shotgun at me heid.
But I dae think that “lairnin tae live wi Covid” should involve a bitty mair lairnin.
Aside fae yer occasional tourist, ye just didnae see ony masks