Buttonspushed

I have a lot of sympathy with those businesses that are questioning the worth of vaccine passports, given that folk who have had two vaccines can still get and pass on Covid. Unless folk can understand the reasoning for a restriction, they will not only be unlikely to comply with it but will extend their reluctance to other, more valid, restrictions.

My own argument is with the Museum for Scotland, which has closed those push-button galleries that are particularly appealing to children. The closure notices say that because the exhibits are touched a lot, the Museum has decided to close them. My question is: “why? What is the scientific justification?”

When Covid first arrived, there was a lot of uncertainty about how it was transmitted from person to person. The virus’ shelf life on different surfaces was discussed and some folk quarantined their shopping, and even their post. However, it has now been established that the virus is airborne and cannot be picked up by someone touching an inanimate object which someone else has touched. This means that masks, good ventilation and distancing are important but washing everything down with buckets of disinfectant is not – indeed, I do wonder if all the spray sanitiser that is used in great abundance isn’t itself causing a lot of respiratory problems. However, I digress.

I wrote to the Museum asking for the science behind their decision to close those galleries where the exhibits are touched a lot. Now, the Museum, according to its e-mail address, is an academic institution so I expected a proper academic answer. Instead, all I got was that it is following Government Guidelines. How pathetic is that!

JUDITH GILLESPIE

Edinburgh