Lifting of lockdown could see tensions over interpretation of newer guidelines

Different attitudes to social distancing as lockdown is lifted further could spark tensions among people with perceptions some are being rude while others are “do-gooders”, researchers have said.

The public should try to avoid portraying people as morally good or bad in their adherence to measures as rules change in the coming weeks, psychologists at the University of Bath said.

They said packed beaches in the UK heatwave and the criticism such images drew from others were a sign of mixed messaging when it comes to the relaxation of the rules and different interpretations by different people.

As hospitality and tourism sectors reopen, ensuring compliance with the guidance will increasingly rely on informal, social policing between individuals, the researchers said.

In a paper published in the British Journal Of Social Psychology, they said the strict lockdown, which was backed up by new laws, meant most people stuck to the same rules in terms of isolation and distancing. But how people interpret more “ambiguous” public health messages could lead to increased tensions over the summer, they added.

New challenges ahead include the issue of blaming individuals for the impact of their behaviour on the pandemic, which researchers said could detract from a debate around whether guidelines are fit for purpose and how they affect infection rates.

Lead researcher Annayah Prosser said: “At the height of lockdown you didn’t need to decline an invitation to a social gathering, because it was technically against the law.

“Now, if you decline an invitation, you could be perceived as rude, or as a ‘do-gooder’.

“Simplifying behaviour as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ … could lead to increased tensions at a time when communities need to work together constructively.”