Clouds over Perth

A short walk into the town with Mrs P to post a letter. Our nearer letterbox is an Edwardian one and won't take an A4 package.

I was surprised how close people passed in the street, compared to our walks on the hill. Objectively I know they have little choice much of the time, and the increase in risk is minor. Nevertheless, we both found it a little unsettling.

I try not to rant in my blips, but just occasionally ... I was horrified by England's bizarre slogan "Stay Alert", and the lack of precision in the PM's lifting of restrictions. I'm not against changes - they will have to come at some point, and it's a hard choice to make. In my imaginary world, the PM would be saying something like ... "We set up industry-specific working parties six weeks ago. Some of them have agreed safe practices now, and the businesses on this sector list can restart, subject to the agreed restrictions (see gov website). We'll be monitoring them with the newly expanded HSE as closely as we can."

Unfortunately, Boris's view of government is that it should do as little as possible, perhaps so that it cannot be blamed for outcomes. A small nudge (new slogan, red to green on the sign) is all that is needed. On key issues - urban public transport, large scale contact tracing teams, they have nothing to say.