Alex Kane: It’s no fun, but caution is still the right approach in dealing with Covid-19

Sammy’s position is fairly straightforward: ‘Given that there were five deaths related to, not caused by, Covid-19 in July and new infections remain low, it would be mad for the health minister to enforce the wearing of face masks in Northern Ireland.” What isn’t so clear is what he will do if the wearing of masks in shops and elsewhere is made mandatory; and made so with the approval of an Executive of which the DUP is a key member. Would he defy the regulation?

His former Westminster colleague, Emma Little-Pengelly, took issue with him in a tweet: ‘Do you know what is worse than wearing a mask? It is being in intensive care on a ventilator or not being able to breathe. If not for you, importantly keep our more vulnerable loved ones safe.’

I’m with Emma on this one. Partly because of my age and also because I have young children I have adopted a cautious approach all the way through the crisis. I’m reasonably fit and, as far as I know, I don’t have any underlying health problems: and I don’t want to suddenly discover any underlying problems as a consequence of contracting the virus.

Twenty-five years ago I got the flu. Not just a mild version, either, but the full-blown variety. I was in bed for almost three weeks, permanently knackered, unable to walk properly, incapable of concentrating and finding it enormously difficult to eat, let alone keep the food down. It was a horrible experience. I was lucky to avoid any breathing difficulties and took scant comfort from my doctor (I’m paraphrasing him): ‘There’s not much you can do but hang on in there and be thankful you’re not in your 60s.’

Well, I am in my 60s now and worried when I hear that the virus is rough on us oldies: ‘A lot worse than a bad flu,’ as one expert described it. I was listening to an interview with someone my own age who contracted it at the beginning of April and, four months later, is still a long way from restored to normal. She may never be restored. There is too much evidence of the damage it can do to those in the 60+ demographic (and Sammy is actually older than me) for me not to worry. I didn’t wait most of my life to have wonderful children and huge happiness, just to be crippled or killed by an accidental brush with someone carrying the virus and taking no precautions.

In the last few weeks I have listened to torrents of tosh from people who believe that wearing a mask, or being asked to observe social-distancing regulations, or queuing outside shops and so on is, somehow, an assault on their liberties. Maybe they need to ponder the words of the legal theorist Richard Posner in a lecture in 1992: “Libertarianism – or, as it is sometimes called, classical liberalism – the philosophy of John Stuart Mill On Liberty, can be summed up in seven words; ‘Your rights end where his nose begins.’ Government interference with adult consensual activities is unjustified unless it can be shown to be necessary for the protection of the liberty or property of other persons.”

Part of me doesn’t actually care that people regard the pandemic – and government response to it – as a massive overreaction. I don’t actually care if they want to gather on beaches, or in pubs (assuming the owners are happy enough to let them in), or in their own houses and back gardens. If they are prepared to take the risks (and they will be aware that there are risks) then let them do so with each other. The problem, of course, is that they want the best of both worlds.

They want to be able to mingle with those of us who are not prepared to take the risks they are taking. They want to be able to lead their lives as though the threat of contracting the virus is so small that it’s not worth taking precautions. They want to assume two things: either they won’t contract the virus or, if they do, it will be nothing more than a mild cold and inconvenience. And to hell with the rest of us if they happen to be the carrier. They’re like the idiots who ignore red flags on beaches, or decide to go into a mountainous region without the right gear, or even a map.

But here’s the thing. If something goes wrong they’ll still expect to be treated in exactly the same way as those of us who did exercise care and respect all the way through the crisis so far. And, believe me, exercising caution and self-restraint for months on end is no fun. Losing so many things I have taken for granted for years hasn’t been easy. Not being able to mix with friends and family has been particularly difficult. Telling 10-year-old Lilah that she can’t be up close and personal with her little school circle is also heart-wrenching.

Sammy Wilson is an MP, representing a constituency with an electorate of almost 65,000. How he behaves and what he says at times like this sends a particular signal to others. I’m not suggesting that Sammy is as cavalier or reckless as some public figures I’ve seen and heard lately, but I am suggesting that what he does will be reflected in the actions of others: “If it’s ok for him, then it’s ok for us.”

There are no absolutes and certainties with Covid-19. No-one, and I really do mean no-one, knows what will happen in the coming months. Hopefully, we’ll come through it reasonably well. Alternatively, this may be the calm before the catastrophe. Personally, I think caution remains a better option than assuming, as I heard someone say the other day, “it’s a big bloody fuss about nothing run by a bunch of wimps”.

Stay safe, well and sensible, everyone.

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