Why ‘face mask’ edict is a ruse to cover up Boris Johnson’s failings – Jayne Dowle

Not until a week tomorrow, you understand. What? If wearing a face mask is really so urgent that it must become mandatory, why the delay?

In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon managed to introduce the measure with no prevarication. This Government’s volte-face seems completely illogical, but then again so does much of its approach to the entire pandemic.

Why tell non-essential shops that they can open up, as long as they invest their dwindling resources on social distancing measures, and then, just a few weeks later, announce that shoppers will only be allowed in if they cover their faces?

If I was a retailer I would be in despair. No responsible business wants their store to become the source of a fresh outbreak of coronavirus. However, surely the mandatory wearing of masks will put people off shopping and contributing to the economy, just as they were daring to venture out once more. It’s the last thing our beleaguered high street needs.

With respect to all the scientists and medical experts doing their professional best, I don’t buy this ‘follow the science’ line either. It seems that the Prime Minister is at liberty to pick and choose and follow which ever ‘science’ he feels like, given the prevailing opinion poll on a particular day.

This is why, when I heard the mask news, I felt angry, sad, frustrated and somehow defeated. Don’t worry. I’m not one of those barmy American ‘anti-maskers’, but until now, like more than 60 per cent of the population, I’ve not worn a mask.

According to YouGov, in the UK, just 36 per cent of us currently wear them (mostly older and more vulnerable people), compared to 86 per cent of Spaniards, 83 per cent of Italians and 73 per cent of Americans.

Why? I’ve thought long and hard about this. We all have our own reasons, but personally, I think it’s a general reluctance towards medicalisation of any kind. When my teenage son, who works in a supermarket, donned his face mask for the first time, he reminded me for all the world of the obstetrician who brought him into the world.

So far, I’ve trusted to common sense and kept my distance from others, treating each shopping trip as a targeted mission. And I’ll be honest; I felt that my decision not to wear a mask kept a small amount of freedom in my heart. I hate that personal choice has become enforced public duty. It makes me fear for liberty and democracy.

The only exception was to take my teenage daughter to a medical appointment last week. On this occasion we were sent clear instructions in advance. I willingly followed the rules because I felt it was important to respect the NHS staff and the sterile medical setting.

The fact that the appointment was for school inoculations in a converted room at the leisure centre gave the whole experience a surreal edge. If this felt weird, I pondered, what will it be like if and when a vaccine is finally found?

Let me get this clear. I totally respect the right of any individual to wear a mask if it makes them feel safer and accords with their own attitude towards the spread of coronavirus. I also respect the right of anyone to question mandatory government policies based on questionable logic.

If I trusted the Prime Minister, I’d happily obey without question. I’m actually quite good at following sensible orders. You’ll not catch me breaking the speed limit on purpose or ignoring road safety measures because I totally accept that rules are there for good reason – to protect us all.

And this brings me to the big hole in Mr Johnson’s stance. Did he announce lockdown lifting too early? And is the forced wearing of masks the only way to try and combat continuing spikes of infection?

Still, if it really is a matter of life and death, why the wait? The official line, according to the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, is that the delay between edict and actuality is to allow time for shopkeepers to “prepare”.

As far as I can see, the only thing that retailers and their staff must prepare for is the threat of civil disobedience in the freezer aisle. Shopworkers’ unions have already raised fears about just how far their members will be expected to go in order to enforce the new rule.

My son says that he feels hugely uncomfortable adding ‘policeman’ to his job spec. He’s already got his hands full chasing shoplifters. And as for the actual police, they say that a) they can’t arrest people on private property and b) they’re already overwhelmed dealing with serious crimes.

Meanwhile, I’ve ordered two washable cotton masks just to be on the safe side. Red to match my lipstick.

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