A week into September, I wrote about the cognitive dissonance caused by the Scottish government’s washing its hands of any leadership role in the pandemic. I pointed out that branch meetings of the SNP (of which I am a member) were being held online, but that people were free to gather in clubs unmasked.
Yesterday, with 2262 new cases, and 20 new deaths, also came the news that the SNP’s national conference will take place online, not in person. This, a party spokesman said, is “to keep everyone safe” and “protect the NHS.”
So, the SNP knows it is dangerous to have in-person events, and has, rightly, decided not to have any. But everyone else can…
I have no anlysis to offer about this; the congnitive dissonance is too overwhelming. If there is any logic here, it is dream logic, and the result will be a nightmare.
In the weeks since the Scottish government decided to pretend the pandemic is no longer happening, daily infections have been in the thousands, and, accordingly, there have been deaths from the plague.
The TRNSMT music festival went ahead, and it lived up to its name, causing 551 infections. As the Gaelic poet Babs Nicgriogair remarked, “It does what it says on the tin.”
Today, a walk downtown from Maryhill baffled but did not surprise me. The outdoor seatings of restaurants and cafés along Great Western Road were packed; no masks, no social distancing, patrons and staff alike. Most people walking the pavement in groups behaved the same. There was a smattering of people wearing masks and dodging others to maintain a safe distance, but they were the minority.
The pedestrian corridor of Sauchiehall Street was reminiscent of holiday shopping: throngs of people walking close together, few wearing masks.
Most did not seem concerned about the record number of Covid infections from yesterday, or today’s announcement of almost 5000 new cases and 14 new deaths, or that Glasgow is now the number 8 European Covid hotspot.
I predict we will rise in the rankings soon, beating our Scottish rival Dumfries and Galloway, which is currently number 6.
Scotland recorded 5021 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours. And there are no plans to resume restrictions.
Nicola Sturgeon “urges” us to get vaccinated, wear face coverings, keep to hygiene measures, stay a safe distance away from others, stay outdoors if possible and ventilate spaces.
Throughout the pandemic, it has been common to see disposable masks littering the streets of Glasgow, but in the last few weeks it has become almost as common to find reusable masks in the same state.
