DERRY JOURNAL Editorial: The COVID message is simple

There may be some degree of truth in this narrative.

Behavioural scientists have probably conducted studies to show that if your communications aren’t good people aren’t going to listen to you in whatever leadership capacity you are operating.

However, when it comes to the current health crisis is what we are all being asked to do not breathtakingly simple?

We are dealing with a highly contagious new virus that is extremely dangerous for certain vulnerable cohorts within the local population. It is spread via aersols emitted by people when they breath, talk, cough, sneeze or sing, and it can also be spread through contact with inanimate objects that an infected person may have touched or breathed on. Ultimately the virus circulates by way of normal social human contact when a number of very simple hygiene guidelines are not adhered to.

From almost day one of the outbreak locally the message from the public health doctors, epidemiologists, virologists and indeed governments has been pretty much the same.

Dr. Michael McBride summed it up last Thursday when he appealed to people to act to stem the spread of the illness, particularly in Derry and Strabane.

“We all need to act now. We all need to reduce our number of social contacts. We need to wash our hands, watch our distance, wear a face covering. We don’t get second chances at this,” he said.

That’s not difficult to understand. There’s nothing confusing about it and it’s very easy advice to follow. Do people really need to be infantilised by the government and walked through this over and over again? The message is clear and anyone not listening to it at this stage is neglecting their civic responsibilities.