Oh, I forgot everyone listens to what the government say.
Here's a government behaviourial scientist explaining why government setting an example is important. He's a member of the behaviour science committee that feeds into SAGE, the "science" that the government claims to have been led by. Of course ultimately people must take responsibility for their own actions. But some have influence over the actions of others and they need to be very careful how they use that influence and the messages they send
"The hasty reopening of parliament, and the illness of Alok Sharma is yet another own goal. It violates multiple principles of how to develop good policy for Covid-19 and undermines efforts against the pandemic in many ways. Once again, public health seems to be a low priority.
First it encourages the reopening of workplaces before they are safe, without remodelling so as to allow social distancing. This put workforces at risk and violates Health and Safety legislation
Second, it perpetuates the message that commitment and loyalty means going to work even when you are unwell - at a time when we need to reconfigure norms such that, from the first sign of symptoms, people need to stay home and get tested.
Third, unless ALL contacts are revealed and ALL contacts isolate it will undermine the ability of government to ask the rest of us to do this. And compliance levels are critical to the effectiveness of TTI - our central tool against the infection going forward.
Fourth, it discriminates against those who are disabled and those who are vulnerable, thus dividing the community and excluding these groups from society - once again undermining the key message and the key goal, that 'we are all in this together'
So as with Cummings, instead of our politicians being a model of what we should do, they become a model of what we shouldn't do, and instead of Government supporting the efforts against Covid-19 we are left having to act sensibly ourselves despite government."
https://twitter.com/ReicherStephen/status/1268564136906145792