SHOULD the UK delay coming out of lockdown on June 21st? Here qualified epidemiologist Stephen Malley and Sun reader Roy Hobbs argue their respective cases.
Malley: To me, rising incidences of the Indian variant suggest we should be cautious.
Hobbs: I went down the pub last night and I’m not dead. Science is bollocks.
Malley: There is still a lot we don’t know about Covid, for example, harm to younger people and long-term effects.
Hobbs: Look, if I want to go to DFS and buy a sofa that’s my fundamental human right. I’m not letting a bunch of liberal-fascist science eggheads stop me having my freedom. That’s what I call June 21st – Freedom Day. You lot are worse than the Germans.
Malley: I feel that Boris Johnson’s government will do whatever is politically expedient, without regard for the wider public health risks.
Hobbs: Whatever Boris does, I support him because he’s getting the foreigners out.
Malley: I’m just worried that too much social mingling will lead to a third wave of Covid.
Hobbs: I just want me good old mam round. She’s been locked up in total isolation apart from daily visits by all our family who’ve been ignoring every lockdown rule since they started.
Malley: When a new variant of Covid gets a foothold there’s a danger that cases will rise exponentially.
Hobbs: Expo what? Things go up, things go down. Fancy words won’t get you anywhere. A meteorite could smash into the Earth tomorrow and kill us all. Bet you haven’t done the sums for that.
Malley: This is a waste of my time.
Hobbs: Bugger off and don’t come back then. I’m going to do some proper scientific research by asking people on a 5G conspiracy Facebook page.