Doctors and police reacted to the government’s new “stay alert” slogan and Boris Johnson’s lockdown-easing measures with warnings of growing non-compliance and the “impossibility” of policing. The Police Federation, representing 120,000 rank-and-file officers, attacked a “week of mixed messages” from ministers, fuelled by media speculation, while medical experts said they increasingly expected to see a second rise in infections. New guidance is hurriedly being drawn up for officers around the country about the new rules set out by the prime minister, and what they should and should not police. John Apter, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “Police officers will continue to do their best, but their work must be based on crystal clear guidance, not loose rules that are left open to interpretation – because that will be grossly unfair on officers whose job is already challenging. If the message of what is expected of the public is not clear then it will make the job of policing this legislation almost impossible.”
Prof Dame Til Wykes, of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, said the new communication strategy would hinder progress against the coronavirus. She said: “The communication plan of ‘stay alert, control the virus and save lives’ – unlike the first step in the plan – is very confused. We need clear rules and messages that are concise, clear and accurate. This is just short. “A woolly message will hinder – not promote – the next phase of this lockdown. The previous message to ‘stay home’ was at least clear. What does ‘stay alert’ mean? It will just be confusing, be open to misinterpretation and likely to increase risky behaviour. That means taking risks that will affect everyone and increase infections.” Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at Southampton University, said: “For these revisions [to government strategy] to be successful, we need consistent communications from the government, and the new ‘stay alert’ messaging is ambiguous and lacks clarity.”
Prof Sir Simon Wessely, former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the problem with “stay alert” was that “it’s hard to be clear what that means, as opposed to ‘stay inside’”. Having seen photos and video showing a lack of physical distancing at VE Day street parties on Friday – including a conga line – and in parks over the weekend, intensive care doctors shared concerns on social media that more people would end up in hospital with coronavirus. Dr David Hepburn, an intensive care consultant in Wales, tweeted: “Just watched the conga lines/street parties on the news. The nation has lost its fucking mind. We’re strapping in for the second wave. I’m so, so tired, and so pissed off. We’ve had a few days of respite and I was starting to feel hopeful. Can’t believe I was so naive.” Dr Ami Jones, another intensive care specialist, tweeted a link to a table showing the UK with the highest death rate in the world from the disease. She said: “Showing our supremacy in the world stats as we irresponsibly flout lockdown to celebrate VE Day in the worst fashion. Glad I’ve had a couple of weeks away from ITU to recuperate as the next wave is going to make this horrific statistic even worse. Things are about to get busy.” Large numbers of people sunbathing and picnicking on Saturday in London Fields in Hackney, east London, led local police to tweet that they were “fighting a losing battle” with the public over their behaviour.
A senior police officer who survived a spell in intensive care with Covid-19 criticised the public’s attitude towards observing the lockdown. Ch Supt Phil Dolby, of West Midlands police, wrote on Twitter: “A month ago today, on a ventilator and in a coma, I started to breathe for myself. I am very disturbed by the increasingly blasé way [people] are treating the lockdown. With lack of answers around immunity, my family and I are going to remain shielding. I can’t go through that again.” One chief constable told the Guardian: “There is far less compliance following mixed government messaging. It will be difficult to police anything other than large groups if freedom of movement is increased. What does that mean to people? It will be ignored. 90% ish doing the right thing at present. That will reduce dramatically over the coming weeks.” Senior police sources believe significant parts of their role in enforcing the lockdown are effectively over, other than policing large groups. “Impossible,” said one senior source.