FREEDOM Day and Test and Trace were the topics discussed by columnists and contributors in the newspapers.
The Daily Mail
Dan Wootton said the Prince of Wales and Camilla, in carrying out a public engagement without masks on Monday, had shown the UK that we must get back to normal.
“As leaders at Westminster blustered and attempted to score cheap political points, Charles and Camilla were delighted as they reunited with their public at close proximity for the first time in 16 months,” he said. “Perhaps it should be no surprise that the Royal Family would provide the most sensible example to the rest of the country at such a significant moment in our modern history.”
He said their action was a much needed beacon of common sense.
“It’s clear the Royal Family know all too well the importance of reclaiming normality before it’s too late. Now it’s time for the Prime Minister to do the same.”
The Daily Express
The newspaper’s leader column said the mood of Freedom Day was soured as a rising number of workers were “pinged” by Test and Trace, forcing them to isolate.
“Since it first reared its ugly head, Covid has always been a moving target,” it said. “The balance between freedom, however partial, and public health has been hugely difficult to strike.”
It said we must consider the protection of lives as a matter of the utmost urgency as we move forward.
“As the PM said yesterday, we all still have to make a “continuing sacrifice” and as if to emphasise that point, he added that vaccine passports will be needed to go to nightclubs from the autumn to incentivise inoculation. Masks or no masks, Covid is still with us, and it is imperative we keep that in mind.”
The Guardian
Jake Jones, an NHS paramedic said it has become clear to him that calls to Covid patients, both confirmed and suspected, are firmly back in the emergency ambulance repertoire.”The break was nice while it lasted,” he said. “I’ve struggled to get excited about “freedom day”. With infections rocketing, and hospital admissions and death rates rising, I’ve found myself feeling trepidation, fatigue and disbelief that we are here once again.”
He said he was most concerned about the number of vulnerable patients he meets who are still unvaccinated.
“In the coming weeks, as the country opens up and the virus moves about unfettered, the consequences of that decision are going to become very real.”
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