‘WAN wee drap!’ When either of her two daughters was going out on a date, my late mother-in-law would always tell them ‘jist keep mind: a’ it takes is wan wee drap.’ Cautionary advice not to bring the affront of an unanticipated pregnancy to her door, that in the Garnock Valley of those days would invariably mean early nuptials.

Her words have often come back to haunt my wife and me since Covid 19 reared its ugly head over two years ago, as we’ve watched the virus pop up in all sorts of situations and wreak havoc in the community.

As children, our generation was taught to cover our mouths and noses when we sneezed or coughed, always have a clean hanky when leaving home, and wash our hands before meals and after visiting the toilet.

Our extended families had carte blanche to scold us if we didn’t follow these rules that had been handed down over the years from ancestors who probably didn’t understand the science behind it: only that it helped curtail the spread of infectious disease.

So why now is there such a rush for the public to ‘get back to normal’ now we don’t need to wear masks? We’ll never know, of course, but if everybody had followed the basic rules of personal hygiene would Covid have proliferated so quickly?

It’s still very difficult to find out how many people actually die of Covid. The statistics cite those who died within 28 days of having a positive test but these could include people who would have died anyway whether they’d had a Covid test or not (sorry if that sounds callous).

The infection rates are also misleading. Anybody who isn’t paid if they don’t turn up for work must be tempted (if they’re not subject to a compulsory testing regime) to hide any symptoms they are experiencing from their employer. Similarly, anybody in the public sector who enjoys a more generous sick pay scheme can phone in sick saying they have the symptoms and need to isolate. It’s all a bit of a bourach.

We also need much more research into the effects that Covid has on different age groups in the community. People should understand that their grandchildren might be super-spreaders and take appropriate measures to minimise their personal risk. Some of the media broadcasters need to stop peddling comments such as, ‘I’ve had Covid and it’s no worse than an awful head cold’, when nearly 1500 people have died after a positive test over the last seven days, according to government figures.

So let’s have some common sense in all this. If people want to wear masks as a matter of personal choice, let them do so: it’s their business and nobody else’s. And keep our fingers crossed that Covid can be kept under control. It’s killed enough people already.

John F Crawford spent many years in the public health protection sector