This opinion column is written by Marilyn Stowe. Marilyn built the largest family law firm in the UK, which she ran from Harrogate. She sold her firm in 2017 to private equity left the law and is now a writer and speaker.

‘Now isn’t the time to ditch mask wearing’ solemnly intoned Christine McAnea, this week. She is General Secretary of Unison, the UK’s largest Union, which provides public services in the NHS. Unison is clearly unhappy with the lifting next week of emergency legal requirements imposed on the population during the pandemic.

She slammed the Prime Minister for ‘side stepping the responsibility that comes with Government’ and added ‘Talk of personal responsibility could see NHS and care staff put in impossible, potentially abusive, situations. They’ll be the ones left to ensure people continue to mask up.’

Are you for or against mask wearing after next week? I loathe them, and blame the damn things for a nasty chest infection I suffered recently, after attending a four hour meeting in a stuffy set of offices, all the time wearing a mask. I developed a cough, took a couple of covid tests both of which were negative, but interestingly when I went to my (reopened) hair dresser, several of the customers had the same non Covid cough, all of them blaming their masks. Whether breathing in and out, your own CO2 for four hours is the cause or not, I find it hard to believe that a non medical mask, a piece of paper or bit of cloth is going to protect someone else from me or me from them of an easily spread viral respiratory disease. Just over a year ago world science said it wouldn’t and there is still no consensus as to its overall efficacy.  I’m pleased though the decision is now up to me, and I will wear the mask as required even though I loathe it and regard it largely as a placebo for others.

Unlike vaccines. They’re in a demonstrable world class success league, as numbers of deaths have dropped globally post vaccination. I've nevertheless got friends who refuse to have it and as it's their choice and their life, presumably they feel lucky. I do believe in their freedom to choose, but always balanced against the right to impose restrictions in the interests of the general public on the non vaccinated. Thus various countries are refusing to admit non vaccinated travellers and, in my view, they are entitled to do so in the interests of their own citizens.

This week in Parliament, MPs also voted to mandate that from October it will be a legal requirement for all staff in CQC registered care homes to be double vaccinated. One of the worst aspects of the pandemic has been its impact on residents in care homes, sitting ducks, thousands dying alone in an unstoppable rampage unable to say goodbye to their own families. It seems a must, that our loved ones are protected to the hilt as this pandemic is far from over, as even double vaccinated, there is no guarantee of immunity from the disease. Care homes must do their best. So staff must now choose to be vaccinated or reassigned elsewhere. If they do not wish to be vaccinated and I understand their right to choose, they must not impose a risk in care homes.

Harrogate district’s three conservative MP’s voted in favour of the mandatory requirement,  but they were slammed again by Unison, who you might think would be overjoyed with the decision given their criticism of the government over masks. Not a bit of it. They tweeted after the vote:

‘ Concerning that conservative MPs in our area voted to allow the state to mandate vaccination.

“We encourage all our members to get vaccinated, but making it law is not the way a liberal democracy should operate’

That’s politics for you.

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