We should uncouple, unfollow and evict from the pub anyone who refuses to get vaccinated

(Daniel Hambury/@stellapicsltd)

I got my vaccine at the weekend and on Monday I went for a breakfast meeting indoors, like it was 2019. Both got me thinking about our duty of care to our communities.

I am always shocked when I meet people with zero medical education but a lot to say about vaccines and how dangerous they are. Facebook is full of groups of anti-vaxxers who are only alive today because the viruses that previously would have killed us are now wiped out or under control, often through vaccines.

When the issue of vaccinations centred on MMR or HPV, I had the patience to point out the problems in anti-vaxxers’ thinking. But now, after a year in lockdown and with millions across the world having died, I have zero tolerance for the stupidity of those who refuse to get the Covid vaccine.

Countries such as America have been offering people rewards to get vaccinated, but I am more of a stick than a carrot kind of girl. My solution? We should uncouple, unfollow and evict those who refuse to get vaccinated from the Big Brother house that is the pub.

I know this might sound radical but to live in a free and safe world, we have to give up some of our personal freedoms for the protection of others sometimes.

Countries such as Israel have introduced apps showing your vaccination status that can be scanned at the point of entry at pubs, restaurants and other indoor spaces. I have an Israeli friend who has just come back from there and he tells me life is back to normal. We could, and should, do the same. Many of us have spent months at home alone, unable to see our families. We have lost moments and people we will never get back. We should not jeopardise it all now.

I know personally it is going to take me some time to overcome the anxiety I have developed during lockdown, and for months to come I will be worried about my family in Somaliland, who do not have access to the healthcare we do here. Having some peace of mind that we are all working together to keep each other safe and hopefully away from another lockdown does not seem too much to ask for.

* It appears casual sex and the old school hook-up are now legal for the first time this year as part of the Government’s latest lifting of lockdown measures. But after a year of washing our hands every time we get up, I am not sure who these brave “casual” people are.

I, for one, am happy to keep the two metre distance for good. I’m sure I’m not alone and I wouldn’t be surprised if the era of the hook-up won’t be back for a while, if at all. My friends and I have long exchanged horror stories of the people we meet on dating apps — these are the same people who will be out on the town now lockdown is over. Maybe I am showing my age, but the idea of Ed from Hinge being better on a night out then he was on the app is highly unlikely.

* Apparently the UK is facing a shortage of Cadbury 99 Flakes, which is hilarious considering it’s been anything but sunny lately. I will pop down to the ice cream van which is parked across the road from me every weekend and see how serious things are but if, as feared on Twitter, we need a contingency plan, I will risk cancellation and say I think Twirls are the same thing.

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