I have to say I was taken in by the BBC’s website headline this morning:

Covid-19: Few people with symptoms are self-isolating, study finds

The story is according to the Bristol Medical Journey, that less than one in five people have a coronavirus test if they have symptoms. And 48% of people don’t follow isolation rules when told to do so by Serco Track and Trace. To those who believed that everyone was following the rules – APRIL FOOL!

Admittedly, my feelings on what’s been happening in the real world are, or rather were, largely anecdotal until the BMJ reported today, I could have told you this last summer. I have heard stories about countless people who have been told to self-isolate by Serco and then not done so. And the reason they have declined to do so is because they would not be able to put bread on the table. You see, COVID-19 is a class-based virus. By and large, the middle classes have been able to either work from home or have been paid, by way of the government furlough scheme, to stay at home. Contrast this with the experience of what Boris Johnson probably thinks of as the lower orders, they have been told if they are told to isolate, they will not be paid and if they are sick they will either be paid buttons or nothing at all.

In many areas, life has not changed one iota since our assorted lockdowns commenced. Indeed, in my own area, many people have continued to go into each other’s houses as if nothing had changed. And if you are being totally honest, you will know exactly the same thing has happened in your area.

We have been bombarded by bollocks from Boris Johnson about the apparent heroism of the British people in adhering to the rules. Well, he could be onto something. I don’t know about you but I have not been to a pub this year so far, I have not been abroad since 2019, I have had one night away from my house in over a year, I don’t go to my local shopping mall. That means I’m a hero, too. But the only reason I can’t go to any of the places or do any of these things is because they are all closed. I am sufficiently concerned about dying from COVID, or avoiding killing others, that I do tend to follow the rules in very general terms. Most people – that’s literally most people – are not and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Happily, I have not needed to wrestle with the dilemma of deciding whether or not to isolate if the Serco App tells me to do so because in common with millions of others I have been told by my employer that if I am to self-isolate, I will not get paid. I’m pretty sure I would go without pay at the very least because I have a conscience about these things and because I wouldn’t starve but if you are looking for a reason people don’t comply, there’s one.

There are other factors at play here. Poor education, stupidity, agreeing with Piers Corbyn that COVID is a hoax are but some. The main one is that we are an unequal, divided country and that’s the way Boris Johnson and his cronies like it. The workers divided will always be defeated. And if they’re poor workers, they’re more likely to die, too.