Independent criticises government’s broken promises on COVID restrictions

Today is 225th day of the ‘temporary’ coronavirus restrictions. The initial lockdown in March was said to last for three weeks. It ended up being three months, and several local lockdowns have followed since. The government promised Christmas as usual with a return to normality by the end of the year. Now, should they keep their promise, they’re saying the social distancing measures will be removed in October 2021. When shops reopened in June, there was no requirement for customers to wear masks. Now they’re compulsory and with no set date for their removal. As we have seen during the COVID-19 experience, it is true to say that nothing is more permanent than a temporary government programme. To those who believed these measures were ‘temporary’ I simply ask – why have they lasted so long?