Thread by @ianjamesyoung70

I have zero doubt that Richmond has mostly achieved this remarkable thing by ignoring everything that govt and health authorities say and recommend about Covid-19

Richmondites went into self-imposed lockdown in late JANUARY. When they emerged they wore masks, to an overwhelming degree. Done and done

Self-regulation like this requires rock-solid belief and consensus about the severity of covid & how it is suppressed. In places where that community compact does not exist, clear rules are needed

The confusion about the new rules is real. But it exists because some folk (good, normal people) fundamentally want to do the minimum to stay within the rules, because they are wired to give more weight to rule-following than their own assessment of risk

I saw a real-life example of this conflict at the dentist in Van last week. After my procedure I immediately asked my hygienist if I could put a mask back on. “Oh no,” he said. “No need”. My response, that I was asking permission to put it on, not leave it off, sparked confusion

Unclear, piecemeal, unenforced guidelines struggle to overcome the mindset that rules exist to be followed to the letter, not to their spirit. It’s why we have speed limits, not speed expectations

The spirit of regulations re covid - be distant, be masked - has been clear for a long time. But our failures make clear too many folk don’t care abt the spirit of regulations. Which makes it so critical that the letter of the regulations be simple and clear