A CORNISH COVER-UP - JUST DON'T MENTION THE VIRUS - WHAT HEALTH CRISIS?

 In May of this year, 2021, Cornwall had one of the lowest rates of Covid infection in the country, as it had done since Johnson and Cummings allowed the pandemic to strike with such deadly force in February and March of 2020. The infection rate in Cornwall on the 6 June 2021 was 2.8 per 100,000 people.

But the Man in No.10 had thought of a bright wheeze. 

"We are hosting the G7 summit this year - let's run the show in Cornwall, right down at the bottom where it will be more difficult for the demonstrators to get to and where it will be easier to control them. Yes, that Carbis Bay Hotel will be an ideal site - marvellous photo opportunities for Carrie and yours truly!"

And so it came to pass. 

Between the 11-13 June, the G7 weekend arrived with world leaders accompanied by around 20,000 officials flocking to Carbis Bay, near St Ives. 

Plus some 5,000 police officers from across the country. 

Even before the event, during the build-up, Cornwall's infection rate had risen to 81.7 per 100,00, compared to the UK average at the time of 77.4 per 100,00.

By the time the G7 was over and they had all gone home, the Covid rates of infection were now up 5,000 per cent compared to the weekend before the G7 show. Since all this infection was happening in our own backyard, so to speak, I do remember thinking 'Why on earth did you not do this show on Zoom?!?' The rate of infection in St Ives now stood at 905.7 per 100,000 people, compared to the UK average of 93.7 per 100,00. 

The leaders and their immediate circle 

The graphs showing this surge in infection had made their way into parts of the media. I published a blogpost about the awfulness of it all. But what is so remarkable is the evidence for the long reach of the No.10 nudge unit in shaping public awareness the way they determine.    

Cornwall's director of public health, Rachel Wigglesworth, categorically denied any link between the rise and the G7 summit. 

All six Cornish MPs joined in. They too denied there was any connection. All six are Tories.

On July 19 this year, 2021, the Man in No.10 declared Freedom Day and the ending of restrictions. Around a month later, the organisers of the annual Boardmasters Festival at Newquay in Cornwall decided to go ahead with their event. 

A taste of freedom - at a price: Boardmasters Festival - 2021 - Newquay, Cornwall 

On the 27 August, 5,000 cases of Covid are directly attributed to the Boardmasters Festival as infection rates in Cornwall surge again. Devon and Cornwall now account for eight of the top ten most infected areas in England. 

On the 29 August, the Government makes the south-west peninsula an Enhanced Response Area (ERA) for five weeks, encouraging local people (and tourists?!?) to wear face masks and socially distance in public places. I doubt whether very many people here in the south-west were aware of this policy announcement - and this putative government showed no more interest in following through on the initiative.

By September of this year, 2021, the South Western Ambulance Service is hit by New Year's Eve levels of demand every day. According to Kernow (Cornwall) NHS, all the triggers to declare a critical incident had been met. That critical incident was not declared until 21 October. By then, local NHS chiefs had introduced grants of up to £1,200 to families who take their relatives out of NHS hospital beds.

A source at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, who asked not to be named, said:

"A press release was prepared to alert the public to the fact we were declaring a critical incident. But that was shelved after pressure from senior NHS figures and government officials."

Andrew George, the former Lib Dem MP for St Ives, commented:

"No one close to the NHS would be surprised to learn that local officials face political pressure to avoid embarrassing the Government."

Published in the 'i' newspaper on Saturday 20 November 2021

 

Oh my God, can you get your head round all this? What are we to do? 

I will keep on whistleblowing - and hope you read, believe, and share and talk about this misgovernment.