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The Independent newspaper said that an expert described the messages of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the occasion of Christmas as “ambiguous.”
The expert criticized the government’s updated Christmas directives as another example of “rapidly changing and ambiguous messages,” after Boris Johnson urged people on Wednesday to make Christmas “smaller” and “safer,” calling on the public to “think carefully” about their actions.
Dr. Rachel McCloy, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at the University of Reading, said that “clear messages” during the COVID-19 pandemic had a “vital role” in providing advice and support for people to make “good decisions.”
“In times when messages are mixed or constantly changing, public confidence is shaken and misinterpretation of the rules becomes more common. Today’s press conference is another example of vague and rapidly changing messages,” she added.
“The message that should have been sent when the first Christmas mitigation rules were announced – it should have been more in line with the medical advice of the experts at the time,” she explained. The government announced the easing of restrictions in conjunction with the holidays, before calling on citizens to take responsibility for their meetings and not to expose their loved ones to danger.
“If the government had ensured that the rules for meeting over Christmas were closely aligned with guidelines to reduce contagion, then people in the UK would have had better support in making safer decisions over the holiday period,” added Dr. McCloy.
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