Why are some pretending to be baffled by Boris’s announcement?

So what did you think of the Prime Minister’s statement? I thought it was disappointingly over-cautious and suspect that ministers will come to rue the extra economic damage they are allowing by not sanctioning a bolder path out of lockdown. A ‘baby steps’ approach to getting back to normality over the next few months, contingent on what happens to the R value and reversible at any moment – and with the two-metre rule to be somewhat implausibly applied to public transport – is not what I was hoping to hear.

But even before the PM had finished talking, the verdict of Twitter was in. And there was widespread anger about a supposed lack of clarity on Boris Johnson’s part. Not only were some affecting to find the admittedly underwhelming phrase ‘Stay Alert’ baffling, but a school of questioning along the lines of ‘can a mobile hairdresser cut a window cleaner’s hair whilst he is halfway up a ladder?’ has also come to the fore.