This. 1000%. The Government (ministers) are the decision makers. Yes, they have been generally doing what public health officials have advised, but they are the ones accountable for what is done and not done.

1/ https://twitter.com/philippelagasse/status/1250405963263291394">https://twitter.com/philippel...

The role of ministers includes looking at issues beyond the expertise of any one advisor and to consider all the ramifications of doing or not doing something. The role of ministers includes sometimes choosing to not follow what an advisor has recommended.

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Things like closing borders or schools and businesses are decisions that can only ever be made by the Government.

Maybe non-health circumstances resulted in delaying making a decision recommended. Or maybe the Government decided to act even before health experts advised it.

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Regardless (and we will likely never know all the advice the Government had at any point in time), the ministers, not the public health officials, were the ones making the decisions and are the ones accountable for them.

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Let us give due credit to the Government for the good actions it has taken so far. And let us make sure that the Government does not try to duck responsibility for any criticisms regarding its response.

The kudos and the blame all rest with it.

5/5