The Government’s new slogan for the next phase in the fight against coronavirus has drawn a lot of scorn ahead of the Prime Minister’s briefing today.
After the successful bluntness of the shutdown message of “stay at home, save lives, protect the NHS”, Britons are now set to be asked to “stay alert, control the virus, save lives”.
Top-selling Harry Potter author JK Rowling immediately hit out by saying: “Is Coronavirus sneaking around in a fake moustache and glasses? If we drop our guard, will it slip us a Micky Finn? What the hell is ‘stay alert’ supposed to mean?”
Andy Burnham, the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, tweeted that it “feels to me like a mistake to me to drop the clear” stay at home message.
The reaction on Twitter has been slightly more brutal. Here’s a compilation of the best:
Its not like Corona plays the fucking "Jaws" theme when its nearby.
— Dr Benjamin Janaway (@drjanaway) May 10, 2020
I made you a Government COVID Slogan generator pic.twitter.com/qfCDRrLfzu
— Olaf Falafel (@OFalafel) May 10, 2020
#StayAlert ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/0LtwIYkKEe
— The Agitator (@UKDemockery) May 9, 2020
STAY ALERT pic.twitter.com/HUqLKFEqaX
— Double Down News (@DoubleDownNews) May 10, 2020
Me doing “stay alert” pic.twitter.com/iWXLVZUqc3
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) May 10, 2020
Related: Devolved leaders reject Johnson’s ‘stay alert’ advice in favour of ‘stay at home’