It is ultimately a reflection of the "I'm alright, Jack" mentality which pervades the UK. The constant coronavirus messaging which has focused on your own risk of illness rather than the more important risk of passing it on to others is at fault. If everybody focused on not passing it to others, the risk to themselves as individuals would logically reduce. It doesn't work the other way.
Some people just can't think outside of themselves.
Spot on! I was having a discussion on Twitter last night with someone who was vaunting the Sweden model (the architect of which spent the early months of the pandemic slagging off the UK lockdown approach). The problem is that Sweden didn't NEED to lock down because everyone apparently politely followed all the suggested social distancing rules without being told twice.
I was accused of having "a low opinion of my countrymen and women" by suggesting that approach wouldn't have worked here - EXACTLY as you have said, FP.
IF all the students had returned to Uni (or not, perhaps??) and followed the measures which had been carefully calculated to restrict the spread, the number of infections in the UK would NOT be rising the way it has in the past 4 weeks.
Someone on the radio this morning reminded me that there WASN'T a (significant) spike after VE day, or even when the pubs reopened on 4th July, but it sure as hell has since universities went back. I'm not *blaming* the students for doing what young people do, but i'm afraid the facts are there for all to see - and the hospitality industry has had to be the fall-guy for it, because that is where a lot of the "inter-household" transmission occurs - not in a controlled environment like a lecture theatre.