Britain will prevail if we heed wise words forged by a lifetime of service

AS EVER the thoughts and needs of the nation have been perfectly encapsulated by Her Majesty the Queen in her message to the country yesterday.

She said: “At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation’s history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts on the common goal.”

As a woman who first saw service for her country as a volunteer mechanic in the Second World War, the Queen is of that great generation which knows the importance and value of the way the shared community spirit got the country through the most appalling of threats.

It is this spirit that was behind the positive news announced yesterday by our Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The efforts of scientists in this country and around the globe mean he is confident we can “turn the tide” on this virus within 12 weeks.That is a bold statement indeed considering that some experts have been warning we could be in lockdown for as long as 18 months.

But the rapid advance in the war against the invisible enemy of Covid-19 means that already the first British patient is being tested for a cure.

We also appear to be on the verge of a test to find out whether people have had the disease in the form of something as simple as a pregnancy test.

The first tests for a vaccine are taking place. This is remarkable given that the outbreak began in China earlier this year.

As has been noted by the chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, in years past it would take decades to have made such remarkable steps forward.

In Britain we are very fortunate to be on the cutting edge of medical advancements and breakthroughs and this will no doubt help those around the world too.

But while we celebrate this chink of light at the end of a dark tunnel we must remain vigilant and not become complacent.

So it is vitally important that people who need to self-isolate do so and that others do not gather in pubs and cafes or even public transport unless they really need to.

People need to work from home where they can and, of course, we all must keep washing our hands.

We also need to be considerate of others, keep our distance but help those in need and not empty the supermarket shelves unnecessarily.

With the remarkable scientific steps taking place, if we all do our part then we can win this war against Covid-19 and return to normality again.