Crucial steps on the road to our renewal

AMERICANS have long commemorated July 4 as their Independence Day. This year, the British will be celebrating too. And for similar reasons.

It’s the day we get our lives and fundamental freedoms back, as the country emerges from what Boris Johnson calls ‘the long hibernation’.

For the first time in more than three months you will be able to have a haircut and go to the pub – or church if that’s more to your taste.

You can eat in a restaurant again, hold a sizeable wedding or christening party, go to the pictures, and stay in a hotel. If you’re lucky enough to have a holiday home, you can visit it. If not, you can go camping.

The Government is also creating a system of ‘air bridges’, allowing travellers to and from ‘safe’ countries to avoid its ludicrous quarantine rules, giving a shot in the arm to the travel industry.

Most importantly, the social distancing limit has been reduced from two metres to one, which could mean the difference between survival and bankruptcy for thousands of businesses. It should also mean schools can fully reopen in September – despite the whining opposition of teaching unions. Although Covid is by no means vanquished, infection rates are so low that Britain can safely take cautious steps on the road back to normality. And not a moment too soon.

The Mail has been urging the Prime Minister to sound this wake-up call for some time. While 11million people have enjoyed an extended holiday on the State, our economy has been crumbling.

National debt is almost £2trillion, Britain would have run out of money in March if the Bank of England hadn’t stumped up £200billion in quantitative easing and the end of the furlough scheme in October is expected to herald a jobs apocalypse.

True, there are still health risks from coronavirus. But balanced against the spectre of three or four million unemployed and a generation of children blighted by missing even more schooling, they are relatively small.

As in other countries, there will probably be localised coronavirus outbreaks, needing targeted solutions. But we know what to expect now and can cope (despite the disappointing failure of the NHS tracing app).

At the beginning of this crisis, Mr Johnson’s primary objective was to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed. In that – aided by the sterling efforts of medical staff – he has been entirely successful.

There have been mistakes a plenty along the way, notably the shameful neglect of care homes. But even Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged yesterday that this is an unprecedented crisis in which there are no easy decisions and no quick solutions. There may be arguments over when lockdown should have started, but few would say it was wrong or that it wasn’t worth the trouble.

However, attention must now turn to economic recovery. No-one should be under any illusion about the mountain we have to climb but there are glimmers of hope.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index – a key measure of economic activity – yesterday showed a record monthly rise. Admittedly, it was from a low base, but analysts suggest that with the right conditions, we could return to growth by the end of the year.

This depends partly on ministers being creative over tax breaks for business, job retention schemes, apprenticeships and training. But the public must also play their part by working and spending again.

If we don’t get back to supporting our pubs, restaurants and high street stores, many will simply disappear. That would punch a gaping hole in our national culture which may never be filled.