Be bold – it’s the only way out of this crisis
NO virus apart from smallpox has ever been entirely eradicated – but, as the Covid vaccine shows, they can be brought under control.
Initial indications are that immunisation has led to a decline in coronavirus deaths, which should pave the way for a relaxation of lockdown. In time, Covid will become another pathogen of the kind that humanity has learned to live with – and we have science to thank for that remarkable breakthrough.
We’re also fortunate that in the UK the Government was utterly dedicated to sourcing sufficient stocks of the vaccine. That means those aged between 16 and 64 with underlying health conditions should start to get their vaccine appointment letters from this week.
Yet just at the moment when we should be capitalising on the rapid progress of the vaccination drive, it appears that Scotland will be left behind as the rest of the UK begins lifting restrictions more rapidly.
North of the Border, the focus will be on suppressing the virus to the point of virtual elimination, while in England the emphasis will be on accepting a low number of Covid cases, while gradually unlocking the economy.
While it’s true that a headlong rush to remove all of the Covid constraints would be dangerous, the two-speed exit from lockdown that is now proposed is also reckless.
We’re on the cusp of economic calamity after a lengthy paralysis broken only by relatively brief periods of respite when ‘non-essential’ business were allowed to trade again. Put simply, lockdown is destroying livelihoods, laying waste to high streets, undermining mental health – and causing educational turmoil.
Some children in Scotland will return to schools today but, for the vast majority, totally inadequate remote study will be the norm for weeks to come.
Yet in England it’s hoped all pupils will go back to the classroom by March 8.
Nothing will change in Scotland until March 15 – optimistically – condemning pupils and parents to at least another three weeks of learning from home.
After nearly a year of sacrifice, and the early success of the inoculation programme, it is becoming harder to justify some of the more stringent impositions on our lives.
Once-vibrant town and city centres are desolate spaces; offices lie empty; businesses are going to the wall and the tourism industry is facing catastrophe, with ministers urging against holidays.
Yet our emergence from lockdown in Scotland is set to be frustratingly sluggish. The ‘elimination’ strategy last year was a failure – but in 2021 it remains the SNP Government’s central objective.
It’s a laudable aspiration, but cold hard reality – and indeed the recent past – suggest that it’s an illusory goal.
For the sake of this mirage, Scotland could be stuck in the slow lane while England races ahead.
Ministers refuse to rule out closing the Border despite police chiefs wisely refusing to entertain the prospect.
At a point when we should be pressing towards at least a partial restoration of our pre-virus lives, we are facing yet more crippling uncertainty about what lies ahead.
The First Minister’s road map for exiting lockdown, to be unveiled tomorrow, will not contain any exact dates for planned ‘easements’. But her insistence that data matters more than dates won’t wash with business owners who crave clarity as they make plans for themselves and their staff.
With the economy on life-support, a far bolder approach is needed if we’re to stand any chance of regaining some semblance of pre-Covid normality – and negotiating our escape from the hell of lockdown once and for all.