Wartime spirit can help in Covid-19 fight

Covid-19 is the greatest challenge that this generation has ever known and hopefully ever will know. Deaths have soared past 30,000 in the UK in recent days and thousands more have contracted the illness in one of its many forms.

It has been responsible for anxiety, stress, confusion, anger, stupidity and selfishness.

But it has also brought out the best in people with the daily misery and heartache that coronavirus has served up being alleviated thanks to acts of love, kindness and caring and a renewed community spirit.

It is a battle that will continue to be fought for many months to come and one in which the success will depend on people sticking together through thick and thin.

And if ever there was a lesson from history about how to do exactly that, this weekend’s celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day could provide no better example.

The march of time means those remarkable men and women who put their lives on the line for this country in the Second World War are dwindling in number.

But for the many veterans who are still with us, their pride in playing a part in that heroic effort which ultimately secured our way of life is obvious.

And the bonds forged in the theatre of war into which they were pressed as young men and women remain as vivid and unshakeable as ever.

Their victory shaped this country into what it is today and for that they will have the eternal gratitude of its people.

The current coronavirus crisis is an entirely different prospect, but there are some parallels.

People are suffering and dying, there are constraints on our freedoms and there is a common enemy which must be defeated.

Time and again our armed forces have shown what can be achieved when we have a common purpose.

And as the country salutes our veterans and their lost comrades this weekend, we would all do well to keep the incredible spirit and resilience of that generation in mind.

We will need to draw on those same reserves as we face down coronavirus in the months ahead.

It will be a tough fight, but together we will prevail.