New cases show virus has no boundaries

Age or status offer no protection but there are valid concerns over availability of testing for key workers

It’s difficult being Boris Johnson right now. He has an incredibly difficult task in managing an unprecedented health crisis which has now left a quarter of the world’s population under lockdown.

The slight problem is, during his daily briefings from Downing Street, where the tone should be sober and serious, he wears a smirk which makes you think he is about to flip into a Have I Got News For You routine.

This tone makes it difficult for the Prime Minister to strike the balance between giving the public accurate and qualified information without just scaring them. After all, shocking the public might just be what many people need to take this seriously.

The news that Prince Charles has tested positive on the same day that a 21-year-old woman, with no apparent underlying health conditions, died of coronavirus, is therefore a stark reminder that neither youth nor status can help us escape the clutches of Covid-19.

There’s no question that many young people have not taken this seriously, feeling invincible through a combination of age and innocence, while failing to take account of the potential for spreading the virus to others.

And the pictures of overcrowding on the London Tube show this reckless behaviour is not restricted to the young. Chloe Middleton’s death should act as a spur for many to take the simple reasonable steps of handwashing, social distancing and isolation.

Her mother, Diane Middleton, said: “To all the people out there that think it’s just a virus, please think again. Speaking from a personal experience, this so-called virus has taken the life of my 21-year-old daughter.”

Prince Charles’ positive test has also thrown up questions about who is eligible to be tested. His symptoms, fortunately, are mild. But strict guidelines are present to determine who can be tested, which has taken on particular importance because of the low level of testing across the UK compared with many other countries.

No one is suggesting that the heir to the throne should not be tested, but this becomes more difficult when frontline NHS and social care workers are still not being tested, and when there is an increasing sense of frustration about the lack of protective equipment. Simple tests could allow them to return to work and save lives, or confirm they should isolate. This is where the country’s priority should lie.