‘We can’t underestimate the virus during winter’
LAST week marked the anniversary of my selection as Conservative candidate for Newcastle and offered me a chance to reflect on what has been an extraordinary year.
It was the honour of my life to be elected as the Member of Parliament last December, and I remain determined to help this Government deliver on its manifesto promises, not least in the levelling-up agenda for towns like Newcastle.
Our recent announcements on Town Deal funding and on free adult education for those without A-levels are huge steps in the right direction.
However, none of us could have imagined what 2020 would bring, and I want to pay tribute to everyone in Newcastle for their fortitude in recent months. People have really looked after each other.
I don’t just mean this in the literal sense, in caring for those who have had to shield or self-isolate, but more generally by adhering to the rules to protect each other.
I have been proud of the way the whole community has responded, from our NHS and care workers, to our teachers and headteachers. From our small business owners, to our volunteers and retail workers, everyone has worked extremely hard to get Newcastle through this difficult time.
Many constituents have contacted me about the Government’s response to this pandemic – some feeling restrictions are
too severe; others feeling that we have not clamped down hard enough. I do understand people’s concerns at both ends of the spectrum – there are no simple solutions here.
The Government has had to make difficult calculations about trade-offs in several areas: coronavirus versus the economy; coronavirus versus other measures of health, such as mental health; and coronavirus versus liberty. Each of those raises profound challenges and necessitates difficult decisions.
However, as we may face another six months, or more, of living with this disease, we can no longer structure society around the sole aim of limiting the daily number of coronavirus cases. That strategy cannot be correct, given the impact of a full lockdown.
It is fair to ask what the correct strategy is, not just in this country but around the world.
Are we all hanging on for a vaccine? That may be the simplest option, but we must have some idea of how long we must make these sacrifices to decide if they are worth their costs, in all senses.
The restrictions the Government has had to place on individual liberty are without doubt hugely unwelcome, and it is clear that tolerance for the restrictions we are living under is wearing thin amongst some sections of the population at large.
Moreover, I share the fears of business owners who have contacted me about the impact of any further restrictions,
particularly in those sectors that simply cannot trade at all at present, like the events industry and the night-time economy.
And I know that some of our most vulnerable – the elderly and those with underlying conditions – understandably feel that they would rather take some risk on, to see grandchildren and other loved ones in person. After all, life is for living.
Ultimately however, and despite my fervent wish that it was not so, it seems clear that those who would rather we were not taking these additional measures are succumbing to an unwise attack of optimism.
Coronavirus remains a very dangerous disease, and we must not underestimate it this winter.
But this winter must also be the last season in which we live like this. By the spring, we will need a new plan, informed by what we have learned.
With luck, there will soon be the successful vaccine we are all hoping for. I hope that the latest round of restrictions will serve their purpose, and save lives, allowing us to come through this winter and then move forward as a nation.