First steps on road to freedom... and a stronger society
AVITAL milestone is reached this morning on the road back to normality.After months of eerie lockdown silence, schools across the land will echo to the welcome sound of returning pupils.
In the words of the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, it is “a joyous moment”, one that is enthusiastically supported by over 90 per cent of parents.
The significance of this uplifting step is all the more powerful because it is accompanied by the continuing phenomenal success of the vaccination programme, which has transformed the fight against the virus.
By last weekend, almost 22 million people had received their first jab, and more than a million their second. This week, far ahead of the original schedule, everyone aged 56-59 is to be offered the vaccine. Already the impact of this epic achievement can be seen in the dramatic falls in infections, hospital admissions, and Covid fatalities over recent weeks.
On so many fronts, the out- look is now more positive.After early teething problems, the much criticised track-and-trace system is working efficiently.
Over the last week, no fewer than 4.8 million Covid tests were carried out, 993,000 of them on Thursday alone.
THE effectiveness of this system is crucial for the return of education, where pupils will be subjected to regular tests. Indeed, 57 million test kits have been sent to schools – the largest UK mass testing effort ever held.
In the same mood of optimism, large parts of the economy are gearing up to re-open in April. The great British pub will be back in operation in little more than a month, as outdoor drinking is permitted, while travel companies have seen a booking frenzy. Once the restrictions are lifted in full, there will be an atmosphere of exuberant liberation.
All this good news comes almost exactly a year since the Covid outbreak truly took hold in Britain. It was on 5 March 2020 that the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty revealed the first coronavirus death here, that of a woman in her 70s at a Berkshire hospital.
Before then, there had been little sense of foreboding about the devastation that was about to unfold, even when the initial reports of a deadly new virus started to emerge from China. I interviewed a distinguished epidemiologist in February 2020 who said the disease should give rise to little concern.
It was a mood of complacency that was reflected in the Government, which was slow to take action. International travel was unhindered, mass gatherings allowed. But all that changed as the number of cases and deaths mounted with alarming speed. On 23 March, in an unforgettable broadcast to the nation, the Prime Minister announced a full lockdown – unprecedented in British history.
Since then it has been a grim saga. More than 124,000 people in Britain have died with Covid, almost double the number of British civilians killed during the Second World War. It is estimated at least three million families have been bereaved.
The economy has been paralysed, millions have suffered hardship, insecurity and job loss.
Yet, throughout this ordeal, there have been sources of inspiration, such as the dedication of medical professionals and key workers. The NHS did not buckle under the unique strain, nor did the resilience of the British people crack.
New heroes emerged, such as fundraiser Captain SirTom Moore and the Oxford vaccine team led by Professor Sarah Gilbert.
Disasters can often be catalysts for progress. The cholera epidemic of the 1850s led to the creation of the unrivalled London sewer system, just as the Great Smog of 1952 led to anti-pollution controls.
In the late 1980s a series of calamities such as Hillsborough, the King’s Cross Fire and the sinking of the Zeebrugge ferry, resulted in massive improvements in public safety.
NOW the vaccine programme, driven by the pioneering task force headed by venture capitalist Kate Bingham, demonstrates how to achieve results by combining targeted Government support with scientific research and private sector ambition.
The same spirit of innovation and state backing can fuel the revival of the post-Covid economy, based on clean technology and renewable energy.
Thanks to Brexit, we will have a competitive advantage, as in our vaccine programme’s dynamism, a stark contrast to the EU’s bureaucratic sclerosis.
There are a host of other lessons, such as the need to reduce obesity, reform our care homes, cherish nature and promote flexible working. Even from the worst of times, we could become a stronger society.
‘Over the last week, 4.8 million Covid tests were carried out’