End of lockdown can’t be rushed
It is now some six weeks since the lockdown was announced, and it has been encouraging and remarkable to see just how well it has been supported.
Opinion polls show that the UK public are in favour of keeping current provisions in place until there is clear evidence that the virus is beaten and there would be no risk of further spikes of infection.
I think there’s the view that we have been through so much to beat this pandemic that it would be worth it to see it through to the end.
The efforts and sacrifices that everybody has made may just be starting to pay off.
Where deaths from the virus remain high, there is evidence that numbers in intensive care are dropping off and rates of infection are levelling off and even declining.
If this continues, we will be turning our attention to how we get out of the lockdown and return to life to normal.
This will have to be done delicately with due attention to infection rates.
It is likely that any return to ‘normality’will therefore be phased, cautious and constantly under review.
It would be disastrous if we made all these sacrifices to come out of lockdown only to face a new upturn of cases and more deaths.
That is why government will continue to take advice from our leading scientists and health professionals and make any judgement based on the best evidence available.
But it would also be right for the nations of the UK to make their own assessment of the situation and make these decisions in the best interests of the people we represent.
The idea that everything must be done uniformly across the UK should only be done if it works for everyone.
We will also have to consider what type of normality we will return to.
The economy has taken a real hit and there are fears that we will be plunged into an immediate recession with many jobs lost and economic activity much curtailed.
Where government has made every effort to protect jobs and businesses, it is likely that there will be a significant hit for many sectors and support will have to be offered to ensure that businesses have a viable future.
There will also be questions about what we have learned as a society and whether there will be a reassessment of commonly held assumptions and values.
I have a feeling that things are unlikely to just go back to normal and our sense of community and society will be reassessed.
Everything will be changed by this pandemic and there will be a new reality at the other end.
Let’s work to make sure it’s a better one.