Areas to consider for first phase of restart
The people of Britain deserve huge credit for the extraordinary levels of compliance with the lockdown. A notable illustration of the cessation of human activity is the striking volume of bird song which would otherwise be drowned out by road and aviation noise. Footpaths in the South Downs National Park that are normally heavily trafficked have the first shoots of a grass covering and the market town high streets of Hurstpierpoint, Storrington, Pulborough and Petworth resemble film sets whose whole cast and crew have been given the day off.
All of which throws into sharp relief the day and night activity in our hospitals where shifts start, shifts finish and the battle for life – too often sadly lost – goes on relentlessly. The bare numbers conceal the scale of human tragedy. Nationally, we teeter at between 900 and 1,000 UK deaths a day. Each is someone’s parent, child or loved one.
It’s too early to call the peak and in order to do its vital work of saving lives the lockdown will have to continue for a number more weeks. It would be ironic if the moment of judgement fell on St
George’s Day – April 23 – slaying our own metaphorical dragon of the battle with this disease. However, as Ministers contemplate how the lockdown could end, we should avoid talking about this as if it is a singular or binary event. Anyone who has run a large complex organisation or machine knows that a restart needs to be phased to move steadily ‘through the gears’.
To kick off the restart debate, here are five areas to consider for the first phase – based on some of the real-world problems that my constituents are facing or will increasingly face over time:
■ Food and plant growers, food processing companies, associated wholesalers and retailers (including garden centres) and their supply chain as well as vet practices.
■ Second-line health facilities such as dentists, opticians, chiropodists and chiropracters.
■ Nurseries for children of pre-school age.
■ Waste and recycling handling including local authority-run facilities for householders.
■ The construction industry, builders’ merchants and all other forms of outdoor working as well as home hardware stores.
In some cases, these activities are already on the list of exemptions but may have closed before definitive guidance was given or been impacted by problems elsewhere in their supply chain.
Clearly – as has been pioneered successfully by the supermarkets – there will need to be strict social distancing guidelines and limits on the number of people present in any enclosed space at a particular time.