Long route ahead to a new normality

THE coronavirus will remain a serious risk to us all until a vaccine or an effective treatment is available.

So as Wales starts to consider moving out of the rigid but effective control measures that were first put in place, it is clear this is a process of managing, not eliminating, risk. Much as we might want it to return, “normal” life will not be possible for many months – possibly years.

Last Sunday saw the stage-managed and widely criticised statement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. People in England were no longer explicitly told to stay home; they were instead told to “stay alert”.

It was not just the vagueness of the statement that caused concern. It was also the fact it was not made explicitly clear during its delivery that this only applied to England.

In Wales, it remains the law that you stay home except for essential travel.

But the impact of the Prime Minister’s words will not be fully felt in Wales until this weekend. For many this will be tempting as it will be their first days off since his statement and the weather is forecast to be beautiful. We have already seen people driving hundreds of miles from England to visit our beaches and it remains to be seen if this is the first trickle before the flood.

This would be particularly frustrating for people in rural, coastal areas who are most likely to have visitors and have, in some areas, seen far fewer cases of Covid-19.

But the only thing people in Wales can do is stick to the advice given by the Welsh Government. This is especially demoralising when it is clear these constraints on our lifestyles and livelihoods are not going anywhere soon.

The Welsh Government yesterday published its path out of lockdown which included the ominous line: “Much as we might want it to, ‘normal’ life will not be possible for many months – possibly years.”

Many will be seeking more detail on what this means – the whens and hows of what will unfold to allow Wales to emerge safely from its enforced hibernation.

That all-important detail was not evident yesterday but the traffic light roadmap that was issued indicates a start along a route – however long – to a new normality.

Now it is right that we follow this path with caution, and demand that the messages on how we can live our lives continue with clarity. No-one wants a second spike or this to continue any longer than it has to.