Shropshire Star comment: No surprise to see lock down extended

Just look at the continuing appalling death toll. A few weeks ago, if you had said that more than 700 people in Britain would be dying a day, every day, you would have caused shock and alarm.

During this crisis the words "the new normal" have been much used, and the current tragic death rate has become the new normal.

The logic behind the lockdown has been clear. We want to create conditions in which we can return to the old normal when hundreds of people were not dying each day through coronavirus. And as there is currently no direct way of fighting the disease, as there is no vaccine, the nation is in defensive mode.

People have to protect themselves, and protect others. That's the rationale behind the Stay At Home message.

Of course people are keen to get back to some kind of normality, but the reality is that for all of the more positive trends that have been picked out in the figures in recent days, there is still a major risk that easing restrictions too quickly could lead to a second surge of the disease.

The government has talked about making the right decisions at the right time. Getting the timing wrong on the lockdown could have exactly the opposite effect to that intended, and lead to a prolonging of the Covid-19 agony, and with it leading to many more deaths than there might otherwise have been.

While we may see restrictions eased some time in the next few weeks, it is likely that we will be waiting a very long time before life returns to anything resembling the way it was before coronavirus.

There is another scenario in which a level of anticipation builds up that the lockdown is about to be eased, with the result that an impatient public jumps the gun. That's one reason why the government has been keen to stick to the core message, and not talk up any timetable for lifting the restrictions.

Levels of compliance so far have been impressive. Britons have understood the importance. This extension will see things get yet tougher.

Everybody wants it to be over. But we still have a battle to win first.