Andy Richardson: 'We cannot become complacent'
We’re all going on a summer holiday.
Actually, we’re not. The travel restrictions introduced in June to prevent the spread of coronavirus – lest we forget, after 20 million had already passed through our airports – have been quietly scrapped. Right move, wrong time. Now there are air bridges for a raft of countries so that we can fly from the end of this week.
We needn’t expect a rush for the airports, however. Surveys show that the number planning an overseas holiday is smaller than ever. Our economy will quickly have to adjust to this fact: even when it re-opens, it will take some time for confidence to return and people to behave as they did before Covid-19.
The road to recovery will not only be a long one for our beleaguered economy. The tens of thousands of people who have survived the disease also face a long return to health. Staff in our incredible NHS are telling remarkable tales of people who have faced down death and just about survived. Their rehabilitation will be lengthy, however, and new knowledge is being accrued about the long-term effects of the coronavirus. Delerium, muscle wastage, damage to lungs and similar.
The experiences of other advanced nations show that we cannot become complacent. From Texas to Melbourne and in nations around the world, new spikes are rapidly emerging.
The case of Melbourne is salutary and reminds us what may be in store. Having suppressed the virus and emerged from lockdown, the state of Victoria has seen a surge in numbers. Worryingly, they are not been driven by arrivals from overseas but instead by a local spread of people in the community. That’s also the case for vast swathes of the USA, where the impact of Covid-19 and the continuing Black Lives Matter protests are playing merry havoc with The Donald’s bid to get re-elected.
The message for the UK is clear. If we wish to avoid an ongoing pattern of lock-unlock-lock-unlock we must continue to adhere to the rules and act responsibly. Thankfully, there are some success stories, not least North Korea whose leader Kim Jong-Un has hailed it a shining success. It closed its borders and quarantined thousands from January – though its borders are pretty much always closed. There aren’t many times when it pays to be an isolationist dictatorship, but Covid-19 is one.
