Reply To: Coronavirus research update

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The need for extra caution isn’t because this is a strain of virus that is deadly to everyone – it’s the fact it’s a new strain that nobody really knows much about, but is known to cause pneumonia which is potentially lethal for the elderly and other vulnerable people.

We’re not being asked to be careful for our own sakes; it’s for the sake of *everyone else*.

This approach is more easily understood across Europe – the idea of society and solidarity runs through countries like France, Germany and Italy in a way that has become alien to us in the UK. While those countries are prioritising the well-being of the weakest in society, our government is prioritising reducing the impact on economic activity.

Without getting all heavy and political, it’s as if we’ve lost sight of *why* we should be concerned about the virus; it’s not because *we* won’t be adversely affected too badly by it – it’s because *some* might otherwise be killed by it.

Businesses *could* be helped through a difficult period (through loans/grants) – and Richard “sue the NHS” Branson was first in line asking for part of a £7bn handout. Businesses can be helped recover by simply throwing money at them – not so the health of an elderly relative.

If everyone who says “actually it’s not much worse than a bit of a sniffle” was asked to nominate a family to perish as part of the cost of the ignorant “let’s all get it for herd immunity” strategy, I suspect they might see things differently. Not everyone has a sick/elderly/vulnerable family member, so not everyone will lose loved ones – that doesn’t mean it’s ok for others to, though.