The phrase is shocking: “Many families will lose their loved ones.” But the reaction is perhaps even more chilling: we will do nothing. Because this is the line chosen by the government of Boris Johnson: forward as if nothing had happened. Britain separates itself from the rest of Europe: while governments on the continent take increasingly drastic measures, London washes their hands. The fundamental advice against coronavirus is in fact to use soap and water; those who have symptoms are invited to stay home for a week, but otherwise, it’s business as usual. No closures, no emergencies: life in London continues to flow normally (and no one goes around with a mask).
Yet the tone used by Johnson in his speech from Downing Street yesterday was serious and solemn. He admitted that the country is facing the most serious health emergency in a generation and that the real number of infected people may have already reached ten thousand. But he insisted that taking “draconian” measures would not make much difference and could even be counterproductive.
