The government’s all-or-nothing approach is reckless, premature and will cost lives. Individual choices aren’t enough to safeguard public health
A universal experience has also proved a profoundly isolating one. Lockdown saved countless lives, but by sundering our bonds, it hit personal health, communities and the economy hard. As restrictions have relaxed, the gradual return to communal life has been welcome.
But it has only been made possible by a communal response to the pandemic with which this government remains fundamentally uncomfortable. It takes credit for the vaccination drive, but doesn’t want to carry the can for the aspects that people – notably Tory MPs – don’t like, such as restrictions. Its plan to axe most remaining controls on 19 July, laid out by Boris Johnson on Monday, relies on outsourcing responsibility – not even to employers or organisations, but primarily to individuals.
