Express & Star comment: Lessons are being learned
One of the key criticisms levelled at the Government over its handling of Covid-19 is that lockdown was imposed too late. Hindsight has taught us that we may have saved thousands of lives if we had acted earlier.
Yet it’s too easy to forget how challenging it was to send us into lockdown. The vast majority of people imagined that we would be fine, that it would not happen to us, that we would somehow muddle through without the horrors we have seen in hospitals and care homes.
Sending us into lockdown was a brave step, and though it may be right to say we should have done it more quickly, it is wrong to suggest there was an appetite for doing so.
Now, the Government has learned from some of its mistakes. As cases rise in Spain, it is taking no chances. Like such successful nations as New Zealand, South Korea and Germany, it is acting swiftly and decisively. If people still wish to travel to Spain for a holiday, they can do so.
However, they must self-isolate for 14 days afterwards. While that causes mild inconvenience to some, it protects a greater number and is the right thing to do.
A Government scarred by accusations of too little, too late, has stepped up to the plate and done the right thing. There has been a discernible change of tone in recent days.
While earlier phases of lockdown were characterised by an inability to accept failings, encapsulated in the poor judgement of Dominic Cummings, the position has moved on. Boris Johnson has accepted that the Government could have done some things differently.
While there will inevitably be a blame game between politicians, the Government does appear to be listening more readily and acting decisively.
Some will lament the lack of stability in the travel market, as they feel the rug is pulled from beneath them. Unfortunately such concerns are the collateral damage as we continue to fight Covid-19, the biggest threat since World War II.
Holiday-makers must realise they are booking at their own risk.
