On the 9th of March 2020 The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP outlined the UK’s plan to tackle COVID19 which is to: Contain, Delay, Research and Mitigate.
How can you set out a plan to contain a virus that has already spread across a HUGE part of the globe? So much so it has resulted in Italy extending it’s emergency measures from regionally to nationwide – public gatherings have been banned, schools closed and people have been ordered to stay at home and should they wish to travel they need to seek permission to do so.
Should we stop trying to prevent or postpone the inevitable and let COVID19 spread, after all won’t it spread eventually anyway? Surely a sharp shock to the system is better than a constant dull ache? Think about having a plaster removed, would you prefer it to be ripped off quickly or slowly so that you feel every hair as it’s ripped out by the sticky stuff???
Apart from the tragic human cost, there is the financial implications which will still be present long after COVID19 has been and gone – just look at the FTSE100 Index and the NASDAQ 100 Index over the last few days.
With events being cancelled and people unable to travel to work or being told to self-isolate for 14 days, it is a matter of time before businesses start to suffer if they haven’t already. I would also imagine quite a number of businesses might fold due to COVID19 and I’m not sure there is much the government can do to prevent this.
It would be good to hear peoples thoughts on how best to proceed – either for or against the idea of letting COVID19 spread naturally.
The full speech can be read here.
Concerned about COVID10 the World Health Organization news can be found here.
