Emptying the Archives: Don’t panic, Mr Johnson

We’ve got plenty in the archive that didn’t see the light of day as it was spiked at the last minute. This post was written on 11 Sep 2020, and nearly 4 years on makes for a thought-provoking read.

On the advice of his medical team, the PM did not return to work in April. But when he did—at the end of the month—he warned that lockdown restrictions must remain to prevent a more damaging second wave. 

Ever since, beset by anxieties, doubts and fear while surrounded by his cautious platoon of advisors, the PM has made cautious, catastrophic errors.  

The latest roll of the dice with the rule of six may be the policy too far for the British public to take.

There is little doubt that the price of lockdown will be paid for generations. The harm caused to health, however, may be irreparable. 

Fifty per cent of people with worsening health conditions were too scared to seek advice; admissions for heart attacks halved: 40% more died than expected from treatable heart attacks during lockdown. In June, the NHS campaigned to get people to go to A&E for health emergencies due to a 50% drop in attendances. 

Do not blame the public for being scared; hospitals were turned into infection hotspots bec…