In the UK, Labour are calling for a two to three-week circuit breaker lockdown to control the coronavirus, in response to SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) advice. This is a change in tone from their previous but cautious support for government policy, as reported by Metro https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/13/labour-calls-for-a-circuit-breaker-lockdown-13415237/.
Their proposal is to coincide this with the school half term is so that schools do not need to close, but to shut all bars, restaurants, pubs and nonessential offices for the period of the lockdown. The aim would be to create a breather, to push the virus back by about a month, and to give a chance for better systems to come into place, such as test and trace being handed to local authorities.
However this suggestion by Labour flies in the face of recent advice issued by the World Health Organisation. David Nabarro, WHO envoy, announced this week that restrictive measures should be a last resort, adding ‘we do not advocate lockdown is as the primary means to control the virus’. He discussed that lockdowns cause ‘significant harm’, stressing that they have ‘just one consequence that you must never, ever belittle, and that is making poor people an awful lot poorer’.
Donald Trump has recognised the World Health Organisation’s announcement by highlighting how they are in agreement with his strategy for managing the coronavirus. He tweeted in response to the WHO announcement that Democratic senators should open up states, and that New York should be opened up. Discussing this further at a rally in Florida on Monday, he stressed the other consequences of lockdown including higher suicide rates, drug rates, alcoholism and other problems all increasing when there are draconian lockdowns. Further support for his stance comes from Sarah Huckabee Saunders, former White House press secretary, who tweeted that the annual death rate is on track to be less this year than in either 2018 and 2019 and added ‘I am sure that’s the message we’re all getting from the media’.
It is essential to remember that lockdowns are draconian, they cause significant isolation, loneliness as well as economic damage. Businesses such as the hospitality industry and tourism, amongst others, are hurt badly during lockdowns. Many poorer people are in jobs that they were there not able to work from home, so any lockdown really hurts them. It therefore beggars belief that the Labour Party in the UK, who are meant to be the party of the working class, would advocate such a step again, for any length of time. Just as Labour is suggesting in the UK, it is likely, given remarks Biden made in August, but he would continue to endorse lockdowns if he gets elected, in spite of the devastating consequences that they are having.
The evidence is growing evidence is pointing in the direction that the risk of from the virus is being taken out of proportion, and, as Trump says, the cure cannot be worse than the problem itself. As Sarah Huckabee Sanders pointed out, the death rate is not changing with the virus, so all the hype about cases of the virus rising is not being reflected in the death rate. So, why are politicians still pushing for lockdowns, when this is clearly a virus which is not as devastating as was first thought?
Much as the media will not admit this, the truth is that Trump is getting it right on the virus. Making subjecting people to more and more lockdowns is only going to further this misery, and create more problems than it solves. Labour, take note!
Photo: Microscopic view of Coronavirus, a pathogen that attacks the respiratory tract. Analysis and test, experimentation. Sars. 3d render
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