I suppose it is quite a momentous day today – 400 days in lockdown! 400 days since life was normal!
We had just returned from a trip to Brazil without a hint of a problem. We were vaguely aware of some virus in Wuhan. We were back a few weeks and all hell broke loose. The next thing we know is that we are in a strict lockdown (a real one) and all normality is out the window. Italy was going through a horror show but we really did not think we would be even worse!! We were! And are!!
We ended up one of the worst cases in the world. Why?
It isn’t as if we did not know one was coming – we did! We’d actually carried out a pandemic exercise in 2017 – the Cygnus exercise. It said we were unprepared.
Our government did not act.
It isn’t as if we did not know what was going on. We did! We had people in Wuhan sending back reports in Nov 2019.. We had the WHO monitoring us and advising us in Nov/Dec 2019. We had the warning in Italy in Jan/Feb 2020.
The government was complacent, ignored the warnings, did not prepare, then panisked.
By the time they reacted it was far too late. They had allowed the virus in and it was everywhere. Then the hospital cases zoomed and the deaths kicked in.
They panicked. First they went for herd immunity until the modelling came up with two million deaths and an NHS overwhelmed.
Then they locked down but far too late and still they did not shut the borders.
They told us they were throwing a protective ring around the care homes when in fact they instructed the NHS to dump all the elderly out of hospitals back into Care Homes without testing sending a wave of death through our most vulnerable.
They dithered and did everything far too late.
They gave out massive multimillion contracts to cronies in complete blind panic.
They opened up too quickly and still did not shut borders.
I do hope there is an inquest into all these mistakes, the incompetence and lying, the waste of money and cronyism. I do hope so!! I bet they whitewash it all just like they’ve done with Brexit.
So – after 400 days we are finally emerging. The new cases are right down, hospital cases are right down and deaths are double figures. It’s beginning to look rosy.
The one thing they got right was the vaccination programme.
India and Brazil are the two basket cases at the minute. I expect Africa to follow soon.
So today I walked up my hill and have been sorting and sending off photos for my Harper book. A frustrating business. My computer is clogged up with photos. Finding everything is a nightmare. I’m still hunting for three batches of photos that I know I have somewhere!! It’s taken me all day!!
I’ve had enough! I’m going to have a look at the latest sleaze to come out of our resident clown and his bunch of self-serving incompetents, – what with secret donor payments, lavish redecorations, secret phone calls, fixing it for the rich buddies, letting the bodies pile up by the thousand and a constant stream of lies – what next?
I’m going to have something to eat, a glass of wine and watch Line of Duty!!
See you tomorrow!!
Stay Safe!!