Union Safety - Official Website of NW BT Union Health and Safety Coordinators Committee: Past Present And Future Covid

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Once again, an old friend of unionsafety and a retired Chemist by trade, questions the actions of our Government in dealing with the Covid pandemic.

In this, his latest article on Covid and the Government's response, he examines the current situation and questions the future path for the UK in dealing with the virus.

Having long retired but still known within the scientific community, he wishes to remain anonymous. Nevertheless, his words are no less valid for wishing to remain retired and, incognito, as it were:

It has been a while since my last contribution to the unionsafety website regarding the Covid pandemic, and the virus has been hanging around like a proverbial bad smell since Jan 2020. I use Jan 2020 as the date, because it was then that real awareness of the Wuhan sars virus came into the spotlight.

The recently departed (from office) health secretary Matt Hancock could not make his mind up as to whether the official date of it’s interference in our lives was to be the 16th or the 23rd march 2020. (Avid readers of my first articles will understand it’s significance)

So, here we are in July 2020 at the end of a heatwave! All well, I hope, but for those who contracted Covid, and sadly for those who lost their lives, my sympathies and condolences.

The world has changed and society within it has seen upheaval and change during this time, together with our awareness and toleration of each other.

In this article it is not my intention to repeat the detailed background or technical issues regarding the virus or pandemic, or the rights and wrongs (that will come later!) -and by know you should have a large enough resource of it all.

We are coming to the point when examination of a few, but nevertheless, when we need facts regarding the reasons behind the 20 month life change that we are experiencing.

Delay, wait, patience - these are words that usually comprise our daily lives, we work through them and arrive at a solution most of the time.

However, I would suggest that throughout the Covid period we have been mindful of the above, but new words have now arrived - indecision, incompetence, and ineptitude, to mention but a few.

And to go with it , we use crime and blame, and the unfortunate changes brought with it.

It has been a politics v science throughout, one where a duly elected was expected to skillfully use medical and scientific advice in order to manage and eradicate the virus (if possible).

Without too many direct references to individuals and organisations, it is apparent that incompetence, indecision, and wilful mismanagement occurred.

This in itself is alarming, but the overall attitude of government in not only defying or denying the best advice of experts is something that will live with us forever.

We were introduced to a world of lockdowns, and in the main we complied because we knew it would achieve a result, but when we read of the huge amounts of our taxpayer’s money being spent on such items as a ‘track and trace’ system, that was a failure from the start, and the PPE fiasco, whereby ‘fit for purpose’ went out of the window!

Moreover, the sums involved, £37 billion in the case of the ‘track and trace, and the questionable circumstances regarding the method of awarded contracts by a government supposedly with public interest at hearts shall not go unheeded.

There was a requirement and responsibility to provide such equipment and systems that would enable proper management of this pandemic - not the giving away of money like confetti to ‘friendly’ organisations - it is hoped that the real truth of these activities will be exposed in the eventual enquiry.

Various media reports have covered the awards referred to, and the complete maladministration of the whole enterprise.

The predominating concern is the whereabouts of that £37 billion in particular and it’s connection with a certain peeress in the house of lords well publicised of late, currently occupying the post of head of Public Health England! Hopefully there will be a fuller account of matters, and not a fleeting attempt to get at certain facts in recent select committees.

Transparency and veracity are the requirements, and at some stage all of the players in this tragi-comedy will have to appear to give an account in what may be considered by some as the biggest and most important since the post second world war trials!

It must be so, thousands of lives were lost and people fell ill, it eventually fell into millions worldwide -we need answers!

As to cause, and effect - we need to understand that this virus has now thrust it’s way into our lives for the foreseeable.

Vaccination and smart science is the answer, and the efficient issue of vaccines throughout the population is paramount if this virus is to be controlled.

So, what’s next?

At the time of writing we have observed ‘freedom day’- by now according to our erstwhile pm we were going to be free of all restrictions!

My main concern is, what sort of ‘freedom’ is it?-

The virus has not gone away and it seems unlikely that it will, so we should not relax our guard, the sensible practices that we employed until recently i.e. the wearing of masks, sensible distancing, cleanliness and the efficacy of vaccination must all play their part in keeping us save for the future.

In the light of the positive reported cases and deaths irrespective of numbers, then we should be vigilant and sensibly cautious.

It is a fact and an achievement that given, and despite in some cases, we are in a far better position than that of 20 months ago - caution is the watchword- so success to us all.