Boris Johnson must stop treating us like children over lockdown: Andrew Vine

By refusing to give any indication of how and when the country can start returning to work, the Prime Minister is effectively refusing to engage in an adult conversation with us all.

His statement in Downing Street was a golden opportunity missed to outline even in broad terms an exit strategy from the lockdown crippling the economy, whilst there is still the chance of saving jobs. The flat refusal of Mr Johnson and his Cabinet to discuss what comes next or answer questions about a strategy for getting back to whatever version of normal is going to be possible is making a bad situation worse than it needs to be, by deepening the uncertainty over when businesses might be able to reopen.

The mantra of stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives doesn’t need to be endlessly repeated by every minister wheeled out to do the daily briefing. We know. We get it. We’re adults who see the rising numbers of coronavirus victims and don’t need to be told how serious matters are. We all know something else, too – that Mr Johnson faces a terrible moral dilemma in deciding when to lift or ease the lockdown.

Bluntly, he must weigh the possible loss of lives against people’s need to make a living.

When Britain goes back to work, which it must if countless families are not to be left destitute, there is a risk of more deaths and illness, especially amongst older people or those with underlying health problems.

Yet the Government persists in ignoring the sophistication of British people’s understanding of the bind that we are all in.

It really hasn’t helped over the past couple of weeks for Mr Johnson’s 
stand-in, Dominic Raab to insist that discussing an exit strategy will distract the public from the core messages 
 about social distancing and limiting movement.

That is both patronising and insulting, amounting to telling people they cannot be trusted to behave responsibly without being nannied like children who need a safety message constantly drilled into them.

Every government in Europe is discussing its exit strategy, so that their citizens stay informed about what is likely to lie ahead and the appalling nature of the balance to be struck between a manageable level of illness and people being able to earn a living.

So is the United States, though it is to the governors of individual states that the people must look for leadership, as Donald Trump’s public pronouncements grow progressively more deranged, such as his musings last week on injections of disinfectant as a treatment for the virus.

Though it sticks in the throat to praise the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, whose mission in life is to break up the United Kingdom, she was right to outline the path out of lockdown for her country. So was the Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford.

They are treating the people of Scotland and Wales as responsible adults, and Mr Johnson must do likewise for everyone in Britain.

It isn’t only a matter of giving the businesses upon which millions rely for their wages some sense of how they can plan for the future, though that is vitally important. It is also about uniting Britain for the challenges still to come. So far, the public has gone along with everything asked of it, putting lives on hold for the greater good.

But people know that the lockdown cannot continue indefinitely or the economy will be wrecked, and unless the Government gives them confidence that there is a plan for getting us all out of this predicament, however gradually that will need to be, mass support may start to crumble. There are signs of that happening already. The past few days have seen increased traffic on the roads and the reopening of some businesses, as people have taken their own decision that it is safe for them to return to work and some semblance of normality.

More are bound to follow as they make a choice for themselves – and their families – in the absence of a lead from the Government, which inevitably raises speculation about whether any plan actually exists.

The emotional well-being of the nation also demands a way out. Agencies and charities dealing with mental health issues have warned of the toll the lockdown is taking on the vulnerable, and there are likely to be many who face real difficulties ahead. Unity matters in managing Britain’s recovery, and the Government can only secure the continuing support of the people by addressing them like grown-ups and setting out the strategy for bringing the country out of lockdown. Yes, we all know it’s going to be difficult. But facing up to difficulties is what adults do, and Mr Johnson must treat us as such.

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