Two years ago this week saw the first mention of the new coronavirus infection in the UK media. Now, the Office for National Statistics’ assessment of the death toll is currently 181,000 – one of the worst in Europe. In recent weeks, the daily death toll was stable at around a hundred a day, leading ministers to claim that the worst might be over. It was a convenient position given Boris Johnson’s problems, but this week has seen a very unwelcome surge in the number of COVID-related deaths, with 398 reported on 12 January alone.
Nevertheless, Johnson’s government is under pressure as never before and is pulling out all the stops to present this rosier picture of COVID, even trying to suggest that the UK is something of a success story. This flies in the face of reality, especially in relation to the underlying ideological stance of Johnson’s government that has done so much damage to the country.
The government’s performance in a single month – January 2020, culminating in an extraordinary speech from Johnson on 3 February – set the scene for all that has followed since. Though it is only two years ago, it is easily forgotten, which is why it is salutary to look back on that period now for what it tells us about this government’s view and its response to COVID right from the beginning.
