Comment With...barry Speker

A great deal can change in only a month. From our attention being dominated by floods, Brexit negotiations, a bountiful budget, Democrat primaries, the Labour leadership and Meghan’s master plan, the world has been turned upside down. There is but one issue on our minds. There is some reassurance in the unity of purpose which combines our resolve to overcome the terrible threat of Covid-19. The obsession of exposure to never ending news coverage in the media is the hope of hearing some good news.

Is there an end in sight? How soon is it likely that a vaccine can be produced? Is there a “gamechanging” Coronavirus antibody test to identify who has been infected and then developed immunity?

The Prime Minister has been wise to be constantly flanked by Sir Patrick Vallance , Chief Scientific Adviser and Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer. We are urged to “trust the science” and avoid politicising what is a national and global catastrophe. The additional £350billion of government spending and aid guarantees will inevitably be increased by money to replace incomes of the many businesses at risk and the thousands of jobs threatened or lost.

Decisions to cancel sporting, cultural and other high profile events, advise against meeting in bars and restaurants and the closing of leisure facilities were followed by the closure of schools and universities and cancellation of exams. All of this has produced a scenario of increasing national shutdown, essential to try to stop the spread of the virus and reduce what we are told will be many thousands of deaths.

The inevitable panic buying in supermarkets is an unedifying spectacle. Against this is an emerging generosity of spirit showing communities and neighbourhoods caring for others; offering practical help for those infected or at risk and being in isolation or exclusion. This is the largest challenge in the lifetime of (nearly) all of us. How will society have changed when the threat is overcome?

What will be the ultimate impact on the economy, on society, on our values and our relationships. Don’t keep asking the Government. How can they know? Some aspects will soon recover – the sporting programmes, theatres, recreation, socialising. What can not be overestimated is the impact upon the economy, public confidence, employment, business and investment. Her Majesty the Queen has urged us to “remember our nation’s history forged by people and communities coming together to work as one”. Dame Vera Lynn at 103 is one of the few old enough to remember the Dunkirk spirit of 1940 and she is encouraging us to “keep smiling through” as in the White Cliffs of Dover.

That was before anyone had heard of supermarkets or packs of kitchen rolls. Very proud of an initiative of my son Robert, activities coordinator at a care home in Edgware. As visitors are not allowed in and the booked entertainers cannot enter the home, he arranged for a singer to perform in the garden – to the obvious delight of the residents. My passport confirms I am in the risk category. As Employment Judges we are now arranging all possible hearings to be by telephone or Skype which will limit unnecessary engagement.

Criminal trials over three days in length are to be deferred until later in the year but not cancelled like Glastonbury, Durham Miners Gala, the Grand National or the Boat Race. This is a great challenge but things are being brought into context and we are emphasising our priorities of health and the welfare of our families and friends, the need to care for each other and for society as a whole.

As the Prime Minister says, we must do “whatever it takes” to eradicate the virus, and support everyone who is affected by it. It is in the nature of our national character and values to ensure that all of our citizens are protected from harm and hardship. As we use time in isolation to catch up on reading, stay in touch remotely with friends, learn a new language, avoid Game of Thrones we can make many future plan.

I recommend the musical ‘Come From Away’ which I saw at the Phoenix Theatre before the crisis. It tells the story of the 35 planes flying to New York on 9/11 and forced to divert and land at the airport on Gander Island in Newfoundland. It tells of how the small population of the island rose to the challenge of the influx of thousands of strangers and fed, accommodated and maintained them resulting in lasting friendships and reinforcement of the spirit of selflessness and goodness. The current crisis can be the basis of a future production from Cameron McIntosh – if the same spirit deserves it. Stay safe and well.