PBM editor Paul Davies used the Viewpoint column in the magazine’s June edition to discuss the uncertainty caused by the ever-evolving coronavirus pandemic response.
Please note, as events are changing at such a rapid pace, it should be noted this column was written on June 4. Click here to see all the latest updates on the PBM website.
As lockdown measures ease and we tentatively emerge into the ‘new normal’, the country is confronted by a somewhat eerie and disorientating picture. The impact of the coronavirus is all-pervading, yet there is an odd sense that the reason for our discombobulation — a global health crisis caused by a hitherto unknown virus — has been lost to an extent; subsumed by formulaic daily briefings, headlines about summer holidays and crowded beaches, or the inglorious Dominic Cummings saga and the farcical scenes as Westminster elected to bring an end to remote voting.
Put another way, the ‘noise’ has become too much of a distraction at a time when the number of new infections remains alarmingly high and too many people continue to die — yet the obvious need to further reopen the economy means that we simply cannot lose focus.
As the scale of the crisis emerged earlier in the year, I expressed my hopes on this page that “responsible journalism and honest politics” along with a “fully engaged population” would ensure the challenge could be overcome. Sadly, in too many cases, I have been left feeling disappointed.
Yes, the Government has found itself in an almost impossible situation and much of its response can be lauded. But we should expect it to perform better, with a clear strategic plan. The media has undertaken some admirable work in rightly holding it to account, but in far too many instances, it is asking the wrong questions in the wrong way. And for all the discipline shown by the majority of the public for so much of the time, more thought must still be given as to the impact individual actions can have on the wider safety of us all.
Calm heads and a united front are going to be so important in the months ahead. As some quarters of the economy return, the scaling back of the government’s business support packages means that we will edge closer to the full extent of an inevitable shockwave that we have been partly shielded from thus far.
Dealing with that is going to be painful for huge swathes of the country; businesses and individuals alike. Equally, we must remain mindful that further spikes could lead to a second wave of lockdown measures, either nationally or at a local level, with an even more alarming financial impact.
For all this, the industry response continues to inspire. Stories abound as to the efforts made to rapidly adapt long-standing business practices to trade successfully in the new landscape. Communication throughout the supply chain seems to have been both clear and free-flowing, and the examples of merchants working hand-in-hand with their customers and suppliers in re-purposed branches or through newly-enhanced ecommerce capabilities have been so impressive to see.
We are delighted to share some of these stories online and in the pages of this issue.
“Calm heads and a united front are going to be so important in the months ahead.”
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