If Britain was late into lockdown, the advantage for the government is that it will be able to learn from the vast global experiment now under way. Government scientists are looking closely at the experiences of other countries as they try to finalise options for the next phase of Britain’s response.
Alongside mathematical models, international comparisons will be the main judge of which measures can be loosened and which must be tightened. Learning from the experience of east Asian countries, plans are already under way for an army of contact tracers to find and isolate new cases. Facemasks are being stockpiled in preparation for recommending them in shops and on public transport.
Dominic Raab, deputising for Boris Johnson yesterday, said that it would be “irresponsible”
