Evening Standard comment: To fight Covid-19 we need realistic solutions | Give sport a chance

One of the good qualities of Boris Johnson as a Prime Minister is that he’s an optimist who likes to lift spirits.

That’s admirable and in some situations can be what’s needed. But with the country still regrettably in the grip of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, it’s vital too that this boosterish spirit doesn’t tip over into a lack of realism, giving people false hope of solutions on the horizon, and not paying attention to the detail of real problems that are happening right now, particularly with Covid-19 testing.

That of course is the fear with the Prime Minister’s latest pronouncements, in which a new ban on gatherings of more than six people, and other restrictive measures, have been accompanied by suggestions that a “moonshot” multi-billion-pound mass testing programme involving 10 million tests a day could be in operation by next March, to give people a daily all-clear to get on with their lives as normal without any restrictions.

The latter seems wildly optimistic at best, given the difficulty that people are having when trying to book appointments for the hugely more limited tests that are currently on offer, and it would far better, instead of conjuring up mirage solutions of this sort, or visions of rapid vaccines, for the Government to communicate clearly and honestly with the people of this country about the reality that we’re going to have to live with the virus for the foreseeable future.

Indeed, as Mr Johnson admitted yesterday, the Government has so far failed to deliver the clarity needed, and must do better going forward in making it easy for the public to understand what to do. That is something the Evening Standard has long pointed out.

That at least is the merit of the new six-person limit on social gatherings and it’s sensible of the Government to require this sacrifice to keep infection levels down and ensure, as it must, that activity necessary to revive our economy, including keeping pubs, cafes and restaurants open, can continue.

It will be necessary too for ministers to encourage the most vulnerable to shield themselves as much as they can.

That’s the best way to achieve a balanced way forward that the public can tolerate, and the message from now on must be one of realism.

Give sport a chance

The prospect of crowds returning to football grounds from next month always looked optimistic and now seems likely to be delayed as part of the Government’s new coronavirus restrictions.

It’s a measure that looks regrettably necessary, but while the Premier League has warned of huge further losses if fans continue to be locked out, it’s the smaller clubs, including those in London, from lower divisions that face the greatest peril.

They’re important parts of our community that need keeping alive, and football and ministers must work together to ensure that they survive.

Meanwhile, at the highest level, it’s good to see all Premier League games will be televised this month, including one game on the BBC. That must continue for as long as fans are shut out.

Watching sport, even if it’s on screen, can help to keep our spirits up.

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