Virus vigilance

20 December 2020

This blog was started in order to monitor the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the hire industry and how professionals would respond to the unprecedented challenges, as a historical record.

So we must report on the unexpected announcement by Boris Johnson at a hastily arranged televised press conference yesterday on 19 December - the Saturday afternoon before Christmas Day.

In it, the Prime Minister said that the alarming spread of a new strain of the coronavirus necessitated an escalation of control measures.

There will immediately be severe restrictions on travel and social gatherings over the festive period and, in all probability, for some time afterwards.

Many people’s Christmas plans have been dashed because of the restrictions on meeting members of other households.

Non-essential retail facilities will close and the announcement will be further bad news for already hard-hit sectors like events, hospitality and catering. The government will review the plan on 30 December but it is likely that measures will be in place well into the new year.

Boris Johnson said that the new strain, VUI2020/12/01, has significantly changed the current landscape and that the urgent action is needed to protect the NHS and save lives.

However disappointing this development is, we must remain focused on the broader, longer-term picture.

People must work from home if they can, but may travel to work if this is not possible, for example in the construction and manufacturing sectors. So that’s reassuring news for the hire industry and suppliers.

And the prospect of the wider availability and faster rollout of the new coronavirus vaccines makes the light at the end of the tunnel shine a little more brightly.

If we all maintain appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the disease and stay optimistic, we will get through this.

(Photo: CDC/Pexels)