Covid 19 pandemic
Despite the report of a breakout of a pandemic in China as early as December 2019, most countries around the world only acknowledged the virus’s existence after it had already begun to spread. The UK was no different in this case, having reported its first case of Corona Virus on 31st January 2020 and only instituting restrictive measures to curb the spread early March 2020. This delayed response continues to have noticeable negative impacts with confirmed Corona Virus positive cases had soared to 271,222 as of 29th May 2020. The late containment of the virus has also had a devastating effect on the overall economy of the UK with airlines and transport industries bearing the brunt of the disease.
As a result of being a prime travel destination in Europe and the world, it is evident that early screening and isolation of passengers in highly trafficked airports such as Heathrow would have been effective in enacting early containment of the pandemic. However, by the time the UK was initiating passenger screening on arrival, more positive cases were unnecessarily missed burdening the government with contact tracing with too many probable cases to be observed. By the time the initial deaths were reported, it was estimated that hundreds to thousands of infections had already occurred, a clear indication of the healthcare crisis that is now present. (Freedman 20)
Another significant effect of this pandemic and consequent delay in taking early measures has been the disruption of major supply chains. Due to the unpredictability of the Covid 19 crisis and how long it will continue; consumers are very guarded in their spending habits and actively avoiding investments (Harari et al. 11). This has led to curtailing of business growth in many sectors with others completely grinding to a halt—businesses with extensive and intercontinental supply chains, eg. Motor-vehicle industries are struggling to get inventories after many countries closed down their borders as a public health measure.
As the Covid 19 pandemic continues to seriously affect the lives of many people in the UK seeing as it is one if the leading countries in infection rates, it is paramount that the government examines how a different outcome would have been achieved. Questions about whether a speedy tactical response to the preliminary reports of the pandemic serving the country better would be a good start in ensuring that a similar outcome is averted in the future. This is happening as the government continues to shield its public from an even deeper predicament, by providing economic and health interventions while working towards decreasing the rate of infections to zero.