Dear America,
In London there is much talk of a new “spirit of the Blitz” in the face of another deadly threat to us all.
But 80 years on, that spirit is expressing itself very differently. When the Luftwaffe bombs fell, to continue with normal life was an act of patriotic defiance. Now as COVID-19 spreads, to continue with normal life is an act of punishable deviance.
Instead of huddling together in air raid shelters or underground stations, new police powers prevent people from being part of a gathering of more than two. Far from putting up “business as usual” signs outside broken shop fronts, the shutters are up and the doors remain closed.
On March 23, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, put Britain into lockdown and instructed us to stay at home. It was a decision informed by a report issued by London’s Imperial College stating that, unchecked, the epidemic would infect 8 out of 10 people, resulting in 510,000 deaths across the United Kingdom.
A panicked government swiftly moved from a mitigation strategy, aimed at stopping the virus in its tracks, to a suppression strategy.
Even so, the race is on to enhance the capacity of our National Health Service to cope with the COVID-19 surge that’s already underway. More than 750,000 citizens have signed up to join a new volunteer force to help the NHS, and our armed forces have converted a London convention center into the world’s largest hospital, which will be able to treat 4,000 COVID-19 patients.
Of course, there have been government missteps, misjudgments, and, most worryingly, wasted time. Shortages of protective clothing and equipment for our health care workers is already costing lives, and despite guidance from the World Health Organization guidance to “test, test, test,” the government is struggling to deliver mass testing which, in the absence of a vaccine, is the best route back to more normal times.
Meanwhile, this vibrant, energized city is getting used to a new rhythm of life at home with our families while most workplaces, as well as schools, universities, pubs, restaurants, and theaters are closed.
The shutdown has confirmed how social and economic class divides London. The wealthiest have fled the capital to their second homes in the country, while key workers risk their health and the poorest are left struggling to get by. Only 1 in 10 of those in the bottom half of wage earners can work from home, they do not have savings to fall back upon, and many fear their jobs will fall victim to this crisis.
For many of those now isolated at home, the day starts with morning exercise sessions run by fitness instructor Joe Wicks, whose online classes have already drawn more than 15 million views. During the day, parents’ attempt home-schooling with varying degrees of success. Undoubtedly, as the virus has spread, so too has our admiration for the teaching profession.
Our beloved sports, including the football (your “soccer”) that sets the tempo of life for many, is on hold, and no one knows if this season will ever restart. Socializing has moved online — with everything from pub quizzes to “FaceWine” meetings each night. Maybe these innovations explain why, in March, alcohol sales here in Britain jumped 22 percent.
For many of us separated from loved ones, technology has proved a lifeline. My family has seen a number of technological firsts. My 84-year-old mother, with my dad in a care home that’s closed to visitors, listened to her local church service online for the first time Sunday. By Thursday, she was FaceTiming her grandchildren.
Yet the crisis is also teaching us what we value beyond connection, family, and friendship. It turns out our society relies on shop workers, care workers, refuse collectors, and health care workers a lot more than many ever realized.
The crisis has only deepened our commitment to, and love for, our National Health Service. Last Thursday in London, and across Britain, we saluted our health care heroes. In a rather un-British way, we leaned out of our windows, stood on our doorsteps, and clapped in the darkness in a sign of our solidarity and pride.
Other venerable institutions have also secured their place in our hearts. The BBC, with its brilliant news coverage, has seen audience figures soar because it embodies public service broadcasting at its best — just when we need it the most.
This crisis comes after a tough decade of wage stagnation and austerity for many people here in Britain. Brexit has dominated and divided our politics in recent years. It’s ironic that the shared experience of the lockdown has united the country more than at any time since the London Olympics of 2012. Maybe it took us being ordered to stay apart to really bring us together.
But it’s hard to tell what the coronavirus will leave in its wake. During the global financial crisis of 2008, I was a government minister, yet even we in the Cabinet didn’t fully realize at the time just how much it would impact everything that followed. There is a sense of unity for now, but as the death toll mounts and the economic damage worsens, COVID-19 will surely challenge and change us in ways we can’t yet predict.
Douglas Alexander is a senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and a former British Cabinet minister.