Six months after a national lockdown was imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic, the UK is again at what a senior English medical officer calls a “tipping point”. A second wave of infection threatens to run out of control. It is a measure of the deterioration that chancellor Rishi Sunak was forced to announce new job support measures on Friday, only two weeks after a previous package. Tighter virus restrictions set to be announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday, particularly in northern England and the Midlands, are unavoidable. It is an indictment of his government, however, that half a year after the first shutdown, crucial parts of its antivirus approach are still malfunctioning.
Mr Sunak did at least manage — unlike in March — to announce his new “local furlough” scheme before the new virus countermeasures were introduced, supporting workers in pubs, restaurants and other venues that will be forced to close in coming months. The chancellor is correct to stress that he cannot save all jobs; the blanket furlough scheme that runs until October 31 cannot continue indefinitely. But it is right that the government acts to safeguard jobs in companies compelled to close on Whitehall’s orders. The Treasury should look at closing loopholes, such as supply-chain companies indirectly hit by forced shutdowns.
The fragile recovery — the economy in August was still 9 per cent smaller than before the pandemic struck — highlights the need for virus control measures to be precisely calibrated. Here, the test and trace system is pivotal. Rapid, comprehensive detection of cases is vital to arresting transmission. It provides a “heat map” of where tighter measures are needed, and allows swift clarity on the virus status of key workers — helping hospitals and schools to work at maximum capacity.