Don’t take new freedoms for granted

Over the weekend we saw restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars open up, albeit with certain conditions having to be met, regarding serving food or utilising outside space.

From yesterday, salons, barbers, and hairdressers can now also open again. Getting our hair done, or having a meal or a coffee are some of life’s simple pleasures that we probably all were guilty of taking for granted, but absence makes the heart grow fonder, and we are likely now relishing the opportunity to enjoy these ‘luxuries’ once again. Without wishing to spoil the party, I urge caution that we must take care not to put ourselves in a position where the easing of the lockdown is reversed.

The coronavirus restrictions were put in place to ensure the spread of the virus was supressed and contained, and that the numbers of people infected and requiring hospital treatment did not overwhelm our health service. In complying with the guidance and regulations, businesses and the public at large sacrificed their own personal freedoms in order to improve public health outcomes and minimise risk. This has been a delicate and difficult balance to strike and, indeed, the Health Minister, Robin Swann himself referred to the measures as ‘draconian’ when he was introducing them, though noting they were of course very necessary.

The lockdown itself comes at a high price - both financial, as well to our physical and mental wellbeing. Without government support, such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which enabled businesses to furlough rather than lay off employees, there is no doubting there would have been an economic catastrophe. We still don’t know what damage will be done to the economy, with economists currently debating whether it will be a ‘V’ or ‘U’ or ‘L’ shaped recovery, and unfortunately we are beginning to see significant redundancies beginning to flow. As the furlough scheme begins to taper off from next month, with employers asked to contribute an increasing amount to furloughed workers wages in August, September and October when the scheme is due to draw to a close, in order to limit economic damage and redundancies, and to enable a quicker recovery, we must ensure that as many businesses as possible are able to trade safely.

Throughout the Covid-19 crisis I have argued that if a business can trade safely it should be permitted to open, regardless of the size of the business or what is sells. Indeed, I was involved in the Engagement Forum which brought together a coalition of trade unions, public health officials and the business community to design appropriate guidance to advise businesses on how to operate safely.

Many sectors are now permitted to open, with more expected to re-open later this month, so this important caveat of ‘operating safely’ must not be overlooked. Businesses have a responsibility to ensure that their premises are safe for customers, staff and the general public; but the public also have a responsibility to comply with what they are being asked to do when they are visiting a business. With no vaccine yet available, the possibility still remains of a further spike in transmissions, triggering a need to reverse the unlocking and, consequently the pleasures which are starting to see return could be taken away from us once again. We only have to look to some US states to see lockdown easements being reversed as case numbers rise. Closer to home, in Leicester, only businesses considered essential are now permitted to open, at a time when the rest of England begins to unlock further. To ensure Northern Ireland does not suffer the same fate, we must continue to take care and recognise the virus is still in our midst.

At some points during this crisis, some people have sought to pit the priorities of public health and the economy against one another. The reality is quite the opposite. The greater our protection of public health, the lower the rate of virus transmission, and the greater the freedom we will have to enable businesses to operate and for income to be generated and jobs sustained. Policy makers have correctly recognised that a harsh lockdown was not sustainable in the medium to long-term. Now that it is being lifted, we, as a society, must learn to live, work and play with the risk of the virus. If we refuse to adapt to the new normal, then we may find ourselves back where we started, which would be the worst of all outcomes.

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