When it comes to national emergencies, Britain has a tradition of cold calculation | David Edgerton

The government's reluctance to put the health of citizens first during the Covid-19 outbreak has echoes in the 1940s and 50s

• David Edgerton is the author of The Rise and Fall of the British Nation

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What's the best way to respond to a global health emergency? For countries like Italy, Spain, South Korea and Denmark, the answer is closing schools and public spaces to limit infection. Until recently, the UK government appeared to believe that such a cure could be worse than the disease itself. Boris Johnson's advisers now seem less confident in their initial analysis, and have switched to a "suppression" rather than a "mitigation" strategy. The government has now urged people to avoid pubs, clubs and theatres, although it has been cautious - and has not gone as far as many other nations in closing down spaces where the disease could spread.

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