Johnson marks year since first lockdown – knowing he acted far too late | John Crace
PM remembers those who have lost lives during the pandemic, many of whom might still be alive
Tuesday was the national day of reflection to mark the anniversary of the start of the first lockdown. Ideally, of course, it would have happened a week or two earlier - had not the prime minister been so unwilling to take the coronavirus seriously. Boris Johnson hadn't bothered to attend five Cobra meetings; he had insisted on ignoring the scientific evidence by boasting about shaking hands; he had allowed the Cheltenham Festival to go ahead. And there would have been all hell to pay if he had tried to cancel Carrie Symonds's baby shower at Chequers.
Then there was the abject failure of test and trace in its early months. The care home scandal. The over-optimistic relaxation of the rules over the summer. The refusal to adopt a circuit breaker in autumn. The complacent messaging around Christmas. The delay in bringing in a third national lockdown.
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