The government’s initial response to Covid was slow in part because it was so consumed by Brexit. Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to act quick enough to news of a pandemic in Wuhan even though this was public news in January 2020. The nation did not go into national lockdown until the end March!

It is more than likely that we may face another pandemic in the future. The government should have the machinery place to provide an adequate response. What has been shocking is that there did not seem to be playbook on how to cope with Covid. There is an emergency plan for a major terrorist attack like 7/7 or a natural disaster like a flood. A worldwide pandemic like this one seems to have caught our government on the hop. What should happen in the future?

We need to have a Director of Emergency Planning Coordination or “Disaster Czar”. This person should ideally be a senior politician or a former military officer. His or her job is to coordinate all the government departments to ensure that there is no confusion or duplication. The person must be given a proper budget and a staff who are experienced in disaster responses like terrorist attacks or natural disasters. There should be a play book ready in place that outlines the government’s response so it everything is joined up.

One of the features of this government during this crisis, has been the sense that cabinet minsters talking across each other. For example, we recently we had the Health Secretary and Transport Secretary saying different things about summer holidays. One was being overly optimistic,
while the other was being cautious. Imagine the confusion! During a pandemic, the government must sing from the same song sheet. The knock effect is catastrophic. You cannot afford to have confusion amongst the business community and the wider population.

There will be another pandemic in the future, and the government’s response will have to be more stream lined and clear. If you make a pandemic, the equivalent of a war, then victory is the ultimate goal. To achieve victory then everyone must be focused on that single objective. A Disaster Czar could the person who helps marshal the government’s response.

We can only hope.