#borisjohnson Tag

British, coronavirus and pubs

 First the disbelief about the risks of the coronavirus coming to Britain and then the reaction of those who want to go to the pub like Boris Johnson’s father.

 By  Donatella Cinelli Colombini

 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s first strategy was to let the virus circulate until it had a “herd immunity ” as advised by Chris Whitty, the government’s epidemiologist and medical adviser and Sir Patrick Vallance, the scientific advisor.

FROM HERD IMMUNITY TO BORIS JOHNSON’S ADVICE TO CONTAIN THE CORONAVIRUS

 

It foreshadowed an apocalyptic scenario with half a million dead. On 16 March, the UK Government took half a step backwards and gave some advice to avoid infection. But the reactions suggest that the coronavirus problem was largely underestimated.

A few hours after Premier Boris Johnson had recommended to the British the measures of “social distancing” his father Stanley had an exchange of views with Phillip Schofield during the television program “This Morning”. “Of course I’ll go to a pub if I have to go to a pub” said the Prime Minister’s father. And Schofield, between the embarrassed and the surprised, answered:” But your son just told you not to.” Johnson did not give up: ”He said we should avoid going to pubs, but if I had to go to a pub, I’d go to a pub” . At that point the other host came into the discussion:” Why would you go?” and he:” Well, because people who run pubs need customers, they don’t want the pub to be empty, this is my line”.