Lucky to Lockdown...at all.

Lockdown sucks. It's annoying, it's cramped, and it’s a pain. The economy is sluggish, personal freedom has stopped and people are scared for the future. There are thousands of people dying every week and no one knows when this will stop. Yes, lockdown sucks. But no one has realised or mentioned how lucky we are to be able to lockdown at all. The British people are extremely lucky to be in this country during a crisis like Covid19. A country with a government we can trust (generally), a country where we have a health system that can afford resources essential for mass treatment, and a country with institution strong enough to withstand the shock of Covid19. We are extremely lucky to be able to lockdown at all.

Over the last few weeks, I have been talking to partners from all over the world regarding the effect that Covid19 is having on them, their country and their community. The ability to lock down safely and successfully is not shared by every country. Some states may simply not be able to afford the economic hit occurred by shutting down the country and the economy. Thus, people risk contracting Covid19 but have no other option to feed their family. Others may not trust their governments and fear the advancement of suspicious legislation disguised as Covid19 laws. These are very real problems for millions of people living in the developing world. They may also not be lucky enough to have a government that subsidises and pays up to 80% of their wages. Some NHS hospitals may have more PPE and ventilators than entire countries!

So next time you feel like raising hell about the lockdown, remember how lucky we are. The UK is not perfect, but we have a long history of strong government with good checks and balances. This long history is a privilege and not a right. Many people do not share those privileges. So listen to the advice and we will get out of this a lot sooner.