It’s time to end lockdown – and switch to voluntary social distancing

Who occupies the post of chief adviser to the prime minister is not generally an issue of great interest to the public. That Dominic Cummings has come to dominate the news for several days is partly explained by the long shadow of Brexit and his role in the referendum campaign. But it is no use attributing to that alone the furore over his decision to travel from London to Durham at the height of lockdown. People are genuinely aggrieved that when they have made personal sacrifices to conform to the ‘stay at home’ edict, a man who helped devise those rules appears not to have done the same.

In vain might Mr Cummings argue that the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 gives leeway for his journey. He acted as a responsible husband and father. But many people feel that he availed himself of a loophole whose existence had not been made clear to the public. How easily could other parents in similar circumstances have worked out, without hiring a lawyer, that it was acceptable to relocate to another property? Had the government’s message been ‘use your discretion’ there would be no scandal.

This is one of the many problems of police-enforced lockdown, a draconian tool that has inflicted grave social, educational and economic damage. It could well prove to be a price worth paying if this really was the only way of getting the virus under control. Professor Neil Ferguson and his team at Imperial College London said that the alternative was hundreds of thousands of deaths. They argued that asking the public to take voluntary measures would not be enough. It was quite a thesis. At the time, there was no way of knowing if it was correct. Now, we are in a far better position to judge.

Professor Ferguson’s analysis showed a virus growing at a terrifying yet steady speed with each infected person infecting about four more.