The unanswerable question on coronavirus

The government today announced that schools will be closed come this Friday. Boris Johnson wasn’t able to answer when they will resume, but James Forsyth says in today’s Coffee House Shots podcast that this is only the beginning of stricter social measures, some of which could become compulsory in the not distant future. Rumours abound today that London is days away from a city-wide lockdown, and on the podcast, James points out that Boris Johnson could be considering this even though it is against his liberal political instincts.

Anyone watching Prime Minister’s Questions today will be in no doubt that we are living in extraordinary times. The normally packed chamber was sparse, as only MPs who had questions were allowed in. At the very end, Theresa May asked the unanswerable question on coronavirus: if we are to be under restrictions until a vaccine has been developed, and the government’s scientific advice is that such a vaccine may not be available for at least a year, for how long will we be under tighter restrictions? Katy Balls raises the difficulty in answering this question on the podcast, and writes about it here.

Coffee House Shots will continue to be brought to you daily even as the Spectator’s journalists begin to work from home (though do excuse the poorer audio quality as a result). If you are eager for podcasts that don’t mention the dreaded at all, do check out Spectator Radio, a selection of the best podcasts from the Spectator on anything and everything from American politics, literature, lifestyle, and religion.