Panic on the streets of London, panic on the streets of Birmingham…

Could life ever be sane again?

This is not a drill.

Everyone who has ever been to school or worked in an office will know what a fire drill is.

A chance to skip double physics or a boring team meeting and hang out in the playground or car park for 15 minutes (please let it be warm!) while you are told not to run and not to panic.

You get to know your fire exits, you know what to do if disaster strikes and then you forget all about it.

You don’t go out and buy a dozen of your own fire extinguishers or a full firefighter’s uniform. You don’t stockpile fire blankets and you don’t rock up to work in a fire engine (or two) ‘just in case’.

Why?

Because you know the drill.

You know what will happen if there is a fire and you feel reassured. You know how to get outside and make yourself safe and therefore you feel safe. Those who are responsible for your welfare tell you what to do and reassure you that they will keep you safe and tell you how they plan to do this.

In the horrific Grenfell disaster, people were advised to do the opposite of everything we have ever been taught, to stay in their homes. This had tragic consequences and I have no doubt that everyone in those flats was uncertain and terrified.

Right now, we face a disaster of a different kind but on a much bigger scale unless we all do what we are told. The problem is, we don’t know the drill. No-one is enforcing it, no-one is handing out safety cards and we have no idea who the fire marshalls are. We are panicking, scouring the horizon for someone in a fluorescent jacket with a clipboard calling out names, telling us where to stand and checking us all off as safe.

Our leaders need to lead right now.

We need to know exactly what to do and what not to do and there must be no room for interpretation. They must close down pubs and other places where people are gathering, police the streets and ensure we all comply with a strict set of rules, not guidelines.

Food and supplies should only be available for delivery and as such they can then be strictly rationed and deliveries can follow a steady and predictable pattern; making re-stocking easy, protecting the vulnerable and reassuring anyone who is worried for themselves or their family. If no-one needs to ‘panic buy’ then reassure them. Show us all that you’ve got a plan and tell us how to behave because none of us have any idea.

Without a fire drill, few of us would make it out of a burning building alive.

We urgently need a coronavirus drill. Please don’t let us down Prime Minister.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMykYSQaG_c