Britain’s volunteer army shatters the #Covidiots myth

On Tuesday, the call went out for 250,000 volunteers to support the NHS in helping vulnerable people ‘stay safe and well at home’ during the coronavirus pandemic. In just one day, more than double that number had come forward to offer their services. So far, much of the discussion around Covid-19 has been dominated by a sneering cynicism of ordinary people. News coverage, amplifying views found all too readily on social media, has provided one long hectoring tirade against those who must shop, get to work, or have simply felt the need to sit in a park or walk on a beach. The 504,303 individuals who immediately volunteered their services challenges the contemptuous labelling of Britain as a nation of #Covidiots.

I’ll confess: I’m not a huge fan of the militaristic rhetoric accompanying the call for a ‘volunteer army’. Talk of ‘rallying the troops’ for the ‘war on coronavirus’ leaves me cold. Boris Johnson may harbour Churchillian fantasies about his own role at this time of national crisis but the reality of the next few weeks, for many of us, will be little more than sitting at home watching Netflix.