Vaccines are working – so why isn’t society reopening?

When the Prime Minister sets out his ‘roadmap’ for easing Covid restrictions on Monday, it will be against a backdrop that is both better and worse than could have been imagined six months ago. Worse because we have gone on to suffer a second wave of the disease that has seen almost as much excess death as the first wave. But better in the sense that we have vaccines that are in use and more effective than many hoped, with first doses given to 15 million people — almost a third of the adult population.

On several occasions last year, Boris Johnson referred to vaccines as the cavalry coming over the hill. The cavalry is here, and most of those at serious risk of dying from Covid are being inoculated. So why are we being fed such low expectations of when the economy and society will be allowed to re-open? And also being told that, rather than a restoration of liberty, we may be going into a regime of domestic vaccine passports where our ability to move around is linked to health status? ‘No jab, no job’ policies may be introduced in offices, with the connivance of a government supposedly opposed to the discrimination this would bring.

The moving of goalposts has become a worrying, illiberal theme for this government. In early January, there was an expectation that schools would go back after half-term this month, assuming the target of vaccinating the over-seventies had been achieved. There was no doubt, we were told, that ministers knew how children were being harmed academically, emotionally and physically by the isolation of remote learning. The vaccination target was hit and Covid cases have plunged by two thirds. But schools will not be going back until 8 March at the earliest — and then perhaps only partially.

Despite the fact that all over-fifties are likely to have had their first dose by the end of March, the high street, it seems, will not be allowed a proper reopening before April, and pubs not until May.