Counting the cost of Covid

They are also starting to become increasingly conscious about the hidden impacts of lockdown, especially on the youngest in our society. Even the much-criticised internal States report on the Civil Contingencies Authority’s handling of Covid expresses concerns.

And now we’ve got political behaviours to the fore – most notably those of the UK’s former Prime Minister – misleading, contemptuous.

One of Guernsey’s leading Covid critics appears in our pages today, once again. It could be said that Tim Chesney was brave, verging on foolhardy, when he spoke out against the island’s Covid and lockdown regimes. Some agreed with him. Most did not appear to – they were prepared to follow the science, follow the guidance, and do what they thought was right for each other.

The challenge for a responsible news provider, being pressed to publish criticism at a knife-edge moment, was to balance established policy, safety and indeed security, with the need for challenge and scrutiny.

The States’ Covid review faced a different kind of challenge – that of cost against benefit. What would an expensive review unearth that could be of value now? To an extent everyone was making it up as they went along – and the majority were happy to follow the conclusions reached.

The findings against the former Prime Minister do more again to damage trust in politics and belief in politicians.

But Guernsey’s review, rather than questioning political behaviours and scientific advice, might have been better advised to focus on the finances of Covid – for example, why such significant support packages were put in place twice-over, despite an encouraging economic bounce-back from the virus in 2020. Because it’s not just the health, social and political impact of Covid which is still being felt in our communities.