(paywall) Inside No 10 How Boris Johnson changed his priorities: save lives first, and then salvage the economy_
This report helps us understand how the PM and govt came to the current policy
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-ten-days-that-shook-britain-and-changed-the-nation-for-ever-spz6sc9vb
The meeting that will change British society for a generation took place on the evening of Thursday, March 12.
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“There was a collision between the science and reality.”
......
Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s senior aide,
became convinced that Britain would be better able to resist a lethal second wave of the disease next winter
if Whitty’s prediction that 60% to 80% of the population became infected was right and
^the UK developed “herd immunity”.
At a private engagement at the end of February, Cummings outlined the government’s strategy.
^
Those present say it was “herd immunity, protect the economy and if that means some pensioners die, too bad”.^
^
At the Sage meeting on March 12, a moment now dubbed the “Domoscene conversion”,
Cummings changed his mind.
In this “penny-drop moment”, he realised he had helped set a course for catastrophe.
Until this point, the rise in British infections had been below the European average.
Now they were above it and on course to emulate Italy, where the picture was bleak.
A minister said: “Seeing what was happening in Italy was the galvanising force across government.”
By Friday, March 13, Cummings had become the most outspoken advocate of a tough crackdown.
“Dominic himself had a conversion,”
a senior Tory said.
“He’s gone from ‘herd immunity and let the old people die’,
to
‘let’s shut down the country and the economy.’”
.......
Department of Health officials had impressed on Hancock that the death rate in Wuhan province was 3.4% when the hospitals were overrun and 0.7% elsewhere in China.^
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Johnson had also been queasy about the previous original approach.
“Boris hated the language of ‘herd immunity’ because it implied that it was OK for people to die,”
a senior source said.
“Matt hated the language because it implied we had given up.
You’ve got to fight.”
.....
But when Johnson gathered his key advisers in the cabinet room at 9.15am last Saturday
there was unanimity.
Whitty and Vallance explained that Britain had been four weeks behind Italy “and now we are closer”.
The two experts, together with Hancock and Cummings, all delivered to Johnson one message:
“Now is the moment to act.”
The prime minister agreed:
“We must work around the clock and take all necessary measures.”
One of those present said:
“The mood in the room was astonishing.
You could tell that something very significant had shifted.”