An Alternate History: Covid 19 In Britain
A retelling of what took place in the United Kingdom
In this article, I seek to revisit the phenomenal success of the management of the great pandemic in the United Kingdom in the year 2020.
It is the 24th of January 2020, upon the confirmation of the People’s Republic of China’s human to human transmission of the corona virus, the prime minister of the United Kingdom — Boris Johnson — calls an emergency cabinet meeting, one of many that he will chair over the course of the year.
On the 31st of January, two people test positive for the virus in the country and Boris Johnson immediately orders the purchase of large quantities of personal protective clothing to avoid a last minute scramble.
It is the 15th of February, the first Covid death is recorded in Europe, recognizing the potential cataclysm of inaction, the government immediately orders a strict quarantine policy for all arrivals from China and subsequently everywhere else. This stringent enforcement of all visitors to Britain is in place throughout the pandemic.
On the 5th of March, the United Kingdom records its first death from Covid. The PM immediately announces a cancellation of all large events, including the six nations rugby tournament and the Cheltenham book festival.