this is a significant i package of measures. | a series of steps forward in our| journey back towards normality. we will not be driven by our dates. we recognise that everyone will be looking for certainty, but we do not want to set potentially unachievable dates that will only disappoint. but, as things were improving here in the uk, the situation in india was getting much worse. a new variant, which became known as delta, was taking hold — and it was spreading much more quickly than previous variants. the impact was deadly. the front line. an emergency room in a covid hospital, just about standing under the weight of an unfolding disaster. to get past the shortage of beds, they've packed in stretchers, wheelchairs — as many as they can. but the first line of treatment