Hoping for a news broadcast that doesn t feature lockdowns? You should be so lucky
In the elegant hall, the rustle of taffeta is masked by the sound of a Strauss waltz, as ladies of a certain age dance cheek-to-cheek with their younger instructors, whirling around the floor. Suddenly, the double doors to the room are flung open. Dozens of police officers in full PPE swoop, as dancers proffer smartphones bearing digital details of their vaccinations. All are led away for flouting the hyperlocal lockdown, facing fines in the thousands. Repeat offenders may even be heading to jail.
Welcome to Britain a year from now – a world where sporadic outbreaks of Covid-19 still erupt, vaccine or no, and are ruthlessly stamped upon by authorities backed by voters who know it is the price to pay to avoid much wider restrictions.