In Stoke Newington Lucy Wood and her son Lochie clapped for carers
- Credit: Graeme Edie
For 10 straight Thursdays last spring millions joined in what became a national ritual: the clap for carers. On January 7 there was an attempt to rekindle that spirit amidst an even worse new wave of the Covid pandemic. The well-meaning initiative proved a damp squib.
Since last May we have seen dither, delay and hugely inflated claims from a prime minister peddling empty promises.
Though still small, the audience grew for Covid denial and conspiracy theories even as confidence in public health messages eroded.
By mid-January the UK’s Covid-linked death toll had approached 90,000, the highest across Europe and worse per capita than the United States.