Almost a third of the world’s coronavirus deaths have occurred in the United States. But, despite evidence that the pandemic is far from its peak in many parts of the country, a sizeable anti-lockdown movement – increasingly urged on by the Trump administration – is demanding an end to social restrictions. In our cover story this week, Lois Beckett’s fascinating essay explores how collective action to curb the health crisis has been warped into a culture war where racism, victim-blaming and the profit motives of wealthy elites are converging in an ugly and potentially disastrous fashion.
It’s not just the States, either. In Europe, where the anti-vaxxer movement is steadily finding its voice, Guardian Berlin bureau chief Philip Oltermann examines the steps countries are taking to counter scepticism and disinformation.
Dominic Cummings, the Machiavellian chief adviser to UK prime minister Boris Johnson, is no stranger to controversy. The brains behind the Brexit campaign, he is a polarising figure even within the ruling Tory party. But when it emerged last week that Cummings had broken lockdown protocol to drive his family 400km north to his parents’ house, as well as apparently taking trips out when he should have been self-isolating, outrage ensued in a population that has made often harrowing personal sacrifices to maintain restrictions. Cummings went to great lengths to justify his actions, refusing to apologise or quit, while Johnson resolutely backed him despite intense criticism. Heather Stewart profiles the man Johnson deems too important to lose, while Martin Kettle weighs up the damage done to the PM’s reputation.
