A steadfast British public has been asked to endure the coronavirus lockdown for at least another three weeks.
The scientific advice is clear. If we were to lift the restrictions now, we would risk undoing all the good work achieved so far.
It is thanks to a collective national effort that the rate of infections has slowed and the NHS has been able to cope with the crisis.
Another few weeks of social distancing is a price worth paying if it saves lives. But it will also require more sacrifices for many people.
This will be especially tough for families in high-rise buildings or those in the high-risk category. Others will be worried about being separated from loved ones, or whether they will still have a job to go to when all this is over.
The Government insists there is light at the end of the tunnel, yet has so far failed to spell out how we will emerge from isolation.
The country has shown remarkable resilience so far. If ministers want that to continue they need to say what the exit strategy entails.
Pressure is on
Matt Hancock today snapped at journalists for daring to question the Government’s response to the crisis.
The Health Secretary claimed the questions were beginning to irritate the public.
But if it were not for the media highlighting how care homes were hotbeds for the virus, ministers might not have taken action. Too few care workers were being tested, PPE was scarce and too many residents were dying.
A free press will cheer governments when they get things right and hold them to account when they get things wrong.
And that means asking hard questions of ministers who stand accused of having failed to protect the people they are there to serve.
Great lengths
Deep sea explorers have discovered the longest creature to inhabit the planet.
At 150ft, the siphonophore is 50ft bigger than a blue whale – but still not quite as long as a day keeping kids amused under lockdown.
