China News Service, April 27th, Question: The Prime Minister is healed. When will the UK "heal"?
Author Kong Qingling Li Hongyu
On April 27, the British Prime Minister recovered and returned to work on the first day.
Data map: British Prime Minister Johnson.
On the morning of the same day, Johnson returned to the official residence of 10 Downing Street from Chequers Manor and re-entered the intense anti-epidemic work. At this time, 22 days had passed since he hurriedly left the Prime Minister's House and was admitted to the hospital.
For more than 20 days, the 55-year-old leader was busy "fighting" with the new crown virus in his body. When he was in a dangerous condition, he entered the ICU and once rubbed his shoulders with death; now that the serious illness is recovering, he can't wait to return to work "At the helm" to face the plight of the epidemic.
The picture shows the empty Trafalgar Square in central London under the epidemic. China News Service reporter Zhang Pingshe
At present, the peak of the British epidemic has not yet passed, but the call for lifting the blockade and restarting the economy is becoming stronger. What is the next step? When can we "unblock"? How to "unblock"? These are the major problems faced by Johnson after resuming work.
The tortuous road that the entire UK has traveled in response to this epoch-making crisis will also torture the Johnson administration's subsequent anti-epidemic strategy.
"38 days to disaster in sleepwalking"
"Turning off the patient's ventilator is a painful job," said Juanita Nitra, head nurse of the Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Liberty Hospital in London. When the moment came, the nurses all stopped talking. She Put the phone next to the ear of a dying patient in her 50s and let her family say goodbye to her. "I sat next to her, holding her hand until she left."
Such scenes have recently been staged in the intensive care units of hospitals everywhere. The New Corona Virus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 20,000 Britons and killed more than 900 people a day.
Data picture: A bar on the side of Katsington Road outside London at night. China News Service reporter Zhang Pingshe
However, just one afternoon two months ago, when a country pub in Surrey, England, was closed with a notice of closure, people at that time did not know that the crisis had come.
The notice read: "Unfortunately, one of our guests tested positive for the new coronavirus. As a precautionary measure, we will shut down for thorough cleaning."
On February 28, the confirmed man in Surrey became the first person to be infected in the UK. Prime Minister Johnson is preparing to announce the next day's engagement and news of his fiancee Simmonds' pregnancy. At this time, he would not think that after more than 20 days, the two of them would both "stroke".
On March 1, local time, Dukin, England held an international "wife-bearing contest". The "wives" of the competition, both men and women, must be at least 18 years old and weigh at least 50 kg. Image source: Sipaphoto Copyright works are prohibited from reprinting
More than 30 days before the emergence of an emergency press conference on March 3, announcing the 28-page New Crown Virus Response Plan, Johnson was still busy with several things: officially leaving the European Union, reorganizing the cabinet, and taking a vacation with his girlfriend; but also absent 5 The second important new coronavirus response meeting. The mainstream media such as the Sunday Times in the United Kingdom have not forgotten the mistakes of collective shelling the government at that time, saying that the period was "38 days of disaster in the sleepwalking".
Johnson at the press conference that day had a serious expression. At the beginning, he outlined the four major coping strategies for containment, delay, research and mitigation, saying that "our country is very well prepared."
He kept emphasizing that washing hands frequently, but he also said, "I kept shaking hands. I was inspecting a hospital that night. I think there are indeed new patients with pneumonia. I still shook hands with everyone ..."
On March 9, local time, at the Commonwealth Day ceremony held at Westminster Abbey in London, Johnson and fiancee Simmonds spoke with British boxer Anthony Joshua.
British Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, who attended the conference together, listened to the Prime Minister's introduction in silence. Then he had to convey the colder reality. No one can be sure how bad things will get. In mid-February, in an interview with the BBC, Whitty was still questioning the possibility of an outbreak in the UK.
On March 5, after the first death case occurred in the British mainland, Johnson's suggestion was still: "Hardly wash your hands, as usual." At this time, British media began to notice that the domestic supermarket chain disinfectant was out of stock.
When the vast majority of people are infected, will there be "group immunity"?
On March 12th, when other countries in Europe took strict isolation measures one after another, and the number of confirmed cases in the UK reached a new high, Johnson gave an "unexpected" delay plan: the school is not related, large gatherings, events, and business activities are as usual, only Patients with mild symptoms are required to isolate themselves at home for a week.
On March 12, local time, a man wearing a protective mask walked over the steps in Plaza Spagna, Rome, Italy.
"Although the British government knows that the" fire "is coming and can see the neighbors' experience after being overwhelmed by the rapidly spreading" fire ", they inexplicably choose to promote the" fire "and mistakenly believe that they always have a way to control "" Harvard professor of public health at Harvard University commented on the UK's deferral policy.
In order to prove the rationality of the "Buddha" epidemic resistance, the chief scientific adviser of the United Kingdom Valance proposed the theory of "group immunity". "When the vast majority of people have mild symptoms, a certain group of immunity will be established to make more people immune to this disease."
However, this theory has caused huge controversy. Some people think that Johnson is "gambling", and others think that this is a test of the public. More than 400 British scholars soon signed an open letter to question the "group immunization", and more than 100,000 British petitioned the government to take stricter control.
The picture shows the empty London subway station platform under the epidemic. China News Service reporter Zhang Pingshe
A report released by the British Imperial College on March 16 also alerted the Johnson administration. The report predicts that if the government continues to adopt the “delay” strategy, it will cause 250,000 deaths; if the “block” strategy is adopted, the death toll will be reduced to about 20,000. Amid a lot of pressure and doubts, a few days later, the British government's anti-epidemic policy quickly turned and responded to the epidemic situation like the "wartime government", adding more prevention and control.
"From tonight, I must give the British people a very simple instruction-you must stay at home." On March 23, Johnson finally admitted that the new coronavirus is "the biggest threat facing Britain in decades", and the United Kingdom will implement Blockade measures. However, in the view of Labor Party leader Kyle Stamor, "the blockade policy was taken too late."
Data map: Queen Elizabeth II and Crown Prince Charles.
His disease made the whole country aware of the severity of the epidemic
In the last few days of March, the British royal family and political circles have successively heard heavy news that 71-year-old Crown Prince Charles and 55-year-old Prime Minister Johnson have been infected with the new crown virus. After 7 days of quarantine, Charles was in good condition; but Johnson's symptoms persisted and did not improve.
During the infection, Johnson was still leading the British anti-epidemic work remotely. "I have been coughing during the conference call," "refusing to stop working," and "not having a good rest." Such news came from time to time during the quarantine period until he was admitted to the hospital on the evening of April 5.
On April 5, local time, Queen Elizabeth II delivered a televised speech to the British people, encouraging the people to "unite and be firm" and "success" in the fight against the New Crown Virus epidemic.
That night, the Queen of England delivered a "rare" speech to convey to the public confidence in defeating the virus. This is her fifth speech at an important moment in her 68 years in office. In order to record this four-minute speech, the Queen of England first encountered "outsiders" at Windsor Castle. A "fully armed" photographer was allowed to enter the white parlor to shoot her.
The speech of the Queen of England encouraged the people, and the Prime Minister ’s condition is even more disturbing.
After Johnson's admission, his condition deteriorated and he was transferred from the top ward to the intensive care unit on the first floor the next night. Although Cabinet Secretary Goff said Johnson did not use a ventilator, but received oxygen therapy. But Jenny McGee, the nurse who was taking care of Johnson at the ICU at the time, said: "He definitely needs to stay there."
Johnson should be the world's first national leader to live in the ICU due to infection with the new crown virus. Before entering the ICU, he asked the Foreign Minister Rab to act as prime minister. Johnson later said that in the most severe 48 hours, "anything can happen."
On April 12, local time, the British Prime Minister Johnson was discharged from the hospital and thanked the medical staff by posting a video.
Fortunately, he survived the most dangerous moment and the situation continued to improve. After leaving the ICU, Johnson thanked the medical staff for the first time, "I owe them a life."
Screenshot of Johnson's fiancee's social media account.
His pregnant fiancé gave out 26 applauded expressions in one breath, and his 79-year-old father said seriously, "In a sense, this makes the whole country aware of the seriousness of the matter. If the prime minister can be infected Virus, for the sake of God, then it is indeed close. "
"Old people seem to be forgotten"
On April 12, Johnson was cured and discharged, and he moved to the suburban Chequers estate to recuperate and recover. At this time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rab, who was acting as Prime Minister, and Hancock, the health minister who lost 6 pounds due to infection with the new crown virus, were busy with solving the epidemic problems: high mortality, insufficient testing, and insufficient protective equipment. Become a "severely hit area".
Nikolai Richards, 46, is the head of three nursing homes in Sheffield, England. Eleven elderly people have died of new coronary pneumonia here, but the nursing home has not yet received enough help. She said she was fighting a "painful and lonely" battle with the virus.
Moreover, since the nursing home no longer accepts visitors, the old people are terrified of the current situation. "Because I can't see my loved ones, many old people are crying. But how can I explain to the old people that their wives or daughters will not come to see them today?" Richards said.
"When an old man's life is dying, we are told that his or her family cannot come to see the last one. This is heartbreaking." "They are already at the end of their lives, but all they see before they die is wearing Employees in masks. "
Under the outbreak, Westminster Bridge, London, England.
In the eyes of Richards, "the old people seem to be forgotten by (the outside world). It seems that we (nursing homes) are at the bottom of society", struggling in the epidemic.
Similar things happen in many nursing homes. Alterman, the former British pension minister, said that people in nursing homes are like "lambs to be slaughtered", and they are behind, unable to conduct tests, enter hospitals and get on ventilators.
According to statistics, there are 430,000 elderly people living in nursing homes across the UK. At present, in more than 11,000 nursing homes, about half of the new crown epidemics have occurred. If you do not pay attention to it, the consequences will be disastrous.
"Some major decisions can only be made by the Prime Minister"
In the second week of Cheeks Manor recuperation, Johnson started to get busy. He receives the latest news about the government's anti-epidemic every day, and communicates with Rab and other cabinet ministers.
Johnson also had telephone conversations with US President Trump and the Queen of England. In Trump's view, "It's like Boris is back, full of energy and energy."
Data map: British Prime Minister Johnson.
And one month after entering the blockade state, the British people began to feel "blockade fatigue", and many people were "willing to move." Recently, hundreds of people in southwest England have gone out ignoring the blockade ban. Transport Minister Grant Shaps warned: "People think the peak is over, but it is not over yet."
Johnson at this time was under tremendous pressure to return to work quickly. With the epidemic still severe and economic shocks, he not only has to remedy the problem of inadequate epidemic prevention measures, but also faces the most pressing issues at present: when to "unblock" and how to "unblock".
In the view of Leicester County MP Andrew Bridgen, "In the near future, we will have to make some major decisions that can only be done by the Prime Minister."
The members of the royal family "stroke", the Prime Minister entered the ICU, and the date of "unblocking" I do not know when it will come ... In the UK under the epidemic, all things are described as "unprecedented", so that the British historian Peter • Hennessy predicted that post-war Britain will be divided into "Before Corona" and "After Corona". (Finish)