Like everyone else I don’t want to go back into lockdown, like everyone else I want my kids to get decent education rather than ersatz home lessons, I want the freedom to travel and meet friends in person not on zoom

But this will not be achieved by denial about the virus, telling ourselves comforting stories about how the tests are all false positives or making up myths about having secretly achieved herd immunity over the summer

The only way we get back to anything close to normal, avoiding massive mortality and placing both NHS and economy under massive duress is to control the virus.

We have the public health tools to do it, we know how- we can look to the places that managed it, that had virtually no excess deaths despite more liberal ‘lockdowns’.

Identify cases, rapidly, isolate them, vigorously and trace contacts effectively. It takes time, effort, money and expertise- and local intelligence.

Beyond that we can all do our bit, socially distance, wear masks, clean our hands. But until we control this virus, we will not return to the normal life we all desire.