Let’s stay safe

BORIS Johnson cannot have imagined he would be tested so soon in his Premiership by a deadly and rapidly spreading global virus. So far he is passing that test.

His press conference, and his four-stage “battle plan”, were on the money given the worrying circumstances.

It is impossible to predict how this disease will progress.

But there is a fine balance between downplaying it and over-reacting — and the PM, alongside his chief medical officer and chief ­scientific adviser, struck it.

Even if Covid-19 fails to claim thousands of British lives, it looks virtually certain to cause us huge disruption.

When even the Queen, the embodiment of the stiff upper lip, is already putting on protective gloves you can be sure of that.

She is wise at 93 to take no chances.

It will take a national effort to contain the virus or, failing that, to limit its effects.

The panic-buying that has stripped shop shelves is damaging and unnecessary.

The calls to close schools or scrap sporting events are premature.

For now it is better, as the Government says, simply to wash hands regularly and thoroughly, and self-isolate if you suspect you are infected.

Accept that the NHS and police are likely to be under huge strain for several months.

Britain is good at keeping calm and carrying on. Let’s do that, while actively minimising our risk.

Eco paralysis

THEY didn’t waste any time, did they?

Fresh from all but killing off Heathrow’s third runway, the eco lobby is launching a legal war to block HS2 using the same argument: that the Government did not factor in its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050.

You may support the new rail link.

You may be as opposed as TV’s Chris Packham, who is behind this challenge.

But there is no doubt that, as The Sun predicted last month, the Heathrow ­ruling will be weaponised by eco campaigners to scupper every development, every new road and even road repairs.

We hope the Government’s lawyers are preparing a watertight response.

Or every piece of infrastructure the Tories are planning, no matter how vital, will end up being kicked into the long grass, as fracking was.

Framing cheek

IT’S perfectly understandable that the bare breasts brazenly on display at the National Gallery were flagged as inappropriate on Twitter.

It is high time “artists” like Titian were no-platformed.

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It’s a pity he died in 1576 or we could get up a Twitter petition to have him sacked along with his pervy “Renaissance” mates.

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