Two topics dominate the coronavirus news: vaccination and tougher action against rule breakers.
The record number of cases and deaths, and hospitals only just coping, have created a darker mood throughout the country, overshadowing the the relief that the answer - vaccination is on hand.
The country’s sombre mood has been further darkened by Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, warning that the worst weeks were yet to come.
To counteract this, the government has launched a campaign setting out how they are tackling the vaccination programme.
They have issued a 46 page ‘master plan’ - not just an ordinary plan, of course. It makes pledges, gives dates, priorities, numbers.
Already 2.6 million have been vaccinated. The top priority cases will all be offered vaccination by mid February and all over-fifties by May.
The NHS has mobilised thousands, set up hubs and vaccination centres and recruited GPs, pharmacists and trained volunteers. giving thousands of vaccinations a day. To meet the target requires over two million vaccinations a week stretching well into the year.
Matt Hancock oozes confidences that his master plan will work, conveniently forgetting past failures, including the inexcusable mishandling of test and trace which undoubtedly contributed to delays. This time he must get it right.
So far the harsh restrictions and lockdowns have been met stoically by most people, but there is a growing minority whose patience has given way to defiance.
The police, generally, have been lenient in their reaction, apart from well publicised cases where they have been exposed as ridiculously heavy handed.
Urged on by the government, they are going to crack down harder on offenders, a message reinforced by London's Metropolitan Police chief. A necessary move, but sad to see our liberty so curtailed and reducing police forces ability to tackle real crime.
There will continue to be cases that make the rules and reaction seem ridiculous. The latest involved PM Johnson who cycled seven miles from Downing Street for exercise. And what did London's police chief have to say? Nothing wrong with that: he did not break his own laws.
Not exactly a vote of confidence in the new get tough regime.
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