What did you do in the coronavirus ‘war’, Daddy?
That is a question today’s parents will be asked by their young children in the years ahead.
What will be response be?
I don’t know, but if I were parent in 2050 my account of life in 2020 would seem to be be a tall story, almost unbelievable.
How ordinary life changed dramatically, all over the world, to be filled with uncertainty, fear, disruption and millions of deaths - in the USA more than in any of its wars.
I would tell of being stuck at home for months on end, of police in the streets stopping and fining you if you dared step outside.
How we all relied on television, radio and the internet for entertainment with non-stop keep fit and cookery lessons.
How my grandchildren and great grandchildren could not go to school or out to play and had to try to make up for a year‘s education by television, on laptops and parents giving them lessons.
I would tell them that our usual holidays, from camping to cruises and adventurous trips overseas, were impossible for nearly two years.
I would explain how scientists at Oxford University and in other countries took months, not years, to develop new vaccines and how countless millions of doses were manufactured, suddenly bringing hope of winning the battle against coronavirus.
And, most of all, I would praise the doctors, nurses and the NHS for working bravely and tirelessly to save lives and how we all showed our pride and gratitude by public clapping demonstrations.
And my story will, I hope, convince future generations of my family how fortunate they are to have missed all this, to be able to enjoy their freedom and make their own way of life.
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