Britain tests the limits of mass vaccination
AS MIDNIGHT ARRIVED marking the start of “Freedom Day” on July 19th, clubbers returned to the dance floor. Yet there was trepidation. “It’s quite clear there’s extreme pressure on Boris to backtrack on ending restrictions,” read a viral Instagram post by a promoter. “If numbers surge he will 100% blame clubs as being superspreader events!” So please, it continued, take a lateral-flow test before heading out. They are “FREE from chemist[s]!”
The Delta covid-19 variant is ripping through Britain, with more than 40,000 cases reported a day (two-thirds of the peak in January). The number is doubling roughly every fortnight. The decision by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, to end most mitigation measures in England—including restrictions on the size of gatherings, and requirements to wear masks and keep distant—looks considerably braver than when he announced it earlier in the month. The club promoter had read the political dynamics more or less correctly.
What happens next is of interest beyond Britain’s borders. It is the first country to face a wave of the more transmissible Delta variant having already vaccinated most of its adult population. It will be watched by policymakers seeking to answer a crucial question: will a combination of vaccination and acquired immunity allow them to end severe restrictions and to...