[tweetiepooh]

Was thinking last night and there is a problem with perception on the whole COVID-19 issue that is also true of most politics.

Politics. science, statistics deal with populations and big numbers. They would have to wrestle with how many deaths, how much the cost, global/national/regional impacts. If we spend money on this and not that what happens. If we support this project in the long term that is beneficial to the nation/region etc more so than keeping things aside for this eventuality. If we send stuff to this country to help them, we get good will to benefit in the future and so on. If we lock down hard now, spend lots on testing then what is long term impact on economy, NHS, morale; if we don't then ...

We deal with the people level, it's Auntie Maud, brother, sister, Nurse Claire, PC Bob. The big picture isn't important when it's someone you know. You don't tell a grieving relative that their loved one died so that some unknown business could better secure a contract. It's not like a war where risks are better known and there is more clear line between a death and it's benefits. (Not that saying we should be careless to our service personnel and use them simply as cannon fodder or being ill equipped either).

It's getting the balance right, reminding the big picture people that it impacts actual real people so they do keep that in mind. That job shouldn't be easy and divorced from individual reality.

Just wondering if down the line we get headlines like "my Suzie died from <nasty disease> because research was stopped during COVID-19" or other permutations however things pan out.