Boris Johnson’s response to coronavirus has been too little, too late

Editorial: It is not so long ago that the prime minister was joshing about shaking hands with people. He is finally starting to take the pandemic seriously – but it’s already outrun him

PM has been too slow to accept the inevitable

It is not possible to know what is going through the prime minister’s mind during his Covid-19 press conferences, but a degree of trepidation is etched into those usually jovial features.

There is cause for concern. The rate of spread of the coronavirus, the number of cases and fatalities are all accelerating. Britain, by common consent, is already on the steep part of the upward curve of infection – and many say, on the same trajectory as Italy. In other words, the harrowing scenes we witness now in Italy’s hospitals could soon be replicated in Britain. By this time next month, the NHS could also be overwhelmed by the demand.

That is a terrifying prospect, and one Boris Johnson must be dreading. It now seems unlikely that the NHS will be able to secure all the necessary resources, especially respirators, in time. At that point, the theoretical questions now being posed about the British response to the pandemic will grow acute and immediate. It will be a moment of political reckoning.