Kent’s meningitis outbreak taught me that post-Covid Britain is not as divided as many feared | Devi Sridhar

The government’s plan was clear and effective, and communities have eagerly followed its guidance – with young people leading the way

Roughly six years ago, the UK went into its first lockdown as an emergency response to Covid-19. Since then, the government’s many Covid policies, from severe restrictions on our movement to the test-and-trace debacle, have been picked apart. One of the questions I am most often asked is whether we’re better prepared for the next pandemic. It’s been tricky to answer. Although we learned much from the experience that should mean we’re better placed next time around, the stringent measures taken from 2020 to early 2022 have contributed to a backlash against public-health interventions, scientific research and vaccines, which coincides with declining trust in government after various political scandals.

Colleagues and I have often wondered: if we did face another disease spreading in Britain, would anyone listen to experts? Or is the public too far gone in its fatigue and distrust? So when the health alarm bells started ringing about an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, there was concern about what this would mean in terms of the public response.

Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh