We have a problem of policy here. Viruses mutate, and by definition mutations that aid their ability to spread win out. Omicron is the latest variant of SARS-CoV2 but of course it won't be the last. So are we going to return to lockdown every single time a new variant appears? That seems an "interesting" policy choice but no one is talking about alternatives. No one is weighing up costs versus benefits. We are simply stumbling from one panic to the next, driven by a toxic combination of media sensationalism and political opportunism.

This is not a sustainable path.