It is impossible, at this early stage, to know the long-term consequences of the coronavirus outbreak. There are many reasons to be gravely worried, particularly about the poorest countries. But some aspects of the response to Covid-19 have offered grounds to hope that the effects will not all be negative. Among these is the outpouring of appreciation towards health and care workers, which the UK joined on Thursday evening with a #ClapForCarers on doorsteps and balconies.
Support for the National Health Service goes far beyond a willingness to applaud. On Wednesday, it was announced that 500,000 people had signed up to become NHS volunteers, helping to support the 1.5 million people deemed to be most vulnerable and advised to stay at home for 12 weeks. Added to the large number who have joined local groups that have sprung up as part of a Covid-19 Mutual Aid movement, the UK now has – theoretically, at least – an army of citizens ready and willing to do what is required to help each other keep going during the testing times ahead.
Such proof of altruism, at a time when many people have reason to be anxious about their private circumstances, is heartening. Particularly for older or unwell people who do not live close to friends and family, and when travel has become far more difficult (if not impossible), it is vital to know that others take an interest in their wellbeing. Such connections already exist in many places and are supported by churches, charities and community organisations of many kinds. But the creation of new links should cheer everyone who believes that solidarity is as much a part of human nature as self-interest.
Big questions remain about how this all works in practice. In the first days and weeks, pop-up support groups may well be able to identify and plug gaps, and deserve praise for their willingness. In the longer term, volunteers, like all workers, require training and management. Incorporating them into a new public service designed, at speed, to deliver food and medicines to 1.5 million people, as well as providing support to an unknown number of others who are vulnerable without meeting that threshold, will not be easy – particularly when existing social care and children’s services are stretched to, and beyond, breaking point.
Already, the existence of two volunteering streams – one national (the NHS) and one local (grassroots Mutual Aid) – mirrors the division between the UK’s national health and localised care systems. In the longer term, it is to be hoped that coronavirus could be the catalyst for greater integration. Right now, the priority must be for the national and local arms of government to find ways of working together and directing resources to where they are most needed.
Some duplication in this initial stage doesn’t matter (three offers of help to a lonely, worried person being a great deal better than none). But if volunteers are to be able to offer practical help as well as kind words, they need to build relationships with the bodies (most likely local councils) with the capacity to coordinate and access funding. The recent huge upsurge in applications for universal credit is a clear warning of the hardships ahead, with advice on dealing with claims already in high demand. Networks are already forming. There is no shortage of goodwill. Salute the spirit of voluntarism, while recognising that it will take more than neighbourliness to repair our weakened social safety net.
