The government is handing the economy over to the Covid-careless

“Responsible employers can play their part too, by placing a premium on close dialogue with employees and informing customers how they are reopening safely.”

So said John Foster, director of policy at the CBI, in response to the government’s announcement of a reheated Covid herd-immunity policy that will see the end of most restrictions in a couple of weeks. Of course, that wasn’t quite how Boris Johnson and co characterised it.

Foster is right. Of course, it would be nice if all employers were responsible. Trouble is, they’re not. There are some that will tell their staff that if they’re not back at their workplaces ASAP, then they’d best find their way to the nearest JobcentrePlus or whatever they’re calling it these days, even though the government is not quite saying that (this time).

Some clinically vulnerable employees, still at risk even after having had two vaccines, may find themselves on the horns of a nasty dilemma. They may have to sit alongside irresponsible mask-free yahoos on public transport. They may have to work alongside them too.

The Hobson’s choice of life/health or livelihood is not something anyone should be faced with. But make no mistake, some people will be. This is what happens when governments abdicate responsibility with a pandemic still raging.

The British government is gambling with the lives of its citizens in the hope that hospitalisations remain manageable and the economy picks up.

Trouble is, economies are in large part governed by confidence, as Foster clearly appreciates.

The cavalier approach of ministers, their indulgence of the irresponsible, their tolerance for deeply anti-social behaviour, puts that at risk.

There are inevitably people who will view 19 July as “freedom day” and dive straight in with their credit and debit cards out: the young and healthy, maybe bolstered by their first jab, could be in this group, as well as the conspiracy-fogged anti-lockdown brigade, and the people who don’t think it will happen to them, or who don’t mind crossing their fingers.

But there are others who will be disturbed by the antics of Tory MPs braying on LBC about how they don’t plan to wear a mask on public transport and encouraging others to do the same.

They will stay home. They will keep their cards in their purses and wallets, unless there’s something they like the look of on Amazon.

It’s these people that the responsible, consumer-facing employers referenced by Foster are going to have to worry about. And they are worried. I can tell you that for a fact.

They know that if you tailor your economic policy to serve only the Covid-careless – which is precisely what the government’s approach risks doing – you make the economy smaller. You hurt the recovery because the Covid-cautious will stay at home until they can be sure that it’s safe to do otherwise.

In many ways, ministers have got this the wrong way around. There are some areas they could have looked at moving more quickly on. An example might be self-isolation rules for double-vaccinated people who get dinged by test and trace and are told to stay at home even if they then test negative. Test and release won’t come online until August.

An increasing number of cases in the interim means an increasing number of close contacts, means an increasing number of people self-isolating for long periods when they might not need to. Spell “labour shortages”.

Workplace testing is another area where businesses feel more certainty is required. And workplace testing can be filed under “thoroughly good idea”.

The government has talked a lot about common sense and personal responsibility, but it seems both have been chucked out the window. The economy may suffer the consequences and so may the chancellor’s coffers, that is unless the Covid-careless are all silly spendthrifts.

There are certainly some silly people among their number, so who knows?