MANY are calling for a grown-up conversation on how we extract ourselves from this lock-down.
I concur.
Apart from the human costs, which are grave on many levels, our once thriving economy has stalled.
The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates the cost is a staggering £260 billion.
In that figure are countless stories of people suffering genuine hardship and pain.
Even corporate giants are not protected from the effects of this deadly virus.
This week, British Airways (BA) announced plans to make over a third of their staff redundant, despite protections on offer from the government.
Furlough only works if there is a job to return to; BA has decided the immediate future of aviation looks grim.
The delicate balance between health and economy demands the Wisdom of Solomon, and I do not envy the Prime Minister.
Some are pre-empting a loosening of restrictions, as Monday’s mini rush-hour indicated.
This frustration is understandable when so many livelihoods are threatened.
There are cases, and garden centres are frequently mentioned, when some relaxation is justified.
But, at the same time, we are not out of the woods yet and even eminent scientists are failing to agree on the way forward.
It’s true that the death toll is falling and new cases rising less steeply but, as Germany has shown, the smallest change could see a resurgence of this virus.
Mrs Merkel has warned that, without new measures, hospitals could be overwhelmed by the end of June.
It’s interesting to note that in a recent poll here, 70 per cent of respondents said they’d rather the lock-down continued until there was more evidence the virus was beaten.
As I’ve hinted, that could prove unacceptable economically, and this is where the debate needs to head next.