Boris Johnson’s bafflingly sheepish coronavirus guidance won’t fly for much longer

Trapped in this no man’s land between ‘we’re all doomed’ and trying not to panic, we all deserve much better, writes Matthew Norman

The PM's guidance was laissez-faire compared to that of other world leaders (EPA)

Out of chaos and disaster comes revolutionary change – and on this sceptic isle, the signs are already encouraging.

Whether this will catch on and spread through every outpost of the state apparatus, time will reveal. But assuming what holds for this uniquely pernicious peacetime threat should extend to far less menacing corners of national life, prepare for a golden age of hands-off government.

When Boris Johnson stood at his lectern on Monday offering some survivalist counsel to the nation, the possibilities he opened up were thrillingly apparent.