The Great Barrington Declaration

We have increasingly seen the scientific community support the notion that the current government’s decision-making is not accounting enough for the ‘non-COVID’ health implications of the lockdown strategy. The movement called the ‘Great Barrington Declaration’ which includes 6,000 scientists and medical professionals recognises the indirect risks being created by blanket lockdowns. It supports the call for protection to be focussed on the vulnerable while those deemed healthy are able to continue with their livelihoods and roles in supporting the wider economy. To have the scientific community now supporting the business community in this view point is a boon to the notion that the government’s strategy needs to change, fast.

The concerns with the lockdown strategy alongside the need to challenge the alarmist reactions from the media were one of the key reasons that we started posting objective, data-based viewpoints in April of this year. Gradually, business leaders also joined the rallying cry and so too did a number of high profile business correspondents in national newspapers. Fellow entrepreneur and CEO of BrewDog, James Watt, has been someone who has also publicly challenged the government on its treatment of the pub and restaurant sector. Watt recently called out Nicola Sturgeon on the potential implications of the 16-day ban of serving alcohol in pubs, stating that “unemployment, mental health issues, crime and future austerity will claim more lives and destroy more livelihoods than COVID”.

The role of management consultants is to challenge established thinking based on data and insights, and then identify solutions for improvements (even if they are not always the easy route).

Those of us publicly challenging the extent of the alarmist reaction and the lockdown strategy came under scrutiny; rationality and long-term perspective are mistaken for a lack of compassion. This might be why we have seen so little from the traditional consulting firms (MBB or Big 4) in regards to challenging the status quo. They have remained reactive with generic viewpoints focussing on the effects of COVID-19 and almost always lead to ‘how they can help’. The role of management consultants is to challenge established thinking based on data and insights, and then identify solutions for improvements (even if they are not always the easy route). It is not to repeat what is already known and then conclude to do things that are already being done.

It is critical for everyone’s wellbeing that we do not get complacent. That we continue challenging the government and each other on the how best to manage this situation. Being able to do so alongside the scientific community is a great outcome for us and for the long-term welfare of the country and its citizens.