It’s a perplexing situation where 600 people dying each day instead of the 700 who passed away the day before is seen as positive news, but that is sadly where we seem to be at the moment. The government’s early communications on ‘flattening the curve’ seems to have heightened many people’s focus on the daily death rates from the Office for National Statistics in search of the ‘peak’ of the pandemic.
One can only hope that this deference to death data is borne out of a need to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. At least then there is some sort of context.
The post-lockdown landscape is difficult to predict, but the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had its say recently and based on a three-month lockdown period followed by a three months of partial restrictions, predicted Britain’s economy could shrink by 35% in the second quarter and see unemployment jump by two million. The OBR further predicted that this sharp
contraction would be between April and June, with a strong bounce back after that.
One has to assume the bounce back for optics is likely to take a little longer than other sectors. There will of course be a backlog of routine appointments and unmet eye health needs, but it’s unlikely that optical practices are going to be destinations for people following a period of lockdown.
And what will post-lockdown sight tests and eye exams look like? The additional PPE requirements for testing patients, Perspex screens and regular disinfecting routines will add a layer of cost, but at least the GOS sight test fee hasn’t been subjected to yet another real terms reduction.
It’s often said that optical retail’s blend of healthcare and retail makes it a unique sector, but in the here and now, there’s a risk that the road to recovery could be a little harder to negotiate.