In the Global North, coronavirus might become, with the help of mass vaccination, a 'manageable' disease, like influenza, one that, with appropriate management, need not threaten either our health care system or our society. In the Global South, it is still a terrible plague, which threatens the stability of many extremely vulnerable societies.
Alexander and his government have evidently decided that coronavirus now falls into the first category, at least in the United Kingdom.
However, there is another possibility: that the government believes that the illness still falls into the second category, but that, because it has embraced libertarian ideology (of which Sajid Javid, the new Health Secretary, is a fervent advocate), using 'herd immunity' as a cover. 'Herd immunity' is a viable medical strategy only if most people in the UK are vaccinated. Otherwise, it is an ethically indefensible policy which deliberately exposes the population to unnecessary infection.
Be that as it may, the government needs to do at least four things, which it is conspicuously failing to do :
First, it should recognise that the price of opening up our society is the imposition of greater restrictions on overseas travel, in order to prevent (or at least slow down) the importation of new variants.
Second, it should recognise that the price of abolishing social distancing regulations is the retention of other rules, such as mask wearing.
Third, it should invest heavily in better ventilation for public buildings and commercial premises.
Fourth, its support for those who have to isolate should be much more generous. Because of the government's penny-pinching attitude, too many people who should have isolated have not. (Of course, support for isolation depends on a viable contact tracing system, but this seems beyond the government's capability).
It is no accident that the government has not done these essential things. Alexander finds the notion that trade-offs exist in life, and that any politician worth their position must face up to these, and must make the public face up to these ; and it seems uncomfortable with the fact that, during a pandemic, it is a good idea to err on the side of munificence in supporting people who have to isolate, for the greater good of keeping them (and others) out of harm's way. Here are significant signs which show that these fundamental shortcomings of Alexander's government have survived the pandemic completely unscathed.