I hardly know where to start with this.
The last few weeks have been unprecedented. If I wasn’t actually living through this, I’d swear I was watching a dodgy Armageddon movie. It’s like we’re in a surreal parallel universe watching this unfold like a Holby City episode on a Tuesday night. Except there’s nothing fictional about this.
It was a big disappointment, although expected if I’m honest, that MACH was postponed, but realistically and practically the only way we can wipe the floor with this virus is by minimising contact with each other and putting the brakes on spreading it. This is of crucial importance to avoid overwhelming the NHS. Just look at Italy.
Suffice to say, a show with 25,000 visitors and a whole host of exhibitors is really not a good idea. The MTA and other show organisers (Subcon is postponed and Farnborough is cancelled) have absolutely no choice. On a positive note, it’s great to see that MACH 2021 will take place next January.
So this issue was intended to be our MACH showcase but now it’s morphed into something different entirely through necessity more than anything else. But that doesn’t matter. Editorially it’s been quite refreshing to have a blank canvass to work with rather than having to adhere to an editorial programme as is usually the case. I can be a little more liberal than I usually would – our cover story is about the use of cranes in manufacturing environments!
On wider stuff – we all have plenty to think about but as usual in times of difficulty, human behavioural patterns never cease to both warm the cockles of my heart and astound me at the same time.
We’ve seen gargantuan levels of commitment, dedications and compassion from our wonderful NHS staff; we’ve seen shop and retail workers go over and above the call of duty in the most challenging of circumstances; and we’ve seen manufacturers rallying round in their droves offering their services and expertise to help with the production of vital equipment like ventilators.
We’ve also seen levels of panic buying that have been truly shocking. We’ve seen obscene profiteering, greed beyond belief and selfishness that quite frankly is nothing short of disgraceful. As usual it’s a minority that tarnishes everything else.
But, I’ve always been a believer that the vast majority of people are good, decent human beings and that view hasn’t changed.
So who knows what the future holds? It’s going to be a tough ride for a few months at least that’s for sure, but we will get past this. It’s hard to see the wood for the trees at the moment but usually, after cataclysmic events like this, we often come back better, stronger and wiser.
But for the time being, above everything else, stay well, stay safe and look out for each other.
