You know things are bad when the army has to come save the day. As of right now, there are 6,650 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Around 335 have already died because of it.

At a time when all of us should be looking to self-isolate, there are some who aren’t taking the virus seriously enough and putting others at risk. Those who are more vulnerable to the disease have no choice but to stay indoors, whether they can practically afford to or not.

We aren’t talking about a couple of hundred people here, the numbers go up to 1.5 million people, who could be stuck at home for at least the next three months.

To make lives easier, the British Army is now stepping in. They will be working to help those with pre-existing conditions, the elderly, and otherwise at-risk folk. They will be helping take care of the food and medicine that these people need while they remain in lockdown.

GPs will be sending out letters informing people facing higher risks to stay indoors for at least 12 weeks. But at this time, it’s disheartening that others who can help control the pandemic are instead choosing to ignore calls for social distancing.

Folks who thinks this is a good time to enjoy themselves outdoors may be helping the country inch closer to a lockdown.

“People need to follow that advice. If people don’t follow that advice then clearly, we’ll have to consider other options, but none of us want to go down that route,” Minister Robert Jenrick said while talking about the need for extreme measures.

Talking about the systems being put in place to help people being asked to self-isolate, he said: “The NHS will be delivering medicines to these people through the community pharmacy network and I’ve been working with councils, with supermarkets and with the armed forces, to ensure that food and other basic supplies can be delivered to the doorstep of these people, hundreds of thousands of people across the country for as long as it takes.”

Earlier, Boris Johnson even went as far as to tell people not to visit their mums this Mother’s Day. “This time the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity,” he said.  

“And why? Because if your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus, or Covid-19,” he added.

In an address today, he went on to call people ‘selfish’ for not following social distancing.

The army is doing its part in helping is take care of those at most risk. We must also do our part and support our soldiers by staying home. This is not just so we can stay safe, but so others may live.