Now for the caveats.

It’s early days; at the moment all we know is that something bad might happen, but it hasn’t happened yet. If things get worse, the normal instinct to blame government could return with a vengeance. And perhaps people are willing the situation to be under control, to make themselves feel better about it.

It’s also, arguably, the lack of Boris rather than his leadership that explains the atmosphere of competence. His involvement has been limited to a few videos in hospitals and reminders to wash your hands while singing Happy Birthday. Much of the communication duty has been handed down to technocratic health secretary Matt Hancock and the Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris Whitty.

But even this is, let’s face it, a credit to the Government, which has so far managed just the right balance of gravity and lack of panic about the threat. Who would have predicted that a Boris Johnson government would be earning praise across the board for its seriousness and competence in a crisis?