Remember what Contagion and the other disaster films don’t tell you about a pandemic

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy As our months-long winter finally begins to yield to the renaissance of spring and we itch to brave pub gardens and make the most of the longer days and lighter evenings, it feels like an immensely cruel practical joke that our unwelcome visitor has chosen this time to ensure we all remain behind closed doors. As the UK enters the next phase of its of its response to this astonishing and unprecedented situation, it feels as though we are watching a Netflix series that’s already been spoilered for us: we know what’s in store yet remain chillingly stunned by the events unspooling in front of us. Since January, when Covid-19 first broke out in Wuhan, China, downloads of Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion have spiked, making it one of the most popular films in the Warner Bros catalogue, just behind Harry Potter. As bust-ups break out on Twitter, quarantined couples file for divorce and housemates clash over working routines, political viewpoints and bathroom rotas, it would appear we are toeing the line of the disaster movie script – but it doesn’t have to be this way.