In 2018, NHS England commissioned 4 airborne high consequence infectious diseases (HCID) units which could take adults and children in preparation for the emergence of a new airborne viral infection in the UK. St Mary’s Hospital (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust), London was one of the paediatric centres, partnered with the Royal Free Hospital for adults. St Mary’s was ideally placed to look after children with possible airborne HCID, with a newly designed and built suite of HCID rooms and an expert and collaborative group of paediatric intensivists and infectious diseases consultants. It was exciting to prepare for these eventualities, which felt unlikely as we focussed instead on Brexit and the environment. In retrospect, we are ashamed of thinking that this would be exciting, as we now live through a pandemic whose proportions go well beyond our wildest nightmares.