The full lifting of restrictions in England is expected to be delayed by a month beyond June 21 due to the impact of the Indian variant of the coronavirus, a leading scientist telling the government has told Sky News.
Step four in Boris Johnson’s easing roadmap coronavirus rules – when the Prime Minister intends to remove all legal limits on social contact – should take place from June 21.
But there is growing doubt about the Prime Minister’s ability to meet this date due to the spread of the Indian variant in the UK.
COVID updates live from UK and around the world
Professor Ravi Gupta, a member of the Advisory Group on New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats (Nervtag), told Sky News that a further easing of measures on June 21 was “a bit early.”
“I think we need at least a few weeks – probably a month before the schools close, when the risk of transmission in schools decreases during the summer vacation,” he said.
“This then gives us four more weeks of data to collect on how the [Indian variant of the] virus is growing in the population, how fast it is growing, how it behaves compared to the previous B117 strain.
“And also the effectiveness of our vaccines against this new virus.
“All of this information is coming in every week and it will allow us to build a better self-image while remaining safe and maintaining the gains we have made during these really painful three months of four months.”
Professor Gupta, professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, warned that the Indian variant presented a “real risk now of widespread transmission in unvaccinated young people and, of course, in school-aged children as well as in those who are vulnerable and have not responded to the vaccine “.
People line up for COVID vaccination at Twickenham rugby stadium
He added: “We are in a very good position and the easing has been …
More information about this article Read More
Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-01 06:40:00
