Our lives have been ruled by rules, restrictions and limits on our freedoms for the past 16 months as the government grapples with the worst pandemic we have seen in a century.
But in two weeks, the period will be gone, even though the virus is still going strong.
Boris Johnson announced on Monday that he would lift all rules except for the requirement to self-isolate if you have COVID-19 or if you are being tracked and traced by the NHS.
Unlocking would continue even with the prospect of new coronavirus cases reaching 50,000 per day by July 19.
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As the Prime Minister told the public; the risks of the disease have been reduced thanks to mass vaccination, but are far from being eliminated.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, went further when he spoke of an increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
“The link between cases and hospitalizations and cases and deaths is weakened but not completely broken and we expect a further increase,” he said.
“We are currently facing a growing epidemic and therefore we must behave accordingly to try to limit transmission.”
But Mr Johnson’s announcement went directly against that advice.
Removing face masks, social distancing requirements and limits on indoor gatherings are all measures that only serve to increase transmission, not limit it.
Mr Johnson’s “big bang” approach to reopening and transferring responsibility for managing the virus to the individual rather than the collective is therefore at odds with some of the scientific advice.
And while Sir Patrick and Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, kept their advice at Monday’s press conference, others have expressed concerns over the government’s move …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-07-05 20:27:00
