Lockdown restrictions could return next month, warn government experts UK News

Covid restrictions, including face masks and working from home, could return as early as next month according to experts advising the UK government.

Experts said face masks and working from home could return by mid-August after warning of another deadly pandemic peak.

Dubbed “Freedom Day,” July 19 saw face masks become a recommended measure as opposed to the law, along with workers returning to offices and social distancing outside of any limits.

Experts from SAGE, Whitehall’s independent health advisory group, have now suggested that a turnaround could take place in mid-August if hospital cases continue to rise.

“Humble in the face of nature”

The advisory comes as the latest data from July 14 showed there were 745 new patients admitted per day, with 4,500 people hospitalized in the past seven days.

SAGE scientists have pleaded with ministers to heed the growing cases and take action to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed again by the end of August.

Current projections show the UK could experience between 1,000 and 2,000 hospitalizations a day and 100-200 deaths a day could occur by the end of August, unless Borin Johnson takes action to reimpose restriction.

SAGE suggests reintroducing face masks and working from home in mid-August, to limit the spread of the virus before the peak is reached.

Prime Minister Johnson has warned the British that using their common sense is essential to ensure the country can return to normalcy, as he stressed in his latest press briefings that the pandemic is “far from being completed “.

As he appeared via Zoom from Isolation to Checkers, he declined to rule out reapplication of the measures if a third wave looms, adding that he is “humble in the face of nature”.

From July 19, NHS workers also do not need to self-isolate if they are ‘pinged’ by tracking and tracing, as the NHS tries to stay afloat while dealing with the inevitable increase in cases that is expected as socialization and events unfold without restriction.

Dr Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director of Public Health England, said: “The past 18 months have been difficult for all of us. Now that the restrictions have been lifted, many of us want to start doing what we love the most again.

“However, we have to do it with caution and be reasonable. We are in a wave of infections that has seen an increase of over 40% last week, there is still a risk of serious illness for many people.

“We can all reduce the risk by getting the two doses of the vaccine, testing ourselves twice a week at home, and spending more time outdoors or in well-ventilated rooms. Let’s all stay alert.”