Sabtu, 19 September 2020

Covid: £10,000 fines for self-isolation breaches - BBC News

People in England who refuse an order to self-isolate could be fined up to £10,000, the government has said.

The new legal duty requires people to self-isolate if they test positive for coronavirus, or are traced as a close contact, from 28 September.

New measures also include a one-off £500 support payment for those on lower incomes, and a penalty for employers who punish those told to self-isolate.

A further 4,422 new Covid-19 cases and 27 deaths were reported on Saturday.

There were 350 new cases reported in Scotland, the highest daily increase since May, 212 new cases in Wales, and 222 in Northern Ireland.

Fines will initially start at £1,000 rising to £10,000 for repeat offenders, and for "the most egregious breaches". Up until now, advice to self-isolate has been guidance only.

Announcing the new rules for England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the best way to fight the virus was for everyone to follow the rules.

"So nobody underestimates just how important this is, new regulations will mean you are legally obliged to do so if you have the virus or have been asked to do so by NHS Test and Trace. People who choose to ignore the rules will face significant fines.

"We need to do all we can to control the spread of this virus, to prevent the most vulnerable people from becoming infected, and to protect the NHS and save lives", he said.

At-a-glance: What are the new rules?

  • People in England who are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace face fines of £1,000 - up to £10,000 for the worst offenders - if they fail to do so
  • This includes those who test positive and those identified as close contacts of confirmed cases
  • It also includes employers who force staff to ignore an order to self-isolate
  • NHS Test and Trace will make regular contact with those isolating to check compliance
  • The measures apply from 28 September and will be enforced by police and local authorities
  • Those in receipt of benefits or on low income and who cannot work from home may receive a £500 one-off payment if self-isolating

Those attracting the highest penalties are described as including those who stop other people from self-isolating, such as an employer who insists a staff member comes to work in violation of an order.

The penalties are in line with those for people who fail to quarantine for 14 days after returning to the UK from a country not on the list of low risk nations.

In Bolton, one returning holidaymaker, who did not self-isolate and instead went on a pub crawl, is being partly blamed for the town's spike in cases.

Iron fist in a velvet glove

The prime minister is concerned that existing regulations are too often being flouted - and he has been frustrated that they are not always effectively enforced.

The government's scientific advisers have suggested as many as four out of five people who should be self-isolating bend or break the rules.

So, from 28 September in England, fines can be levied.

But this iron fist is encased in a velvet glove.

Following pilot schemes in some parts of Lancashire, a £500 lump sum will be available to people on benefits who have to self-isolate - or who are on low incomes and who cannot work from home.

Regional political leaders, such as Greater Manchester's Mayor Andy Burnham, have been pressing for this.

But compliance isn't the only problem.

Delays in delivering test results can affect how quickly the contacts of infected people isolate, even if they want to, or are paid to do the right thing.

The UK government hopes the new measures will be replicated in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - which all have powers to set their own coronavirus rules.

Officials said NHS Test and Trace would be in regular contact with individuals told to self-isolate and would report any suspicions that people were not complying to the police and local authorities.

Police will also check compliance in Covid-19 hotspots and among groups considered to be "high-risk" as well as following up reports from members of the public of people who have tested positive but are not self-isolating.

Prosecutions could follow in "high-profile and egregious" cases of non-compliance.

As with other coronavirus rules, there will be specific exemptions for those who need to escape from illness or harm during their isolation, and for those who require care.

Changes to support for those in receipt of benefits or on a low income will initially affect up to four million people who cannot work from home in England, the government said.

The one-off payment of £500 is above both statutory sick pay of £95.85 per week and a previously-announced additional award of £182 for those told to self-isolate in highest risk areas of intervention.

Let's block ads! (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTU0MjIxOTUz0gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYW1wL3VrLTU0MjIxOTUz?oc=5

2020-09-19 22:09:08Z
52781072133712

Covid: £10,000 fines for self-isolation breaches - BBC News

People in England who refuse an order to self-isolate could be fined up to £10,000, the government has said.

The new legal duty requires people to self-isolate if they test positive for coronavirus, or are traced as a close contact, from 28 September.

New measures also include a one-off £500 support payment for those on lower incomes, and a penalty for employers who punish those told to self-isolate.

A further 4,422 new Covid-19 cases and 27 deaths were reported on Saturday.

There were 350 new cases reported in Scotland, the highest daily increase since May, 212 new cases in Wales, and 222 in Northern Ireland.

Fines will initially start at £1,000 rising to £10,000 for repeat offenders, and for "the most egregious breaches". Up until now, advice to self-isolate has been guidance only.

Announcing the new rules for England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the best way to fight the virus was for everyone to follow the rules.

"So nobody underestimates just how important this is, new regulations will mean you are legally obliged to do so if you have the virus or have been asked to do so by NHS Test and Trace. People who choose to ignore the rules will face significant fines.

"We need to do all we can to control the spread of this virus, to prevent the most vulnerable people from becoming infected, and to protect the NHS and save lives", he said.

At-a-glance: What are the new rules?

  • People in England who are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace face fines of £1,000 - up to £10,000 for the worst offenders - if they fail to do so
  • This includes those who test positive and those identified as close contacts of confirmed cases
  • It also includes employers who force staff to ignore an order to self-isolate
  • NHS Test and Trace will make regular contact with those isolating to check compliance
  • The measures apply from 28 September and will be enforced by police and local authorities
  • Those in receipt of benefits or on low income and who cannot work from home may receive a £500 one-off payment if self-isolating

Those attracting the highest penalties are described as including those who stop other people from self-isolating, such as an employer who insists a staff member comes to work in violation of an order.

The penalties are in line with those for people who fail to quarantine for 14 days after returning to the UK from a country not on the list of low risk nations.

In Bolton, one returning holidaymaker, who did not self-isolate and instead went on a pub crawl, is being partly blamed for the town's spike in cases.

Iron fist in a velvet glove

The prime minister is concerned that existing regulations are too often being flouted and are not being effectively enforced.

The government's scientific advisers have suggested as many as 4 out of 5 people who should be self-isolating bend or break the rules.

So, from 28 September in England, fines initially of £1,000 can be levied, rising to £10,000 for repeat offenders.

But the iron fist is encased in a velvet glove.

Following pilot schemes in some parts of Lancashire, a £500 lump sum will be available to people on benefits or on low incomes who have to self-isolate and who cannot work from home.

The UK government hopes the new measures will be replicated in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - which all have powers to set their own coronavirus rules.

Officials said NHS Test and Trace would be in regular contact with individuals told to self-isolate and would report any suspicions that people were not complying to the police and local authorities.

Police will also check compliance in Covid-19 hotspots and among groups considered to be "high-risk" as well as following up reports from members of the public of people who have tested positive but are not self-isolating.

Prosecutions could follow in "high-profile and egregious" cases of non-compliance.

As with other coronavirus rules, there will be specific exemptions for those who need to escape from illness or harm during their isolation, and for those who require care.

Changes to support for those in receipt of benefits or on a low income will initially affect up to four million people who cannot work from home in England, the government said.

The one-off payment of £500 is above both statutory sick pay of £95.85 per week and a previously-announced additional award of £182 for those told to self-isolate in highest risk areas of intervention.

Let's block ads! (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTU0MjIxOTUz0gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYW1wL3VrLTU0MjIxOTUz?oc=5

2020-09-19 22:03:19Z
52781072133712

Boris Johnson's allies angered by 'brutal and personal' attack on the PM - Daily Mail

Boris Johnson's allies are angered by 'brutal and personal' attack on the PM which describes him as 'miserable, worn out and short of money'

  • PM's brush with death, dealing with pandemic and financial concerns take toll
  • He was also said to be missing his former wife in an unflattering published piece
  • But friends responded with anger at gloomy portrayal of his mood and health

Boris Johnson is now a man with 'misery etched on his face' as Covid and money troubles wear down the formally 'ebullient' and 'cajoling' figure of old.

A deeply unflattering portrait published yesterday suggested that the combination of his own brush with death, dealing with the pandemic and personal financial concerns had taken a terrible toll on the usually jovial PM.

Mr Johnson was also said to be missing his former wife Marina Wheeler despite his loving relationship with new partner Carrie Symonds, the mother to his five-month- old son.

'Carrie does genuinely love him and he loves her,' one friend is said to have remarked. 'But that's very different from what came before…What Marina gave Boris was grounding. Proper grounding in the hinterland of his political views.'

Boris Johnson pictured during Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons on September 2

Boris Johnson pictured during Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons on September 2

The Prime Minister during a virtual press conference at Downing Street on September 9

The Prime Minister during a virtual press conference at Downing Street on September 9

The story of a Prime Minister weighed down and 'subdued' came in yesterday's Times which quoted colleagues, friends and Government sources to suggest all was not well with the once irrepressible Boris.

Allies of Mr Johnson responded last night with anger at the gloomy portrayal of the Prime Minister's mood, fitness and health. One voiced dismay at the 'brutal' and personal nature of the briefings given to the newspaper. 

But the reports come just one month after the father-in-law of key Johnson aide Dominic Cummings sparked speculation that Mr Johnson was hit so severely by his own serious Covid illness in the spring that he would quit No 10 in six months' time.

Sir Humphry Wakefield apparently let slip the remark to a visitor to the family's 13th Century, Grade I-listed Chillingham Castle in Northumberland, with the keen horse-rider warning: 'If you put a horse back to work when it's injured, it will never recover.'

The reports were strenuously denied by both Downing Street and Mr Johnson himself. However, the denials have not stopped even one senior Minister from privately speculating that the Prime Minister will not lead his party into the next Election expected in 2024.

And according to The Times yesterday, one witness present at a meeting with Tory MPs last week in Mr Johnson's wood-panelled Commons office said: 'He just seemed subdued. He was engaged but he certainly wasn't as lively as you'd expect.'

The witness mused: 'Does that go back to the illness? Is it the weight of responsibility or is it maybe just a recognition that he's not always very well briefed on things? Most likely it's some combination of all those.'

One senior Tory said to meet regularly with Mr Johnson had this opinion of how he was coping with the extraordinary challenges besetting him. 'This is all weighing very heavily on him. I think you can see it even in some of his public appearances – the sort of misery etched on his face.

'He doesn't seem to be enjoying being at the helm in rough seas.'

The 'all at sea' analogy comes hot on the heels of an unexpected attack on the Prime Minister's performance against Covid and Brexit from a traditional ally in the media – The Spectator magazine, which he used to edit. 

The Prime Minister is also said to be beset with worries over his personal finances and responsibilities. That involves still providing for four of his six children to different degrees and all that after going through an expensive divorce and seeing a dramatic drop in his income.

His income has dropped from more than £350,000 a year as a backbench MP – including a £275,000 contract with the Daily Telegraph – to just £150,000 as Prime Minister, out of which he also has tax liabilities for his Downing Street flat and has to pay for food sent up for him and Carrie.

Mr Johnson during a debate with Ed Miliband in the House of Commons on September 14

Mr Johnson during a debate with Ed Miliband in the House of Commons on September 14

The Prime Minister giving evidence to the Commons Liaison Committee on September 16

The Prime Minister giving evidence to the Commons Liaison Committee on September 16

One friend opined to The Times that 'Boris, like other Prime Ministers, is very, very badly served. He doesn't have a housekeeper – he has a single cleaner and they're worried about being able to afford a nanny. He's stuck in the flat and Downing Street is not a nice place to live.' Another claimed: 'He's always worried about money, he has a genuine need to provide for his family, all of them, and I think that does worry him.'

As for his recovery from Covid, one witness told The Times: 'He's pin sharp one day and then he will say to somebody in his own inimitable way, 'Why have you not briefed me on that?' and he'll be told, 'You were told that yesterday.' '

Some MPs, though, are worried about something more important than Mr Johnson's bank balance – his health. While No 10 and Mr Johnson himself insist he made a full recovery from Covid-19 in April, others who deal with him are not so persuaded. One told The Times: 'The recovery period for him has been really hard.

'At the beginning he was not allowed to go to Chequers at weekends because of the ban on moving from one place to another.

'The illness itself and having a baby was absolutely exhausting.'

Johnson aides reject those claims and point to his regular exercise regime – and the fact he has lost a stone and a half since leaving hospital. But added to all that, there were suggestions yesterday he could be missing the support of former wife Marina.

Insiders insist although he and Carrie love each other deeply, the relationship with Ms Symonds, 24 years his junior, is not the same in terms of support for Mr Johnson, despite the fact she is a former ministerial special adviser, ran the Tory Party's press operation and is said to be a key source of advice to the PM behind the scenes.

One person said to know Ms Symonds and Ms Wheeler well said: 'Carrie does genuinely love him and he loves her. But that's very different from what came before, and the pressures of living in Downing Street with a young baby and partner, however accommodating she might be. It's still bloody difficult.

'Marina was his intellectual match and, in terms of his view, everything was run by her or through her. She was instrumental in the organisation of his life from an intellectual standpoint.

'I don't think it is quite the same relationship with Carrie.'

Let's block ads! (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtODc1MTI1OS9Cb3Jpcy1Kb2huc29ucy1hbGxpZXMtYW5nZXJlZC1icnV0YWwtcGVyc29uYWwtYXR0YWNrLVBNLmh0bWzSAXFodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlLTg3NTEyNTkvYW1wL0JvcmlzLUpvaG5zb25zLWFsbGllcy1hbmdlcmVkLWJydXRhbC1wZXJzb25hbC1hdHRhY2stUE0uaHRtbA?oc=5

2020-09-19 21:01:50Z
CAIiEKRkPw8wWuxefSVyb40mT_cqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowzuOICzCZ4ocDMPX1qQY

Coronavirus: UK cases hit four-month high for second day in a row - Sky News

The number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK has jumped by 4,422 - the highest daily rise in over four months.

Saturday's figure is exactly 100 more cases than were confirmed the previous day, meaning both are the highest since 8 May.

A further 27 deaths of people with COVID-19 have also been recorded, taking the total to 41,759.

Live coverage of the latest coronavirus news and updates

Senior clinical lecturer has advice for the prime minister
'Blindingly obvious' what PM should do

Experts caution more infections are likely to be picked up now because the number of coronavirus tests available has grown dramatically since the pandemic began.

New cases reported on 19 September in each nation:

  • England - 3,638
  • Scotland - 350
  • Northern Ireland - 222
  • Wales - 212

Fears are growing that daily infections could within weeks hit the figures seen in March and April if the government does not take action.

Ministers are thought to be looking at a temporary two-week "circuit break" in an attempt to break the chain of transmission.

The move could see pubs and restaurants ordered to close or face a 10pm curfew, with socialising between households banned.

Boris Johnson is facing pressure to call a meeting of the government's civil contingencies committee - better known as COBRA - which handles national matters of emergency but has not met since May.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister "can't afford to be slow", and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon added the meeting is vital "to seek as much coordination and alignment as possible".

Millions of people are already living under local lockdown, with many more possibly to follow after London mayor Sadiq Khan's warning it is "increasingly likely" fresh restrictions will be needed in the capital.

Meanwhile the testing system is still under strain, with people in hotspots complaining they cannot get a test or being told to travel hundreds of miles from their home.

It will take weeks to fix, Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted, after the head of Test and Trace claimed nobody could have predicted the big rise in demand partially triggered by schools fully reopening.

Angela Rayner says government needs to act quickly if it wants to avoid national lockdown
'We need immediate action on test, track and trace'

A new rule was brought in from Monday to try to stem the growth of coronavirus making it illegal for people to gather in groups of more than six.

But Professor Neil Ferguson - the scientist whose modelling led the government to order the first nationwide lockdown in March - said more measures will be needed "sooner rather than later".

"Right now we are at about the levels of infection we were seeing in this country in late February," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"If we leave it another two to four weeks we will be back at levels we were seeing more like mid-March. That's clearly going to cause deaths because people will be hospitalised."

Let's block ads! (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZGh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXVrLWNhc2VzLWhpdC1mb3VyLW1vbnRoLWhpZ2gtZm9yLXNlY29uZC1kYXktaW4tYS1yb3ctMTIwNzYyMzjSAWhodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9hbXAvY29yb25hdmlydXMtdWstY2FzZXMtaGl0LWZvdXItbW9udGgtaGlnaC1mb3Itc2Vjb25kLWRheS1pbi1hLXJvdy0xMjA3NjIzOA?oc=5

2020-09-19 16:39:14Z
52781071780933

Covid-19: Highest surge since May with 350 new cases - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

A further 350 new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Scotland, the highest daily increase since May.

According to Scottish government figures, a further three people who tested positive for the virus have died.

Sixty four people were in hospital on Friday - nine in intensive care.

The figures bring the cumulative number of Covid-19 confirmed deaths in Scotland to 2,505 since the outbreak began.

However going by monthly data from the National Records of Scotland, there have been 4,236 deaths where the virus is mentioned on a death certificate.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde recorded 116 new cases, the highest increase among Scotland's health boards.

Scotland's national clinical director Jason Leitch told BBC Scotland that recent trends would trigger an examination of what the government restricts "regionally and nationally".

He said the nature of the spread of the virus meant "the dashboard is flashing amber" and that advice given to the Scottish government would now start to change.

"We're not in a position where national stay at home measures are the order of the day," he said."What we know is the principal risk is household mixing.

"Anything that restricts household mixing is attractive to the public health people.

"That gets you into hospitality territory, household gathering territory - all those things you've seen us think about previously particularly around the seven local authorities in the west that are under heavier restrictions."

The latest figures were announced after the first minister warned that tighter restrictions could be issued to combat a rise in cases.

Daily covid cases have steadily risen throughout September, however the 350 new cases show a marked jump compared with Friday's 203.

Nicola Sturgeon said "greater restrictions" might be needed to "interrupt" the spread of the virus, while preventing a full-scale lockdown.

Linda Bauld, professor of public health at Edinburgh University, told BBC Scotland: "The priority for the Scottish government and most people is keeping the schools open, keeping education going.

"If we don't want to see many more people going into hospital, we are going to have to pause other parts of the economy."

'Almost inevitable'

She added: "Closures will be a last resort - the more restrictive lockdowns - and things like curfews may be an intermediate step but i think it's almost inevitable.

"The other thing i would anticipate in terms of the ongoing restrictions in meeting in each other's homes is we may see travel restrictions applied within the country, because obviously we don't want one area with higher cases to affect a neighbouring area."

Restrictions on people visiting other households were reintroduced in Glasgow city, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire on 2 September after concerns about the number of cases.

Earlier this week, the Scottish government paused the next set of changes to lockdown rules and toughened other measures.

Let's block ads! (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLXNjb3RsYW5kLTU0MjE4OTMw0gEzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYW1wL3VrLXNjb3RsYW5kLTU0MjE4OTMw?oc=5

2020-09-19 14:41:29Z
52781067721250

Coronavirus: UK cases hit four-month high for second day in a row - Sky News

The number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK has jumped by 4,422 - the highest rise in over four months.

Saturday's figure is exactly 100 more cases than were confirmed the previous day, meaning both are the highest since 8 May.

A further 27 deaths of people with COVID-19 have also been recorded, taking the total to 41,759.

Experts caution more infections are likely to be picked up now because the number of coronavirus tests available has grown dramatically since the pandemic began.

New cases reported on 19 September in each nation:

  • England - 3,638
  • Scotland - 350
  • Northern Ireland - 222
  • Wales - 212

Fears are growing that daily infections could within weeks hit the figures seen in March and April if the government does not take action.

Ministers are thought to be looking at a temporary two-week "circuit break" in an attempt to break the chain of transmission.

More from Covid-19

The move could see pubs and restaurants ordered to close or face a 10pm curfew, with socialising between households banned.

Boris Johnson is facing pressure to call a meeting of the government's civil contingencies committee - better known as COBRA - which handles national matters of emergency but has not met since May.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister "can't afford to be slow", and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon added the meeting is vital "to seek as much coordination and alignment as possible".

Millions of people are already living under local lockdown, with many more possibly to follow after London mayor Sadiq Khan's warning it is "increasingly likely" fresh restrictions will be needed to stop the virus spreading in the capital.

Meanwhile the testing system is still under strain, with people in hotspots complaining they cannot get a test or being told to travel hundreds of miles from their home.

It will take weeks to fix, Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted, after the head of Test and Trace claimed nobody could have predicted the big rise in demand partially triggered by schools fully reopening.

Let's block ads! (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZGh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXVrLWNhc2VzLWhpdC1mb3VyLW1vbnRoLWhpZ2gtZm9yLXNlY29uZC1kYXktaW4tYS1yb3ctMTIwNzYyMzjSAWhodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9hbXAvY29yb25hdmlydXMtdWstY2FzZXMtaGl0LWZvdXItbW9udGgtaGlnaC1mb3Itc2Vjb25kLWRheS1pbi1hLXJvdy0xMjA3NjIzOA?oc=5

2020-09-19 15:49:19Z
52781066661718

Coronavirus: PM urged to take 'blindingly obvious' COVID action 'today' to halt virus spike - Sky News

Boris Johnson must act now - not next week - to tackle a second wave of coronavirus infections across the UK, an expert in infectious disease control has warned.

Dr Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, told Sky News it is "blindingly obvious" what needs to be done to stem the current spike in COVID-19 cases - and that is to minimise one-to-one contact between individuals.

He said: "My advice to Prime Minister Boris Johnson is, don't sit there and say 'we are going to do something next week'. It's tomorrow, it's today.

"You say, 'as of today please reduce your circulation in pubs, restaurants, transport, offices and all those places where infection transmits'. It's as straightforward as that."

Boris Johnson
PM: 'Inevitable' second wave would happen

His warning comes as Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon demanded a Cobra meeting in the next 48 hours.

"We know from experience earlier in the year that speed and decisiveness of action is important in the fight against COVID," she tweeted.

She said the Scottish government "will seek to reach considered decisions as quickly as possible" and urged everyone across Scotland to be "extra careful" and "minimise interactions with other households".

More from Covid-19

New confirmed daily cases hit 4,322 - the highest since 8 May - on Friday, and another 27 deaths were recorded. The R number, which shows the spread of the virus, is now between 1.1 and 1.4.

Fears are growing that daily case numbers could, in a few weeks, hit the figures seen in March and April if the government does not take decisive action now.

Proposals are being worked up for a "circuit break" of nationwide restrictions for a short period, which could see essential travel to schools and workplaces continuing, but restaurants and bars would shut - or perhaps run on restricted hours - and different households would be asked not to mix at all.

Angela Rayner says government needs to act quickly if it wants to avoid national lockdown
'We need immediate action on test, track and trace'

Asked if he thought a second national lockdown was on the cards, Dr Pankhania told Sky News: "I hope it will never happen because I don't think the United Kingdom has got the stamina for a national lockdown. It's words.

"It is blindingly obvious that if you wanted to keep case numbers down you keep your movements amongst fellow human beings to a minimum. It's as simple as that.

"This is a human-to-human spread of infection, so we have invented all manner of things like the 'the rule of six', the curfew at 10pm, and all of that.

"And the one thing, the elephant in the room, that we don't address is 'keep your distance away from fellow human beings - move around with as few human beings as is possible'. That is as straightforward as it is."

Asked if he thought plans to "short-circuit" the virus would work and slow the spread of the disease, he replied: "I would love to say yes, but what we learnt from the first lockdown was that the base number, meaning the background level of circulating virus, continued to hover at an uncomfortably high level.

"So where is the evidence that a 'circuit break', meaning a short, sharp shutdown, is going to reduce case numbers?

"Our case numbers have resisted in going down because we just can't have a full lockdown in the way the United Kingdom has been running.

"So unless you have a really, really strict South Korea-style or even China-style shutdown and people don't move around between groups, it is not going to happen."

He added: "The bottom line is we take personal and mutual responsibility, we say to ourselves 'every action I'm about to take, is this risky?' If it is, don't do it."

:: Subscribe to the All Out Politics podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

His sentiments were echoed by Professor Neil Ferguson - the scientist whose modelling led the government to order the nationwide lockdown in March - who said ministers need to act "sooner rather than later" if they are to prevent a second surge leading to more deaths.

"Right now we are at about the levels of infection we were seeing in this country in late February," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"If we leave it another two to four weeks we will be back at levels we were seeing more like mid-March. That's clearly going to cause deaths because people will be hospitalised.

"I think some additional measures are likely to be needed sooner rather than later."

Case trajectories
Image: Case trajectories in the UK, France and Spain
Case trajectories compared
Image: The rate of cases per 100,000 across Spain, France and the UK

He added: "We have in some sense a perfect storm right now of people, as they have been told to, getting back to normal, schools reopening, a surge in cases, so therefore the testing system is under strain.

"So unfortunately we do have to roll the relaxation of measures back a little bit and get contacts down in the population."

It is understood Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, warned the PM at a meeting on Wednesday evening that the UK is now about six weeks behind France and Spain and in danger of seeing a substantial increase in the number of cases by mid-October if the virus is left unchecked.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has joined the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales in calling on the PM for Cobra discussions.

Sir Keir said: "He now needs to take swift and decisive action at a national level to deal with this - he can't afford to be slow."

Let's block ads! (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiemh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXBtLXVyZ2VkLXRvLXRha2UtYmxpbmRpbmdseS1vYnZpb3VzLWNvdmlkLWFjdGlvbi10b2RheS10by1oYWx0LXZpcnVzLXNwaWtlLTEyMDc1OTEy0gF-aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXBtLXVyZ2VkLXRvLXRha2UtYmxpbmRpbmdseS1vYnZpb3VzLWNvdmlkLWFjdGlvbi10b2RheS10by1oYWx0LXZpcnVzLXNwaWtlLTEyMDc1OTEy?oc=5

2020-09-19 14:08:39Z
52781071750110