Here’s a look at how some members of the UK’s scientific community has responded to Boris Johnson’s lifting of restrictions in England:
Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, said he supported the further lifting of restrictions given current trends in the data, adding that even when restrictions have previously been lifted, public behaviour has remained cautious.
If that pattern is repeated – encouraged by robust public health advice and enabled by access to testing and support for those off work – then I don’t expect this latest round of relaxations to have a dramatic impact on the short-term course of the epidemic.
However Woolhouse said the most likely medium-term problem is the almost inevitable appearance of another variant, adding it is important public health agencies across the UK are able to respond within days when it happens.
If those plans include measures such as the rapid roll-out of self-testing kits – which worked extremely well during the omicron wave – then it is vital that the infrastructure is in place to deliver that very quickly indeed.
However Prof Rowland Kao, also of the University of Edinburgh, noted that evidence suggests Covid puts a greater stress on more deprived communities.
“For example, ICU occupancy and deaths are now increasingly due to people living in the most deprived areas,” he said, adding that is likely in part down to lower uptake of Covid vaccinations as well as fewer lateral flow tests in such areas.
As the requirements to isolate are released – and therefore with no compensation for isolating – and with the expectation that free testing will also be removed, this will likely most impact those who are under the most pressure to work in places where distancing is difficult and therefore potential exposure to infection high.
Kao added that they are also people in the areas which, because of existing health deprivation, are most likely to have severe outcomes.
While it is acknowledged that continued restrictions such as we have now are unsustainable in the long term, releasing all restrictions so quickly does represent a gamble and one that, if it fails, will likely have the most impact on those who are already disadvantaged.
John Drury, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Sussex, also voiced concerns over inequalities, noting policy changes can affect public perception of Covid.
Given that financial support –or lack of it – is a major driver of adherence to self-isolation, dropping the £500 compensation for self-isolation provided to a minority of people will reduce risk perceptions, reduce self-isolation, and likely lead to a spread of infection disproportionately amongst less privileged groups.
Education unions warned that the lifting of Covid restrictions could result in chaos in schools in England and put school leaders in an impossible position.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, called for urgent guidance from the government and public health experts, and patience from parents as school leaders get to grips with yet more changes.
There is no doubt that today’s announcement by the prime minister has the potential to have an enormous impact on schools.
What is absolutely essential now is that government very quickly provides clear and unambiguous guidance so that schools and parents have a clear understanding of what to do should a child or member of staff have Covid.
Without that clarity, there is a real risk the government could create a chaotic situation in schools and put school leaders in an impossible position. We simply cannot expect schools to manage this on an individual basis, there must be clear guidance from the public health experts.
Whiteman called for co-operation between schools and families. “Judging from what the prime minister has said, the government has replaced the legal responsibility for testing and isolation with a personal responsibility to keep each other safe.
Schools and families will still need to co-operate to keep schools open. Access to lateral flow tests is an important part of any plan to live with Covid as we move forward. It’s crucial that they remain free for all pupils, or the consequences and disruption for disadvantaged pupils, in particular, could be severe.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, warned the changes could lead to more disruption to education.
By removing the legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive test, along with twice-weekly testing for pupils and staff in schools and colleges, there is a risk that this may actually lead to an increase in disruption if it means that more positive cases come into the classroom.
Staff and pupils are often absent not just because they test positive but because they are actually ill with the coronavirus and this will obviously not abate if there is more transmission.
We are also concerned about where this leaves vulnerable staff and pupils, or those with a household member who is vulnerable. These individuals will inevitably feel more scared and less protected by the relaxation of even the fairly limited control measures that are currently in place.
Source: Guardian
