Scientists Caution That Lifting of Covid Rules Is Like Building 'Covid Factories'
Source: The Guardian
Experts react with dismay to 'frightening' attitude of Sajid Javid towards removing protections. UK scientists have warned that the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions is like building new "variant factories" at a very fast rate, and said the attitude of the new health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid, is "frightening".
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Javid said the best way to protect the nation's health was by lifting the main Covid-19 restrictions. "Rules that we have had to put in place have caused a shocking rise in domestic violence and a terrible impact on so many people's mental health," he said.
Reacting to the comments, Prof Stephen Reicher at the University of St Andrews, a member of the Sage subcommittee advising on behavioural science, tweeted: "It is frightening to have a 'health' secretary who still thinks Covid is flu. Who is unconcerned at levels of infection. Who doesn't realise that those who do best for health, also do best for the economy. Who wants to ditch all protections while only half of us are vaccinated.
"Above all, it is frightening to have a 'health' secretary who wants to make all protections a matter of personal choice when the key message of the pandemic is "this isn't an 'I' thing, it's a 'we' thing." On Monday, the cabinet is expected to sign off the easing of various Covid restrictions in England...
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/04/uk-scientists-caution-that-lifting-of-covid-rules-is-like-building-variant-factories
- BBC, 'Sajid Javid: Who is the new health secretary?,' June 28, 2021. Sajid Javid has been appointed health secretary following the resignation of Matt Hancock who stepped down for breaking social distancing guidelines. Mr Javid previously served as home secretary under former Prime Minister Theresa May, and in 2019 was promoted to chancellor by Boris Johnson.
However he only lasted in that role for 6 months, resigning in February 2020 following tensions with the prime minister's then-advisor Dominic Cummings. Mr Javid was told he would have to sack his own advisors, but he rejected the order saying it was something "no self-respecting minister" could accept. Following his resignation as chancellor, Mr Javid returned to life as a backbench MP, but also took up a job with JP Morgan. Since becoming health secretary, Mr Javid has given up his role at the US bank...https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-43947008
MORE:
- Sajid Javid previously served in Boris Johnson's cabinet as chancellor.
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ETA:
'England may soon abandon mask requirements, minister says,' AP, July 4, 2021
https://apnews.com/article/england-europe-coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-b155cce2b747d41cd8927634b43f1e2d
LONDON (AP) England may soon abandon legal requirements for wearing masks, a government minister said Sunday as the nation waits for U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce plans for easing COVID-19 measures. Johnson is expected in the next few days to update England on freedom day the plan to scrap the remaining restrictions on business and social interaction on July 19. British media widely reported that many requirements, including mask wearing, would also end.
We are going to, I think, now move into a period where there wont be legal restrictions the state wont be telling you what to do but you will want to exercise a degree of personal responsibility and judgment and so different people will come to different conclusions on things like masks, housing minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News. The prime minister will set out more details on the national policy on some of those restrictions in the coming days....
- Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his visit to Nissan plant in Sunderland, England, July 1, 2021. Johnson said unspecified extra precautions will be needed in coming weeks even as he voiced confidence Thursday that the remaining restrictions on social contact in England will be lifted on July 19.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)appalachiablue
(41,055 posts)impact on mental health'- having Covid and being unable to breathe, hooked up to a ventilator in the hospital or suffering from lingering effects of 'Long Covid' and more.
Nothing says selfishness more than policies of far right libertarians promoting business and free markets above all else, including the welfare of people, societies and the earth. Appalling.
abqtommy
(14,118 posts)But then we've seen that here with our own FOL/Former Orange Lardo.
progree
(10,864 posts)(that's only a 2.59-fold increase) and up only 9.9 fold since May 22. (Speaking of daily new cases per capita, 7 day moving average)
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/united-kingdom-covid-cases.html
And with 35 daily new cases per 100k, its not all that much worse than the U.S.'s 4.0, or France's 3.2, or Italy's 1.2, or Germany's 0.7.
/sarc
appalachiablue
(41,055 posts)That botom photo of BoJo at the plant is priceless..
A Covid survivor, he's saying to be cautious- wearing full PP gear around workers, while his 'health minister' lifts restrictions.
not fooled
(5,791 posts)yet again.
FakeNoose
(32,356 posts)There are still a lot of travelers visiting between India and the UK, seeing family members, etc. It has probably caused more spreading of the Covid mutation than anything else.
progree
(10,864 posts)are delta.
I think in the U.S. that delta is at or near 25% of new cases (again from memory of something I read in the last couple of days).
Our turn is coming. Something I posted about the U.S. in another thread:
U.S. overall daily new cases up 19.4% since the June 20 low. 27 states increasing
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html
Daily new cases, 7 day moving average for the 7 days
ending on these dates:
June 20: 11,134
July 3: 13,304
+19.4% in just 13 days
27 states have had increases in their 7 day moving average over the past 14 days.
22 have had decreases
1 no change
JudyM
(29,122 posts)progree
(10,864 posts)it is opinion and analysis, is a duplicate, comes from a data base rather than an article, doesn't use an article's title, whew.... what else?
Seriously I thought we were winding this Covid thing down both in the U.S. and worldwide (especially after India's cases started dropping big-time) until about 2-3 weeks ago when both the U.S. and the world numbers plateaued and then started turning up. So now I'm spending more time again on it, sigh.
JudyM
(29,122 posts)Caught that recent NZ research report about fleeting contact transmission of Delta, def an ogre we need to fend off.
Jakes Progress
(11,121 posts)as a way to get people to vaccinate. It was a mistake. I don't know how they could have read what would happen so badly. Carrots do not work for idiots. Only sticks. When it costs them jobs, money, and mobility they will come around. Counting on stupid people do "do the right thing" is just insane.
Skittles
(152,966 posts)it absolutely disgusted me how many people on DU thought it was a good idea