ARE WE HEADING FOR THE 3M RULE?

REVEALED: Scientists urge No10 to bring in dramatic social distancing measure

Boris Johnson is under pressure to increase the social distancing gap to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Leading members of the Sage scientific advisory panel want the measure raised from ‘one metre plus’ to ‘two metres plus’.

In practice this would change the limit to three metres – nearly 10ft. The drastic proposal came as a furious Matt Hancock denounced individuals who flout social distancing rules.

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference the Health Secretary said that he would ‘not rule out further action

if needed.’ He was backed by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, who sits on Sage and said it was time to ‘double down’ on Covid curbs – including outdoor contact.

Asked if a three-metre rule would be imposed in England, a Downing Street spokesman said last night: ‘There are no current plans to change social distancing rules. However, everything is kept under review.’

As Boris Johnson also warned of tougher Covid-19 curbs if existing restrictions were ignored:

Another 529 virus deaths were recorded yesterday, up from 407 a week earlier, with 46,169 new cases;

Seven vaccination hubs came into use, including london’s ExCel and Birmingham’s Millennium Point;

Morrisons said it would ban shoppers refusing to wear face coverings;

Derbyshire Police cancelled £200 fines for two women penalised for

‘I don’t care if you are in the same family bubble – you can’t stop and have a picnic’

driving five miles to go for a walk;

Nearly a quarter of care home residents have received their first shot of Covid vaccine;

Hospitals started rationing oxygen as it emerged that one in four coronavirus patients is under 55.

The Daily Mail has been told that several members of Sage say the lockdown needs to be even tougher than the first one in March last year.

The idea of a Chinese-style ban on residents leaving their homes was raised at one meeting.

Ministers are furious that some people have been using their right to daily exercise simply as an excuse to meet friends for a coffee in the park.

One source said: ‘If it means limiting people to a single one-hour walk on their own once a week that is what we must do. We cannot let a few selfish idiots put the whole country in danger.’

It is feared that the failure to observe the restrictions is fuelling the number of deaths and risks hospitals becoming overwhelmed.

Increasing the social distancing rule to three metres is seen as one way of stopping the spread of the new variant of the virus, which can be passed on more easily.

Opponents of the move say it would have little impact, cause more confusion and be a logistical nightmare.

Two-metre signs have been painted on pavements across the nation, with similar notices found in tens of thousands of shops, factories, offices and public places.

Changing them all would add to the soaring cost of fighting the pandemic.

Supporters claim the benefit in saving lives and protecting the NHS means the move is worth it. They argue it is a response to the new variant which is thought to be up to be 70 per cent more transmissible.

If it goes ahead it would be the Government’s third policy on social distancing.

The distance was set at two metres in March after experts said coronavirus was up to ten times more transmissible at one metre than at two.

But it was reduced to ‘ one metre plus’ in July after the first lockdown – mainly to make it easier for restaurants and cafes to reopen.

A ‘two metre plus’ rule would in practice mean staying three metres apart – nearly 10ft – unless steps were taken to limit the danger of transmission, such as screens.

Social distancing gaps vary around the world.

In China, Hong Kong and Singapore, which were successful in controlling the pandemic, the gap was one metre.

However, they imposed other, far stricter, rules including curfews. Spain and Canada followed the two-metre rule.

The three other home nations have different versions of the two-metre rule.

In Scotland people are advised to keep two metres apart and in Wales they are told to stay two metres apart unless it is not practical, with young children exempt.

The gap in Northern Ireland came down to one metre but is two again.

Professor Paul Hunter of the University of East Anglia said: ‘Risk declines the further you are away from someone.

‘So three metres will reduce risk somewhat compared to two metres – but it is difficult to say how much and whether that would make a big difference. I suspect the main issue is people not sticking to the two-metre rule.’

Mr Hancock warned against trying to ‘push the boundaries’ on exercise, adding: ‘If too many people break this rule we are going to have a look at it. Don’t say you are exercising if really you are just socialising.’

He said the two-metre rule had to be obeyed, not seen ‘as a limit to be challenged’.

AS if to emphasise the Manichean nature of our struggle against coronavirus, Chris Whitty yesterday gave a sombre warning of the dark days still to come, while Boris Johnson offered a glimpse of the celestial light beyond.

The chief medical officer’s message was stark. We are now at the ‘most dangerous point’ in this pandemic, he said, and it is ‘everybody’s problem’.

With the new Covid variant running riot, unless we mend our ways and start complying scrupulously with lockdown rules, he said the NHS could soon be overwhelmed and a surge of avoidable deaths would be on our conscience.

The Prime Minister endorsed his top adviser’s concerns. But being a natural optimist, he also accentuated the positive.

Speaking at one of seven newly opened mass vaccination centres, he reassured us that despite the immense challenges ahead the battle against the virus was being won.

More than 2.5million have now had the ‘game-changing’ jab. The rate of vaccination trebled last week to 1.2million and his ministers claim to be on course to hit the target of at least 2million injections a week by the end of January.

To reinforce the sense of relief being in sight, Health Secretary Matt Hancock published his grandly titled ‘Plan for the Largest Vaccination Programme in British History’. (No false modesty there!)

The numbers are impressive. Rapid expansion to more than 2,700 vaccine sites across the UK. A workforce of 80,000 health professionals already mobilised to deliver the jabs and 200,000 additional members of the public volunteering to help.

All adults to have been offered a vaccine by autumn and running totals to be published on a daily basis. It is a bold plan to get us out of Covid prison, combining ambition, urgency and transparency.

There are caveats of course. Ministers are already under-delivering on their promise to put care home staff and residents at the front of the queue, as a Daily Mail investigation has revealed.

Just 14 per cent of staff had been vaccinated by Monday and more than half the managers we contacted had received no jabs at all. This failure does not augur well and must be rectified without delay.

Equally, vaccine deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi was unable to explain satisfactorily why centres are not open round the clock. If there is too little vaccine or too few vaccinators, then why? This is a race against time with countless lives at stake. There can be no excuses.

But let’s not underestimate the significance of this moment. At last the mass rollout is fully under way and gathering momentum. For all Professor Whitty’s well-founded anxieties, yesterday was a day of hope.