Claims of ‘blanket ban’ on elderly going out dismissed

HEALTH Secretary Matt Hancock has dismissed reports there could be a blanket ban on the elderly leaving home when lockdown is eased.

Mr Hancock was commenting after doctors’ leaders warned that excluding any section of the population f rom lockdown easing measures based solely on age would be “discriminatory”.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, British Medical Association council chairman, said a “blanket ban” would be “unacceptable”.

He added: “Any proposal to impose stricter social distancing for those at higher risk – essentially quarantining – based solely on age would be both unethical and illegal”.

Aft er the Sunday Times reported t he BMA’s call, Mr Hancock t weeted: “We have strongly advised all over 70s to f ol l ow social distancing measures.

“However, there is no ‘blanket ban’, and the suggestion that the clinically vulnerable ‘include people aged 70 or older regardless of medical conditions’ is wrong and deeply misleading.”

That prompted some on social media to point to advice published on the UK Government website on Friday which includes t he words: “Clinically vulnerable people are those who are: aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions)...”

The Department of Health and Social Care said the over 70s “are not included in the most at risk group (extremely clinically vulnerable), who have been told to isolate for 12 weeks”.

Meanwhile, Caroline Abrahams, the charity director at Age UK, spoke out against “blanket policies based on age”.