Government still resisting ‘Plan B’
BORIS Johnson’s Government is resisting calls from a health chief to immediately reimpose some coronavirus restrictions to prevent a winter NHS crisis.
Cabinet minister Kwasi Kwarteng said it is not time to introduce “Plan B”, which could see requirements to wear face masks and the compulsory use of vaccine passports to enter England’s nightclubs and other crowded venues.
But Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation which represents health bodies, warned “we risk stumbling into a winter crisis” unless measures are introduced now.
He called for ministers to come up with a “Plan C” of even tougher restrictions if those measures are insufficient to address pressure on the health service.
The NHS Confederation’s warning came as coronavirus deaths in the UK rose to their highest daily level since early March, while cases are at their highest for almost three months.
England’s autumn and winter coronavirus strategy includes “Plan B” as a contingency measure if the NHS comes under unsustainable pressure.
That could include legally mandating face coverings in some settings, introducing mandatory vaccine-only Covid-status certification and asking people to work from home.
Business Secretary Mr Kwarteng said the Government does not “feel that it’s the time for Plan B right now”.
He told BBC Breakfast the return to normal life had been “very hard won”, adding: “The infection rate was always likely to go up as we opened up the economy, because as people get back to normal life, the infection rate was likely to go up.
“But what was critically important was the hospitalisation rate and the death rate as well.”
He insisted the Government is not “waiting and watching” as those figures rise.
He said: “We’re simply trying to analyse the data as we see it and come up with the right policies.
“Now, that’s something which could change but, at the moment, we think that the course that we’re plotting is the right one.”
Mr Kwarteng added, however, that it is a “good thing” for people to wear masks in public places.
“I think people should do what they feel is the right thing to do,” he said. “They’ve got to, I think, be respectful towards other people, they’ve got to keep themselves safe and the public as well.”
England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, stressed the importance of mask-wearing and also encouraged people to take up the offer of a vaccination.
“Covid-19 cases are rising and winter is drawing closer,” he said. “Ventilation, masks in crowded indoor spaces and hand-washing remain important.”