Relaxing rules for Christmas risks another spike in cases warn MPs
RELAXING coronavirus restrictions at Christmas is ‘gambling with the UK’s future,’ a damning report by MPs warns.
The i nterim report on coronavirus warned of the possibility of a third spike in January.
Last week, ministers at Westminster and Holyrood said three households can form bubbles to celebrate Christmas together, in a temporary break from tiered restrictions.
Between December 23 and 27, curbs will be lifted to allow people in the bubbles to mix in private homes and stay overnight.
But this has raised fears of a spike in cases in the New Year, with some suggesting a ‘firebreak’ would be required in January to reduce infections again.
Scottish ministers yesterday urged anyone joining Christmas ‘bubbles’ to self-isolate for seven days beforehand – and they also said to prepare for a ‘digital Hogmanay’.
Constitution Secretary Michael Russell said: ‘If you believe there is a risk, you might want to have a period of isolation before Christmas.’ Dr Gregor Smith, the chief medical officer, said people should ‘go back to the basic principles of making sure we limit our ability to be able to become infected with the virus’, adding: ‘Part of that is about making sure the interactions we have with others, particularly for at least seven days beforehand, are limited to essential interactions only.’
Layla Moran MP, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said that while the vaccine was good news, there are fears of another spike.
She said: ‘ We are concerned that the Government’s approach so far has not worked and has left the UK mourning one of the highest number of lives lost to the pandemic, while at the same time bracing for one of the deepest recessions in its aftermath.
‘The Pfizer vaccine being approved is certainly promising news, but the Government can’t take its foot off the pedal as vaccines are approved. Our cross-party inquiry has clear evidence that we need a long-term exit strategy for a Covid-secure UK that suppresses and controls coronavirus properly before rolling out vaccines.
‘Our message to the Prime Minister is that without a proper long-term exit strategy, relying on a tier system we know doesn’t work and waiting for enough people to be vaccinated will only lead to a likely third spike and lockdown in the New Year.’
Test and Trace has failed, the crossparty group said, with the Government ‘prioritising arbitrary testing
‘Aggressive testing at the borders’
targets’ over a co-ordinated testing strategy. It said the Government’s approach has been ‘ based on the false choice between saving lives or saving jobs and the economy’.
Making 71 key findings, the report suggests the UK should not simply rely on the ‘silver bullet’ of a vaccine.
It urged the Prime Minister to follow its 44 recommendations so that the UK’s ‘preparedness and response may be improved in future’.
The report said: ‘Had the UK taken action on the basis of the situation in Italy, it is likely that many lives could have been saved.’
Almost 60,000 people have died from Covid in the UK since the start of the pandemic, according to government figures, putting it seventh in the world, based on population.
The report recommends ‘aggressive testing at the borders, turning our island geography into a powerful advantage’.
It noted the devastating toll that isolation is taking on those in social care and care homes, urging all people living in care or supported living to be safely reconnected with their support networks for the crucial emotional and practical support that friends and families provide.
The findings come the day after families were reunited with loved ones in care homes, as a result of calls for testing led by the Daily Mail.
Yesterday, a letter demanding an immediate statutory public inquiry into the Government’s handling of the pandemic was also delivered to the Prime Minister.
Organised by Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, signatories include trade unions like the British Medical Association and Unite as well as charities such as the Race Equality Foundation and Disability Rights UK.
A Government spokesman said: ‘We have worked closely with devolved administrations to reach agreement on a single set of UK-wide measures to help families and friends meet up in a limited and cautious way this Christmas, based on scientific and clinical advice.’