No10 drops over-50s isolation plan after Cabinet backlash

PROPOSALS to extend shielding to some over-50s this winter have been abandoned after Cabinet ministers mounted a backlash against the plan.

Downing Street killed off the plan to tell over-50s to stay at home after ministers warned it was impractical, could damage the economy and sent out mixed messages on the day the Government wanted workers to get back to the office. Industry chiefs and prominent backbenchers including Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, also warned it was “economic madness” by depriving business of key managers and experience at a time when they were needed to help rescue industry in face of a recession.

Government sources confirmed the plan on Sunday under which over-50s with defined “risk factors” would have “enhanced” shielding to protect them from a second wave of Covid-19, adding to the 2.2million people who stayed at home completely from March to Aug 1.

Anyone over 50 who was obese, overweight or in ill health was likely to receive an individually tailored letter in the autumn warning them that they were at increased risk and advising them of steps to protect themselves.

It led to a row within Government, with business and economic ministers distancing themselves from the policy and warning of economic consequences. One minister warned: “It would be incredibly difficult to do it. How would you identify people? How would you start grading them? Even if you were able to work out the practicalities, how would you enforce it?”

Another said: “There is a broader message about mixed messaging. Today is meant to be the first day of officebased people being encouraged to go back to work and the fact that you are having a contradictory announcement is not a good idea.”

Sir Iain said: “The whole thing is economic madness. The Government is failing at the moment to get across the

message that the biggest danger they face is a collapsed economy.

“It will make Covid seem like a walk in the park. You will see joblessness, a growth in mental ill health, more people will die as a result of a collapsed economy than died from Covid-19.”

Hours later No10 ditched the plan by saying it had never been part of its anti-coronavirus strategy.

This was publicly confirmed by Nadhim Zahawi, the business minister, who yesterday morning insisted the idea that over-50s would be asked to isolate at home was “inaccurate” and “speculation”.

Instead, he said the Government’s strategy would be to continue with local lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus, as in Leicester.

“That’s to make sure we get the lockdown right by actually looking at the data – where the virus is spreading the most, in people’s homes, through

that interaction with other people,” he said.

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, who would have overseen the policy, said: “We paused the shielding programme because the number of infections is so low.

“The reports with respect to the over-50s are inaccurate and they’re speculation. But we’ll always do whatever’s necessary to keep people safe.” The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the idea of any national roll-out of over50s isolation was “inaccurate”.

“We have existing guidance in relation to shielding that is paused nationwide but in some localised areas additional measures remain in place to protect that group,” he said.

“We will always take medical advice but our approach is for localised action to deal with local outbreaks at a local level.” The policy proposal had also

‘The reports with respect to the over-50s are inaccurate and they’re speculation’

been ridiculed by Sarah Vine, the newspaper columnist and wife of the Cabinet minister Michael Gove, who pointed out the over-50s were “the backbone of the nation, economically and socially”.

Dame Helena Morrissey, the businesswoman, who was nominated for a peerage by Boris Johnson last week, said it was “insane”.

Labour peer Lord Foulkes, a leading figure in Age UK, described the proposal as both “ageist and ill-thoughtout”.