BORIS: LET’S BE SENSIBLE... DELAY WILL SAVE LIVES
THOUSANDS of lives may be saved by Boris Johnson’s fourweek delay in ending Covid curbs.
The extra month of restrictions gives a “crucial” chance to deliver millions more jabs to combat the Delta variant.
The Prime Minister said last night: “It is sensible to wait just a little longer.”
Revealing a revised Freedom Day of July 19 when rules will be lifted, Mr Johnson added: “Now is the time to ease off the accelerator.”
The gap between first and second injections for the over-40s will be cut by a third, from 12 to eight weeks, to help hit the new target.
The time gained from scrapping the planned relaxation on June 21 is aimed at ensuring two thirds of Britons have been offered the double dose defence by the altered roadmap’s finish
THE hour of liberation has been postponed. A full return to normality is now on hold.
After all the misery inflicted by Covid, Boris Johnson’s announcement last night of a further delay in lifting restrictions came as a heavy blow, especially to businesses in hospitality and entertainment.
Even so, much of the negative reaction to this long-anticipated news was absurdly overblown.
Some critics called the Prime Minister “barking mad”. Others claimed his decision would be the “disintegration” of parts of the economy.
But, while frustration is understandable, a sense of perspective is needed.
In the context of rapidly increasing infections and the advent of new variants, the Government’s move is both sensible and justifiable.
By far the biggest complaint made about ministers’ handling of Covid last year was that they locked down too late in the face of both the first and second waves, partly out of misplaced optimism about the impact of the pandemic.
Reality
Now, after the country has been through so much, it would be the height of folly to make the same mistake before the virus has been properly conquered.
This is not the moment for wishful thinking or the denial of reality. Those who now denounce an excess of caution should recognise that the rapid spread of the Indian variant means a third wave is a genuine possibility.
Health minister Edward Argar pointed out that another four weeks will allow an additional 10 million jabs, with the result that more than two-thirds of the adult population should have received two doses by mid-July.
The consequences of this step have been exaggerated. We are not talking about a return to full lockdown.
Nor is the economy about to collapse, particularly not with furlough still in place until September.
We should remember that the country has been through the biggest health crisis in modern history, leaving over 128,000 people dead. As we emerge from such an ordeal, it is understandable that the Government wants us to tread warily. date. While everyone aged 18 and over should have been offered at least one jab by then.
The PM said in a televised address: “Now is the time to ease off the accelerator. By being cautious now we have the chance – in the next four weeks – to save many thousands of lives by vaccinating millions more people.
“We can give the NHS a few more crucial weeks to get those remaining jabs into the arms of those who need them.
“And since today I cannot say that we have met all our four tests for proceeding with Step 4 on June 21, I think it is sensible to wait just a little longer.”
Hopes that this would be the final delay in the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown were raised last night as data showed two doses of the AstraZeneca or Pfizer jabs give “highly effective” protection against Covid-19. Mr Johnson claimed the wait will save the lives of elderly people hit by the Delta variant that is spreading from unvaccinated younger people.
He warned the strain, first spotted in India, was spreading faster than the third wave predicted when the roadmap came out in February:
“We’re seeing cases growing by about 64 per cent per week, and in the worst affected areas it’s doubling every week.The average number of people being admitted to hospital in England has increased by 50 per cent week on week, and by 61 per cent in the North-west.”
Totals of patients in intensive care were rising again, he said.
“Once the adults of this country have been overwhelmingly vaccinated, which is what we can achieve in a short space of time, we will be in a far stronger position to keep hospitalisations down, to live with this disease and to complete our cautious but irreversible roadmap to freedom.
“The objective of this short delay is to use these crucial weeks to save thousands of lives – lives that would be otherwise be lost, I’m afraid – by vaccinating millions more people as fast as we can.”
Mr Johnson sought to temper disappointment at the delay by lifting limits on guests at wedding ceremonies, receptions and wakes from Monday.
Unlimited numbers will be allowed as long as social distancing rules such as table service, for no more than six per table, are observed. Singing and dancing at weddings will remain banned. Most rules making care home residents isolate for 14 days after visits outside will also be scrapped.
Test schemes for large events will go on, with more pilots announced.
The PM said he was “confident” no further delays in lifting lockdown would be needed: “On the basis of the evidence I can see right now, I am confident we will not need any more than four weeks.
“It is unmistakably clear the vaccines are working and the sheer scale of the vaccine rollout has made our position incomparably better than in previous waves.”
Mr Johnson added: “I’m pretty confident that July 19 will be a ter
minus date.” If the scientific data is better than expected in a review on June 28, the Prime Minister might lift curbs on July 5 – although a No 10 source said that was “unlikely”.
Mr Johnson apologised to people whose plans have been wrecked by the delay: “I’m very sorry for all the disappointment that is going to be caused by going a bit slower.” Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, warned there was a “rapid rise” in Delta cases, despite current low hospital admissions.
He added while the link between infections and people being admitted had been “substantially weakened...it has not been completely stopped”. The delay dismayed firms hit by the restrictions, with warnings that more will go bust.
Michael Kill, of the Night Time Industries Association, said: “This is a hugely devastating blow. The Prime Minister has switched the lights off for an entire sector.”
Kate Nicholls, chief of trade body UKHospitality, called the decision “hugely disappointing” and urged further financial aid.
Ministers ruled out extending furlough and other measures, insisting the backing was already set to last into the autumn.
Some Tory backbenchers were infuriated, leaving the Prime Minister facing a Commons revolt.
Sir Charles Walker, vice-chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, said: “It now looks like most of the remainder of this year, and certainly the first half of next year, will probably end up with some form of lockdown.
“If you can’t lift restrictions at the height of summer...you almost certainly are looking at these restrictions persisting. I don’t think the July 19 date will be met.”
Senior colleague Philip Davies called the restrictions “an unjustified assault on our freedoms doing untold damage. The Government should trust in its vaccination programme which has massively reduced the number of deaths”.
Ministers pledged more cash to help councils in Delta hotspots to step up testing and jabs: Birmingham, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Liverpool City Region and Warrington will be helped.
Meanwhile theWimbledon women’s and men’s singles finals on July 10 and 11 will have a capacity Centre Court crowd, ministers said last night.
The Euro 2020 last-16 football match at Wembley on June 29 plus the semifinals and final in July will be allowed a 50 per cent capacity crowd – around 40,000.