We’re at limit of opening up, warns Whitty

Chief Medical Officer delivers stark warning that there may have to be trade-offs to control virus

‘These will be difficult trade-offs but we have to be realistic; the idea we can open up everything and keep the virus under control is clearly wrong’

‘There is a reluctance to penalise people in the South West and stop them going to the pub because people in the North East are mixing within households’

BRITAIN has “probably reached the limit of opening up society” and will only be able to resume schooling in September by trading some existing freedoms, says the Chief Medical Officer.

The words could not have been more stark. Moments earlier, the Prime Minister announced the return of ice skating and indoor bowling was on hold.

Yesterday Prof Chris Whitty told a hastily convened No 10 press conference that Britain had gone as far as it safely could to restore normality and may have to sacrifice existing freedoms to stem the spread of infection.

“So what that means, potentially, is if we wish to do more things in the future we may have to do less of some other things,” he said. “And these will be difficult trade-offs, some of which will be decisions of government and some of which are for all of us today.

“We have to be realistic; the idea we can open up everything and keep the virus under control is clearly wrong.”

He stressed reopening schools was “an absolute priority” but achieving this in September could mean that recently returned freedoms – such as reopening pubs and restaurants, and mixing between households – were once again under threat.

“This is a situation where, if we go beyond a certain point in terms of people getting together linking up households, the rates of this virus will start to increase. We have probably reached the limits of that and if people continue to increase the number of people they meet, increase the social interactions they have, then the virus rates will go up absolutely, inevitably. So this is in our hands as to how we respond to this.”

A government source said: “The concerns are about transmission indoors, so when there is talk about trade-offs, there is the option to reverse some of the recent measures – to close pubs so you can open schools.

“Clearly, pubs and restaurants only opened a few weeks ago so it’s an area we will keep an eye on, but at the moment the concern is transmission within households.”

Government sources said the lockdown in the North West had been driven by the failure to stick to social distancing within the home and within “loosely defined” households across extended families.

Last night, a senior health official said that Prof Whitty did not feel it was his job to determine which sacrifices lay ahead – that was for ministers.

But in making such a detailed statement, Prof Whitty put all eyes on the Prime Minister, as he considered Britain’s precarious state.

The official said: “Chris feels you can’t have any further easements of lockdown now without pulling back on something else. Clearly, schools are a priority but as far as he’s concerned it’s not for him to decide what measures you reintroduce to allow that to happen – that is down to ministers. But he feels strongly you cannot make any more relaxations now, unless you tighten another measure to compensate.”

A source last night said the deteriorating situation could see pubs closed in some areas, adding that ministers were reluctant to make “blanket” moves to reverse relaxations introduced just four weeks ago – but could not rule it out.

If rates of infection continue to rise, measures are likely to focus first on introducing local restrictions, such as those imposed in the north-west of England, banning households from mixing at home.

These could also see closures of pubs, restaurants or workplaces in particular parts of the country, if surveillance data linked them to outbreaks.

“This is really led by the data,” the source added. “If cases are being fuelled by transmission between households in one part of the country, that’s what will be targeted.

“If in another part of the country it’s about pubs not enforcing social distancing, then they could be closed, or particular workplaces can be closed. Or we could see moves like those in the North West happening elsewhere.

“There is a real reluctance to introduce blanket bans across the country, to penalise people in the South West and stop them going to the pub because people in the North East are mixing within households”.

Above all this hangs the hope that the fear of losing recently won freedoms is enough to improve compliance with existing rules on social distancing so that the infection rates fall.

Yesterday, Mr Johnson left the threat hanging, saying: “At this stage, we are not changing the rules on social contact nationally.

“I don’t want to tell people to spend less time with their friends. But unless people follow the rules and behave safely, we may need to go further.”