Lee Cain [No10 communications chief ]
Yes! I’m not keen on matt and Pm bumping elbows. We should just offer very straight advice on important things issues [02/03/2020, 07:58:52]
[08/03/2020, 20:18:38]
Many of the Whatsapp conversations went on late into the night as the crisis gathered pace. The troubling question of how to prioritise who did or did not get life-saving care if resources were short was playing on minds.
Dom Cummings
Who is in charge of policy like ‘if nhs overwhelmed we will prioritise for ICU 40 year old mums with small kids over 80 year olds’ etc?
[09/03/2020, 22:58:57]
Chris Wormald
DHSC ministers and the PM advised by the CMO, in the end. But prioritising medical interventions where they have most impact is standard medical practice of course. [09/03/2020, 23:04:35]
From the outset, the potential for damaging rifts with the devolved administrations – especially Scotland – was clear. Mr Hancock tried hard to work with his counterparts, including Jeane Freeman, the Scottish health minister. It did not take long for consensus to begin to fray. The first split was over mass gatherings. In England, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) continued to advise against cancelling big sporting events. On March 10-13, the Cheltenham Festival went ahead. The Scottish government took a different view. As the pandemic progressed, an increasingly strident Nicola Sturgeon was a source of anxiety for No10.
Matt Hancock
Spoke to Jeane Freeman. They are considering closing proposing indoor mass gatherings over 1000.
They accept there is little epidemiological benefit, but think there’s value in public reassurance.
She was entirely reasonable in tone, would prefer a 4-country approach – or a more nuanced approach that improves the epidemiological benefit & want to discuss. [10/03/2020, 17:15:00]
Ben Warner [No10 data guru]
Deliveroo just got in contact, to ask how they could help. Who should I put them in contact with?
10/03/2020, 17:24:07
James Slack
For the first time, it feels like we’re under sustained pressure today over why we aren’t doing more. A split with Scotland would be particularly difficult. We are also in a bad place on Italy.
To the media mind, we’re asking UK nationals to self isolate and saying no one should travel to Italy, but Italians arriving in the U.K. are free to ignore our advice, hop on the Tube and visit tourist hotspots.
[10/03/2020, 17:30:39]
In mid March, Nadine Dorries, who was health minister, became the first confirmed Covid case in Parliament, sending shockwaves through Westminster. Amid fevered speculation over who else she might have infected, Downing Street was being asked whether Mr Johnson was at risk. It prompted an interesting Whatsapp group debate about whether Covid tests – which had only just been developed – could detect the virus in patients with no symptoms.
James Slack
This from the Tel is exactly where this is heading. What’s the best answer please? Will PM be tested for corona James? Need a clear answer on why people coming back from Italy have to self-isolate regardless, while PM doesn’t even though he knows he has been in contact with someone who hasn’t. [11/03/2020, 09:50:58]
[At this point the group administrator added another civil servant to the group]
Matt Hancock
1. PM has no symptoms so no need to test, and indeed no point in testing as the test does not work on people with no symptoms.
2. PM was not in close contact with Nadine. You have to be within 2m of someone to pass it on, which he tells me he was not. [11/03/2020, 09:57:19]
Matt Hancock
CMO content with this [finger pointing up emoji]
[11/03/2020, 09:58:09]
James Slack
That’s fine but it doesn’t address the Italy point. Why is the approach different? [11/03/2020, 09:58:17]
Matt Hancock
Because of level of risk in Italy [11/03/2020, 09:59:09]
Following a discussion about the best way to respond to the media about the prime minister’s contact with Ms Dorries, Sir Patrick Vallance added his own thoughts.
Patrick Vallance
Not correct that the test does not work on people with no symptoms. It does and that’s why we contact trace. In this case it is the contact tracing aspect that is the key to who gets tested
[11/03/2020, 10:17:52]
Jamie Njoku-goodwin
Do we have a clear view on when Nadine first became symptomatic? My understanding is that she felt a little under the weather on Thursday, but didn’t develop the actual symptoms until Friday. If so, it might be worth including in the background that this IWD [International Women’s Day] event was held before ND was actually symptomatic. [11/03/2020, 10:20:55]
James Slack
Final below. Line on test not working removed. 15 mins reference added at request of DHSC Re the PM on background..
‘We follow the advice of Public Health England and the CMO.
‘The PM has no symptoms so there is no need for a test.
‘The PM was not in close contact with ND. The advice is that you would have to be within 2 metres of someone for more than 15 minutes to pass it on. It is also worth restating the advice on washing hands – which the PM does regularly.
On the situation for anybody who may have had contact with ND..
PHE are undertaking urgent contact tracing and will advise people as necessary. If you are not contacted by PHE there is no action. However if you experience symptoms please use the 111 online coronavirus service or call 111 to find out what to do if you are concerned you have been in contact with someone who may have the virus or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. [11/03/2020, 10:26:37]
Matt Hancock
I’m content with this line. We clearly need to clear up the testing for non symptomatic people.
Having spoken to Chris Whitty and PHE ppl I’m with now, Patrick what you’ve said is not right.
The clinical advice I’ve had is that the test is NOT reliable on people without symptoms. The reason is that there are so many false negatives when there are no symptoms that testing is counter productive.
Can the scientists please clear this up urgently
[11/03/2020, 10:28:17]
Inside Downing Street and the DOH, senior figures were fixated by growing calls from the media for more action. Anxious to retain control of the narrative, they fretted that Mr Johnson was being too cautious about imposing restrictions – and discussed how best to change his mind.
Dom Cummings
I think it is really important that senior people understand, and are able to discuss with PM this fundamental question all sensible people can see the trajectory and how social distancing will be needed to flatten curve. very sensible people, including former CDC [Centre for Disease Control] officials etc and doctors, are saying *’the risks of delay are MUCH higher than the risks of going too soon’.* If we are NOT going to say tmrw ‘we are starting social distancing TODAY, we are waiting until next week’ – and effectively just keep washing your hands – there will be MASSIVE pushback on these lines – *’WHY WAIT 5 DAYS WHY NOT MOVE NOW AND FLATTEN CURVE EARLIER??’* Proposing tomorrow that we DELAY action until next week will require extremely clear scientific justification, with supporting data / models etc – made PUBLIC for global scrutiny. From the comms mtng this morning I am very concerned that officials do not have the materials we need to explain to people tmrw what our lines of defence mean in detailed practical terms for them... If my wife is ill, but Im ok and am the only earner doi have to stay at home and just lose money? etc etc 11/03/2020, 13:08:58]
James Slack
Agree with all of this. We’re at a tipping point in the media cycle. It would’ve occurred today were it not for the Budget. If we don’t have action to show tomorrow, or a very detailed explanation of what we are doing and why, I think we’ll find it very difficult to keep the media with us. The Times and Telegraph leader columns today point to the growing disquiet. Their position is ‘You’ve done Ok so far, but... ‘
[11/03/2020, 14:24:48]
All over the world, politicians wrestled with the moral and practical implications of letting the virus run its course, allowing populations to build up “herd immunity”. It was a source of much heated debate in government, but “letting it rip” was never UK government policy. Mr Hancock was furious when Patrick Vallance publicly suggested otherwise.
Matt Hancock
Following discussion with Patrick and Chris, if asked about Herd Immunity I plan to say the following:
Herd immunity is not a part of our action plan. It is a scientific concept, not a goal or a strategy. Our goal is to protect life from this virus, our strategy is to protect the most vulnerable and protect the NHS through contain, delay, research and mitigate. [14/03/2020, 15:24:28]
Chris Wormald
Exactly. If pressed on why we were talking about it I think saying it is a ‘bi-product’ of our strategy is fine.
[14/03/2020, 15:34:29]
James Slack
Agree [14/03/2020, 16:25:27]
James Slack
I’ve been drumming this home in some editor calls
[14/03/2020, 16:25:57]
Lee Cain
Can you put this in your Telegraph op ed tomorrow too [14/03/2020, 16:26:04]
Matt Hancock
Do you think best just to ignore herd immunity in my op ed & brief around it that I haven’t used the language because it’s not our policy and not in the plan etc? [14/03/2020, 16:31:00]
Dom Cummings
put in [14/03/2020, 16:32:57]
As the month wore on, ministers and officials were having to juggle more and more issues at the same time, with messages from different people on different subjects overlapping each other in the same Whatsapp group.
Matt Hancock
Can we please ensure that the whole machine knows:
- we are *not* ramping down testing but ramping it up. We will need to switch community testing back on when we have enough tests to do it
- we are developing systems for self-contact tracing, both [Redacted] in PHE for a protocol and [Redacted] in NHSX for the tech side.
- we will need the definition of “vulnerable” people given the huge attention today on that area. We are clear that we are not asking people now to shield – but people are understandably asking who counts as “medically vulnerable” [15/03/2020, 10:44:48]
Dom Cummings
Send a form of words Chris is happy with and we can get Laura/peston to bang it out [15/03/2020, 10:45:57]
Matt Hancock
Chris – grateful if one of your medical team can do this ASAP [15/03/2020, 10:46:46]
Dom Cummings
I thought we HAVE stopped contact tracing? can someone clarify [15/03/2020, 10:47:03]
Matt Hancock
We are not contact tracing everyone using PHE contact tracers.
The next step on this though is to ask people who are positive to ask others they’ve been in contact with – self-contact-tracing if you like [15/03/2020, 10:48:09]
After a discussion about setting up daily press conferences to update the public, the conversation switched to schools, testing and freeing up NHS beds.
Dom Cummings
We need a plan for schools only partially returning after Easter hols for key workers plus the teachers families.
Not saying we shd do but we need a plan for it [15/03/2020, 15:23:42]
Matt Hancock
Agree. I discussed that with Gavin W this morning & he is working up a “core schools” plan that mitigates against the downside of school closures.
He is keen to get to the Easter Holidays as now & implement any change during the break [15/03/2020, 15:39:58]
Dom Cummings
Must update PM at 915 on plan for clearing beds of bed blockers and freeing capacity [15/03/2020, 21:20:27]
Matt Hancock
Ok. Simon tells me some London hospitals starting to run hot [15/03/2020, 21:24:15]
Dom Cummings
We REALLY need to explain our testing policy tmrw – neither I nor PM understand it and we need to explain and ramp up as fast as humanly possible – cd we do 10k random sample? Ideally we’d be doing something like this per week
[15/03/2020, 22:40:55]
By the following day the tourism industry was a hot topic.
Lee Cain
What can we say re domestic holidays. Should people be cancelling? [16/03/2020, 18:05:28]
Dom Cummings
Think tmrw press conf shd be PM,CHX and either PV or Chris – main focus economy, but PV/CW to answer science/medicine [16/03/2020, 19:07:58]
James Slack
Agree. Need to look like we’re already working on a package – we’ve just taken away approx three months of earnings for bars, theatres etc which we’ll have to cover or face a *lot* of flak.
[16/03/2020, 19:09:59]
On the evening of March 16, Mr Johnson addressed the nation, warning that without drastic action, the virus would spiral out of control. The elderly and vulnerable were told to stay at home for 12 weeks. Schools would remain open – though not for long. Ministers rushed through legislation giving the Government unprecedented new power to take control of essential services and restrict individual freedoms. Hospitals were beginning to struggle due to staff absence.
Dom Cummings
PM says we need to be thinking today re Grater London schools closed from Monday, send them home fortnight early – what do we do if people arent paying enough attention and we need to move to enforced lockdown, curfews etc from weekend/monday .... I stress, he is NOT saying ‘i will announce this’ but ‘i want these options ready asap’ [17/03/2020, 12:36:25]
Matt Hancock
If we go to school lockdown we MUST have a plan for key workers’ children [17/03/2020, 12:44:49]
Matt Hancock
We are preparing a plan on “what next if people don’t follow the advice”. We have the powers – it’s a question of execution
[17/03/2020, 12:47:32]
Dom Cummings
Yes. Am getting reports London schools writing to parents saying closing cos of self isolation. Some offering to stay open for nhs workers etc. We must get ahead [17/03/2020, 13:11:51]
As the nation headed inexorably towards its first ever national lockdown, some voices, notably those in the Treasury including the then chancellor Rishi Sunak’s special adviser Liam Booth-smith, were trying to present the alternative argument.
Liam Booth-smith
Just pointing out a contradiction on lock down logic vs business failures. If businesses are seeing revenues collapsing – it suggests people are actually complying and not going into restaurants/shops/etc... so how much additional benefit does ‘locking down’ actually get you? [19/03/2020, 10:45:18]
Dom Cummings
All stop using lockdown it’s confusing [19/03/2020, 10:46:17]
Dom Cummings
We’re trying to stop all non essential social contact. The problem is defining non essential
[19/03/2020, 10:46:41]
On March 20, Mr Sunak, who had already announced billions of pounds worth of Covid loans and grants, unveiled his “furlough” scheme, under which the Government undertook to pay 80 per cent of workers’ salaries. All pubs and hospitality were ordered to close from midnight that night.
Then came the problems with personal protective equipment.
Munira Mirza [No 10 policy chief ]
Just spoke to [redacted] who is an Ear Nose Throat surgeon in Sheffield – he says ENT colleagues around the country are seriously worried because they are exposed to greater risk in (they treat patients’ airways) and they have read about doctors dying in Italy and Wuhan. He says the type of PPE they are given is v important – the masks they’ve seen are not sealed. This is what he says: need loads of ffp3 masks for all healthcare workers and even high risk people and other secure masks, and powered air purifying respiratory (space suits) suits for high risk procedures and looking after corona pts When the NHS provide data tomorrow on equipment please can they be asked to specify the exact kind of masks/clothing being delivered to hospitals? We will have a major battle if we ask doctors and nurses to fight this without the protection they need. [21/03/2020, 20:23:15]
When she returned to the subject the next day, Mr Hancock told her his department was “across all these points” and that FFP3 masks were being distributed.
On March 23, the UK went into full lockdown with Mr Johnson’s order to “stay at home”. It was the first of three national lockdowns, the last of which would only be lifted more than 12 months after the first had begun.