Experts caution public not to change behaviour after official alert level is cut
Experts have warned the public not to change their behaviour despite the official UK coronavirus alert level being cut from four to three yesterday.
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, hailed the move, which signals that transmission of the disease is no longer regarded as high, as a “big moment for the country”. He praised the public for their compliance with lockdown rules, and said that it had contributed to bringing the virus under control.
However, experts cautioned that the decision should not be seen as a signal for people to relax their adherence to the regulations. Gabriel Scally, visiting professor of public health at the University of Bristol and a member of the independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said: “Don’t change anything. Keep on going. The virus is still there.”
He said we should be “delighted” that coronavirus transmission is no longer high, but recognise that changing behaviour now could lead to “real difficulty”.
The green light for the change came from the government’s new expert Joint Biosecurity Centre, which has been created specifically to help fight the pandemic. The reduction in the alert level was jointly approved by the chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Ministers are struggling to revive the UK economy while ensuring lockdown rules are stringent enough to prevent a second peak. Amid growing pressure on ministers, the fall in the alert level is likely to pave the way for further relaxations of lockdown restrictions.
Within hours of the announcement, Boris Johnson hinted that the two-metre social distancing rule could soon be eased for schools. Later, the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, suggested the requirement for schools to teach pupils in “bubbles” of no more than 15 could also be relaxed.
The change in the alert level will also raise hopes that ministers will soon confirm the reopening of pubs and restaurants and give permission for overnight stays in hotels and B&Bs in England from 4 July.
Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, said: “This news is a sign of the decreasing levels of circulating Sars-CoV2 infection within the UK population and will be welcomed by many. However, it is vital that this is not misinterpreted as a green light for life to revert to normal, or for unnecessary risks to be taken. Level three still reflects that an epidemic is ongoing and that significant numbers of new infections and, sadly, deaths, are occurring every day. Moreover, many patients are suffering from the longer-term consequences of Covid-19.”
Matt Keeling, professor of populations and disease at the University of Warwick, said the move was “expected and is justified by the current epidemiological situation”.
The shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, warned that now was not the time for complacency. “We are past the peak with, thankfully, hospitalisations and deaths coming down. But this virus remains deadly; we have one of the highest numbers of excess deaths in the world and this is no time for complacency,” he said. “We still need more testing, including regular testing of NHS staff and a functional tracing regime in place.”