The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Caution is the ‘smart way to go’ says Raab
Dominic Raab has urged caution in the “last lap” of the fight against coronavirus, arguing there is only “a little bit more time” until all legal restrictions on social interaction are removed.
The foreign secretary said yesterday that “steady steps” out of lockdown are “the smart way to go” so that the many sacrifices are not squandered as people plead for hugs between family members to be permitted again sooner.
Mr Raab insisted the government would publish a list of nations deemed safe to visit “shortly” ahead of the expected lifting of the ban on international holidays for people in England from May 17.
And he said that “all the different contingencies” are being looked at when asked about a reported plan to consider offering vaccines to secondary school pupils as soon as September.
“We don’t want to see the gains lost and the sacrifices that have been made undone,” the Cabinet minister told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday.
“By the time we get to June 21 almost all social restrictions will be lifted... But it’s right to make sure we do that in a careful way.”
He acknowledged that the rollout of vaccines has increased the temptation for still prohibited social interactions outside individuals’ households including “hugging your loved ones”.
Official figures show 15 million people have now been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, having received two doses.
Ministers have yet to publish details of a traffic light system detailing rules for people returning from overseas travel.
Mr Raab told the Andrew Marr Show that the lists categorising countries into three groups are “coming shortly”.
Meanwhile, a scientist advising the UK Government warned it is vital people do not think that vaccines are the only thing that is going to halt the pandemic. Prof Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, told Marr: “We really do know that lockdown works and that public events, mass events, will feed the spread of the virus.”
Mr Raab said “some safeguards” may stay in place when restrictions end, such as continued use of masks and physical distancing.
And he said no decision has been made on whether to vaccinate children but that the government is looking at “different contingencies”.
Meanwhile, self-isolation requirements for individuals who have been in contact with someone who tests positive for coronavirus could be relaxed as a result of utilising rapid testing.
Instead of the current 10 days of quarantine, participants will be sent a week’s worth of lateral flow tests and will be able to go about their lives as before, if the results are negative.