Monday, July 19, 2021
“If not now then when?”
England no longer has any corona measures
Now it is here, the “Day of Freedom”: In England, with a few exceptions, there are no longer any corona measures. While Boris Johnson justifies the step with the high vaccination rate, there is criticism, even from within his own ranks.
Despite warnings from scientists and the opposition, the British government has lifted almost all corona restrictions on England. At midnight, the decision came into force, which, among other things, eliminates the mask requirement and distance rules. Discotheques are also allowed to reopen, theaters and sports stadiums occupy all seats. The recommendation to work from home has also been repealed. Experts fear another large corona wave – the number of cases is already increasing across Great Britain.
Exceptions apply in London, where Mayor Sadiq Khan of the Labor Party wants to maintain a stricter corona course than the central government. The mask requirement remains in place on buses and trains in the capital. The provinces of Wales and Scotland, which are independent in terms of health policy, will also initially retain the previous restrictions.
The government of the Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson had justified the highly controversial opening step with the high vaccination rate in the country. More than two thirds of adults are already fully vaccinated.
On the eve of Freedom Day, Johnson defended the opening step in a video message posted on Twitter. “If we don’t do it now, we have to ask ourselves when we will ever do it,” said the head of government. “So this is the right time, but we have to approach it carefully.”
The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is already spreading strongly in Great Britain. Most recently, the number of new infections every day exceeded the 50,000 mark. Great Britain now has significantly fewer deaths than in previous corona waves. Nevertheless, according to doctors, a sharp increase in the number of cases would put the NHS under pressure. Around 550 Covid-19 patients are currently being treated in the intensive care unit. At the height of the second wave in January it was more than 4,000.
“Moral emptiness and epidemiological stupidity”
The government’s decision is highly controversial. The health policy spokesman for the opposition Labor Party, Jonathan Ashworth, spoke of a “ruthless” approach. “We are against openings without any precautionary measures,” he told the BBC.
The epidemiologist Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London warned that Britain could soon see 100,000 new cases per day because of the rapid spread of the Delta variant. “The real question is whether we can double that or even higher. And that’s where the crystal ball starts to fail,” he told the BBC. The government’s decision was marked by “moral emptiness and epidemiological stupidity,” said health expert Gabriel Scally from the University of Bristol.
Criticism of the government also came from within. Downing Street should learn from Israel and the Netherlands, said Conservative MP and former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. The two countries had to reverse easing in the face of an increase in infection cases. “The warning light on the NHS dashboard doesn’t flash amber, it flashes red,” he told the BBC.
One of the rules that remain in force is mandatory self-isolation after contact with an infected person. This also applies to Johnson and Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak, who had contact with Health Minister Sajid Javid, who was ill with corona.
A government spokesman had initially stated that the politicians only had to be in partial quarantine – they were allowed to continue their work in Downing Street. However, after a storm of indignation, they both made a U-turn and said they would fully comply with the quarantine.
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