England risks a resurgence of the coronavirus due to the speed of easing. That is what several leading scientists who advise the British government say.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last Thursday that as of Monday, schools across England will reopen and the first stores will also be able to receive customers again. Meetings of up to six people are allowed back outdoors from June 1.
On Saturday, the British government also announced that it will be back on Monday sporting events may be organized, so that, for example, the English football league may also continue.
According to Johnson, the easings are justified and are supported by scientific data. However, several scientific advisers have said that the relaxations involve more risks than Johnson outlined.
The fact that scientists do not yet have a fully operational source and contact research system is of particular concern. A new system was announced by Johnson on Thursday, but that is not ready until the end of June.
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Health workers protest at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister, against the relaxations. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Top medical advisors point to uncertainties
Several members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), a scientific advisory team of over fifty leading scientists, physicians and academics who advise the UK government in times of need, believe the government is taking unnecessary risks.
“We do not yet know whether the system works properly. It is dangerous to implement these expansions,” said epidemiologist and professor John Edmunds.
Peter Horby, also a member of SAGE and a professor of infectious diseases at Oxford University, points out that it is not certain what the impact of reopening schools on reproduction will be.
“Losing control of this virus, as happened before, is far worse than another week or two with severe measures,” Horby told the BBC.
“Relaxing a political decision, not a scientific one”
Scientists are particularly concerned that the British government continues to point to scientific data as justification for the relaxation.
“My frustration is that the government is pretending that the decision is not made by them, but by the scientists. That is not the case,” said Edmunds. “The easings that apply from Monday are a political decision, not a scientific one.”
With over 270,000 confirmed infections and more than 38,000 coronavirus deaths, the UK is one of the worst affected regions in Europe.
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