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Seniors “will rebel and risk prison” if forced to stay locked up longer while restrictions are eased, a former Tory pension minister warned.
Conservative fellow Baroness Altmann argued that such a requirement would be “age discrimination” and could cost lives and threaten social unrest.
His comments come amid growing concern that those over 70 could be told to isolate themselves longer than the rest of the population when the rules for coping COVID-19 Begins to be relaxed.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has underlined the NHS guidance for older people, who are classified as high risk by coronavirus.
This emphasizes the importance of following advice on staying home and only leaving if essential, such as getting food or medicine.
Speaking to the Sky News Sophy Ridge program on Sunday, the former pension minister said: “I certainly hope that as we emerge from the current emergency phase of the shutdown there will be some form of general policy that prohibits people of any age. in particular leaving their own homes or being part of the community.
“Using an age-based criterion would be fundamentally incorrect and could actually cost many people’s lives, and is at risk of social unrest.”
“There are many over the age of 70 who cannot bear the idea of being locked up for a moment longer and have accepted it because everyone else has to.”
“But if they are fit and healthy and need to go out for their own sanity and physical health, then the idea that the government will tell them that they are under house arrest while everyone else is free … then I think they would not.” Do not accept it.
“Certainly, many of them have told me that they would rebel and risk going to prison rather than being forced to isolate themselves in their homes.”
She added: “Of course it is age discrimination, there is no other way to look at it.
“A healthy 70-year-old is probably less at risk to society than a 40-year-old sick person in terms of vulnerability to this disease.
“The reality is that more BAME people, unfortunately, are victims of this than others.
“But somehow it is not okay to discriminate on the basis of gender, obesity or skin color, but everyone says we think of discriminating in some way based on age.”
“As if older people could discriminate and it is not correct.”
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