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A member of the government’s scientific advisory group warned that the country “has returned to the options it faced in early March” before the national coronavirus shutdown.
Sir Jeremy Farrar – part of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) that has been making recommendations to ministers throughout the COVID-19 crisis – offered a stark warning as the government considers what action to take amid a significant increase in infections in the north of England.
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Commenting on warnings from local health chiefs that some hospitals could reach full capacity in as little as a week or two, Sir Jeremy called for immediate action “to prevent a spiral out of control.”
“We are close to or at events and elections on March 13-23,” he added, referring to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to order the British to “stay home” on March 23.
Urging ministers to implement a “package of interventions now”, Sir Jeremy added on Twitter: “We are back to the options we faced in early March.
“With the time lag between making a decision, its implementation and its effect measured in weeks, the longer decisions are delayed, the more difficult and draconian the interventions required to change the trajectory of the epidemic curve are.
“Do not act slower than the speed of the epidemic, do not fall behind an epidemic curve.
“It is much more difficult to reverse that epidemic curve.”
SAGE member Sir Jeremy Farrar called for immediate action
Sir Jeremy, who is director of the Wellcome Trust medical research foundation, called for more COVID-19 restrictions last month, claiming that an earlier “slow response in February left us quickly and dangerously behind the curve.”
Boris Johnson is expected to divide England into three different lockdown levels next week, with millions facing tougher restrictions.
Pubs, restaurants and leisure facilities are expected to be closed in those parts of the north of England located at the highest level.
Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, discussed the rise in infections with parliamentarians from the North and Midlands on Thursday.
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MPs were shown data on coronavirus cases and hospital admissions that continue to rise in the North West, North East and Yorkshire.
Parliamentarians were also shown an analysis that suggested that pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes accounted for about 30% of COVID-19 exposure.
However, an anonymous MP cited by the Daily Telegraph accused the government of having “improvised” the data to justify the decision to close bars.
The newspaper also reported that deputies referred to him as an “unreliable file”.
