[ad_1]
Level 2 of the latest restrictions to be implemented in much of England after the national lockdown ends will “hold the line” but will not reduce cases, England’s medical director said.
Professor Chris Whitty also conceded that Level 1 restrictions, the lighter measures to be applied in just three areas – the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – could lead to increased infections.
At the Downing Street press conference on Thursday, he said: “Level 1, which is very similar to the previous Level 1, slowed things down but did not stop the rise anywhere.
“So the reason why Tier 1 at this time of year, with the current measures that we currently have before we have any vaccines, is relatively limited, almost certainly any place that goes into Tier 1 will increase and the only The places there are are places with very low rates at the moment. “
He added that he hopes that “in a few months, possibly in the next few weeks, we will be in a situation where more places could enter Level 1”.
“But we shouldn’t do that until we’re confident because the Level 1 experience previously was, and hasn’t really changed, is that if you’re at Level 1, the rate starts going up.”
Large swaths of the Midlands, the Northeast and Northwest are at the more restrictive Tier 3, but most people, including London, will be at Tier 2.
Mark Harper, the former head of the Conservatives, expressed skepticism about the prime minister’s claim that “his level is not his destiny.”
Harper, whose Forest of Dean constituency is at Level 2, tweeted: “Unfortunately, right after the prime minister said this, Chris Whitty, the medical director, said that Level 2 would only maintain the level of infections, and the Level 1 would make them go up.
“That rather suggests that if you are on Level 2, it is your destiny, at least until spring.”
Video not available
He referred to comments made by Professor Whitty at the briefing, in which he said: “It looks like Level 2 is strong enough to hold the line, so stop things rising, but not reliably to tear things down.
“We think level 3, based on past experience, is strong enough to bring things down from a higher peak.”
The Prime Minister said that the Government was reverting to the tiered approach because it had been shown to have an impact when it was last used.
He said at the press conference: “The tiered approach was working, it was slowing down the virus and that is why a reasonable tiered approach is the right path now.”
However, Chief Scientific Advisor Sir Patrick Vallance said the previous tiering system failed to lower the infection rate enough.
At the press conference, he said: “The message is that the levels worked in terms of slowing down, but they did not work in terms of flattening and reversing.
“The national blockade seems to have flattened it and is sending it down and it is important that we reduce it because the numbers are still high.”
Sir Patrick said that one in 85 people in the country has coronavirus at this time, numbers he said were “very high.”
[ad_2]
