Health officials make last-minute plea to stop lockdown easing in England

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www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/31/health-officials-make-last-minute-plea-to-stop-lockdown-easing-happy-monday

Health officials make last-minute plea to stop lockdown easing in England

Royal College of Nursing also fears lifting of more restrictions on ‘happy Monday’ is too early

Senior public health officials have made a last-minute plea for ministers to scrap Monday’s easing of the coronavirus lockdown in England, warning the country is unprepared to deal with any surge in infection and that public resolve to take steps to limit transmisson has been eroded.

The Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) said new rules, including allowing groups of up to six people to meet outdoors and in private gardens, were “not supported by the science” and that pictures of crowded beaches and beauty spots over the weekend showed “the public is not keeping to social distancing as it was”.

Jeanelle de Gruchy, president of the ADPH, said her colleagues across England were “increasingly concerned that the government is misjudging the balance of risk between more social interaction and the risk of a resurgence of the virus, and is easing too many restrictions too quickly”.

They have called on ministers to postpone the easing of restrictions until more is known about the infection rate, the test-and-trace system is better established and public resolve to maintain physical distancing and hygiene can be reinforced.

“We have not spoken out in this way before,” De Gruchy said, “but we are concerned that if there is a spike it will be in our communities. We need to be confident we can get on top of it, and we are not confident yet.”

I've just spotted a this (retweeted by Anthony Costello)

Really don't know what to make of it

They are right
But it wont change anything. The government hasnt listened to sage nebermind the adph

Surely it's too late anyway, judging by the amount of groups I've seen over the weekend & what's been in the media so called Happy Monday kicked in yesterday/last week.

Living in Ireland and shocked that they are even considering easing lockdown. The UK started a week after us but are easing a week earlier. Seems so irresponsible.
But it seems as if business takes precedence over people's health.Just hope that there is not a second wave of infections.

The backlash against this by UK professors and healthcare professionals is huge. They realise that ‘the science’ may never recover from the consequences of this fallout. Unless they stand their ground now and disassociate themselves from the govts actions.

We have to come out at sometime but people have to be sensible with it large groups gathering in crowded places and large protests are not part of the lockdown restrictions , me going to my parents garden and using common sense is a little bit different that going to a mass protest or sitting with thousands on the beach and going with my 20 mates

I'm in Scotland and everyone I know is pretty shocked at what's happening in England. We had something like 740 people in hospital last night, less than 30 of them in ICU, and 18 new confirmed cases - and we are just at the start of Phase 1 easing of restrictions.

Opening all shops etc just looks like madness - that, or knowingly sending people to their deaths.

"it seems as if business takes precedence over people's health" well on that point you have to remember that business isn't just CEOs. It's your neighbours who will lose their home if they don't make some money. We do have to relax some restrictions, but I was hoping for a series of careful changes. What began fairly reasonably has now become a farce.

It will make a lot of of people here very happy though. All those posters who've been whining about their human rights and their 'needs' can now go out and help spread the virus. They've been aching to do that from day one.

How will they even be able to assess the impact of these individual changes if they’re all unfurled at once??

Beaches, bbqs, folk pissing about in the countryside etc isn’t really helping the economy though. Our beautiful river bank got trashed last night by drinkers. Not sure those crates of beer from the carry out is going to bring much in terms of Sunak‘s tax revenues.

(Bottles smashed afterwards too — nice for the paddling toddlers this morning. God, I hate the UK sometimes.)

@Redolent

Doctors and nurses are objecting because a) they understand the science but also b) they are themselves going to be at a higher risk as medical staff are dying at higher rates.

Of course it matters to them - they have very good, personal reasons to want care to be taken to avoid a second wave.

A lot of people are too selfish and stupid to care at this point.

Look at all of the various mass gatherings recently...beaches, protests in major uk cities (I agree with the sentiment behind it but it was the wrong time for 1000s of BAME people to gather with no social distancing given our increased risk factors), picnic and barbecues with friends.

The public have decided lockdown is over and they aren’t that bothered about getting and passing on the virus.

This government couldn’t run a raffle. I’m hugely concerned about the NHS and frontline workers who will have to deal with the fall out and hope the shielders are able to hold out a bit longer and protect themselves by staying in and ignoring the government saying they can now go out as the general public seem totally unable or unmoved to social distance.

@AudacityOfHope

I'm in Scotland and everyone I know is pretty shocked at what's happening in England. We had something like 740 people in hospital last night, less than 30 of them in ICU, and 18 new confirmed cases - and we are just at the start of Phase 1 easing of restrictions.

Opening all shops etc just looks like madness - that, or knowingly sending people to their deaths.

I’m in Scotland and to be honest it’s a free for all here. Social distancing is all but forgotten now in shops, people just don’t seem as bothered. Beaches, local walks and beauty spots are packed, we can meet 8 people not just 6 . I don’t know anyone who is shocked by England as we are very close behind them.

You can only lockdown once.

That moment passed weeks ago.

And now we’re at a stage where it would be like trying to turn an ocean liner with a dinghy. Not gonna happen.

Any subsequent “lockdowns” will be heeded by fewer and fewer people.

Bottom line is the lockdown was never about eradicating the virus or even really about preventing the spread of it. It was to slow the rate of infection so that the NHS wasn’t overwhelmed. That has been achieved so lockdown has done its job and now is the time to end it.

@AudacityOfHope Scotland is more or less out of lockdown already anyway - all food shops have been opened and also the likes of PoundStretchers, B&M Bargains and now KFC is opened for drive through and subway opened again.

Now we have 8 people can all meet and 'social distance' - can you imagine that in this heatwave - beers in the garden and 'taps aff' no way will everyone be socially distancing. The whole of the UK never really had a strict lockdown in the first place.

Also - businesses do need to re-open or the whole country will be bankrupt and we'll not even be able to afford to feed our country.

people have to be sensible with it

Seriously? Did you see the beaches and beauty spots at the weekend? Too many people think the lockdown is now completely over. Just wait. In 2-4 weeks' time, the death toll will be back up. But then it will be too late.

This government couldn’t run a raffle.

That's so apt.

It’s not helped tha the government have lost all trust as people aren’t listening anymore, they are hearing what they want to hear and applying what they want to the rules and advice. The infection rate is still higher than many other countries have been when they’ve released lockdown and as we all know their lockdowns were far harsher than ours meaning the rates came down faster, it isn’t logical that our lockdown should last the same length as others because our lockdown was much softer so should have been longer. The problem is everyone is harping on about how we have to learn to live with this virus and have to get on with it but are forgetting it’s real peoples lives and families affected by this. The death rate is higher than it was when lockdown began so how can we be coming out of it now?

All the ranting about people on beaches etc are totally missing the point that there is nothing else to do. Lockdown just switched off the tap of human interaction. Many people can't even go to work.
If businesses open people will be more widely sex superseded and not all have to flock to the only places they're 'allowed'.
Those who are gleefully predicting mass deaths will be disappointed. His will turn out to have been a ridiculous and unnecessary over/reaction. At least we won't be fooled again. If this are ever mooted again people would just say' Nah... you're alright...'

Basically they don't want the blame thats the reason for u turn.

I think the government introduced easing earlier than anticipated to distract from the DC debacle. And so far it's worked.

They are experimenting and feel that summer is the time to do it.

It does look and feel bad but they are hoping that a combination of no mass gatherings (ooops re the protest), lots of people working from home, limited use of public transport, people using common sense about social distancing and some herd immunity among the most likely to get it will keep r(t) at just below one. I am sceptical.

They figure that they can always lock down again. I think that, if they do, they will have to enforce it properly. I cannot see people voluntarily giving up their (limited) freedoms again.

The way the government handled the Cummings debacle has undermined any control or authority it had. People are no longer scared to protest and I would not be surprised if more social unrest followed.

I’m in Scotland and driving past a rarely frequented walk yesterday noted that the police tape had been removed to get cars parked and there were approximately 20 times more cars lining the verge for a huge distance. Without exception the “walkers” were in the under 30 year age group and paying no attention to social distancing.
Why don’t the police give parking tickets or tow cars away?
The Cummings effect has caused this breakdown in common sense. Everyone now assumes the rules don’t apply to them.

I’m not sure doctors and nurses do understand the science in general, many of them are not scientists and not privy to any more info than the general public.

I think a lot of this has to do with fear, which is understandable if you’ve been at the front line in caring for Covid patients.

However I don’t think it can be said they are scientists.