Boris Johnson’s Decision to End Restrictions
A few days ago, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the government’s achievements in reducing the number of Covid victims, saying that it would not deviate from the roadmap of ending restrictions. However, he noted that most scientists believe that at some point the new wave of coronavirus will re-emerge and that one should not deviate from the principles of hygiene.
Despite the favourable trend in vaccination rates in the UK, health experts believe that a quick, unplanned reopening can lead to a re-emergence of the disease in the community and reduce the effects of vaccination. The government has been able to immunise people against the disease through a fast vaccination scheme, but reopening immediately after vaccination has reduced its effects and may lead to a re-emergence of the disease with more people in public places.
Steep Risk Slope
It has been a few weeks since coronavirus and mortality rates in the UK have been dropping after a difficult and breathtaking period in which the infection rate from the coronavirus rose to 60,000 a day with a death toll of more than 1,000. Accordingly, the government has gradually reduced restrictions after two months of nationwide quarantine, schools have reopened and the “stay at home” order has been revoked. All non-food stores, beauty salons, libraries, parks and zoos, as well as restaurants and nightclubs, have reopened. Of course, family visits are not allowed until the vaccination process is completed.
The Inevitable Outbreak of the Third Covid Wave in the UK
Statistics show that two-fifths of adults are vaccinated, but many have not received the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine yet. Boris Johnson called on people to act responsibly in the face of easing restrictions. He called the recent outbreak of the third coronavirus wave in the UK inevitable and said that past experience has shown that the country will not be immune to the outbreak. Scientists predict that the new wave in Europe will be worse than the previous ones, and health officials in some European governments have warned that hospitals are overcrowded.
Risky Game by Boris Johnson
The UK Prime Minister has announced an ambitious plan which, if successful, could revolutionise the treatment of the disease. In this project, a special medical working group has been assigned to identify drugs to prevent Covid in addition to vaccination. In this way, people who test positive will take the medication which will prevent the virus from worsening; people who live with a sick person will also be protected from getting the disease by taking the medication. Johnson hopes to have two pills produced by the fall and before the new wave.
Boris Johnson is Not Boosting Public Confidence
Former prime minister, Tony Blair, claims the government should do more to sell the benefits of vaccines and publish data on how effective and safe they are. He called for a report to publish statistics on the effectiveness of the Covid vaccine and to show how it has made the country safer. He had previously proposed the use of an international Covid passport, saying that the government should use its position during its presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) to implement the plan. Boris Johnson has said that the plan will definitely be used in the roadmap for the gradual easing of restrictions. He told the media that vaccination and testing will be considered as part of the government’s plan to lift travel restrictions. But opposition political parties and public opinion object to such a plan and call for it to be scrapped.
Self-Proclaimed Prime Minister!
The next step in the roadmap for easing quarantine has been set for 17 May, when foreign travel restrictions will be eased. The government plans to implement the so-called traffic light system this year, as it did last year, according to which countries are divided into three categories based on the state of the pandemic: red, yellow and green. In this way, people travelling to or from green countries will be exempt from compulsory quarantine. But travel to or from banned red countries or people returning to the UK must be quarantined at special hotels, which are usually close to the airport and expensive.
The New Covid Variant Will Reach England from India
More than 40 countries are currently on the UK government’s list of high-risk areas. India was the last country to be added to the list a few days ago due to the outbreak of a new variant of corona. The new variant in India is the 1.617 which is a “double mutant”. The virus was first discovered last year by an Indian scientist and the Indian government provided more information on it to the World Health Organization (WHO). Under current UK restrictions, leisure travel is prohibited until 17 May. The law, which came into force two weeks ago, fines anyone who circumvents the ban and has no good reason to travel outside the UK £5,000.
The Eradication of the Pandemic in the UK is Not Realistic
United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, has said that people can now start to think about booking summer holidays. The statement from the secretary comes as the government unveiled plans for a traffic light system to allow overseas travel. But scientists say the eradication of the virus is unrealistic, and that easing travel restrictions will lead to its spread in the country with new variants. They warn that the potential of the virus should not be underestimated as it is not yet clear to what extent it can mutate. Deenan Pillay, Professor of Virology at UCL Division of Infection & Immunity, has said that someone should be brave enough to say that the pandemic is not over. We are still in the early stages of identifying the virus and this process may take years. Aris Katzourakis, a biologist at Oxford University, also believes that even if a certain number of mutations for the corona can be scientifically considered, it is still possible for new dimensions of the virus to emerge that are unknown.
Threatening the NHS by Lifting Restrictions
Boris Johnson’s government is seeking to reduce Covid restrictions while the outbreak is growing. Europe is currently facing a new wave of the disease, and a new variant of the virus has been identified in India that is far more deadly and dangerous, but Johnson insists on easing restrictions. The reason is to let the world know that his government has been successful in fighting the virus. He is willing to risk lives to prove the success of his government, and this has surprised doctors and health experts.
