The move to relax Covid-19 restrictions for five days around Christmas is not guided by science, a former international trade secretary has warned after a SAGE scientist threatened a third wave of infection would devastate the UK.
Veteran MP Dr. Liam Fox told Sky News on Wednesday that he was not convinced by the government’s decision to suspend tough Covid-19 restrictions for the Christmas period.
We’ll have to look at the numbers closer to Christmas and I think to change behaviour because of Christmas wouldn’t be a science-based approach.
Fox, a doctor by training, said any new measures must be introduced with consistency. He added that if households can meet in a home, there must be some scope to allow households to meet in the spaced environment of a pub or a restaurant, especially when the hospitality industry has been hit so badly by the coronavirus.
On Tuesday, the leaders of the four governments of the UK released a joint statement confirming they had collectively agreed to relax restrictions for five days over the Christmas period, allowing up to three households to meet indoors and form an exclusive “Christmas bubble.”
The statement said that for the festive period, December 23 to 27, all parts of the UK would loosen travel restrictions and allow households to mix at home, in places of worship and outdoor spaces.
Similar criticism of the move has been forthcoming, with SAGE scientist Professor Andrew Hayward telling BBC Newsnight on Tuesday: “It is likely to lead to a third wave of infection, with hospitals being overrun, and more unnecessary deaths.”
Also on rt.com Cool for Yule: UK's four nations agree to relax coronavirus restrictions for ChristmasAll parts of the UK are currently subjected to Covid-19 restrictions, most notably in England, where citizens must wait one more week for a month-long lockdown to end.
Published data show infections to be falling, with only 11,299 new cases registered on Tuesday, down from 20,051 one week ago.
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