UK foreign minister defends lockdown easing as the 'right step'

[webfact]

UK foreign minister defends lockdown easing as the 'right step'

By Elizabeth Piper

 

Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Dominic Raab speaks at the daily digital news conference on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain May 18, 2020. Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street/Handout via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - British foreign minister Dominic Raab on Sunday defended the government's careful loosening of the coronavirus lockdown, saying it was the "right step to be taking" at this time.

 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come under fire from some scientists for easing a lockdown put in place 10 weeks ago, with several saying it was a premature and risky move in the absence of a fully functioning system to track new outbreaks.

 

Britain has one of the world's highest death rates from COVID-19 and the government says it is easing the stringent lockdown cautiously to balance the need to restart the economy while also trying to prevent another increase in the number of infections.

 

"We are confident that this is the right step to be taking at this moment in time," Raab told Sky News. "We are taking those steps very carefully, based on the science but also based on our ability now to monitor the virus."

 

From Monday, up to six people will be able to meet outside in England, some school classes will restart, elite competitive sport can resume without spectators and more than 2 million people who have been "shielding" will be allowed to spend time outdoors.

 

Housing minister Robert Jenrick said the government was "reasonably confident" the easing would not boost the rate of infection, but some pictures of people apparently flouting the new rules has caused concern.

 

England's deputy chief medical officer, Jenny Harries, emphasised the need for people to remain on their guard.

 

"This is a really, really critical time. So where we are seeing (that) government is easing measures, the public really, really need to stick to those measures," she told a news conference.

 

Johnson, meanwhile, is under pressure from some in his governing Conservative Party and businesses to start reopening the economy after spending billions to help to protect companies and workers from the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

 

TEST AND TRACE

At the heart of the strategy to ease the lockdown is a system to test and trace those people who have come into contact with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

 

On Sunday, the government said it had met its 200,000 capacity testing target, including the means for 40,000 antibody tests a day, which health minister Matt Hancock described as "an important milestone".

 

 

Ministers also say the tracing system is already working, though some scientists warned that it is too early to say whether it is fit for purpose and fear that it might not be able to cope if the lockdown easing increases the transmission rate. [L8N2DC056]

 

Britain has recorded more than 38,000 deaths from confirmed COVID-19 cases. The Office of National Statistics and other sources of data put the figure of fatalities from suspected and confirmed cases at 48,000.

 

Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group and who sits on the government's scientific advisory group, said he shared other scientists' "deep concern".

 

"I think unlocking too fast carries a great risk that all the good work that has been put in by everyone to try to reduce transmission may be lost," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

 

Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has offered the nation slightly different guidance to that in England, agreed with scientists urging caution.

 

"I agree with the opinion that has been expressed over the weekend that we've got to be very cautious," Sturgeon told Sky News. "This virus hasn't gone away, there is still a significant risk that it could run out of control again."

 

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and David Goodman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-01

 

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[Baerboxer]

They will be damned if the do, and damned if they don't now!

 

The UK government got this horrendously wrong.

 

Not closing borders, their testing fiasco, and strict rules, that actually weren't so strict and hard at times to understand have created appalling figures and a situation in which whatever they do will be wrong.

 

Well done! 

 

Would make a good British farce but sadly it's far from funny.

[Kadilo]

“There’s absolutely no way we will move to release restrictions until we are ready. If the criteria is not met we will remain in lockdown until such time when we meet the criteria. “

We are still at 4. 
 

When asked about it yesterday the Government puppy said we are on the transition to 3 (55555)

 

They just make it up as they go along. 
 

Truth is the lockdown finished the day Cummings got caught finishing his. The fact you can now invite 6 people to a BBQ from outside your own home is irrelevant when you have just mingled with 600 at the beach yesterday. There is no lockdown, the Police have no controls, it’s just a farce. 
 

Stop playing games, end the ridiculous circus and let people go back to work. 

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Kadilo

[evadgib]

This was a monumental overreaction from the onset & my suspicion has always been that the virus would be gone with the Bluebells.

[7by7]

1 hour ago, evadgib said:

This was a monumental overreaction from the onset & my suspicion has always been that the virus would be gone with the Bluebells.

Easy for you to say from your perch in Thailand with it's total of 3082 cases and 57 deaths. (source)

 

Here in the UK we've had 274,762 cases with 38,489 deaths. (source)

 

You could say that this shows lockdown hasn't worked. I say it didn't go far enough.

 

I entered Thailand on 28th February and before getting to immigration my, and everyone else's, temperature was taken. Those who showed above 38 were taken to one side for further tests. As we all know, it wasn't long after this that Thailand closed it's borders, even to Thai nationals unless they had a medical certificate authenticated by a Thai embassy showing they were clear of the virus.

 

On returning to the UK on 28th April; nothing. Off the plane, through immigration, collect bags, leave. No checks and not one official was wearing a mask. The UK still hasn't imposed any checks or restrictions on people entering; but might do so next week!

 

In Thailand, to enter a food shop such as a 7Eleven I had to wear a mask, have my temperature taken and hands disinfected. Here in the UK; nothing except a polite request to stay 2 meters apart.

 

The UK did too little, too late.

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by 7by7
Addendum

[AgMech Cowboy]

On 6/1/2020 at 7:54 AM, webfact said:

has come under fire from some scientists for easing a lockdown put in place 10 weeks ago, 

10 weeks ago. Surely the curve has been flattened.

And all the while they collect their salaries.