Social distancing should end in June to give people 'control of their lives', scientists say
A group of leading scientists and academics have called on the government to abolish social distancing for good in June.
In an open letter signed by 22 experts, the group urges MPs to allow people “to take back control of their own lives”, according to the Telegraph
The group also criticised “confused and contradictory” messages from ministers and scientific advisers, claiming they are exaggerating the real threat of the disease, the newspaper reported.
The letter reportedly cites real-world data showing the vaccine program has reduced the risk of death by 98 per cent and hospitalisations by more than 80 per cent so that Covid is being turned into a “mild” disease in the UK, like flu.
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It comes as half the UK population has received at least one vaccine dose while daily deaths hit single figures this week for the first time since September.
The group, therefore, is calling for all restrictions to be lifted on June 21 when Boris Johnson’s roadmap will enter its final stage.
“We are being told simultaneously that we have successful vaccines and that major restrictions on everyday life must continue indefinitely. Both propositions cannot be true,” the letter reportedly says.
“We need to give more weight to the data on the actual success of the vaccines and less to theoretical risks of vaccine escape and/or surge in a largely vaccinated population."
According to the Telegraph and Mail on Sunday, signatories of the letter include Robert Dingwall, professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University, who sits on the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag).
Professor Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford, and Sunetra Gupta, professor of theoretical epidemiology at the University of Oxford have also signed the letter.
The letter also reportedly says mass community testing is unnecessary, with signatories favouring a more targeted approach as well as measures like encouraging hand-washing and surface cleaning.
It also calls for Covid vaccine passports to be scrapped, saying the virus "no longer requires exceptional measures of control in everyday life".
It comes after scientists advising the Government said there is nothing currently in the data to suggest that people will not be able to enjoy a relatively normal summer, though coronavirus cases may well rise as the autumn approaches.
Asked about mask-wearing in the coming months, one source told PA that vaccines are working so well, and there is such good vaccine uptake among members of the public, that things will return to much more like normal life over the summer months, with cases dropping very low in May.
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However, masks and possibly other measures may be needed next autumn and winter if cases surge, they said.
Nevertheless, the general view among scientific advisers is that the spike in cases in winter will be lower than in the past due to high levels of immunity and vaccination.
The source said that what happens will depend on people's behaviours as well as measures such as increased ventilation indoors, good hand hygiene and whether people isolate when they display symptoms.
