Doctors urge ministers to keep some Covid curbs after 19 July
Doctors have urged policy makers to maintain some Covid measures after 19 July, when the final set of restrictions are scheduled to end.
Members of the British Medical Association have said face coverings should still be worn and new ventilation standards should be drawn up.
The doctors said measures needed to be kept in place in order to protect NHS, health and education services from severe strain resulting from a sharp rise in Covid cases driven by the Delta variant.
Read more: Daily Covid cases in Scotland surpass 4000 in a day – for first time ever
Weekly Covid cases in the UK jumped 74 per cent on the previous seven days, according to latest government figures.
On Friday, the UK recorded 27,125 new cases and a further 27 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
The number of people admitted to hospitals in England with Covid-19 has surged 55 per cent over the last week, BMA said.
The warning comes as ministers are drawing up plans to scrap quarantine rules fully vaccinated people who come into contact with someone who tests positive for coroanvirus.
The government could remove self-isolation rules within weeks for those who have been double jabbed, The Times first reported.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, says: “As case numbers continue to rise at an alarming rate due to the rapid transmission of the Delta variant and an increase in people mixing with one another, it makes no sense to remove restrictions in their entirety in just over two weeks’ time.”
“The promise was to make decisions based on data and not dates, and while we were pleased to see the government react to data in delaying the easing on 21 June last month, ministers must not now simply disregard the most recent, damning numbers by rushing into meeting their new 19 July deadline.”
Measures proposed by the BMA include requiring people to continue wearing masks in enclosed public spaces.
The organisation also urged the government to step up communication on how the virus spreads and recommended creating legal standards to follow to maintain good ventilation.
Twice as many coronavirus patients were on ventilators now compared with this time last month, Nagpaul added.
Newly appointed Health Secretary recently said there is no reason to delay the lifting of the final set of restrictions on 19 July.
Read more: Test and Trace: Weekly Covid cases hit highest level in England since mid-February