Explainer-in-brief: As NHS chiefs call for more rules, is Covid-19 back?
Just as many of us were beginning to feel like the worst of Covid-19 was behind us, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation has warned that Easter could be ‘as bad as any winter’ in the health service. In the last week, around 20 NHS trusts issued divert warnings, telling ambulances to take patients elsewhere.
Matthew Taylor accused the government of failing to have any Covid-19 strategy after free testing was scrapped – and called for masks to be brought back in.
It is important to remember that the NHS Confederation has been wrong before. After they called for tougher measures in October, new cases fell dramatically. The Office of National Statistics has registered a slight fall in cases in early April and three-fifths of those in hospital with the virus are being treated for other medical conditions.
This is not to say it’s not a problem – but not one that is likely to be combated by restrictions, especially as warmer weather beckons.