Triple Covid whammy to make ‘this winter much worse than last year,’ warns BMA exec
A senior British Medical Association exec has warned that this winter may be much worse than the last one in terms of Covid.
The BMA NI council chair continued: “We’re entering into the worst crisis ever – this winter is going to be much worse than last winter,” said Dr Tom Black, chair of BMA’s Northern Ireland council.
“Why? Because the triple whammy of Covid, the winter pressures, the waiting lists. And we have to tighten our belt, do the right thing and not indulge in wishful thinking.”
It has emerged that Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long wrote to other ministers ahead of Thursday’s executive meeting expressing concern at the proposed relaxation of rules around wearing face masks in hospitality settings.
Morning Wire understands she warned that such a move could lead to a significant increase in transmission.
The minister also highlighted that relaxing rules on face coverings in the hospitality sector could influence public attitudes to the hygiene measure and inadvertently lead to a drop in compliance in other sectors where face masks remain compulsory