With more than 40,000 new COVID cases in the UK everyday over the last week, things are looking very grim for Brits in the weeks to come.
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'In the midst of a profound crisis'
Compared to other western European countries, the UK's numbers are at an all-time high despite having been trailblazers with a highly effective vaccine rollout plan earlier this year. As it stands currently, the booster shots have failed to make their way to enough people that require further protection from the virus.
Now, Britain's top medical experts are urging the UK government to reconsider their stance on the reintroduction of COVID restrictions. These would include an immediate return to working from home and mandatory face coverings in all public spaces. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation explains:
We are right on the edge – and it is the middle of October. It would require an incredible amount of luck for us not to find ourselves in the midst of a profound crisis over the next three months.
Are restrictions the only solution?
He further continues to say that if strict measures aren't imposed sooner rather than later, this could lead to a cancellation of holiday celebrations for a second year in a row. Not to mention, more people dying and freedoms being taken away from us once more (such as travelling or socialising). He said:
We should do what's in Plan B in terms of masks [and] working from home, but also we should try to achieve the kind of national mobilisation that we achieved in the first and second waves, where the public went out of their way to support and help the health service.
Before adding:
I think the Government needs to look at all those measures which science tells us can reduce the spread of the virus and further down the line the number of people going into hospital and dying.
