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Boris Johnson may struggle to deliver ‘significant return to normality’ by Christmas, leading scientists warn
Boris Johnson may struggle to deliver his vision of a “significant return to normality” in time for Christmas, leading scientists have warned.
The prime minister signalled another significant easing of coroanavirus lockdown restrictions in England on Friday, relaxing work-from-home guidance and paving the way for theatres and sports stadiums to reopen.
At a No 10 press conference, he said it was his “strong and sincere hope” that ministers would be able to review the remaining restrictions from November onwards “possibly in time for Christmas”.
However, Sir Mark Walport, a former chief scientific adviser, said it could prove difficult to achieve with respiratory illnesses tending to flourish in the colder weather.
He said while the disease was declining, there were still between 3,000 and 11,000 new cases a day in England.
“It is going to be difficult. We know that winter is when respiratory viruses thrive so it is going to be tough,” he told BBC2’s Newsnight.
“The prime minister said ‘Hope for the best, plan for the worst’. Of course what we need to do as far as possible is prevent the worst.”
His comments echoed the chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty who warned measures such as hand-washing, isolation and household quarantine would be needed for a “prolonged period”.
Giving evidence to the Lords Science and Technology Committee on Friday, he said: “It has not gone away. So, all of those need to continue for a long period of time.”
The government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance – who had previously warned against easing the work-from-home guidance – told the committee the winter would be a “very complex time” with people going down with other illnesses which were not Covid-19.