England lifting lockdown measures early experts warn
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England risks losing control of the coronavirus pandemic again because it is starting to lift its lockdown without a fully operational track and trace programme in place, three senior scientific advisers warned on Saturday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said England’s lockdown measures will be eased cautiously from Monday, aided by a track and trace system that launched on Thursday.
The advisers warned, however, that the system was not yet in full operation and risked being overwhelmed by the around 8,000 new infections that are still occurring every day outside of hospitals and care homes.
Sky News reports Professor John Edmunds and Sir Jeremy Farrar, who sit on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), saying that ministers were taking risks by allowing the gradual reopening of shops and schools and larger gatherings to meet in private.
They also agreed a further risk was posed by easing the lockdown measures with an “untested” test and trace system.
“Track and trace was only launched the day before yesterday, so we can’t be sure that that is working effectively yet and yet we’re going ahead and making these changes anyway,” he told Sky News. “I think that that is rather dangerous.”
