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UK experts disagree with Boris Johnson's plan of delaying Covid regulations

WION Web Team
London, United KingdomUpdated: Dec 21, 2021, 02:11 PM IST
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UK's health services fear an incoming surge of Covid cases. Photograph:(AFP)

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The UK has been struggling to control the wide spread of Omicron variant through the country. Cases have been doubling up at a rate faster than that of the Delta variant

UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that despite a surge in Covid cases, the country will not go under a lockdown at least till Christmas. However, British scientists disagree with him.

Leading medical experts have claimed that waiting till New Year or later to impose a lockdown in the country will "almost certainly be too late to have a material impact on the epidemic".

The UK has been struggling to control the wide spread of Omicron variant through the country. Cases have been doubling up at a rate faster than that of the Delta variant. While locals have been urged to stay indoors, wear masks and practice social distancing, the same looks difficult as the country is gearing up to celebrate Christmas and New Year next weekend.

However, some experts have also said that looking at the data of Covid cases, there is a chance that it is already too late to impose these restrictions. In such a case, it will be difficult to analyse if these restrictions, if imposed, have any impact on controlling the virus.

"We are damned if we do and damned if we don’t," Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, was quoted by the Guardian.

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However, he still suggests reintroducing all Covid regulations to make sure there is some chance of flattening the curve, rather than facing a calamity. "If we implement control measures now, they are unlikely to be sufficient to reverse the growth, only slow it," he said. "But there may still be benefits in slowing the peak, in terms of flattening the curve."

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister stands firm on his decision of not imposing a complete lockdown at least till December. "The situation is extremely difficult and the arguments either way are very, very finely balanced," he said.

However, he has also stressed that the government and medical experts will make sure a 'constant revie'’ is carried out of all the Covid data, especially for the Omicron variant.