Covid: Scientists condemn government’s July 19 reopening as ‘dangerous and unethical experiment’

Exponential growth of the virus “will likely continue until millions more are infected, leaving hundreds of thousands with long-term illness and disability”, scientists say. Credit: PA Archive/PA Images

Scientists have accused the UK government of conducting a “dangerous and unethical experiment” over plans to scrap all Covid restrictions from July 19 in England.

More than 100 scientists and doctors signed a letter urging the government to reconsider its plans to abandon all coronavirus restrictions, branding the strategy - that would see high levels of coronavirus infection - "unethical and illogical”.

The 122 signatories, which include Sir David King, the former chief scientific adviser and chair of Independent Sage, and Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the Council for the British Medical Association, warned an exponential growth of the virus “will likely continue until millions more are infected, leaving hundreds of thousands with long-term illness and disability”.

Lockdown rules in England: What's changing from July 19

What has happened to social distancing and the rule of six?

The 'one metre plus' rule has been scrapped entirely, as of July 19 in England. However, some guidance to maintain social distancing in certain situations will remain in place of the legal restrictions.

Social distancing guidance will continue if someone is Covid positive and self-isolating, or in airports, or other ports of entry, to avoid travellers arriving from amber or red-list countries mixing with those from green list areas.

Limits on social contact in England have disappeared, meaning the end of the rule of six indoors and the limit of 30 people for outdoor gatherings.

Do I still need to wear a face mask?

There is now no legal requirements to wear face coverings - but guidance still encourages using masks in some settings, including hospitals, healthcare settings and in crowded enclosed public spaces.

Has the working from home guidance changed?

The guidance on working from home has gone. It's ultimately down to employers to decide whether to keep staff at home or in the office, but the government say employers are able to plan the return of staff to the workplace.

What about weddings and funerals?

The current limits on numbers of people who can attend weddings, funerals and other life events has ended.

What's happening in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

The changes to Covid rules announced by Boris Johnson, only impact England and will not change regulations in Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland.

The Welsh Government “would like to move together” with other parts of the UK in lifting coronavirus restrictions but will only do so if it is “right for Wales”, health minister Eluned Morgan said on Monday 5 July.

As of July 19, restrictions in Scotland have eased, with all areas of the country moving to level 0. The government is aiming to lift all major restrictions in Scotland by August 9.

In Northern Ireland, some significant restrictions have already been eased including allowing the resumption of live music and the lifting of caps on organised outdoor gatherings.

Back to top

They accused the government of ignoring the impact of long Covid that has left as many as two million people with symptoms more than three months after infection.

They stressed there was a risk of long Covid to the wider population, especially those who were vulnerable, younger people and children, as well as people who were unvaccinated.

Continuing targeted measures against the virus were ‘vital’ until enough of the population was fully vaccinated, Dr Nagpaul said Credit: Danny Lawson/PA

The letter, published in The Lancet medical journal, continued: “This strategy risks creating a generation left with chronic health problems and disability, the personal and economic impacts of which might be felt for decades to come.”

Dr Nagpaul said the numbers of Covid-19 cases in the UK were soaring and while the link between hospitalisations and deaths had weakened, it had not been broken.

“The government has also airbrushed the impact of long Covid on one in 10 people getting infected and with two million having been unwell for more than three months.

"It would be irresponsible to inflict further suffering on millions more,” he said.

“We know that masks are effective in stopping the spread, so it is nonsensical and dangerous for the government to abandon compulsory mask-wearing in indoor public settings, such as public transport, on July 19.”

The letter called on the Government to reconsider its current strategy Credit: Victoria Jones/PA

Continuing targeted measures against the virus were “vital” to prevent its spread until enough of the population was fully vaccinated with both doses, he added.

Dr Deepti Gurdasani, an epidemiologist and senior lecturer at Queen Mary University who organised the letter, said: “The government has made a deliberate choice to expose children to mass infection, rather than protect them in schools or vaccinate them.

“This is unethical and unacceptable. Our young have already suffered so much in the past year, and are now being condemned to suffer the consequences of this dangerous experiment.”

The letter also suggested the lifting of restrictions could make the disruption of children’s education more not less likely.

It stated: “Allowing transmission to continue over the summer will create a reservoir of infection, which will probably accelerate spread when schools and universities reopen in autumn.”

The Government was urged to delay complete reopening Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA

The letter called on the government to reconsider “its current strategy and take urgent steps to protect the public, including children”.

It said: “We believe the government is embarking on a dangerous and unethical experiment, and we call on it to pause plans to abandon mitigations on July 19, 2021.

“Instead, the government should delay complete reopening until everyone, including adolescents, have been offered vaccination and uptake is high, and until mitigation measures, especially adequate ventilation (through investment in carbon dioxide monitors and air filtration devices) and spacing (eg by reducing class sizes), are in place in schools.”

Dr Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet, said “there is no scientific consensus over the government’s current plans to remove protective mandates on July 19” and the nation was “at a very dangerous moment in the pandemic”.

Listen to the ITV News coronavirus podcast

He added: “The government plan is not, as some have characterised it, a reasonable gamble – it is an entirely unnecessary and self-inflicted hazard that will cause real harm to health.”

Chief executive of NHS Providers Chris Hopson also warned the easing of restrictions would place a huge burden on the NHS.

He said that while fewer people were being admitted to hospital with Covid-19 there would still be “very significant” pressure on the NHS.

Amber list quarantine scrapped from July 19 for double-jabbed holidaymakers
Global death toll from Covid-19 passes four million

Mr Hopson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We need to be realistic and we need to be open and honest about the fact that there are risks if we relax these restrictions and there will be consequences.

“The NHS won’t be able to do everything given the demand pressures it has got and the fact that we have got reduced capacity in terms of both beds and staff numbers.”

A Department of Health & Social Care spokesperson said: “The success of the vaccine rollout is saving lives, having severely weakened the link between cases and hospitalisations.

“We have taken a cautious approach to proceeding with the roadmap, delaying Step 4 to allow for millions more vaccinations so every person most at risk is fully protected.

“Our approach after step 4 balances the need to protect both lives and livelihoods and we will only proceed on 19 July with our four tests having been met.”