SCIENTISTS have warned that more than 100,000 people could die by the end of the year if the coronavirus lockdown easing is too quick.
The country is awaiting Boris Johnson‘s announcement this evening where he is likely to express the Government’s wish to only very slowly lift the lockdown. Ministers are unlikely to tell the public when the lockdown, which was first announced on March 23, will be fully lifted. This comes as another 346 people died yesterday in the UK from the deadly coronavirus taking the death toll to 31,547.
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According to The Times, the Government’s Sage advisory committee was sent the concerning figures by researchers from the London School of Tropical Hygiene, Imperial College and other centres.
One scientific advisor is reported to say: “There is very limited room for manoeuvre”.
According to the paper, the advisor said: “Whether we get 100,000 deaths by the end of the year depends on how quickly measures are relaxed, how effective contact tracing is and whether we get on top of the situation in hospitals and care homes.
“The care home and hospital epidemics seed infection back into the community via the staff employed in those institutions.
“We have to control them before significant relaxation will be possible.”
Mr Johnson is expected to announce the opening of garden centres from next Wednesday in his speech tonight.
He is also set to say there will be no limit on exercise and people will be able to spend time outdoors, as long as they observe the two metres rule.
The public will be told that fines will increase for those people not adhering to measures and also advised to wear face masks on public transport and in shops.
Yesterday it was leaked that the Government will demand anyone who enters the country spent two weeks in quarantine.
The Prime Minister’s message to ‘stay at home’ will be replaced by ‘stay alert, control the virus and save lives’.
A government source also told The Times: “The view is that the public will forgive us for mistakes made when going into lockdown but they won’t forgive us for mistakes made coming out of it.”
Mr Johnson could also announce this evening that a COVID-19 alert system will be launched to track the virus.
This system will be able to rank the threat level of coronavirus on a scale from one to five.
Speaking to the Sun on Sunday last week, the Prime Minister said: “We’re past the peak now but we’ll have to work even harder to get every step right.
“Mountaineers always say that coming down from the peak is the most dangerous bit. That’s when you’re liable to be over-confident and make mistakes.
“You have very few options on the climb up – but it’s on the descent you have to make sure you don’t run too fast, lose control and stumble.”
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