Boris Johnson admits Covid lockdowns are STILL on the cards
Boris Johnson admits Covid lockdowns are STILL on the cards: PM says he ‘can’t rule out’ draconian stay-at-home restrictions in future – despite promising the route back to pre-pandemic normality was ‘irreversible’
Boris Johnson has previously insisted stay-at-home orders would be a last resortBut he said he ‘can’t rule out’ bringing in a nation-wide lockdown in the futureHe said decision would balance saving lives with impact of draconian measures
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
(function (src, d, tag){
var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];
s.src = src;
prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);
}(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/1.17.0/async_bundle- -.js”, document, “script”));
<!–
DM.loadCSS(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/gunther-2159/video_bundle- -.css”);
<!–
Boris Johnson has admitted he ‘can’t rule out’ plunging the UK into a Covid lockdown again in the future, despite only just releasing the nation from two years of crippling on-off restrictions.
The Prime Minister previously promised the route back to normality was ‘irreversible’, seemingly consigning draconian stay-at-home orders to history.
But the PM has now said it would be ‘irresponsible’ for the Government not to keep a blanket shutdown in its virus-fighting playbook. He added: ‘I’m not going to take any options off the table.’
In an interview with GB News set to be aired tomorrow, Mr Johnson added: ‘I want to avoid any such thing ever happening again.’
However, he insisted any decision on bringing back curbs must get the balance right between prioritising public health and saving lives.
Covid cases have soared to pandemic highs in England, despite official tallies having plunged over the past week because of No10’s decision to axe the £2billion-a-month mass-swabbing regime.
Respected surveillance data — which isn’t based on people coming forward for tests — estimates one in 12 people were infected at the end of March.
Daily hospital admissions are currently on par with Omicron’s January peak, although thousands of virus patients aren’t primarily ill with the virus.
Omicron’s milder nature and sky-high immunity rates, from the UK’s historic vaccine drive and repeated waves over the past two years, have drastically blunted the threat the virus poses. Government data suggests it is now no deadlier than the flu.
When asked about lockdowns in the future, Mr Johnson (pictured today) said: ‘I can’t rule out. I can’t say we wouldn’t be forced to do non-pharmaceutical interventions again of the kind we did’
Mr Johnson said he believes lockdowns ‘did save lives’. Pictured: empty streets around Bank Underground station in London during lockdown in March 2021
Speaking to Tory MPs Esther McVey and Philip Davies on GB News, Mr Johnson said: ‘I can’t rule out something.
‘I can’t say we wouldn’t be forced to do non-pharmaceutical interventions again of the kind we did.
‘I think it would be irresponsible of any leader in any democracy to say that they are going to rule out something that can save lives.’
He added: ‘I believe the things we did saved lives.
‘I’ve got to be absolutely frank with you, there could be a new variant more deadly, there could be a variant that affects children, that we really need to contain, I’m not going to take any options off the table.
‘But I don’t think it will happen.
‘We’re now in the phase where the virus is losing its potency overall and we’ve got a massively vaccinated UK population.’
But the PM admitted the endless cycle of on-off restrictions introduced over the last 24 months had caused the nation’s obesity rates to soar.
Ministers this week brought in rules that force restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 employees to include calorie counts on their menu.
Mr Johnson denied the measures equated to a ‘nanny state’, arguing they were necessary to tackle Britain’s growing obesity problem.
He said: ‘Do you know how much fatter we are post-Covid? I think there’s 36 per cent more obesity, there’s been a huge increase in obesity.
‘Before the thing began we were already the fattest nation in Europe with the exception of the Maltese.
‘That is a massive charge on the taxpayer. The taxpayer is coughing up huge quantities for the consequence of that obesity.
‘I’m no advertisement for willpower, we need to recognise the effects of obesity on our taxes.’
Obesity costs the NHS around £6billion a year.
His comments come after Sir Chris Whitty last month said there is a ‘high chance’ that a Covid variant worse than Omicron will emerge in the next two years.
England’s chief medical officer said that a future strain could cause ‘worse problems’ than Omicron and the challenges from the current strain are ‘not by any means trivial’.
Nation-wide surveillance studies show Covid prevalence reached its highest ever level in England at the end of last month.
The REACT study, based on swabs of 109,000 people, reported that one in 16 people in England (6.4 per cent) were infected by March 31.
And the Office for National Statistics on Friday claimed more than 4.1million people had the virus on March 26.
But official daily data shows official Covid cases have continued to plunge in Britain, showing No10’s decision to ditch mass testing is muddying the waters of the state of the epidemic.
Another 51,253 positive tests were logged by UK Health Security Agency bosses yesterday, down 41 per cent on last week’s tally.
It was the second lowest total in a month after dropping to 50,202 on Wednesday.
But Government statistics show 20,000 Covid patients are currently in hospital — meaning trusts are now busier than they were in January at the height of the Omicron wave.
Health bosses have warned that the situation is already having a ‘knock-on effect’, jeopardising attempts to tackle the backlog of 6.1million patients whose treatment was effectively ground to a halt because of the pandemic.
Officials say the crisis — affecting every area of the health service — is being driven by a combination of a high level of Covid admissions and staff absences.
It led the chief medical officer for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight area to urge those who have loved ones in hospital to ‘help staff to get them home quickly when they are well enough — even if they are still testing positive’.
Meanwhile, millions of patients in Yorkshire have been told to stay away from A&E departments except in ‘genuine, life-threatening situations’.
One ambulance service in the south of England even asked patients to make their own way to hospital.
Despite the figures having soared to highs, experts are adamant the darkest days of the pandemic are over.
Ministers were given confidence from the claims, choosing to press ahead with the ‘Living With Covid’ strategy.
England’s mass swabbing regime — thought to cost up to £2billion-a-month — was ditched under Boris Johnson’s blueprint.
It marked one of the final steps on the route back to normal life, after mandatory self-isolation rules were scrapped in mid-February.
Workers who test positive no longer have to legally self-isolate, although they are still advised to ‘stay at home and avoid contact with other people’. The NHS also says that they should take ‘extra care’ to avoid making contact with anyone at higher risk of the virus.
But union bosses have warned the scrapping of free tests — combined with an expansion to the list of symptoms — will trigger a ‘free for all’ of staff absences.
