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Chris Whitty Thwarted Boris Johnson's Wish To Downgrade Threat Level
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Boris Johnson's hopes of downgrading the coronavirus alert level from four to three last week were thwarted by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, it has emerged. The Prime Minister had wanted to reduce the five-stage alert level after announcing the partial easing of lockdown restrictions, which came into force yesterday.
However, the threat level has stayed at four, after Professor Whitty insisted it couldn't be lowered despite plans to relax rules.
This has led to fears that the government is ignoring the science as it moves to ease restrictions, after Mr Johnson said in his roadmap, published on May 11, that the alert level would have to be downgraded before any relaxation of lockdown.
Mr Johnson instead said the level was 'moving towards three', as a raft of restrictions in England were eased on Monday. Primary schools were reopened for reception, year one and year six, outdoor markets were reopened, along with car showrooms, while horse racing became the first sport to resume, though without spectators.
People in the vulnerable 'shielding' group who have until now been advised to stay indoors are also now allowed to go outside for a walk.
Also as of yesterday, groups of up to six people are allowed to meet outside and even in private gardens.
The government has yet to explain exactly what data leads to a change in alert level, or whether benchmarks like daily infections and deaths are considered.
However, the alert level remains at four - which the Government previously said would mean restrictions remain in place - despite the lockdown being eased.
Downing Street said yesterday that Professor Whitty and the Joint Biosecurity Centre - the body tasked with assessing the Covid-19 alert level - had recently discussed the coronavirus alert level. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said that Professor Whitty and the centre 'worked together on this last week'.
However, an official accused the government of 'wrecking' the centre's credibility by partially lifting lockdown measures this week without JBC saying that the alert level had decreased.
The official told the Times: 'The JBC, like JTAC (Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre), is designed to remove critical national security decision-making from the political arena. JBC's value and credibility has fallen at the first hurdle.'
Later on Monday evening, Health Secretary Matt Hancock added to the confusion after admitting that the Joint Biosecurity Centre was not yet up and running.
Responding to a question about potential local lockdowns in future, Mr Hancock said: 'The Joint Biosecurity Centre's role is a national one to provide the advice and the information that would then be acted on locally.
'So the way to think of it is that the Joint Biosecurity Centre has the information, it advises the CMOs of the UK, who in turn give advice to ministers and to local public health bodies through PHE.
'So that architecture is now established. The JBC still formally needs to come into existence, but we are putting in place all of those data flows to augment the already significant work that Public Health England do in this space.'
Directly asked about whether the Joint Biosecurity Centre exists, Mr Hancock said: 'Yes. We're getting it stood up, making sure that all the information flows come to it so it's able to analyse them and to make sure that it gets set up correctly. All that work's being done, being done as we speak.'
Pressed on whether it exists yet, Mr Hancock replied: 'Well, it's being formulated at the moment, it's being pulled together, yeah.'
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said earlier on Monday: 'In terms of the changes I think we were always clear that we would need to be meeting our five tests and I believe that we are.
'In terms of the alert level it's moving down from four to three. We've obviously been in the process of setting up the new centre and making it fully operational, and I think we're only now getting to that point.'
In other developments to Britain's coronavirus crisis today:
Some of the 2million pupils returning to primary school were turned away because headteachers 'weren't ready' for them;
Britons were allowed to meet their friends for socially distant fun and games for the first time since March 23, with the easing of lockdown rules;
IKEA shoppers at one store formed a giant three hour queue as the DIY furniture giant reopened 19 furniture sites across England;
NHS Covid-19 contact tracers said the system is 'obviously not ready' and admitted they have nothing to do all day - despite being paid up to £27-an-hour;
The Government's plan to allow more than 2million vulnerable people outside lacks any scientific rationale and amounts to a PR stunt, an expert warned.
Despite the easing of lockdown restrictions from yesterday, the COVID-19 alert level remains at four and has not been reduced to three
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty reportedly blocked the Prime Minister's hopes of reducing the alert level ahead of the easing of restrictions
The prime minister had wanted to reduce the five-stage alert level after announcing the partial easing of lockdown restrictions, which came into force yesterday
It comes as it was revealed that coronavirus infection rates in the north of England are now nearly twice as high as those in London, according to new research.
Using figures from the Covid Symptom Study, which uses an app that has been downloaded by 3.7million people to track coronavirus infections, Kings College London researchers were able to estimate infection rates across the country.
They found that the mid point of infections in London is 124 per million people, while in the North West it is 215 per million and in the North East and Yorkshire it is 225 per million, laying bare the regional differences in the spread of coronavirus.
The data shows that London, the South East and the South West are believed to now have the lowest infection rates in the UK.
On the other hand, Wales and Northern Ireland are believed to have the highest figures - possibly as high as 768 per million people a day.
The research also revealed that the UK's daily infection rate could be as high as 11,300, far above Public Health England's figure of 1,936.
The study - run alongside health science company ZOE - does however suggest that the number of daily infections is falling, mocne tabletki na potencje down 17 per cent since last week.
Number 10 yesterday hit back at warnings from experts that easing the lockdown will cause a spike in Covid-19 cases, claiming the crucial coronavirus R-rate will stay below one if Brits continue to adhere to the strict social distancing guidelines designed to halt the outbreak.
Downing Street said the scientific consensus is that it is 'unlikely' that the relaxation of guidelines in England will push the R rate - the number of people an infected patient passes the virus on to - past one, despite it already being between 0.7 and 0.9 and dangerously close to the threshold.
Tories and top scientists have voiced alarm about the consequences of the tweaks in England - which include six people from different households being able to meet up in public places or gardens, primary schools starting to return, and more shops opening.
Health chiefs today announced 111 more Britons have died after testing positive for coronavirus - the lowest daily toll since Boris Johnson imposed the lockdown on March 23. But death numbers released on Sundays and Mondays are always significantly smaller due to a delay in processing fatalities over the weekend.
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Shock new data has laid bare the coronavirus regional divide in Britain, with the north of England having almost twice the infection rate of London
The data shows that London, the South East and the South West are believed to now have the lowest infection rates in the UK. A group of young people walk past a pub open for takeaways on Holland Park Avenue in west London
Wales and Northern Ireland are believed to have the highest figures - possibly as high as 768 per million people a day. Pictured are people cooling down in the water at Helen's Bay, on the shores of Belfast Lough
Scientists who analysed the statistics revealed 12 NHS hospital trusts in England (9.2 per cent) have recorded no coronavirus deaths in the past week, as well as 65 (49.6 per cent) who have registered none in the past 48 hours
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Department of Health figures show the official number of Covid-19 victims has actually risen to 39,045, a jump of 556 on yesterday's tally of 38,489. The extra 445 are because of a new reporting process.
