COVID-19: British Health Minister Matt Hancock worried about second wave

In a press conference on July 29, the British health minister Matt Hancock said that the UK authorities were “worried "about the second wave of infection of the novel coronavirus and were not hesitating to bring the health safety measures back in order to prevent the outbreaks. Only last week, the UK imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine protocol on Spain tourists, a measure that earned backlash and conjured up controversy with Spanish ministers. However, Hancock went on to name some more European countries giving an example of France where cases have recently surged.  

In an interview with a leading UK broadcaster, Hancock said he was “worried about the second wave”. In fact, he was reported as saying that the second wave had already started to show up as could be established with the rising number of cases across Europe. Hancock said the UK authorities and he had to do everything possible to curb the wave from reaching “these shores”. Moreover, the British health minister said that more destinations could face quarantine measures after Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised cabinet ministers to act fast and enact measures to stem the surge in cases in the UK.  

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Everything to keep the country safe

While the health experts noted an upward trajectory in the COVID-19 cases in the UK, Health Minister Hancock said that the UK leaders were absolutely determined to do everything to keep the country safe, according to reports. In another televised interview, he said that the authorities were determining whether it was safe to test people during quarantine and then be able to release them earlier. However, stressing on the safety aspect, he said, if testing means "increasing the number of days that people who've tested positive have to self-isolate, then so be it.” 

However, Spain’s PM Pedro Sanchez criticized UK’s quarantine rules, saying, the drastic quarantine measures were "disproportionate." Speaking on private television channels, Sanchez said, “There are negotiations that are happening that will be very important in the coming months for the relationship of the UK with the European Union.” He reminded that the UK and Spain had a strong, economic, political, and commercial ties. However, an epidemiologist at the University of Nottingham Professor Keith Neal appreciated the UK government’s move saying, “Some people have criticized the lack of notice but with cases rising any delay would only increase cases in the UK.” As of July 30, the UK has over 301,455 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and over 45,961 fatalities, according to a global tally. The Kingdom recorded more than 581 cases in the past 24 hours.

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