UK scientists slam Boris Johnson govt for not imposing COVID restrictions before New Year

A number of scientists have criticised UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government for refusing to impose any additional COVID-19 restrictions in England before New Year amid the Omicron scare. According to The Guardian, some of them described it as “the greatest divergence between scientific advice and legislation” since the start of the pandemic. Some of the scientists have expressed concern that while the Omicron variant appears to be milder, it is highly transmissible. This, according to scientists, can cause a huge increase in hospitalisations and deaths without intervention.

The media outlet stated that scientists are criticising Johnson’s cabinet for rejecting new measures before Christmas. Even though the Omicron variant continues to spread in the country, three cabinet members told the media outlet on Monday that they remained deeply sceptical that any further measures were essential. British health secretary Sajid Javid said that people should take steps themselves to protect others. 

“We won’t be taking any further measures. Of course, people should remain cautious as we approach new year celebrations and take a lateral flow test if that makes sense, celebrate outdoors if you can, have some ventilation indoors if you can,” Javid said. It is to note that the decision not to introduce curbs in England is an outlier in the UK, after Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland introduced limits on social gatherings and mass events. The UK is not introducing any restrictions means the nightclubs will remain open for New Year’s Eve.

Omicron Is 'not the same disease' as earlier waves

The Omicron variant is “not the same disease we were seeing a year ago”, said a leading immunologist as the new strain of coronavirus emerges to become dominant in Europe. According to The Guardian report, Sir John Bell, professor of medicine at Oxford University and the government’s life sciences adviser, even said that high COVID-19 death rates in the UK are “now history”.

Noting that even though COVID-19 hospitalisations had increased in the recent weeks amid the Omicron spread, Bell said that coronavirus infection “appears to be less severe and many people spend a relatively short time in hospital”. He said that fewer patients were needing high-flow oxygen and the average length of stay was as low as three days.

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