Lockdown delay: Tory MP fears ‘it could be spring’ before Brits ‘are out of step four’
A TORY MP has warned of the possibility of "autumn lockdowns" following Boris Johnson's decision to delay easing of restrictions.
Coronavirus: Murrison warns of an 'autumn lockdown'
On Monday, Boris Johnson announced that the anticipated June 21 ‘Freedom Day’ would not go ahead as planned over rising coronavirus case numbers and fears of the Delta variant. The Prime Minister pleaded with the country to “wait just a little longer”.
When asked on BBC Newsnight whether he thought the UK was headed for an autumn lockdown, Conservative MP Andrew Murrison thought the possibility was very real.
He said: “I’m worried about that possibility that’s for sure because if we hit the revised date of July 19 and we’re not looking as if we’re coming out of this step four, we have to ask the question ‘if not now then when?’.
“If it goes on, we’re looking at the autumn and the winter.
“We know that respiratory viruses like the autumn and winter months and there’s likely to be an uptick in the instance of those conditions then.
“We can then look forward to the spring, it could be spring before we’re out of step four.”
During Monday’s announcement, the Prime Minister said Covid cases were growing by up to 60 percent every week and doubling in some of the worst affected areas.
Mr Johnson added the number of people in intensive care is also rising.
Step four of the Prime Minister’s roadmap out of lockdown is now set to come to an end in four weeks’ time but he promised to hold a review point in two weeks meaning restrictions could be lifted earlier if all goes well.
Mr Johnson said the delay in reopening will “give the NHS a few more crucial weeks to get those remaining jabs into the arms of those who need them.”
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He said: “As things stand, on the evidence that I can see right now, I’m confident that we will not need more than four weeks.
“Now is the time to ease off the accelerator.
“By being cautious now, we have the chance in the next four weeks to save many thousands of lives, by vaccinating millions more people.”
Mr Murrison continued to acknowledge that the announcement was disappointing.
He said: “Of course we’re all disappointed by this, of course we are.
“The principal issue here is around the failure to establish or refute a link between the instance of Covid in the population and serious hospital admissions and deaths.
“I think it’s really the Government really wanting to make sure it has that data.”
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He added: “That data I suspect is going to emerge in the coming days and I was reassured to hear that there would be a review point at two weeks.
“I think at that point we might be a little bit clearer about the way ahead.”