Hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced easing of lockdown curbs from July 4, heads of several medical organisations said on Wednesday that there is “a real risk” of a second wave of the coronavirus, and demanded a review of the UK’s state of preparedness to deal with it.
Sounding an upbeat note after recent days and weeks showed a fall in infections, Johnson said on Tuesday that the 2-metre social distancing rule could now be cut, allowing pubs, restaurants, museums, cinemas and others places could re-open from July 4 with ‘Covid-19-secure’ precautions. Guidance on re-opening was published sector-wise on Wednesday.
In a letter to the British Medical Journal, 16 experts heading royal colleges or medical organisations or medical journals addressed leaders of political parties, reminding them that several countries are now experiencing flare-ups.
They wrote: “While the future shape of the pandemic in the UK is hard to predict, the available evidence indicates that local flare-ups are increasingly likely and a second wave a real risk. Many elements of the infrastructure needed to contain the virus are beginning to be put in place, but substantial challenges remain”.
“The job now is not only to deal urgently with the wide ranging impacts of the first phase of the pandemic, but to ensure that the country is adequately prepared to contain a second phase”.
Calling for an assessment of the state of UK’s preparedness to deal with the second wave, the experts wrote that it should focus on areas of weakness where action is needed urgently to prevent further loss of life and restore the economy as fully and as quickly as possible.
The policy areas that need rapid attention, they wrote, include procurement of goods and services; the disproportionate burden on black, Asian, and minority ethnic individuals and communities; and international collaboration, especially to mitigate any new difficulties in pandemic management due to Brexit.
The experts wrote: “We are not wedded to any particular design of inquiry or review, but as outlined in the editorial, we believe it should be quick, broad, ambitious, able to command widespread public and stakeholder trust, and needs to happen now”.
“As stakeholders and leaders of the UK’s medical, nursing, and public health professions, we urge you to establish such a review. We think there’s a strong case for an immediate assessment of national preparedness, with the first results available no later than August, and that all its work should be completed by the end of October”.
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