Matt Hancock had little choice over Tier extensions – The Yorkshire Post says

They have every right to feel exasperated after Matt Hancock, the Health and Social Care Secretary, raised their hopes at the start of the week by appearing to suggest that Covid infection rates had fallen sufficiently for Ministers to offer a lifeline to pubs and restaurants in time for their busiest time of the year. This was bad politics.

And while Mr Hancock did not mention any additional assistance for affected businesses, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is extending the furlough job protection scheme by another month until the end of April after the Government began imploring people to minimise Christmas gatherings in order to lessen the spread of the virus.

However it would, regrettably, have led to even more confusion if areas of Yorkshire had been dropped to Tier 2 at the very moment when the country requires maximum vigilance – these mixed messages show how quickly the situation has changed and why the caution ofp ublic health chiefs needs to be heeded.

In this respect, Mr Hancock had little room for manoeuvre – even though it is abundantly clear that the criteria used to determine tier levels has not been applied universally. If it had, preventative action would have taken place in London long ago rather than Ministers waiting for the Covid second wave to reach such a dangerous levels.

As such, the need for total transparency remains as important as public health campaigns to promote the efficacy of the new vaccine now being rolled out. The best Christmas gift of all, it will also be the country’s salvation in 2021 if people show patience, and restraint, until restrictions can be eased.

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