A calendar of lockdowns would aid NHS and the economy - Yorkshire Post Letters

NOW that the Prime Minister has been driven to declare another lockdown, with his heels scraping along the floor, a few Parliamentary refuseniks still do not get it – Shipley MP Philip Davies is a prime example.

Former PM Theresa May has warned about ‘going in and out of lockdown’, but perhaps this is precisely what we need to be doing while we await the arrival of vaccines. Back in September, Government scientific advisers recommended a short lockdown which could, at that time, have been put in place easily to embrace half-term with little detriment to schools, but the opportunity was missed.

Now we have a much worse level of Covid infections and much worse prospects across the nation for hospital admissions and eventual deaths, notwithstanding the much improved treatment knowledge that has been developed through the earlier months of the pandemic.

Given that the minimum incubation period for Covid appears to be a few days, and self-isolation following potential exposure has been set at 10 to 14 days, a short-term ‘circuit break’ of three weeks would reduce ambient cases, especially asymptomatic cases, significantly.

With cases doubling in about 10 days, in the absence of the circuit break there would, by contrast, be four times as many cases after the same three-week period. Therefore a properly planned calendar of circuit-break lockdowns interspersed with relaxation intervals would maintain overall infection levels at a lower figure which would minimise load on the NHS while supporting the economy, giving business and communities the predictability they crave.

‘Covid-secure’ non-retail businesses would continue throughout, and people-facing non-food retail and hospitality could operate on perhaps a five-in-eight weeks basis, with extended hours if appropriate so there is plenty of time for people to get their ‘non-essential’ retail therapy. Brewers will be able to plan production and pubs can manage stocks without any risk of the losses created by the latest sudden shut-down.

From: Peter Rickaby, West Park, Selby.

THERESA May was by no means one of our finest Prime Ministers, but in Parliament she spoke more sense about our Covid-19 situation than Boris Johnson has ever done. It was a shame he showed such poor grace in walking out of the chamber as she rose to speak.

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