By Ben Kerrigan-
The Uk lockdown announced on Monday was known by government officials and scientific advisers in advance of the Christmas holidays, and was always going to take place, an analysis of known evidence shows.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a national lockdown until mid February, shutting down all none essential shops , schools and Universities, to bring the new variant of the coronavirus under control, which he said was overwhelming the Nhs.
However, a lockdown in January was always on the cards, and presented as a trade off to initial announcements for a relaxed Christmas that would allow Uk families to mix with up to three households. Scientists advising the British government, and some key members of the British government can be said to have known all along, even before the discovery of the new variant, that a lockdown in January was almost certainly going to happen.
Dr Susan Hopkins,(pictured) medical director of Test and Trace, indicated that for every day the rules are relaxed over the festive period, two more under harsher measures may be needed to crack down again on coronavirus.
PHE at the time said Ms Hopkins misspoke and had meant to say that “for every one day of relaxation, *five* days of tighter restrictions would potentially be needed”, according to modelling from the government’s science advisers known as SAGE.
Researching journalists aware of the strong likelihood for a January lockdown published to an opinion poll by the Observer which revealed a larger proportion of the British public preferring a Christmas lockdown to one in January.
The discovery of the new variant just before Christmas led to a spectacular U turn by the British government, who now announced for the guidelines for Christmas mixing to be limited to just one family.
Although the vast majority of families abided by those Christmas guidelines, a national lockdown has now been imposed to prevent the virus spreading, and the Nhs from being overwhelmed- the precise reasons given before the lockdown in March.
Overwhelmed
There is no question that a number of hospitals in the Uk say they are overwhelmed with Covid patients occupying most of their beds, but the situation was not much different before last month in December.
As infectious as the new variant might be, the timing and announcement of its discovery was convenient, the steps taken to tackle it nevertheless planned it advance. This knowledge makes it difficult to believe that Sage Scientists were not always looking for a lockdown to keep Brits in until the complete roll out of a vaccine proven effective in stopping the spread of the virus.
A plan to restrict the spread of the virus until a time many people can be vaccinated against maybe a positive end goal, but the lack of real transparency has to be a problem for all genuine British people.
Boris Johnson is documented ahead of last Christmas of expressing high hopes for things to be normal by Christmas, only to suddenly announce a month’s long national lockdown, relax restrictions for families over Christmas, change those relaxations, and then now a long new year’s lockdown.
Johnson announced that the lockdown would end in February, but barely 24 hours later, we hear from Michael Gove that the lockdown could go on until March.
This government is struggling to be consistent in its message to the British public, which leaves many good and honest people with very negative views about the government’s integrity and handling of the pandemic.
Continuous switching of its words soon becomes no more than words and sounds already expected to be violated in a matter of time.